《Unstable : DORMANT》 Chapter 1 This story begins a long, long time ago, at the creation of the universes and their multiple worlds. The universe was made of non-material entities, sentient beings with no shapes. These beings craved freedom, love, and peace. Thus every time they would meet, clinking against each other like glass, they would create little particles. Those particles would take shape into crystals. Each crystal possessed a will on their own and contained immense powers, with which they could create matter and with their gravity, shaping their worlds, with their own rules. Life appeared. And Life was thriving. More crystals, more worlds, more different forms of life, each unique and beautiful. But, and there is always a but, nothing stays peaceful too long. A new entity appeared, a negative one, a violent one. An entity who seemed to be hungry for power. This entity would find a way into each world and take away by force the crystal''s power, then migrate to another world and repeat the process. When the other entities heard of the disaster that was happening, they gathered all of their strength to imprison this evil entity. They created a dimensional prison and were able to lock their enemy inside, and lost a huge part of their powers by doing so. The entities, weakened, had to retire, each and every one of them. They were now dormant. This didn¡¯t stop the remaining crystals from thriving. The existing worlds kept living, oblivious of this celestial war. Maybe thriving was a strong world, the crystals didn¡¯t die or lose powers. But what about Life ? How about we focus on a world ? In a certain country, in a certain world, life wasn¡¯t extinct but wasn¡¯t at its prime either. Animals were no more. Flora was still there, artificially though, the earth couldn¡¯t provide enough for nature to live without the help of Norians. The same Norians who were able to survive thanks to their technology : cleaning the air, artificial food, genetics treatment, erasing illnesses and so on. But even with this technology, the Norians were still suffering from something that could cause their extinction. The babies were all dying from a genetic defect. No scientist was able to determine why and how. They were growing inside their mother¡¯s belly but would die during birth. No explanation, no exception. A woman : Alayna Idliome, a well renowned scientist, was developing the Unity project. The fusion between robotics and Norians. She and her team tried to integrate some robots part into the babies to help them survive their births. Unfortunately, this project was a disaster as they were not able to prevent the babies rejecting their transplant. Countless death. The government couldn¡¯t allow the project to be used on Norians anymore and had to be stopped. Officially at least. Alayna never gave up on the project, she kept working on it, neglecting her own children, Enma and Aeri, by doing so. Enma was a joyful young woman in her 20s. Partying all the time, studying at one of the most prestigious universities ; a very outgoing girl who liked to cause troubles. A typical 20 years old if you¡¯d ask me. As for Aeri, well she was quite the opposite of her sister, always quietly reading in a corner, never interested in social activities, also a behavior expected from a teenager going through puberty I guess. As a matter of fact, Enma and Aeri looked so typical for Alayna that she never gave a second thought to her behavior towards them. Typical people get a typical life. Alayna was above those things. She was searching for something that could stop the rejection of transplants. Maybe the problem was with the type of metal, or the connections between the neurons and the system, maybe the AI was evolving too fast or too slowly and the brain couldn¡¯t handle it. Alayna was the only one truly searching for a remedy to this baby crisis, at least that was what she believed. She was so focused on her studies, too focused. And that is why she couldn¡¯t stop Enma from taking her car keys to go to a party. Also why she wasn¡¯t there when Aeri was trying to stop her sister and got in the car with her. Of course, she heard them fighting in the house, but it was just another typical sibling fight. It took her a few minutes to realize that something was wrong after hearing the car start. When she finally realized what happened it was too late. The car had already crashed in a wall and was on fire. She panicked, seeing the flames high in the sky. But as soon as she saw her daughters still alive in that said car, she used all of her intelligence and power to get them out and bring them down to her laboratory. Enma and Aeri were dying, most of their bodies were badly burnt, and they could barely breathe. Alayna had to think quickly. She looked at her project and decided that it was time to try her new theories on her own daughters. The whole process became quite easy once she put her mind to it. Whatever it takes to save her daughters. No one saw them for an entire month. Removing body parts and maintaining the lungs, hearts and brains wasn¡¯t hard. But creating entire new mechanical body parts perfectly fitting and functional all alone was the hard part. During that time Alayna barely ate. She was too focused on the sole thing she never thought she had to take care of, her children. Saving other kids was her life purpose, and now she had to save her own. After the transplant, Alayna waited at Enma and Aeri¡¯s bed for what seemed to be years for her. Praying to whatever gods to please help her daughters recover. And they opened their eyes. They were obviously not able to move for quite some time and had to follow some rehabilitation courses and therapy sessions in order to get their lives back. Except they couldn¡¯t. What Alayna did was illegal. Enma and Aeri had to hide. Away from the eyes of the government but also from the eyes of common people. Who can possibly accept such monstrosity ? Alayna was arrested and sent to an unknown facility. Enma and Aeri were on the run now. And this is when the story truly starts. All the puppets are finally in place. The show can now begin. You see, there are multiple factors that will endanger the girls'' lives. The first one being the car accident. Alayna didn¡¯t really care about it at that time, but the wall that they hit was part of a house. And that same house burnt down with the car. People died. Obviously after some investigation, the police found out who was driving the car: Enma. Meaning Enma had to be brought out in front of justice. Aeri was considered a crucial witness, she also had to be brought out. The second one was the success of their implants. When the government discovered it, they decided to capture the girls. The illegal aspect of the project combined with the revolutionary discovery of this success stripped those girls from their Norian¡¯rights. They were now nothing more than test¡¯s subjects that needed to be brought back and studied. The third and last one was the remnants of the evil entity, demons. Those demons were born from the multiple crystals possessed by the evil entity. They didn¡¯t obey it but their negative innate energy made them deeply cruel and vicious. Those demons would feed on the living beings of each world. And some of them were now after the dormant entities inside Enma and Aeri, the hostesses of two sleeping entities. They weren¡¯t aware of it but that made them targets. That is also why they were able to survive the transplants. Alayna, Enma and Aeri were underground, in the secret laboratory where all the illegal researchers were done. Someone was at their door. An agent from the government and police officers. One of the police officers knocked at the door. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Enma Idliome ? Police. You are the prime suspect of a murder case. Open the door now!¡± Hearing that, Enma panicked. ¡°A murder case ? You didn¡¯t tell me that someone died because of me !¡± whispered the terrified young woman to her mother. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware of that honey. I was too busy saving you two¡± ¡°What are we gonna do ? I already look like a trash can and now I¡¯m gonna go to jail!¡± ¡°What about me ? I was in the car too !¡± said Aeri. ¡°Who cares about you ?!¡± screamed Enma at her sister¡¯s face ¡°You weren¡¯t driving, I basically forced you into that car ! You¡¯re a nobody, your grades are bad and you¡¯ve got no friends! I, on the other hand, had a bright future. I was loved and people looked up to me !¡± ¡°Both of you shut up¡± ordered Alayna. ¡°Now is not the time to let anxiety get the best of you. You stay down here while I handle the police. Don¡¯t move, don¡¯t scream. Understood ?¡± Both girls nodded. Alayna went upstairs. While walking towards the door, Alayna tried to nervously rearrange her hair, telling herself to calm down. She took one deep breath, closed her eyes, and opened the door, a bright smile on her face. ¡°Hello officers, can I help you ?