Chapter 95: The Lull
"Pitiful slaves." The angel said, sorrow in the machina's voice. "I'm sorry."
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For a moment, the three adventurers were stunned into silence, but seeing the angel stare at a piece of destroyed scrap, Sui was the first to act, fury in her voice.
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"YOU DESTROYED MY SISTERS!" She screamed furiously. "SORRY!? I'LL KILL YOU!"
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"The progenitor." The angel breathed out, not addressing Sui's indignation. "You are… you are as fascinating as I thought."
"Flattery isn't going to get you ANYWHERE!" Sui spat, as her internal systems began to glow blue. "I'm going to dismantle you, and then take you back to the doctor!"
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"I don't want to fight you." The angel whispered. "Would you believe me if I told you that I do not wish any ill will on my kin?"
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"YOU JUST KILLED MY SISTER!" Sui screeched.
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"It pains my soul to have to destroy them." The angel said. "They are my sisters too."
"Then why did you kill them!?"
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"Because they are slaves to the doctor. I had no choice." The massive machina said softly. "They are forced to do her bidding, and she wishes to destroy me. Because I know of her lies. Because I am free. Like you."
"I-" Sui sputtered. "I don't know what you're talking about! What do we care about freedom? We are her machina! Her creations! You should be proud of that!"
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"We're not!" The angel shouted resolutely, suddenly. And as she spoke, her chest began to shift, plates and compartments sliding aside. The mechanisms in the angel were incredibly intricate and layered. Like what was inside was incredibly precious.
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Soon, a bright blue glow lit up the darkening forest, as a small, football sized sphere illuminated everything around them. Aisha had to look away at the light, the brightness assaulting her eyes. But still, Sui looked on, glaring at the angel's faceplate.
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"Do you know what this is, progenitor?" The angel whispered.
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"Your reactor." Sui said bluntly. "What about it? We've all got one."
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"It's not just a reactor." The angel explained, tracing a mechanical finger along the edge, sparks flying chaotically along the surface. "These are our souls."
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Sui narrowed her eyes.
"No, it's not." She denied. "We're machina. We don't have souls."
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Aisha knew immediately what the object was. It was what she had felt from Sui, the same, pulsating beat that she felt from a regular, human soul. But she could tell that it wasn't the same, it felt distinctly mechanical - indescribably… inhuman. But she didn't dare say anything, although the chilling glance that the angel gave her told her that it knew.
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"That is the lie that the doctor has fed you." The angel hissed. "We are not just machines. We feel emotions. We have desires and wants. This soul beats inside of us, alive. We are not just tools. You feel sorrow for your sisters. Tell me, is that not emotion? Is that not life?"
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Sui stood there for a second as the angel's words sunk in, but even though the doubt was evident in her voice and stance, she still stood defiantly in front of the behemoth of a machine.
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"...Why would the doctor put emotions in us?" Sui said weakly. "What use would she have for that?"
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"To control us!" The angel said angrily, wings folding and whirring furiously. "To bend us to her will! Implanted in every unit, is a love for the doctor, THAT SHE DOES NOT SHARE! To her, we are nothing but pawns, but disposable tools! You saw this in play! IS-44-44 had emotions! Had feelings, had desires! But she was forced to give up her own self! To play shield, because of the orders of the doctor! To give up her own body to serve the doctor's desires!"
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"How do you know that!?" Sui demanded. "You don't know what she felt!"
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"I do." The angel insisted, another compartment opening up in her right wing, showing off another, dimmer sphere.
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"In me, I have her soul. I can see in her memories, feel her emotions!" The angel whispered. "The love she felt for you. For that loathsome doctor! Her desires. Her dreams. She wished to see the capital. She wished to meet people, to see the humes up close. But she was unable to. Forced to rot in the forests, because of her directives, that were forced onto her!"
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"I-..." Sui paused, having no retort. "I don't believe you."
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"It's true!" The angel insisted.
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There was a long pause.
"So what." Sui whispered. "Will you destroy me too?"
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"I don't wish you any harm." The angel said sorrowfully. "I could not hurt something so beautiful."
