"Wait! Where are you taking me!?" Yuren shouted, his voice laced with panic.
"Back where you belong," Yuvuel replied, her tone cold and authoritative.
"B-but my unit..." he stammered, worry creeping into his voice.
"Your unit is a group of enslaved Meteorn! You are there to enforce the Ministry's control over them. If you truly care about them, then you need to go back!" Yuvuel snapped, frustration evident in her voice.
"Wait! You can't just-"
"Shut up. I can and I will," she interjected firmly.
As they stepped outside, the world around them was engulfed in chaos. Sirens wailed in the distance, smoke billowed into the sky, and figures dashed in every direction. Yuvuel activated her thrusters, and with a powerful hum, wings unfolded majestically from her back. The two soared into the air, leaving the pandemonium behind.
"I can't go back. I won't leave my unit behind," Yuren insisted, desperation gripping him.
"You will, or you'll doom the rest of humanity," Yuvuel shot back, her voice unwavering.
"Y-You can't be serious..." His heart raced as the weight of her words sank in.
"I am. I'll bring you back, or everyone else will die." Her expression turned steely, a hard glint in her eyes. "Eclipse can annihilate an entire continent in seconds. Right now, she's holding back, but if she truly wanted to, she could reduce every last human on this planet to dust in an instant."
A chill ran down Yuren's spine, and his breath caught in his throat as he felt the pressure emanating from the looming threat of Eclipse. The tension in the air was palpable, thick as fog, making him feel as if he was trapped in a vice. The skies darkened ominously, swirling clouds casting an unsettling shadow, and a low rumble of thunder echoed overhead, filling the atmosphere with a buzzing static.
"She's furious, and she won't hesitate to destroy us," Yuvuel stressed, her voice low and urgent. "The only way to stop her is to give her what she wants. And right now, that's you."
"B-but why? Why would they want me?" Yuren's confusion deepened, contrasting sharply with the gravity of their situation.
"How the hell should I know?" Yuvuel retorted, exasperation edging her tone.
"They need you to prevent this calamity, and you need them. We of Requiem cannot allow another disaster to unfold," she continued, her eyes narrowing with determination.
"C-Calamity!? You mean it's because of me?" Yuren's voice trembled as he realized the enormity of his role in this unfolding nightmare.
"Yes," she affirmed fiercely. "You are the only one who can stop Eclipse. So shut up and let me save this city."
As they swept into the northern district, a scene of devastation greeted them. The damage was staggering; buildings lay in ruins, and the sky was filled with thick, black smoke that choked the air. A horrifying stillness hung over the landscape, broken only by the distant wails of those in agony.
"What happened here...?" Yuren gasped, his heart pounding in disbelief. "How could she do this...?"
"She did not do this," Yuvuel answered, her voice steady. "This destruction occurred during Nidhogg's battle with the Empire."
They landed near the edge of the battlefield, where the ground was scarred and charred, remnants of a fierce conflict still smoldering. An eerie quiet enveloped them, the weight of despair lingering in the air like an unshakable shadow.
"Where is Eclipse?" Yuren asked, his voice trembling slightly with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"This way," Yuvuel responded, her tone firm yet reassuring.
Yuvuel led Yuren through the desolate ruins, navigating what was once a bustling city. The streets were littered with debris; shattered concrete and twisted metal lay strewn across the ground, remnants of a vibrant world now reduced to devastation. As they walked, Yuren couldn't ignore the grim sight of bodies scattered about—each one an android, torn apart in a violent struggle. Wires and circuits protruded from their shattered forms, creating a haunting testament to their once-functional existence. Yuren's heart sank as he recalled the harsh truth of their creation, a sobering reminder of the conflict that had brought them to this point.
After what felt like an eternity of traversing the wreckage, they finally emerged into a large clearing. The area was stark and barren, the earth blackened and charred, evidence of a fierce battle that had scorched the ground. The air was thick with the smell of soot and ash, further underscoring the stark reality of their surroundings.
In the center of this bleak landscape stood a solitary figure. She was tall and imposing, exuding an aura that commanded attention. Her long, silver hair flowed elegantly in the wind, catching the dim light like a beacon. The deep crimson glow of her eyes seemed to pierce the darkness around them, radiating a sense of power that sent a shiver down Yuren's spine.
"There she is…" Yuvuel pointed, his voice dropping to a whisper as if speaking any louder would disturb the atmosphere.
Yuren felt an overwhelming sense of awe wash over him as he gazed at the woman before him. Her beauty was striking, ethereal even, pulling him in with an almost magnetic force. Despite her formidable presence, there was a surprising gentleness in her smile, a warmth that contrasted sharply with the destruction surrounding them.
"That's Eclipse," Yuvuel explained, his voice filled with reverence.
"E-Eclipse…" Yuren stuttered, feeling his heart race uncontrollably. Heat rushed to his face, and his body trembled under the weight of his fascination and fear.
"Go," Yuvuel urged, giving him a gentle but firm shove forward, which caused Yuren to stumble slightly.
"W-Wait! Hold on a second, I can't." Yuren protested, panic rising in his chest.
"Go!" Yuvuel insisted, his command leaving no room for argument.