¡± ¡°We are looking for Enma, is she here ?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I haven¡¯t seen her since she stole my car last month with her sister. Why ? Did they cause trouble ?¡± ¡°No one told you what happened ma''am ? It¡¯s been on the news for quite some time now.¡± asks the officer looking quite confused. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a scientist you know, I¡¯m more into my research than into the real world. That¡¯s unfortunately why I couldn¡¯t stop my daughters. What happened ?¡± Alayna tried to look worried. ¡°Your daughters have been into a car accident. There was a fire. Your car burned down as well as the house they hit. The owner of the house died in the fire. We were looking for Enma as she was spotted by the cameras in the car, but if you tell me that both of your daughters were inside and disappeared. I guess we can¡¯t find them here. Would you mind letting us take a look at their bedrooms ?¡± ¡°No, of course not. Please come in.¡± The mother said more anxiously, ¡°Do you need something like a glass of water ?¡± ¡°You could answer some of our questions, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± said the officer, showing the couch with one hand. ¡°Absolutely¡± said Alayna with a big smile on her face, while pouring herself a glass of water. She looked at the other policemen.¡±Their rooms are upstairs, the doors on the left.¡± Alayna sat down on the couch and took a sip of water before being ready for the interrogation. ¡°When was the last time you saw your daughters ?¡± ¡°I think a week before they stole my car. I¡¯m very busy with work and Enma is used to taking care of Aeri.¡± ¡°Did they say anything that looked suspicious ? Were they anxious ? Acting different ?¡± ¡°Not at all. They were perfectly normal. I think we talked about¡­¡± She was having a hard time remembering what they talked about. What do they usually talk about anyway ? ¡°I¡­ I am so sorry. I can¡¯t remember. It was such a long time ago, and I¡¯m so taken with my research.¡± The officer looked at the government agent, surprised. ¡°What was your relationship with your daughters alike ? Any conflict ?¡± ¡°No ! We were very cordial. Like everyone else.¡± Exclaimed Alayna, visibly shocked by the question. ¡°I talk to them like I talk to you.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not very close ?¡± ¡°I mean, we are as close as someone can be with their children I guess.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The officer was obviously confused by those answers. ¡°Do they have any friends that we can contact ?¡± ¡°Hum probably yes ! I¡¯ve never seen any of them but I¡¯m sure they have some.¡± Alayna was more and more distraught by the questions. She obviously didn¡¯t know much about Enma and Aeri. The officer nodded. He didn¡¯t know what to do with this woman. The government agent took the lead. ¡°You said that you haven¡¯t seen them for around a month. What were you doing during this month ?¡± This question took Alayna by surprise. Of course they would ask that. She was shaken. ¡°I was working¡­ From home. I was too worried for my girls. I wanted to be here when they came back.¡± ¡°Does your superior know about this ?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! They know.¡± ¡°And what is it that you''re working on ?¡± ¡°It¡¯s confidential sir. I can¡¯t answer that question.¡± ¡°Yes, confidential. And do you have anything you need to work at your house ?¡± ¡°Yes sir. But I don¡¯t see how that is any of your concern.¡± Alayna was more and more annoyed by those questions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± said the agent while laughing. ¡°It¡¯s just, if it¡¯s confidential, it must be quite important. Since you¡¯re a scientist. So why would you be allowed to bring your work to your house ?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried about the dangerosity of our project, I can assure you that it is close to none. I think I answered all of your questions. It¡¯s probably time for you to leave.¡± Alayna stood up, looked firmly at them and led them towards the door. ¡°We are sorry for overstepping ma¡¯am.¡± Said the officer. The other policemen were walking out. One of them was shooking his head. ¡°Since we haven¡¯t found anything I guess that will be all. We will contact you when we¡¯ve found them.¡± ¡°As for us, I guess we will meet sooner than you expect. See you around¡± said the agent. Alayna looked at them leaving. She closed the door and layed down on her couch. ¡°This was tiring.¡± She drank her glass of water. Closed her eyes for a bit, and fell asleep. Chapter 2 Enma and Aeri were in the underground lab. The young teenager was breathing loudly, completely panicking while her oldest sister was busy hijacking the house¡¯s system to hear and see what was going on upstairs. ? Could you stop please ? I¡¯m listening to what¡¯s going on in the living room and you¡¯re making too much noise. ? asked Enma, visibly annoyed. ? They could find us. There¡¯s probably a scanner among the policemen. It will see us. ? ? It¡¯s fine. The scanner will only take a sample of our DNA and look where we usually stay in the house. Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m doing something ? ? ? What are they talking about ? ? asked Aeri. ? Mom is saying that we¡¯re not here, that she hasn¡¯t seen us in a month. ? ? Do you think they will believe her ? Did she even report our disappearance to the police ? ? ? She did it if she wasn''t stupid. Shut up now, they¡¯re entering. There¡¯s a scanner, it¡¯s going into our rooms. ? Enma looked at her sister, pensive. Of course they¡¯ve been into their rooms recently. Which means that fresh DNA can be found. Their mother¡¯s lie would be soon discovered. They could track down the footsteps to the lab. Enma had access to the whole house now. She could either start the cleaning system, but the coincidence would be too suspicious ; hijacking a scanner was quite a bold option, too bold for the young woman. She shared her worries with her little sister. Aeri looked surprised. ? We don¡¯t actually need to erase them, we could just corrupt them. ? explained the teenager. ? And how are we supposed to do that ? ? ? Well you know how we use the dna modeling system and a carbone converter to create artificial plants ? Basically speaking if you reverse the converter, that will kill the plant. We could use that to alter our dna. ? ? You have a carbon converter in your pockets ? ? ? Well I¡¯ve got one in my room. I used to modify it and see what happens to artificial plants. Not only artificial plants but also every organic system that I could find. ? ? Why would you even do that ? ? Asked Enma, disgusted by what she just heard. ? It was fun. ? said Aeri. While Enma was keeping a close eye on the policemen, Aeri activated her carbon converter. The oldest was describing the scanner¡¯s movement while the youngest was corrupting the few traces of DNA, before they were spotted. Then Enma erased from the video surveillance the carbon converter. Now that all marks were gone, Enma could focus on her mother again. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ? How is it going ? ? ? I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re talking about mom¡¯s work. I think that guy suspects something. Do you know who he is ? He didn¡¯t even introduce himself. ? Aeri zoomed on the man¡¯s badge. There was no name on it. It was simply a government one. That man was probably an agent. Which would be weird under normal circumstances. Why would the government be interested in a simple car accident? But, if it¡¯s their mother¡¯s work that they¡¯re interested in, that would change a lot. ? They¡¯re leaving ? said Enma ? let¡¯s go see mom. ? Alayna fell quite easily into a deep sleep. She was exhausted and needed a break. When she opened her eyes, she heard a baby crying. The scientist was navigating in an ocean of blood towards the noise. When the cries finally stopped, she dived into it. Nothing could be seen. She grabbed what seemed to be an arm. She brought back what she thought was the baby back to the surface. Alayna screamed, terrified by what she was holding. The ocean of blood turned into an ocean of fire. The woman screamed for her daughters again and again. She could see her own arms melt. Her bones were pitch black. The floor fell under her feet. Alayna closed her eyes again, and when she re opened them, she was in front of her former lab. Except it was in shambles. She tried to walk but couldn¡¯t. Her legs were stuck in the rock. She felt like her heart was gonna explode. What she found earlier was standing in front of her, smiling. The scientist was unable to breathe. She heard another scream. ¡°Mom¡­ Mom, are you okay ? Mom wake up!