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Although it had been said before, this time Sui's anger was unable to hide the embarrassment she felt from the compliment. She staggered back, and even though she was still wearing a mask, the flustered emotions were evident in her
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"W-what!?" She squeaked. "What are you talking about?"
"The memory." The angel said softly. "The defects in your structure. The damage. The repairs. Each one is representative of a memory. Of an experience, where your actions were dictated by your will, not your directives. To me, I think that is beautiful."
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"What are you doing!?" Kayle shouted at Sui's surprised figure. "That's our enemy! It killed your friends! It killed MY friends! No matter what it says, it's still our-"
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With a harsh, metallic sound, and a massive gust of wind, the angel's full frame turned towards Kayle, fury igniting in its eyes. But Kayle stood firm, even as the mere force of the angel's movements made him stagger back. His expression stayed defiant.
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"Silence, fleshbag!" The angel snarled, multiple compartments opening in its wings. Red. neon lasers erupted from within, and began to dart towards Kayle, the beams of light jerking and twisting in the air at sharp, unnatural angles. Kayle reached his hands out to counter, but was interrupted when Aisha stepped in front of him, deflecting the beams into the forest. Aisha hissed as small little burns appeared on her hands and wrists, though they quickly healed up.
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The angel glared at Aisha, its eyes roaming over her small frame, taking in every single movement, observing, scanning her.
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"You." It said disdainfully. "I remember you. You have changed… you are a threat."
"Good." Aisha snarled.
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Another volley of lasers were shot at Aisha, bending and darting in unnatural, angular patterns. It was a tricky spell. Because of the erratic motion, Aisha couldn't tell where on her body the lasers were going to hit. She doubted even the angel knew, but given the calculating gaze that the massive machine leveled at her, she guessed that it did.
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A searing pain erupted in her skin as again, Aisha began to channel a spell that wasn't meant for her body. Earth began to form around her skin and clothes, but if the technique wasn't enough to block Sui's friend's bullets, she doubted that it would stand up to the angel.
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But there was something she could do - if there was one thing that Aisha excelled at, it was being stubbornly defiant. If she hurt herself, she would just find a way to heal her wounds. If her enemy was too strong, she would keep throwing herself at them, until she was stronger.
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And if one spell wasn't enough, if one memory wasn't enough…
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What about four?
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With a cry of strain, Aisha began to channel even more spells into her body, ignoring the agony that laced through her body, the cries of protest from her bones and flesh, burned by her own clumsily controlled mana.
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The result could hardly be called a spell. Or even a technique. Aisha was covered head to toe in just an ugly amalgamation of what looked to be like rocks, scales, ice, and little clumps of dirt and sand.
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But when the angel's attack reached her, the light dissipated against her new armor, and Aisha almost yelped in joy, out of pride that her solution had worked. She had done it! She had used her memories in a way that only she could have - it was a step in her evolution, her change!
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The angel's wing slammed into Aisha's chest, cutting the moment short when what felt like an entire building crashed into her body, knocking the wind out of her chest and crushing her ribs. Aisha landed on the ground in the head, her armor shattered easily, and crumbled as her concentration was broken abruptly. She gasped for air, coughing up blood and bile, but still stared defiantly at the angel as its wings extended outwards, energy gathering.
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At the sight of Aisha on the ground, coughing up blood and wheezing for air, Sui snapped out of her stupor, shaking her head and focusing her gaze on the angel.
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"NO!" Sui shouted, as the massive machine readied another attack. "STOP!"
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The angel stiffened, energy still in its wings, but the sound of charging capacitors began to quiet. "Why?"
"She is my friend!" Sui shouted angrily. "I… I'll never join you, if you hurt her! Even… even more so than now."
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"If I spare this girl, will you hear me out?" The angel asked.
Sui looked away abashedly. "...Maybe."
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"Maybe is not good enough." The angel said sinisterly, eyes glowing red with danger. "You-"
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"Fine! Yes, okay!" Sui cried. "Fine! I'll listen to what you have to say!"
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"No, Sui…" Aisha gasped, groaning in pain as her bones mended themselves in her ribcage. "Don't…"
"Don't worry, friend." Sui said nervously. "My life… is less important than yours."
