Flip.
Huh?!
She furrows her brows, bewilderment written all over her face as she watches the pages turn, each one blank.
"Huh? This is weird . . . the rest of the book is blank! I've never seen this before. Why can't I know further? Is something interfering with the library of knowledge? Quite an odd event. What might be causing this . . . or who?!"
She continues flipping through the pages, all of them blank, worry creeping in as she thinks of her brothers. She wants to know what happened to them.
She pauses, noticing words appearing on a single page.
"Don't worry. They will be fine," reads a message sent by Mercy to reassure her.
Smack.
She closes the book and hands it to one of the library residents, who places it back in its spot.
She walks over to her niece's cart and begins gently rocking it as she explores the Infinite Library, a place filled with tales, fragments, and more. She glances around, awaiting something.
In such an expansive place, finding a specific book would be nearly impossible without help. Fortunately, every book here can fly, so Mercy either guides one to Tahara or asks a library guardian to retrieve it for her.
This time, one of them does.
A small, cute, elephant-like creature hovers beside Tahara, offering her a book with its wing-like ears flapping.
Tahara accepts the book and opens it, reading the tale within.
. . .
A group of people, along with a mighty beast, roam the bottom of this world, seemingly in search of something. Zahtan leads the way, carried by his servant, while Sheehan and Aayn follow close behind them, as the majestic beast; Iza creates a path for them to tread upon.
Aayn looks around, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
The landscape stretches out in jagged sprawl—a broken terrain covered in smoldering rocks that burn with an eerie, otherworldly pink flame. Each rock glows softly in the darkness, casting a faint rose-colored light across the land, while trails of pink embers rise from the flames, spiraling lazily before fading into the blackness. The ground is treacherous, riddled with cracks and fissures oozing thin streams of lava, their surfaces tinted with an unsettling shade of violet.
This is a place of silence, where only the occasional crackle of burning stones and the hiss of lava break the stillness. Shadows dance strangely, twisted and warped by the unusual light, as if unsure of their forms in this realm known as The Eternal Cradle. With no sun or stars above, the pink flames offer the only light, flickering against an endless expanse of rock, fire, and void. The air is thick, carrying a faint metallic tang that lingers over everything.
Each rock, each flicker of pink flame, seems infused with an ancient, haunting energy, as though this place has existed since the beginning of time and will remain long after all else fades. It is a land of quiet desolation in a world cast away from light, where only the restless embers and sluggish lava dare to move, filling the bottom of this world with a strange, ethereal life amidst the dark.
Aayn glances at Sheehan, who appears to be tinkering with his AI, Selena.
"What is that thing?" Aayn asks.
"She is what I'm currently working on as a goal."
"And that goal is?"
"To see how far she'll go and what she'll do when I release her."
"Release her?"
"Yes, though she isn't ready for that yet. That's why I'm having her amass data . . . experience, if you will."
"Speaking of which, how was your first time consuming a fraction?"
". . . it was every bit as delightful as he told me it would be. Though the stairway is so high, I see no end to it. My existence felt that first step like never before."
"Wait until you take your real first step, then. What you experienced was more like a quarter of a step, thanks to the near immortality function this world has."
Aayn lets out an excited wheeze at Sheehan's words. "So, you're telling me the real deal is even better?! I'm so excited! Shame he didn't experience it with me. He blew everything up before he had the chance!"
"Yes, the tastiest part is the fraction of the soul a fraction possesses. Some souls taste better than others, though," Sheehan says.
"Aaahhh, I'm so excited!" Aayn exclaims, making Sheehan chuckle.
"Can you teach me more, Sheehan? So I can enjoy all the delights of this world!"
"Of course. However, there's an important rule to keep in mind. It'll benefit you far more than anything else you learn from here onward."
"A rule?"
"Well, it's more a frame of mind. A way to live, so to speak."
"Sheehan, we're almost there. Time to launch the next part of our plan!" Zahtan interrupts.
Sheehan looks ahead and nods approvingly. "Selena, prepare the laser."
"Understood. Preparations will need 30 seconds."
"Aayn." Sheehan stops walking and turns around, holding Aayn's gaze. "Every mystery holds a 'how,' a fragment of comfort, choice, and perhaps power awaiting those who dare to unravel its workings."
Such words carve themselves into Aayn's heart, becoming a part of the fraction he grows to be.
Beep.
A notification from his AI appears, offering a launch option.
"Now, let's cut that hope and welcome our soon-to-arrive guest with a good meal!" He clicks.
. . .
Tahara finds herself shifted by the story in the book, now observing her fellow pilots.
. . .
Adora and another in a unique pilot suit seem to be taking down one of the last remaining robots. With his spider-silk webs and daggers made from Haco's sharp teeth, connected by fiery chains, he and Adora swing around the robot, dismantling it with speed and precision—her slashes merciless, his attacks pounding with unexpected force.
Adora moves with an assassin's precision, every motion calculated, while his fighting style stands out, unique and unmistakably his own.
Agile, creative . . . free.