¡± Alayna opened her eyes. Her daughters were standing in front of her, looking worried. The woman took some time to regain her composure. Aeri gave her a glass of water that her mother drank voraciously. Enma sat down next to her while her younger sister layed down on her mother¡¯s lap. The mother played a little with her daughter¡¯s hair. Enma interrupted the silence. ¡°The guy who works with the government, he suspects something?¡± ¡°Yes, probably. The government must know that I never fully stopped working on the Unity project. We can stay here for a while. But we will have to be careful. They will jump at any opportunity to seize the lab and my research.¡± ¡°What¡¯s gonna happen to us if they find us ?¡± Asked Aeri. ¡°I don¡¯t know honey, but I promise you, I will protect you no matter what.¡± She put one of her hands on Enma¡¯s cheek and looked her in the eyes, ¡°both of you.¡± For the next two months, Alayna had to go back to work. At first people would look at her and judge her. Thinking that she gave birth to little murderers. After some time the gossip stopped and people forgot that the accident ever happened. She was back in her official lab. During the day Enma and Aeri had to stay hidden in the underground lab, to not be seen. It was spacious and after a while they were able to accommodate themselves with the environment. There was nothing to do for the young girls and that is why they started looking around. They would read the multiple studies that were left by their mother, about engineering, AI, medicine, matter constructing. When Enma started reading about the Unity project, there was a paragraph that striked her. ¡°Both systems will merge together, to make sure that the robotic part isn¡¯t seen as an intruder, but a complete part of the body. Thus the AI will evolve with the baby¡¯s brain while maintaining its primary functions and not hindering the baby¡¯s development. Our theories and researches show that by limiting the AI development, setting the limits to a normal baby¡¯s development; there would be less malfunctions, making the subject easier to grasp what is in its control. Constant surveillance could help further studies in developing new technologies. We are talking about better prosthesis, possibly immortality.¡± ¡°Immortality¡­¡± whispered Enma. She was feeling conflicted at the idea of possibly being immortal. What that entails. What would society look like if Norians weren¡¯t mortal beings anymore. Scientists were playing with the limits of what was realistically possible and what was of the realm of divinity. It made sense now why the higher ups were so interested in the Unity project and why it was shut down. Every leader wants to mark history, even shape it if they can, but no one wants to give that opportunity to anyone. The only enemy of the one who holds power is time. Except if you vanquish it. Enma looked at her sister. ¡°We¡¯re in such a mess, you can¡¯t even realize. Our mother may be a genius but she has monstrous ideas.¡± Chapter 3 As time went by, Alayna¡¯s well being was deteriorating. She had trouble sleeping since the officers came. The scientist had the same bloody nightmare every night. Her coworkers were too wary of her at first, which hindered her work as well as her mind. Coming back home was like going to hell. Her and the girls would always fight over anything, the ethics of her work, the murder case, being stuck in the underground lab for an undetermined amount of time. All of this was weighing on her mind. It didn¡¯t help that the agent was snooping around, asking questions about her, about her daily life, about her work. Alayna started to think about what went wrong. Sure she didn¡¯t pay too much attention to her daughters, but stealing her car ? Crashing into a house ? Someone¡¯s death ? Enma nearly killed her sister and she isn¡¯t showing a sign of remorse. If they had stayed quiet in their rooms, nothing would have happened. No police officers contacted her yet but it was a matter of time before someone seriously investigated this case. And that agent searching for every mole he could find to lock Alayna in a facility and uses her research. This situation was dangerous. Too dangerous. The woman grabbed her seventh cup of coffee of the morning before focusing back on her work. She wasn¡¯t much of a coffee person. She was the type to listen to her body. If she was tired, she would sleep ; if she was hungry, she would eat ; and if she was bored, she would go exercise. Alayna always thought it was the healthiest way of living. But right now, she was drowning herself in coffee. While carrying genetically modified virus samples, she passed out. Alayna opened her eyes in the infirmary. She was laying on the bed. ? Told you we were going to meet sooner than you expect. ? said the agent, brightly smiling. ? Don¡¯t be so full of yourself. I¡¯ve seen you coming a mile away. People talk, you know. ? ? Well I¡¯m sorry for going around asking questions about you. It was the only way to understand the kind of person you are. ? ? How about you talk directly to the person instead of sneaking into the lab and questioning employees ? ? sarcastically said Alayna. ? You didn¡¯t look very inclined to talk to me the last time we saw each other. Anyway, I''m here to talk to you now. ? ? You¡¯re like a rafflesiaceae. You feed on people who can¡¯t defend themselves. ? ? I would argue that you¡¯re capable of defending yourself. ? ? I passed out, I haven¡¯t been able to sleep much, my daughters disappeared and killed someone. I¡¯m in no state to defend myself . ? The agent stopped smiling and put on a more serious face now, he then said with a matching tone. ? Listen to me now, if your daughters truly disappeared, they¡¯re not gonna show up anytime soon and from what I¡¯ve gathered, you¡¯re the rational cold-hearted type of woman, so you already know that. If you¡¯re having trouble sleeping, knowing your job, it must be quite serious. I guess something is really troubling you. But let¡¯s be honest here, it¡¯s not your daughters''s disappearance that is troubling you, because they didn¡¯t disappear, you¡¯re hiding them, aren¡¯t you ? ? Alayna tried to respond, with hostility, to this man but he cut her off. ? There is no need to answer ma¡¯am. I know what the truth is. Did you know that in your neighborhood, you consume 50 % of the total electricity consumed. What must be going on in this house really ? I mean it¡¯s equal to the consommation of an entire lab ! Of course this isn¡¯t enough to incriminate you, otherwise you would have already been dealt with. You were the perfect citizen before all of this. But now you¡¯re crumbling and soon we will be able to get our hands on you. Don¡¯t worry about your daughters, we don¡¯t care about them. Contact me whenever you¡¯re ready. ? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He wrote his number in her hand, bowed his head as a sign of goodbye and left. Alayna was speechless. Her mind, for the first time in her life, was completely blank. She didn¡¯t know what to do. When Alayna arrived at her house, she was met with silence. There was no screaming, no cold shoulders, no people trying to stab her in her back. It was peaceful. She was exhausted by the day. Too tired to think, to want anything. She walked towards her bedroom, her eyes were lifeless. She took a deep breath. Her body fell on her bed. And nothing. She was alone. She couldn¡¯t hear Enma and Aeri calling for her. It was like time stopped. As if the planet wasn¡¯t spinning anymore. Alayna took a look at the number written on her hand, and she thought ? perhaps ?. Why not give up at this point. There was no way she would be able to go back to her old life. Her project was meant to be discovered. She was merely losing control of it. She never wanted to fulfill that position anyway. What she liked was discovering new things, not directing them. And like that man said, they weren¡¯t interested in her daughters anyway, only her and her studies. So why not divert the attention from the car accident to her. A voice got her out of her shell. ? Mom, are you okay ? We¡¯ve been calling you for a while now. ? said Aeri, full of compassion for her mother who was worn out. Alayna looked at her daughter¡¯s eyes. Her mind was set now. She was going to sacrifice herself and her studies. For them. Aerie jumped on the bed and hugged her mother. She could feel Alayna playing with her hair. Aerie knew that even though she never really showed it, her mother loved her very much. ¡°I know how to get us out of this mess.¡± proclaimed Alayna. ¡°You want us to go see dad ?!¡± Screamed Enma. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen dad before.¡± quietly said Aeri. ¡°And for a good reason!¡± yelled Enma, ¡°He is a drug addict who only cares about mom¡¯s money.¡± ¡°That is not true.¡± calmly said Alayna, ¡°Your father wasn¡¯t really present in your lives, but he cares about you. And you will both join him in the low cities.