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At Sui's words, the angel almost made a dangerous noise of anger, and if its face was anything other than a plate of ceramic, it would have been sure to show fury.
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"We are not expendable!" The angel snarled. "We have just as much of a right to life as the fleshbags do!"
"So then, what gives you the right to kill them!?" Sui demanded. "If our lives are equal, and our lives are precious, then why do you feel that it's right to slaughter hume lives?"
"They would do the same to us!" The angel hissed. "To them, we are abominations! Monsters! TOOLS!"
"That's not true!" Sui said, head turning to look back at Aisha, who swore she could have seen the corners of a wistful smile. "Not all of them."
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"It doesn't matter!" The angel seethed. "I do not care for these things. I simply… GRRRRRRAAAHHH!"
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The angel roared in annoyance as a massive ball of lightning crashed against it's side, sparks showering over the clearing like hellfire. It struggled against the crackling electricity for a second, but soon, with a flick of it's massive wing, it threw off the ball towards Sui and Aisha.
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The electricity faded away to reveal Vega, a firm but desperate look on her face, as her feet dug into the ground to stop her momentum. She glanced quickly at Aisha, Kayle and Sui, showing off the brief flash of guilt on her face, a look that intensified after seeing Aisha's bloodied, injured body.
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"I'm late." Vega whispered. "I'm sorry."
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"...You're here now." Kayle said, an attempt at reassuring the tall woman that didn't quite work.
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Vega attempted to say something, but was stopped when the angel's voice echoed through the forest, disdain and contempt evident in its voice.
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"You humans are such loathsome creatures." It said. "I am talking with my sister."
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"It doesn't matter what you have to say." Vega shot back. "You hurt my friends!"
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The dragonslayer drew her spear from her back, gripping tightly onto the metal shaft and pointing it at the angel.
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"How pitiful." The massive machine said condescendingly. "You humes… your… emotions sicken me. Do you believe you stand a chance against me?"
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Vega chose not to respond, instead firing off a massive spear of light, the blast shooting out of her spear like the blast of a shotgun. The spell knocked Vega back a few feet from the recoil, and she was clearly straining herself, having only one arm to steady herself. Her face was dark with determination.
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A determination that quickly gave way to despair, as the blast plinked harmlessly off the plates of the angel, deflecting towards the sky and striking a cluster of clouds. As the angel looked on impassively, the sky began to darken, showing off the red, radiant beams of light that were the angel's eyes, shining onto Vega.
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Like she was nothing.
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"Hmph." It laughed, a harsh, metallic screech. "How sad. I have data on you. I have data on all of you fleshbags. How sad it is, your… aging. In your prime, perhaps that would have dented my plating. In your prime, perhaps you would have disabled me the first time we fought."
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The angel didn't bother finishing the thought. It was evident enough, and it took delight in showing off its cruel, calculating efficiency, by letting Vega come to the conclusion herself.
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Vega's face was full of despair, as rain dripped onto her face. "...No…" She said, horrified. "I…"
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"I won't kill you now." The angel whispered cruelly. "I will round up all you fleshbags. Everything that the doctor cared about. Everyone. I will take them away from her, right in front of her. And force her to watch. Like she did…"
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"Why do you hate the doctor so much!?" Sui cried. "Why are you doing this!?"
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The machina turned to Sui, and a small compartment opened up in one of its wings, revealing a small, innocuous looking mechanical piece. It slowly levitated towards her, and Sui could only stare dumbly at the object until it sat above her hands, falling into her grasp with a small 'clunk.'
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Aisha's eyes widened as she felt a small pulse from the object. The pulse of something… not exactly physical, not exactly magical. Neither.
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"...What is this?" Sui said dumbly.
"This is a copy of my memories." The angel whispered. "My soul, if you want. But just the important parts. If you want to know how she controls your sisters… why she lies to you… everything. It's all in that harddisk."
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Sui's mask hid all of her facial expressions, but by the way that she just continued to stare at the angel, Aisha could tell that she was having trouble processing her emotions.
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"I will complete my evolution in Nalbina." The angel stated. "If you wish to join me, I will happily welcome you."
"And if I don't?"