After dismantling the last robot, they land near Tooney and Chad.
Chad and Tooney have just met up with the third member of their whimsical trio known for solving problems in their own way: Weaver.
They stand just outside the border of the lower city, which leads further down the Rope.
The landscape around them is a wasteland of metal and concrete, a scarred and barren graveyard. Colossal footprints mark the ground, some jagged from massive claws, others reduced to scorched craters by the fury of battle. The remains of once-proud buildings now slump in ruins, their steel frames twisted like broken fangs, windows shattered into glittering dust floating in the heavy air.
Amidst the wreckage, the dark silhouette of a massive, winged mech-Tyrannosaur lies collapsed, half-buried in the rubble, its wings shredded into metal fragments and its jaw agape in a silent, endless roar. Tangled wires spark around its maw, defiant even in stillness. The smell of scorched earth and ozone lingers, carried by a faint breeze that sweeps through the devastated cityscape.
All around, mangled limbs and shattered torsos of other metal titans litter the ground, their pieces scattered like brutal remnants of a lost era. Small fires crackle, their glow casting eerie shadows over the twisted remains, while faint metallic groans echo in the silence—the last ghostly murmurs of a battle between giants at the country's desolate border. The battleground falls quiet for a moment, but in the distance, another wave of robots approaches.
"That's the last of them for now!" Adora announces.
"Jeez, it's like their numbers don't end!" Tooney replies, forming a makeshift scope with his thumb and finger to peer at the oncoming wave.
"There's a core past this wave that keeps making them . . . out of water!" Weaver reveals, prompting everyone to look at him in confusion.
"Water?" They all ask simultaneously.
"How do you know this, Weaver?" Chad asks.
"Are you the person Tahara expected me to meet? An agent for Daki?" Adora adds, suspicious.
Weaver nods, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Well . . . yeah. I'm a squad leader. Code 1."
His tone turns serious as Chad and Tooney exchange surprised looks. "Under the Mother of Mercy's orders, we ventured beyond this border, deep into the vast lands of the Rope. Around five hundred kilometers from here, there's a facility sitting in the middle of a large water pool. We observed a large orb glowing at the center of it, and out of nowhere, it started converting the water into these machines. We ran back as soon as we were compromised . . . but out of my whole squad, I'm the only one who made it back." He clenches his fist, eyes somber.
Adora nods, processing the information. "So, we need to destroy that core if we want a quick end to this. These machines are getting harder to beat; it's like they're learning about us and developing weaknesses against our abilities. Prolonged combat might not end well."
Clank!
They all jump as Chad plants his shield firmly on the ground, making it tremor in response.
"Five hundred kilometers, you said?" he stretches his massive, muscular body with a smirk. "Good thing my record is three thousand."
"Three thousand kilometers for what?" Adora asks.
"Run away!" Tooney and Weaver shout, dashing backward and hiding, knowing what's about to happen.
Chad cracks his neck, eyeing the approaching army. "Though this isn't a sports match, so I'll get a bit serious." He turns to Adora. "Madam Adora, please step back."
Without hesitation, Adora retreats, joining Tooney and Weaver behind the rubble. They both caution her as she tenses up, looking adorably confused.
Chad stands alone against the robotic army, gripping the disc on his belt and rotating it. Steam begins to escape from his mouth as his thoughts race.
No civilians or infrastructure nearby, just the captured pilots Weaver mentioned. They're trained to endure pain, and this will free them as well.
The air around him starts to push upward from the pressure he's generating, and his entire body flexes as steam rises off him. The ground sinks slightly under his weight, forming a small crater.
"Beat, heart. Beat!" he declares as a powerful heartbeat echoes through the field like war drums.
"MODO: MEGA CHAD!" Chad roars, bending backward and releasing a massive shockwave. The earth shakes underfoot as he transforms, steam billowing from his body.
"Phew, he contained it!" Weaver sighs in relief.
"Contained it?" Adora asks, bewildered.
Tooney chuckles. "Yeah, he's learned to control it better now. Had he not, the whole city would have been leveled!"
"The whole city?!" Adora's eyes widen.
Chad inspects his left arm with a fierce grin.
It's been a while . . . last time was that sparring match with Kayn.
He grips his left arm with his right hand, veins bulging with raw power.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" His scream reverberates through the city, forcing everyone to cover their ears.
"What the—?" Adora stares, stunned.
Rip!
Then, in one swift motion, he rips off his own arm.
Weaver grins. "He did it because it's the hardest thing he can throw!"
"Huh?!"
Chad stands, holding his detached arm like a javelin, muscles rippling as he braces himself. His stance is solid, feet rooted to the ground as he draws strength from the earth, coiling like a predator ready to strike. Shoulders rolled back, his chest expands with a deep breath, focusing every fiber of his being. His eyes gleam with anticipation as he bends his knees, summoning the strength for a feat only legends dare speak of.
"BRACE!" the others shout, ducking for cover.
"Javelin of Chad!" Chad bellows, unleashing his weapon with earth-shaking force.