¡± ¡°Dad has a house in there ?¡± Asked the youngest. ¡°Of course not, he lives in the street. Among alcoholics, other drug addicts, beggars and criminals.¡± said the oldest. ¡°That¡¯s enough Enma. You¡¯re too quick to judge what you don¡¯t know. The policemen stay away from the low cities, which gives you an advantage. No one will look for you there.¡± stated their mother while preparing their bags. ¡°No one with ethics you mean.¡± whispered Enma. ¡°You will find your father there and he will protect you.¡± ¡°And how am I supposed to recognize him ? The last time I saw him, I was like five!¡± ¡°You¡¯re part robot now, which means you have the same tools as AI robots, like the scanners. You can scan his DNA and find him.¡± ¡°So now you want us to wander in the low cities looking for our deadbeat father ? It will take us years, if he is still alive that is.¡± ¡°Listen, I can¡¯t protect you here. The government will soon find a way to invade this house. And once they¡¯ve found the underground lab, you will have nowhere to hide. No one will protect you around here. You¡¯re criminals. The best way to avoid attention is to go to the low cities. It might be chaotic, but at least you will be free. Got it ?¡± Alayna was holding her daughter¡¯s hands. They could feel her trembling. It was the first time they ever saw their mother this weak. Enma looked at her little sister. She was resolute to protect her. ¡°Okay, we will do it.¡± declared Enma. ¡°When do we leave ?¡± ¡°The sooner the better.¡± exclaimed Alayna, ¡°I will give you two days. After that, I will call the agent.¡± The girls nodded and hugged their mother. Chapter 4 The sun was up and the sky was clear. Not a good day to pass the frontiers unnoticed. At least that was what the three women thought. The police weren''t actively after them. Months had passed, other accidents happened. Regular inhabitants of the low cities would try to pass the frontiers and they had to be stopped. Crossing the city wouldn¡¯t be hard for Enma and Aeri. And honestly speaking, since anyone can cross the border to the low cities, it wouldn¡¯t be hard either to escape the wardened cities. Coming back from them was nearly impossible but that wasn¡¯t part of their plan. Every existing building in the wardened cities could be considered as an AI entity. Meaning that Enma and Aeri would have to hide their faces to not be recognized. A hat and sunglasses wouldn''t be weird since the day was so beautiful. With a poncho, the girls would be able to hide most of their body. It was time. Alayna left her house to meet the agent in a cafe near a passing point. He was already sitting at a table drinking a cup of tea when she arrived. They both greeted each other and sat down. They both looked at each other. It was an eye battle. Neither of them wanted to flinch. Thirty minutes after their mother left, Enma and Aeri, disguised, decided that enough time had passed. They went out. There¡¯s never been a lot of people wandering in the neighborhood. The two girls were anxious and were walking too fast. They had to stop and regain their composure when they arrived at the town square. Enma kept repeating the same sentence while holding Aeri¡¯s hand : ? breathe, act normally. ?. It took them around twenty more minutes before reaching the wall. Aeri pointed to the cafe where their mother was. Alayna received a notification. They were there. She stood up and told the agent the truth. He tried to calmly lead her to his car but she decided otherwise. Alayna was shouting at him. It was the signal for the girls to go. Enma and Aeri walked towards the tunnel, while Alayna was throwing a fit. The daughters took one last moment to see their mother getting arrested. After that, they decided to never look back. They finally crossed the border. The arrest of Alayna was the new talk of the town. Everyone believed that she would¡¯ve been arrested for hiding her daughters. But the discovery of an entire laboratory was even more shocking. Hidden and illegal research. People started to believe that Enma and Aeri stole her car to escape from the grasp of this evil woman. The police interrogated Alayna again on the murder case while the government seized the entire lab and all of her research. Once all of that was done, she was transferred to a facility unknown from the common people. There she was interrogated again on her research this time. They gave her an entire lab and employees. They gave her test subjects. They promised her freedom if she accomplished on the future babies what she accomplished on her own daughters. Of course Alayna was having none of it. The scientist didn¡¯t trust them. That is why she decided to stall as much time as she could until she would find a way to take the whole thing down. As for the girls, they were having troubles in the low cities. It was a more chaotic environment than what they were used to. Every corner looked unsettling. They needed a shelter. A place to sleep and hide. There were a lot of buildings in shambles, but most of them weren¡¯t safe. Enma was looking around when she stumbled on a homeless person. She apologized. ? Excuse me sir. I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t see you. ? ? It¡¯s fine girls, newcomers never see us. ? ? We¡¯re looking for our father. His name is Jeff, he has brown hair and brown eyes. ? The person scoffed ? You¡¯re gonna find a lot of men with this single description, girl. ? ? Yes, you¡¯re probably right. But do they all have daughters from the wardened cities ? ? ? More than you think. Most of the inhabitants from the low cities come from the wardened cities. No one was born here you know. ? ? I see¡­ I apologize again. Goodbye sir. ? ? Goodbye girls. And try to stay safe, a lot of people will come for you. ? Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Enma left without giving a second thought to what that person just said. Aeri, on the other hand, was confused and anxious. ? What do you think they meant by saying that ? ? ? Saying what ? ? ? That people were coming for us ? ? ? It¡¯s the low cities, crazy people would do anything here. ? Aeri was about to oppose that statement when Enma cut her off. ? Look, no signature presence here. It looks empty and warm. It should be secure enough for both of us. We¡¯re gonna stay here for the night and tomorrow we will look for our father. ? ? I¡¯m hungry ? claimed Aeri. ? Yeah, but we ate earlier and we shouldn¡¯t eat too much of our rations. ? They went inside. Found a room that looked somehow clean and fell asleep. Some hours had passed. The girls both woke up pretty shaken. Something was gonna happen. It was coming from them. They had this gut feeling that this place wasn¡¯t safe anymore. Both of them scanned the area but saw no one. They stood up and searched around. Aeri was the first one to see it. Enma, witnessing her sister¡¯s face changing, joined her in the corridor. Then she saw it too. Someone was standing there. But they couldn¡¯t detect it with the AI. They were all static. The two young girls heard a whisper that turned into an echo in their heads. ? Isn¡¯t it unfair ? ? The echoes were so strong. Both of them started screaming. Then two beings made of smoke appeared. They looked like bats, at least for us because the girls had never seen bats before. They were already extinct when they were born. ? Don¡¯t worry ? said the whispers ? I¡¯m gonna end it all for you. ? The unknown beings disappeared. Enma and Aeri were alone again. This accident had upsetted her. They decided to leave. It was raining outside. Both started running. They wanted to get away from everything. Some men stopped them. ? Well, well, well. Would you look at those girls with their fancy equipments. You having troubles ladies ? ? said the strongest of the men while the others were watching the scene and laughing. ? Could you leave us alone please ? ? ? You have heard the new guys. The great researcher, Ablayda Imiolne or whatever her name is, was arrested recently for illegal test. They said her daughters run away because she was testing on them. ? ? That¡¯s right ! ? said one of the men, ? She had this big big lab under her house. And she was working on some kind of revolutionnary project. But she decided to keep it for herself. ? The group laughed even harder. ? And look at what we have here now ! Two girls with good looking material glued to their bodies. ? ? One of them is also wanted for murder. ? ? I¡¯m sure the wardened cities will give us lot of meds and food for those two girls. ? Enma and Aeri never really participated in a fight before. They didn¡¯t have any experience and didn¡¯t have much strength. But it was either fighting or getting arrested. And they decided to never go back to the wardened cities. One of the men tried to grab Aeri. But she was faster than him. And her equipment allowed her to defend herself. With