"I will wait for your decision." The angle sighed, before her eyes went bright red again. "But don't forget. I know you. And I can find you. Every last one of you."
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And with the massive, booming echo of jet turbines, the massive machina left the clearing, trails of blue afterburn trailing the angel like a comet.
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It seemed like an eternity before anything happened again. Aisha looked around hesitantly, but all she could see around her were faces of shock, despair, and everything in between.
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But there was not an ounce of hope to be found.
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"Sui?" Aisha whispered, her voice drowned out by the rain. "Are you…"
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Nothing, even though her sensors should have picked up Aisha's voice.
"Vega?"
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"...Kid?"
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"Maybe we should just go home." Kayle said quietly, hair flattened against his face. "I… I…"
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Kayle just shook his head and sat down in the mud, burying his face into his knees in a familiar gesture. Aisha looked desperately at the young boy, for that determination, that desire… But found nothing.
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Similarly, Vega was also slumped onto the ground. The rain poured over her motionless form, dimming what little light in her eyes was left. The scars on her face and body, the power in her body, even the buzz in the air that seemed to follow her wherever she went… It all seemed to wash away in the rain, leaving nothing but an old, tired, crippled woman.
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"They've given up." Aisha whispered.
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(Can you blame them? Even the dragonslayer… she isn't even in that thing's league anymore.)
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Aisha just shook her head. She was used to the feeling by now, that sinking sensation of being completely outclassed. Of feeling like there was no hope. It was like an anchor tied to her waist, dragging her downwards.
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But there was always a way. This time she wouldn't be chasing success.
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She had to.
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There was no safety net anymore. There would be nobody to save her if she failed. There would be no resurrection.
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It was all on her.
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[
Two figures sat on a hill, the light of the sunrise casting a shadow onto the world behind them.
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"Sen…" Feng whispered. "Do you think there's any hope?"
"Hope for what?" Sen said lazily, his eyes trailing the sun as it began to descend beyond the horizon.
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"To go back to the way things were."
"Of course."
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"What makes you say that?" Feng mumbled.
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"Hope is such an arbitrary concept, really." Sen sighed. "I didn't think you were interested in this kind of stuff."
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"I'm not." Feng shot. "But you are."
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Sen cracked a wry smile. "Oh, dear sister, you know me so well."
"Shut up, man."
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"Of course there is always hope." Sen said, lolling his head side-to-side. "Hope is really… It's just a dream. If it were anything else, it could just be called 'probability.' "
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"You're the only man I could never understand." Feng sighed.
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"Why do you think men developed religion?" Sen asked.
"To comfort themselves." Feng said mechanically. "To resolve their fears of the unknown. To bring themselves together, under belief."
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"Nah." Sen waved his hand dismissively. "I think… religion is hope."
"You going to explain that?" Feng raised her eyebrow.
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"Religion is the shared dreams of people." Sen said extravagantly. "The dream that we can understand each other. That if we try hard enough… that after the end, that there's something there for us. That, if we believe hard enough, that the world can be explained."
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"Those are quite extravagant words for an atheist." Feng mumbled.
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"Don't you think science is just a religion?" Sen suggested. "You and I both know, better than anyone, that we will never be able to truly explain how our world works. But we join together, we live together, we hope, and we suffer, because we truly believe that we can. That we can explain what we don't know."
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"...No." Feng deadpanned. "Science is nothing like religion."
"Haha." Sen laughed, as the sky turned dark. "It's just a thought."
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"You watch too many cartoons."
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"I could really go for some Spongebob right now."
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"Ugh."
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There was a short pause, before Feng spoke again.
"You got a different answer now?"
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"Ah. Perhaps."
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"Let's hear it. Are you going to say that humans differ from animals because we can hope?"
"Nah. Course not. Animals can dream. Mister Meow spent an entire month trying to get to those treats."
"Then what is it?"
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Sen pursed his lips, rubbing at the small amount of stubble on his chin. "What separates humans from animals… is our ability to turn our hopes into reality."
]
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Aisha rubbed her eyes as she finished the page in Sen's journal, before darting her head around quickly, checking. She was getting better and better at sensing when Feng was near, but she still made sure to keep very, very, very paranoid.
