Artificial Human No. 36.
The room fell silent, and Amber quietly looked at the line of letters drawn in the diary. For a full two minutes, she said nothing.
Just as Gawain couldn't hold back the urge to speak, Amber's fingers began to move again. She pressed her lips and slowly, very slowly, turned the diary to the next page—
The story of Sali Randolph continued:
"...My mechanical watch broke. After relying on my pulse and intuition to record dates twice, I had to give up the pursuit of 'time.' Now I don't know what day it is, but I guess I've been in this ancient fortress for at least half a month.
"During this time, only 'Amber' has been with me.
"This little one lay quietly in her 'sleeping bed' without making any noise. In recent days, I've started trying to talk to her. She, of course, doesn't respond, but I continue to do it every day—speaking helps maintain my will and sanity, and a sleeping little girl is at least a better listener than a stone in the corner.