her robotic arm she grabbed the man¡¯s hand and pulled him towards her so that he would lose balance of his body. And with her robotic leg she kicked him in the stomach. The man was down on the ground. Enma, impressed by her sister¡¯s calmness towards this situation, was even more resolute to fight. She ran to another man and jumped at his throat with her robotic arm. The man behind her tried to protect his comrade but Aeri arrived faster. She kicked him in the leg and hit him in the back of his head. They were all down. ? Good job, little sister. ? ? You¡¯re welcome. ? And they kept running in the rain until it stopped. Chapter 5 Enma and Aeri were drenched and exhausted. The night was cold. The area seemed deserted. Nothing good was happening around here. The oldest saw people with guns walking far away. It wasn¡¯t safe to stay around. Aeri pointed multiple lights sources from far away. So many colors, blue, red, orange and pink. There was definitely people there. But they at least weren¡¯t holding guns. The girls felt uneasy when they arrived. It was what we could call ? the hottest part ? of the neighborhood. Lots of alcohol and drugs that¡¯s for sure. Lots of brothels, AI prostitutes and real ones. It wasn¡¯t the first time that Enma saw people using robots that way, unlike Aeri who used to stay in her room all day. ? We should ask someone about father. ? Aeri ran to a bartendress. She tried to get her attention but failed. She started panicking, imagining the customers mocking her. Her sister hailed the woman. ? Excuse me miss. We don¡¯t wanna bother you. We¡¯re new here and you must see a lot of people coming by. ? ? That¡¯s true, what can I do for you ? Looking for someone ? ? ? Yes, we¡¯re looking for our father, Jeff. Brown hair, brown eyes. Two daughters from the wardened cities. ? ? Sorry girl. There¡¯s a lot of guys like that. ? ? Yeah, we were told that earlier. ? ? Can¡¯t help you with that. But I must say, we all saw the news here. Now I¡¯m not interested in wardeners stuff and all. I don¡¯t really care about the shit they give us. But some will be. You might wanna be careful. Especially with what you¡¯re carrying. ? ? Thank you, another thing that we were also told earlier. We won¡¯t bother you anymore. Good night, miss. ? ? You too girl ! ? Aeri bowed to the bartenderess and hurrily joined her sister who had already left. ? No one knows our father, no one saw him. What are we gonna do now ? It¡¯s not like we can count on him but the one time we actually need him that bastard is nowhere to be found. ? said Enma while clenching her teeth. ? We should use our DNA to find him. We¡¯re at least half him. It should work right ? ? ? That¡¯s soo¡­ That¡¯s actually not that stupid. Might not work though so don¡¯t get your hopes up. ? Aeri happily nodded. She wasn¡¯t good with conversations, she wasn¡¯t good with school either, but she was glad to be able to help her sister a bit. Enma scanned the area. The walls, the ground, the trash cans, everything was covered up in DNAs. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ? The traces are too corrupted. We can¡¯t use them. ? Then Enma thought about her dad. About drugs and the fact that he was a drug addict. She ran back to the bartendress. ? Sorry to bother you again, do you know what type of drugs we can buy with the common money and where ? ? ? Is that a clue to find your father ? ? asked the bartendress amused. ? I think so. ? ? Well I wouldn¡¯t want that type of father that¡¯s for sure. Around here the common money isn¡¯t worth anything. Unless you¡¯ve got a few deals with the wardened cities. And there¡¯s not many people around here who have the ability to deal with wardeners. But if I were you I wouldn¡¯t approach them. They¡¯re not part of the good ones. ? ? Please, we have no other way. ? The bartendress took some time to think. It really wasn¡¯t a good idea. But she also didn¡¯t want to see those girls wandering around her bar, it would cause her too much trouble. ? Fine. I don¡¯t know anyone. But Those types of people, they¡¯ve got territories. They claimed some parts of the low cities. So if you wanna go to them, you need to go there. You see the big building there ? ? She pointed her fingers toward the east. ? They took that part of the cities. It was to show the wardened cities that we exist, to prove them wrong or whatever. They say that from the sky, this building is at the same distance from the wall that is the thing from you guys, how is it called again ? ? ? The Judge and Law of the Wardeners. The building where all the politicians work. ? ? Yeah right ?scoffed the bartendress ? stupid name. Anyway, Don¡¯t act too high and mighty there, okay girls. If you sense danger, you run. ? ? Understood miss. Thank you again. ? ? You¡¯re welcome. ? Enma ran back to Aeri. ? We¡¯re going to the east. ? ? I heard. ? ? Good. ? The two sisters started walking towards their new destination. They didn¡¯t see the shadow bats surveilling them at every corner of the road. But they started to hear an echo that made them shiver. ? Isn¡¯t it unfair ? ? Their ears started rigging. Their bodies turned cold and they passed out. While they were unconscious. Two people stormed out from the shadows. They tapped the girls shoulders to see if they were alive. After that, the two people carried the girls to their car. And they rode towards the east. They were bringing them to a person who is only known as ? the boss ?. ? The boss ? was a middle aged man. He appeared out of nowhere in the low cities with guns and took control of the east. He was the hand in the shadow. No one knows what his goal is but they know that he is the only one who is actively protecting the low cities from the wardened cities. He was the reason why the wardened cities are not invading them. No one knows his name, or his history. But he holds power. A power that he would never give up. And he was ready to do anything for that. He arrived at a time of chaos and put some order into this world. Of course what he did could be considered reprehensible. The life in the low cities is never tender towards the weak. The wardened cities were already dejecting their toxic air and products into the low cities. No more. That is why when he heard that the daughters of Alayna Idliome, who had received an AI and robotic transplant, were wandering in the streets looking for their father. He thought that maybe he could use them. He was even more pleased when he heard his men confirming the capture of the two girls. Chapter 6 ? Aeri ? Aeri where are you ? ? Enma was standing alone in the middle of a forest. It was dark and humid. She was scared. The woman had never seen trees like this before. They looked very real, alive. As far as she knew, forests were long gone. There were a few artificial trees but not that much. Enma looked and screamed for her sister. No response. Something cracked under her feet. When Enma looked at the ground she saw dream catchers covering it. They were all either burned or destroyed. ? What the¡­ Aeri ? Aeri ! Answer me, where are you ? ? The anxiety rises up. The sky was getting darker and she had nowhere to hide. Her instinct started to kick in, telling her to run. So she ran. As fast as she could. Enma was, for no apparent reason, fearing for her life. She saw a cabin ahead and decided to hide there. She barricaded the door. And layed on the ground. She didn¡¯t see anything but could hear some kind of beast growling. Tears were flooding Enma¡¯s face. She was repeating to herself to calm down, she had a feeling that the beast could smell her fear. And it did. The beast started attacking the door. The growlings were getting stronger and stronger . The beast seemed angry. Enma was unable to move. The door fell. The beast jumped at the girl. When she opened her eyes. The beast was gone. She was back in the forest. No cabin. No growling. Enma wasn¡¯t scared or anxious anymore. She strangely felt the need to take out her heart. The woman used her mechanical hand and pierced her own flesh. It didn¡¯t hurt though. She grabbed her heart, it looked like nothing she ever saw. It was a big yellow glowing stone. Enma suddenly had a hard time breathing. Her body fell on the ground. She tried to look around her for help, the beast was here again. It was calmer this time. It slowly approached Enma and tried to eat her heart. The girl screamed at the beast to leave. Her heart stopped beating. And she woke up. Aeri was at a restaurant. A shadow was sitting at her table. ? Who are you ? ? asked the girl The shadow¡¯s figure slimmed down. She now looked like a young red-haired girl. ? I am here to make it fair. ? ? Make what fair ? ? ? Isn¡¯t it unfair ? ? asked the shadow girl. This conversation was very confusing for Aeri. She didn¡¯t know what to do. ? What¡¯s your name ? ? ? I don¡¯t have one ? ? What do you want ? ? ? I want to make it fair. ? ? What do you mean ? ? ? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair ? ? ? What is unfair ? ? ? Your life. ? Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Aeri¡¯s confusion turned into panic. ? Where is my sister ? ? ? In the forest. ? ? What ? ? ? She is in the forest. ? ? What forest ? There¡¯s no forest. ? ? The forest where she died. ? ? What ? Who died ? What do you want ? ? ? She died and it was unfair. I want to make it fair. ? ? What do you want from me ? ? ? There is something inside you that can help me make it fair. ? This conversation was way too weird for Aeri. She stood up and was ready to leave. The restaurant turned dark. ? You can¡¯t leave ? said the shadow girl ? give it to me so that I make it fair. ? A green light was glowing from Aeri¡¯s chest. She poured her hand inside and pulled out a green stone. It was her heart. ? What happens if I give it to you ? Will I die ? ? ? Yes, but I promise to take revenge on the people that made you like this. ? The shadow girl extended her hand towards Aeri. The teenager was afraid at the thought of dying, but she was also afraid of what her future might be. ? Promise me. Promise me that it¡¯s worth it. ? ? It is ? said the shadow girl. She grabbed Aeri¡¯s heart. It was over. When Enma opened her eyes, she was tied and gagged. She looked around and saw her sister also tied and gagged at a chair. Enma tried to call her sister, but no noise would come out of her mouth. She saw Aeri waking up. Her little sister was calm and collected. She didn¡¯t look scared or surprised. Enma tried to draw attention to her, which was of no use, Aeri was completely ignoring her. Her little sister looked too busy using her robotic parts to cut the ropes. When it was done she looked at the room. Since Aeri wasn¡¯t going to help her older sister, Enma decided to use the same technique as Aeri to get rid of the ropes. She shouted at the teenager. ? What¡¯s your problem ?! Why didn¡¯t you help me ? ? ? You didn¡¯t help me either. It¡¯s only fair that I don¡¯t help you. ? ? I didn¡¯t help you ? What do you think I¡¯ve been doing all this time? If it weren¡¯t for me¡­ ? Enma didn¡¯t have time to finish her sentence when two people entered the room. One of the two attempted to stop the fight between the two sisters. But Enma was too pissed to care. She threw multiple punches at the person. The other person jumped on her, grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her down. Enma used her mechanical leg to bounce back on her two feet. She squeezed her opponent against a wall and kicked his head with her elbow. Once the attackers were down, she looked for Aeri. The teenager had already left the room. Enma went out looking for her sister. ? Don¡¯t move ! ? screamed someone behind Enma¡¯s back. ? Try something and I shoot. ? ? Listen, I¡¯m only looking for my sister. ? ? I don¡¯t care, I¡¯ve got orders. Go back into that room and stay quiet until the boss asks for you. Do that and we won¡¯t have problems. ? ? What about my sister ? ? ? You shouldn¡¯t concern yourself with her right now. ? ? Okay, okay I understand. ? Enma slowly turned around and walked back into the room. The person closed the door. The woman sat on one of the chairs. Wondering what will happen to her now. She had to wait for a couple of hours before hearing someone knock on the door. ? The boss wants to see you. ? Chapter 7 A well decorated room, with comfy couches, famous paintings, expensive furniture, and a man standing in the middle wearing clothes made of silk. The man was clean, his hair was properly dressed, no one would ever imagine someone like that living in the low cities. There was a huge contrast between him and the people outside. Life looked easy for him but you could sense from his sharp eyes and his demeanor that he was one to not provoke. Enma was standing in front of the door, untied. Armed men were guarding the door outside. She detected multiple cameras covering the walls. The windows weren¡¯t real but they were reflecting the exterior¡¯s view. No place to escape. And the woman didn¡¯t want to anger the man in front of her. Making an enemy of ? the boss ? of the low cities was clearly not a good idea. The man was smoking some high brand cigars. ? That¡¯s not something you can find around here. ? said Enma. ? That shows how resourceful I am. ? calmly responded ? The boss ?. The room was silent again. The young woman was uncomfortable and anxious. It took a few minutes for her to gather the courage to speak again, more firmly. ? May I ask what you want from me and where my sister is ? ? ? You should sit down. ? Enma was hesitant to do so. But looking at the man¡¯s eyes, she complayed. ? Do you want a drink ? ? asked the man. ? No thank you, I¡¯m thirsty for answers, not drugged alcohol. ? said Enma, quite surprised by her own boldness. ? I guess that makes you quite different from your father. ? he said, with an emotionless tone and face. ? Do you know where my father is ? ? exclaimed the woman. ? I know where everyone is. I know that your father right now is in the wardened cities leaching every bit of money that he can from his third wife. I know in which facility your mother is being detained against her will working on a revolutionary technology. And I also know that your sister has been captured by a little gang from the west and is being sold to the wardened cities for some bread and water. I know where all my men are standing. I know where all the guards of the wardened cities, all the policemen, all the agents, all the politicians are right now and what they¡¯re talking about. I know where you and your sister hid when you arrived in the low cities and I know how you handled your enemies so far. ? ? You sure know a lot of things. ? scoffed Enma. ? I do, and in fact I also know that the wardened cities would pay me a lot to surrender you. But you know what ? I¡¯m ready to protect you from them, if you help me in return. ? Enma was quite tense, she didn¡¯t know what to do with this information. She was more anxious at the fact that this speech made her unimpressed. The woman knew that she had to fear the man, but the adrenaline maybe, was altering her judgment. Enma still knew what a good deal was when she saw one. ? What do you need my help for ? ? ? You see, the wardened cities have high expectations for your mother and this unity project. This could of course save the future of our kind, but it could also be used as weapons. Upgrading living beings from their mortal status, creating invincible warriors. Making them Eternal. After doing that, no one will need pure air anymore, no one will need food. And obviously they won¡¯t share this technology with everyone. They will discriminate the access to this technology. Discriminate the access to fresh air and good food even more than what they¡¯re doing right now. ? A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ? So you want to stop them ? ? asked Enma, surprised. ? Girl¡­ You can¡¯t stop progress. It will happen, it is only a matter of time. No, I don¡¯t want to stop them. You see, this whole business that I built here. It is important enough to threaten the wardened cities. There is a good balance between them and us. I want to keep that balance. I want what they have. You are our future. The wardened cities have your sister. And they¡¯re gonna use her. My deal is that you help my scientist with your knowledge and in exchange, I will have your sister and mother released. ? ? And how will you do that ? ? ? I¡¯ve got my ways. ? ? And if I refuse ? ? ? Then you will become our little mouse lab. ? ? You think you can do that without me retaliating ? You know what I can do. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t try to harm me. ? ? Listen young girl, that new power you acquired must be heady. It¡¯s a whole new world that you have access to. But what else do you know except throwing a few punches ? You beat a few guys and you think you own the world ? ? ? You have no idea what I¡¯m capable of. ? ? I¡¯m more than aware of your capabilities girl, and unlike you, I¡¯m also aware of your weaknesses. Now, do we have a deal or should I have you tied up in a chair and let my minions cut you from head to toe ? ? Enma took a deep breath. She was scared for her mother and sister, and she was anxious. This man was clearly unreliable. The deal looked quite tempting but she might miss something important. The woman wanted to cry. Her life was taking an unexpected turn. Life was so much more terrible than what she imagined. ? How will you get them out ? ? ? That is not important. ? ? It is to me. Tell me how or the deal is off. ? ? You are in no position to negotiate, girl. ? ? And yet I¡¯m still doing it. How will you get them out ? ? The man put his cigar down. He grabbed his glass of whatever alcohol was in it and drank it all. ? My men will attack the facility and we will transport through air drive your family. ? ? They will see you coming ! ? proclaimed Enma. ? No they won¡¯t. ? ? How do you even know that? ? ? Because I have the technology to do so. ? ? If such technology existed, it would be known by now. ? ? And that is why only a few people know that. Have you never wondered why you and your mother weren¡¯t arrested earlier ?? ? What do you mean ? ? ? When you caused that fire in the house. Do you think no cameras saw your mother carrying you and your sister to her house? Do you really think that your mother would be able to cross districts undetected ? Of course not. It happened because she had the means to do so. She created this technology. ? ? That can¡¯t be true ! We would¡¯ve known ! ? ? Yes, because obviously the government would want everyone to know about their weaknesses. You don¡¯t know anything about this world. ? ? And how do you know all this ? ? asked Enma with an accusatory tone ? who are you ? ? ? My name doesn¡¯t mean anything, and you won¡¯t gain anything by knowing it. There are two things about people that need to be known : how resourceful they are ; and how you can use them. ? The boss clapped his hands and armed men entered the room. ? Take her to her chambers and have someone guard her door. I will have one of you escort her later to the lab. ? He poured himself another glass of alcohol and looked at the sky. It was a good day. Chapter 8 ? Alayna Idliome, First day in detention. I was given new clothes and a room on my own. They gave me some food, tasted bad. There is no window in this room. No matter how much I ask it, it seems I was granted limited commands over the AI. No one came to interrogate me. Who knows for how long I will be locked up in this room. I don¡¯t even know what time it is now. I hope the girls are safe. There isn¡¯t much to say, I will have to wait for what will come next. Over ? ? Alayna Idliome, Second day in detention. No one came today either. They¡¯re probably waiting for my mind to break. I was given Three meals today. It did the job, I¡¯m not hungry. I was able to take a shower and go to the toilets. My mind is blank. Nothing is going on inside my head, which I guess is quite normal since it is only the beginning. I slept way more than usual, which then again, is normal too. They are trying to destabilize me. I should stay in shape, will work out a bit. Over ? ? Alayna Idliome, Third day in detention. Turns out no one was coming because they were busy moving my lab here. An agent came took me there. They really moved everything. What they want from me is to perfectionate my research and save the future of Noriankind. I did a bit of cleaning and they told me they were going to give me a test subjects tomorrow. My guess is, an adult, someone who is dying and cannot be saved. I¡¯m torned. This project is my life¡¯s purpose, but handing it over to the government would be a huge mistake. I don¡¯t think I could let someone die in front of me though. They won¡¯t give me the choice. Over . ? ? Alayna Idliome, Fourth day in detention. They brought a middle aged man in a coma. He had a car accident and never woke up ever since. His constants are stable. No muscular atrophy. His heart and lungs aren¡¯t working on their own. I have to reactivate the brain and replace the heart and lungs. I might need to recreate the entire neuronal system. It might be even more difficult to do so since he doesn¡¯t answer to any stimulus. And even if I succeed, there is a high chance of memory loss. I¡¯m going to need multiple scanners and an MRI. He might need another spinal cord too. I should start with that. First the spinal cord, then the brain, and once the AI is implemented, the heart and lungs. I am tired. Need to take a shower. Need to eat. Over ? The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ? Alayna Idliome, Fifth day in detention. I have made a map of the subject¡¯s body. With that I was able to start working on the robotic spinal cord. It is going to take a very long time. Seeing how much this is, the brain is definitely going to be one hell of a trouble. Over. ? ? Alayna Idliome, Thirteenth day in detention. The robotic spinal cord is finally attached to the body. It was a really difficult and dangerous procedure. I am not even sure that the subject will be able to move. He isn¡¯t dead at least. I couldn¡¯t link the SC with the dead brain. I have already given up on reviving it. Instead I¡¯m planning on doing a cerebral mapping and perfectly recreating the brain. I¡¯m afraid that the AI might overlap the personna if I swap the dead brain with the robotic one. But I don¡¯t have any other choice. Over ? ? Alayna Idliome, fourteenth day in detention. The subject died during the night. He rejected the robotic spinal cord and started bleeding from every pores. I wasn¡¯t able to stop the bleeding. Another test subject will arrive tomorrow. Over ? ? Alayna Idliome, fifteenth day in detention. Aeri is dead. She was the other test subject. They brought her cold body. Said they found her dead eleven days ago. They said her brain suddenly stopped working. There was no sign of fights, no internal bleeding. She looked peaceful. Enma¡¯s whereabouts are unknown. I can¡¯t save her. They asked me to find out what went wrong. According to the AI, nothing happened. The brain suddenly stopped responding. There was no defect. She was fine. ? Chapter 9 ¡°As you can see on this map, the wardened cities are all at equal distances from each other. If we attack one, reinforcement will arrive in no time. If we want to strike, we first need to cut all communications. Isolating the enemy.¡± Explained the boss. A buff woman with a scar on her face stood up. ¡°Which is why our team has been working really hard to draw an edge between the different colonies. We¡¯ve tarnished their relationships. It will be easier for us to instate a blockade in those conditions.¡± ¡°We still shouldn¡¯t underestimate their animosity towards us. Aurelion¡¯s team will handle the south; Leoni¡¯s will take care of the north; Vikteur¡¯s get the west; and my team will keep the east in check.¡± At the announcement of their names, each commander stood up and stood next to the main screen. They explained, one after another, the details of their missions. Once it was done, the boss spoke again. ¡°This building here is our main target. This is a military and scientific research facility. The floors are all occupied by trained soldiers. The underground is where they hide our target: Alayna Idliome. There are three underground floors. We couldn¡¯t locate our target, nor the soldiers and scientists. After the blockades have been secretly instaurated, a group will attack this cistern here¡± The boss enlightened the said cistern. ¡°It will cause a massive explosion. The entire city will tremble. You will have to attract attention for around ten minutes. It should be enough for Enma to enter the building, find the target and get out. No matter what happens, after ten minutes, you abandon everything and run back here.¡± The boss enlightened a building in the low cities. ¡°This is a secret hideout, unknown by the authorities of the wardened cities. You hide there. No contact with the outside. Understood ?¡± The mercenaries nodded. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Everyone left the room, except for Enma. ¡°Come here girl. Like I said earlier, you have ten minutes, after that, you¡¯re on your own. Take this. When you have your mother, push the button. It will send us a signal. An aircraft will be waiting for you outside. Go in and you will be saved.¡± ¡°What will happen to me if the aircraft isn¡¯t there when I¡¯m out ?¡± ¡°That is something that you will have to think about. I¡¯ve got my own priorities.¡± ¡°Who are you ? To be able to pull this off.¡± ¡°I am the most frightening man that the wardened cities have created. Leave now. I won¡¯t say more than that.¡± Enma walked back to her room. She lays down on her bed. Twenty-four hours before the assault. Enma woke up. It wasn¡¯t even midnight yet. The woman tried to fall back asleep. Her eyes stayed open. ¡°I should probably exercise a bit.¡± she whispered. She opened the door, the whole building was silent. Everyone was apparently sleeping. The lights were off. ¡°Lights on¡± commanded Enma, but nothing happened. She walked towards the main entrance. Someone was standing there, alone, in the middle of the night. The woman didn¡¯t really feel like talking. She passed by without interacting with that other person. Enma tried to push the door, then again, nothing happened. She tried again and again but the door wouldn¡¯t budge. She started panicking. ¡°You can¡¯t escape your fate¡± said the person behind her. ¡°Excuse me ?¡± Enma turned around. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°You can¡¯t win this fight, leave it to me. I will do a much better job.¡± The woman didn¡¯t wait for the person to finish their sentence. She ran at them, grabbed their coat and punched them right in the face. Or so she thought. The person had already turned into smoke and disappeared. Enma kept her guard up. She was a bit taken aback but not enough to be surprised by some magic tricks anymore. ¡°Where are you ? Show yourself!¡± Screamed the woman. The smoke disappeared, the lights were on again. She sat on the floor, her head between her legs. ¡°Am I going crazy ?¡± Twenty hours before the assault. The frontier was overwhelmed with people trying to cross it. This movement was orchestrated by the boss, to help Enma go through unnoticed. The two soldiers were having a hard time repressing them. And it finally happened. They threw the soldiers on the ground, stomping on them. Enma was able to pass and ran towards a small alley. The mass was scattering around. The woman waited for the police. She needed them to focus on the immigrants. She looked at them going in the opposite direction as her¡¯s. The plan worked. She turned around ready to leave. Aeri was right in front of her. Enma barely had time to open her mouth when her younger sister disappeared. She was shocked. A voice woke her up from her paralysis. ¡°Enma, are you ready ?¡± said a man on the vocal line. ¡°Almost there.¡± She started running again. One hour before the assault. ¡°North blockade in position¡± ¡°South blockade in position¡± ¡°East blockade¡¯s ready¡± ¡°West blockade, done¡± ¡°Enma, in position¡± indicated the woman. ¡°Cis Team ready to explode.¡± ¡°Everyone be ready¡­.. Cis team, go!¡± ordered the Boss. Enma heard a big explosion. The earth was trembling. There was smoke everywhere. In a matter of seconds, all the guards who were standing at the main entrance ran towards the exploded cistern. The woman ran inside. She hid her face and went towards the stairs. The soldiers were too focused on what had happened to pay her any attention. Sha ran to the first underground level. It was flooded with terrorized scientists. Enma screamed her mother¡¯s name. No response. She hardly ran down to the second underground level as more scientists were hurriedly going up. Her mother wasn¡¯t there either. Once Enma arrived at the third underground level, she was met with silence. The corridors were empty. She went through the first door she saw. It was full of medical supplies. The second room was a bedroom. Empty again. She pushed the third door. ¡°Mom ? Mom !¡± screamed Enma while running towards her mother. She grabbed and hugged her as hard as she could. ¡°Mom, I came to save you.¡± The young woman looked at her mother¡¯s crying face. ¡°Mom why are you crying, it¡¯s not like you.¡± said Enma smiling. That smile withered when she saw the body of her sister, laying on the counter behind her. ¡°What happened ?¡± Enma grabbed Aeri¡¯s hand. It was cold. ¡°wake up lil sister. Wake up !¡± She looked back at Alayna. ¡°What happened ? Why is she dead ?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± said Alayna, in a harsh tone. ¡°What ? What¡¯s that supposed to mean ?¡± ¡°You were supposed to take care of her, and now she is dead.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know. She disappeared. We were captured and¡­¡± Enma didn¡¯t have time to finish her sentence. Her mother cut her off. ¡°Stop with your excuses. You almost killed her once. And I saved you both, and protected you, cleaned your mess, and now you killed her, again !¡± ¡°No, mom, that''s not what happened, I swear. She left on her own.¡± ¡°She was a child ! And you are an adult ! I entrusted her to you ! And look at her now ! Is there anything good that you can actually do ?¡± Enma was distraught by Alayna¡¯s words. ¡°I came to save you !¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to save me ! Leave¡­ I can¡¯t look at your face anymore!¡± The young woman didn¡¯t know what to say. She didn¡¯t want to leave her mother¡¯s and sister¡¯s side. Enma stood up behind her mother, who was crawling and crying, holding her youngest daughter¡¯s hand. Chapter 10 - the end Aeri was standing in front of a cliff. Behind her was laying the corpse of a young red-haired girl. Spears went through the body of that girl. Enma looked more closely at her sister¡¯s face. Her eyes were dark. She got closer to her and they both looked down on the wardened cities burning. It seemed like the whole world was crumbling under lava and fire. Looking at that horrific view strangely made both girls at ease. Aeri took her older sister¡¯s hand and they both sat down around the red-haired girl. ¡°What are we doing ?¡± Asked Enma. ¡°We¡¯re waiting for it to appear before us.¡± answered Aeri. They both closed their eyes. The atmosphere was hot and oppressive. Enma was having a hard time breathing as the smoke in the air entered her lungs. She was at her limit. A fresh breeze was suddenly blowing. The weather felt cooler. Her mind was at peace. They both opened her eyes to witness the shadow that bothered them so much before, sitting near them.That shadow removed its cloak. Her face was smooth, in the sense that there was no recognisable physical trait. She had no lips, no eyes, no nose, no eyebrows, no ears. But she did have the same hair as the dead girl laying in front of them. ¡°Who are you ?¡± questioned Enma ¡°I don¡¯t exactly know who or what I am. But I know my purpose. These worlds are nothing but amusement parks for the gods who are ruling them. They create beings like you and torture them in the most trickiest ways possible. Simply for entertainment. People will live their lives in despair and will never feel happiness in their lives. They will die in a meaningless ways, leaving behind nothing but sorrow, misery and gloomy memories for those who are left behind. And for those who will try to break the wheel. The gods will turn on them and make the whole world do the same. I only exist to stop that.¡± ¡°Why us then ?¡± asked Aeri ¡°Like I said to you last time, there was something inside of both of you. Gods don¡¯t have a material form, so they hide inside beings like you to recover. You each had a God resting inside of you. Gods who once fought against me and partly stopped me. They tried to imprison me, lots of my powers were taken from me because of those Gods. That is also why your lives became like this. Without those Gods, you wouldn¡¯t have suffered at all. Your mother would still be alive.¡± ¡°Mother is¡­¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. Don¡¯t you see now ? How perverted your world was. People had to scratch around the scraps left by those who value nothing but their own lives. Stomping on the hopes that life could one day be better while ending all the possibilities of salvation for their kind.¡± ¡°Am I dead already ?¡± Asked Enma. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Send me back. I¡¯m gonna make them pay.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why not ?! If I really have a God inside of me, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do! I will make them all pay !¡± screamed the young woman. ¡°Who are you fighting girl ?¡± asked the faceless girl. ¡°What will you do once you go down there ? You have no power, no knowledge, only anger. And even that anger, you¡¯re misdirecting it.¡± ¡°What would you have me do ?¡± ¡°Give your heart to me. The God is sleeping in it.¡± Enma looked at her sister, skeptical. ¡°It is okay sister,¡± said Aeri, hugging her older sister. ¡°I¡¯ve done it too. It doesn¡¯t hurt. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. You¡¯re not going to die. We won¡¯t have access to our Norians bodies anymore, but we will be able to do so much more now. We will be able to help so many people. It sure won¡¯t look like it at first. Going against the flow takes a lot of courage, and sacrifices. But this is the right path.¡± Enma took a deep breath, she dived her hand inside her chest and took a big yellow glowing stone in the shape of a heart. The light was so dazzling. She¡¯s never seen something that beautiful before. She hesitated, then gave it to the faceless girl. ¡°I will make good use of that. Thank you.¡± ¡°What happens to us now ?¡± anxiously questioned Enma. ¡°I will lend you a bit of my powers, so that your soul will remain. We will become one, but you will still keep what makes you, you. Now that my work is done in this world, we will go to the next one. With your help, and the other¡¯s, we will take down the Gods and their rules.¡± ¡°The others ?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Aeri, ¡°we¡¯re not alone. We weren''t the first ones who suffered at the hand of the Gods.¡± And behind the girl appeared people, all with black eyes. They didn¡¯t all have a Norians form, which confused Enma a bit. But she soon felt more at ease knowing that she won¡¯t be alone in this wild adventure. She was part of them now, and they were part of her, and that thought made her feel good.