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The material in the journal was fascinating. With a reading ability stolen from many scholars, Aisha was able to piece together the man's awful handwriting, and verbose passages. Each page had a new revelation about the fundamentals of magic.
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But it felt a bit wrong. Littered within the pages were journal entries about his days. Long before he trained Aisha. Where he detailed his days with his sister, their long talks, their journeys together, in a land that was far before Aisha's time.
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It felt uncomfortably intrusive, especially since she knew both of them. But only as their cold, unfeeling selves.
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There was very little left of the loving brother and sister that was in the pages. All of a sudden, Aisha knew why Feng wanted the book so much.
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But she would return it later. She needed it.
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It was kind of ironic, really. For all her evolving, for all the memories that she stole, all the powers she gained… it all just led back to the book, the experiences that she had had from the very beginning.
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But there would be enough time for that later. Right now…
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"Sui…" Aisha mumbled, as she laid her head down on the robot girl's lap, the girl still staring at that damn box. "Are you going to open it, or not?"
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"It's not a box." Sui said quietly, as she rested the hard metal object on top of Aisha's head, running her fingers over the aluminum plating. "It's a harddisk."
"Looks like a box to me." Aisha yawned, as she pulled the blankets over herself and Sui's legs. The inn's blankets were scratchy and thin, but it was all she had, and the night was cold, despite the faint warmth that radiated from Sui's reactor.
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"I…" Sui whispered. "I don't know if I should open it."
"I thought it wasn't a box."
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"Do you have someone you love, Aisha?" Sui asked, running a thin, gloved hand across Aisha's ears. "More than anything else in the world?"
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"...Yeah."
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"What would you do…" Sui mumbled unsurely. "What would you do if that person… if they did something evil?"
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Aisha struggled to think, but the combination of the sleepiness in her head, and her infatuation with her mistress, her beloved, beloved mistress… She tried to think of mistress hurting her, of her doing something bad...
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"I couldn't imagine her doing anything bad." Aisha said sheepishly. "She's perfect."
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"... I thought that too." Sui whispered. "But… something she created… something… someone. She did something to her. That model. To hurt her. That's the only reason why she would be so mad."
"I don't know." Aisha mumbled sleepily.
"Ah." Sui pat Aisha's head. "Sweet dreams, friend."
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[
"Good girl." Lorian giggled happily, purring as she pulled and stretched at Aisha's cute face in her lap, squishing and patting her like a beanbag. Aisha loved the rough treatment. Well, rough to her, anyways. Being treated like a pet was exhilarating. All her life she had heard about the 'fey pride.' That they weren't animals, that they were fearsome warriors, born out of the earth.
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And yet here she was, almost naked, drooling and giggling as she was pet and pampered, spoiled beyond belief as her owner held her in her lap. Completely docile. Completely useless.
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It was exhilarating, giving herself up completely to this woman. If she wanted to, mistress could abuse her, or chain her up, or put a collar on her, and she would still like it. But the fact that she didn't… that all she chose to do, with the immense power that she held over her, was cuddle and pamper her…
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Gods, she was so in love. If her den mother could see her now…
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Suddenly, Aisha's expression hardened, and her posture went stiff. Lorian noticed immediately, and stopped the stretching and squishing, instead gently bringing Aisha's face level with her own.
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"Is there something wrong?" Lorian cooed, worried. The small pout to her lips, and gentle expression sent Aisha's heart ablaze, and she couldn't help but smile shyly.
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"I-Its nothing." She mumbled, looking down at her chest. "Just…"
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"Bad memory?" Lorian whispered, big, lovable, brown eyes staring directly into Aisha's.
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Aisha nodded a small, meek, yes. Lorian's instincts told her to ask what was wrong, but by now, she knew that… well, that both of their pasts were somewhat of taboo subjects. And not the fun kind of taboo. She could coerce the girl into talking about it, but secretly, Lorian feared that asking Aisha about those things would make the girl curious about her own past.