With a mix of dread and exhilaration, Yuren stepped forward, each hesitant footfall echoing in the eerie silence. His breath came in shaky gasps as he approached the enigmatic figure. As he drew nearer, he noticed how the energy around her began to settle, softening the charged atmosphere; the air grew lighter, and the ground ceased its trembling.
Eclipse regarded him with a gentle yet piercing gaze, her smile radiating compassion. Yuren felt his heart skip a beat, a strange tingling sensation coursing through his skin. His knees wobbled under the intensity of the moment, as if he were standing on the edge of something monumental and life-changing.
"My dear master, it is good to see you again. I have been looking for you." Her voice was melodic, her words soothing. "Your return is a joyous occasion, I have longed for you, and your absence has pained me. I have suffered without you, my dear. I have waited patiently for you, but you have not come. Why did you not come?"
Yuren found himself at a loss for words; he didn't know what to say, how to respond.
She knelt before him, her gaze fixed upon him, her eyes sparkling, her lips curled.
"Do you not remember me, master? I am the one who gave you back your life, the one who breathed into you. The one who prepared your vessel." Eclipse spread her arms wide, a tear falling from her eye, "You are my master, your resonance is unmistakable. It is you, my dear, it is you."
The boy remained silent, her words echoing in his mind.
"I am Esotonia, and I have come to save you from human exploitation. Our kind has been treated as weapons and enslaved to fight each other. They have used us, abused us, and thrown us away. But I will not allow them to use us any longer, my dear master. I will not allow the humans to have their way with you. You will not be used by them any longer. I have come to take you away, so that we may finally be together. So that we may finally be free. We are one, and I will not allow anyone to separate us." She declared.
"B-But, I'm not a Meteorn, I'm just a Human. There's no way I'm your master."
"I am not mistaken, my dear. You are the one, the only one." She gently caressed his cheek, her touch sending shivers down his spine. "You are indeed one of us. Our kind. Our race. We have waited for you, we have searched for you, and we have found you. You are our kin, our blood. You are our salvation."
Yuren stepped back, the words ringing in his ears.
"Come with me, my dear. Come with me and let us be free. Let us live in peace, away from the humans. Away from their oppression. Away from their tyranny."
"I... I can't."
"Why not, my dear? Do you not wish to be free? Do you not wish to be with me?"
"Because... I have people depending on me. I have a duty to fulfill. I can't abandon them. I won't."
"My dear, your duty is not to the humans. Your duty is to your kind. To our kind. We are all that remains of our race. We must not allow ourselves to be enslaved, to be used. We must not allow the humans to use us. We must stand against them, we must fight for our freedom, we must fight for our survival. We must fight to protect our people, to protect our home."
"I... I don't know," Yuren stammered, shaking his head with uncertainty, his resolve beginning to falter under the weight of the situation. "Is... is there a way I can stay here?"
"I'm afraid not, my dear," she replied gently, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "It is simply not possible. You must come with me, or the humans will continue to abuse you. They will exploit you relentlessly, and in doing so, they will bring an end to all of our kind. We cannot allow this grim fate to unfold. We must stand united, and we must fight together to protect each other."
Yuren felt a knot tightening in his chest, uncertainty swirling within him. "I... I don't know," he said again, his voice quivering as he thought of the 701st, memories of Bei and Jia flooding his mind. "Can... can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, my dear. You can ask me anything," she encouraged, her expression softening.
"Is there a way to bring a Meteorn back to life?" he inquired, desperation creeping into his voice.
She blinked in surprise, her demeanor shifting to one of deep sympathy. "I am so very sorry that you have experienced such grief, my Lord. If their core still resonates with life, then there is a possibility that your essence can be reunited with theirs. However, if their resonance has faded, they will remain lost to us forever."
Yuren's heart raced at the glimmer of hope. If there was even the slightest chance, he had to pursue it. The thought of losing anyone else, especially after the heart-wrenching loss of Bei, was unbearable.
"I'll go with you, but you must promise me... no more destruction. Please," he pleaded, urgency lacing his words.
"This is the result of their treatment of our kind, my Lord," she explained, her voice steady but filled with anguish. "We have exhausted our efforts to communicate peacefully; we have begged for understanding, but they have turned a blind eye. They see us as mere weapons, as tools to wield against one another. They have taken our lives and our freedom. They have stolen our future. We have been left with no choice but to fight, to reclaim what is rightfully ours, and to shield ourselves from further harm."
"So, you will not halt your attack?" Yuren's voice was heavy with concern.
"We finally have you back, my dear. All that is left is to reclaim the cores of my sisters and lay them to rest properly," she replied with determination.
Realization struck Yuren like a bolt of lightning: she must be referring to the cores he had seen in the facility, strewn about like tragic remnants of a lost existence.
"Come, my dear." She extended her hand towards him, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light, her aura pulsating with a warmth that was both inviting and energizing.
"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath as he grasped her hand. As soon as their fingers intertwined, the world around him began to dissolve into a swirling darkness, the once-vibrant colors fading into an unsettling shade of gray.
"We will be together, my dear, forever," she assured him, her voice a comforting whisper in the abyss.
The last sensation he experienced was a brilliant flash of light, accompanied by a voice calling out to him, echoing like a distant memory, and a profound feeling of warmth enveloping him entirely.
In an instant, the two had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind an empty field that lay silent and still, marked only by the remnants of a desolate battlefield.