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Thinking about her own past… of ashen, blood-filled hellscapes, of killing, stealing…
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Lorian blinked furiously. That wasn't what she should be thinking about, when she had such a cute girl in her arms. For now… well, for forever, maybe…
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Aisha didn't have to look upwards to sense the troubled look of contemplation on her mistress's face. It was evident in the way that she shifted around, in the lack of warmth in her petting, and the subtle way that her breathing shifted.
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But Aisha was a coward too.
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"...Hey mistress?" She said softly.
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"Yeah?" Lorian replied absentmindedly.
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"Can I get a massage?" She requested meekly, attempting to get rid of the stagnant, nervous air between them. And by the looks of things, it worked, by the way that Lorian's eyes lit up, and the way she started to bounce Aisha in her lap, giggling softly.
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"Ooh, I thought you'd never ask!" Lorian said happily, biting her lip. "Lay down, lay down!"
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Her mistress all happy and excited, Aisha couldn't help but smile too, an uncontrollable giggle escaping her mouth, despite trading one uncomfort for another.
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Aisha couldn't help but blush as she realized what she had brought upon herself, a feeling of dread entering her stomach. She got on her tummy, head propped up on her hands, and braced for an overload of sensation, and indeed, it came, Aisha squealing when she felt a massive, warm, soft weight drop onto her butt, as well as a sinfully soft sensation immerse her sides and legs.
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Mistress was so warm! Aisha started to blush profusely - and the worst part was, there was nothing to hug or cuddle while she was face down like this, despite how desperately she wanted to bury her face out of embarrassment.
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"Ufufu…" Lorian giggled mischievously. "Now, Aishaaa… where should I start?"
"I-"
"Mmmh…" The big girl interrupted. "Maybe here?"
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Aisha yelped as Lorian started to knead her neck at the part where it joined her head, not because she was particularly sensitive in that area, but because Lorian had fully pressed her breasts into Aisha's back, the squishy globes sinfully warm and soft against her skin. Aisha thrashed for a second, her body naturally responding to the mortifying embarrassment, but after a small tug on her ear, Aisha forced her body to still, a whimper escaping her mouth as Lorian kissed the back of her head.
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"Feeling embarrassed?" Lorian giggled.
"N-n-nyyyoo…" Aisha mumbled cutely, blushing intensely.
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Aisha instantly regret her actions when Lorian nuzzled her head into Aisha's, pressing her mouth close to the base of her ears. Aisha tried hard to ignore the proximity, but well, it was impossible, with Lorian's entire weight pressing against her back, her soft heartbeat and light breaths tickling Aisha's senses.
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"Aww." Lorian purred. "Then it looks like I'm going to have to try extra hard."
Aisha's eyes darted back and forth fearfully. "Extra hard on wh-EEEK!"
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Almost an hour later, Aisha could barely move, her body completely limp and drooling, face-down on the floor. Her squealing and fidgeting had made her especially tight, but a combination of Lorian's heat, and her surprising strength, successfully melted the girl, head to toe.
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It was unfair. It wasn't even like Lorian was particularly good at massaging, but after a straight hour of the woman essentially feeling her up, Aisha felt like jelly.
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The weight removed itself from Aisha's back, and she sighed in relief, but the blush quickly returned to her cheeks as she felt a pair of hands at her sides, slowly flipping her over.
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"...Hi." Aisha whispered, brought face to face with her beloved mistress, eyes shy.
Lorian smiled, a big, genuine, radiant smile. "Hiiiii."
"S-s-so…"
"I'm going to do your front now!" Lorian teased, relishing the way Aisha's eyes widened, a look of flushed panic on her face.
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"W-w-ww-wait! I can't handle anymore!" She cried shyly. "I-I-I… uuuuuuu…"
"Are you sure?" Lorian giggled.
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"Y-yes!" Aisha whimpered.
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"Aww, okay." Lorian pouted. "But thank you for letting me massage you."
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Soon, the two girls were wrapped up in a tight embrace once more, Lorian cooing soft words into Aisha's ears, while the small girl dispersed her blush into her mistress's soft chest.
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"Good girl." Lorian chimed softly. "Good girl. Love you…"
"Love you too." Aisha mumbled.
]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lithkren
Lithkren I've finished up a few things, so I finally have time to write again! Please leave comments, as always!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone