Shinta and I worked feverishly throughout the night and the following day. Julie, Lena, and Mai were released and joined us in helping us dig out Thunder. Aitian had stationed guards outside the room for security reasons and guards to be inside the room along with us. As we dug on, the ice never seemed to melt nor chip away, and as time went on, we began to tire ourselves.
"Geez, this ice is sure stubborn. It's as if it doesn't want to give up at all." I complained.
"There's a reason why we were never able to free him in the first place," Shinta added.
"And what's the reason behind that?" Lena asked.
Shinta lowered the tools she and her clones were using and took a small break from the extracting, "He was cast a spell upon. Thunder led the vanguard to a small nation that sided with the enemy, and he fought against the tribe's leader, who, upon their prophecy, deemed that one day, the child of Mother Nature herself would be born. The tribe nation had been wiped out, but at what cost?" Shinta began tearing up, "And just like that, all hope was lost. My Thunder never returned from the front; he returned in a casket of ice that would never melt. The Ravenian Empire may have defeated the small nation… but at the cost of…" Shinta broke down crying as her clones disappeared, with the tools dropping to the ground and eventually leaving her alone.
So that's how it was. Jenma must've tried to improve their relations with a failed attempt, and the war was inevitable, as it seemed. Ultimately, they wanted to freeze Jenma but ended up freezing their most valuable combatant expert in Jenma's place. Poor Shinta, a byproduct of warfare, still embodied emotions that showed her humane side. It seemed that life would be pointless for Shinta if Thunder were no longer around.
After some time, I stood up triumphantly and tossed my tools aside. The others, surprised by my actions, questioned what I was doing. Of course, the answer was right in front of us.
"Just how are you going to break out, Thunder?" Lena asked.
"Simple." I grinned, "If he's stuck inside of there with magic, we break him out using magic."
"And who do you know that uses magic around here?" Shinta cried.
"Why, your great king Aitian uses magic…" I replied.
The room became silent. Of course, Shinta's been with the king and Jenma for so long that she's even forgotten that he knew any magic. The thought was well thought out, but the real question is, Will Aitian be willing to use his magic to help defrost a drone that once obliterated his nation during the Great Runic War?
"OF COURSE NOT!" Jenma yelled as we confronted her later in the same room, "Either you're all crazy or idiots for thinking of such an idea! My husband's homeland was engulfed in flames by those very same cannons mounted on that drone's back, and yet you all come here asking me to go ask him!?"
"Maybe he'd be willing to say yes to you?" I added.
Jenma sighed. "Thunder was a great servant…but I would never- Never ask my husband to save an enemy/ally that took away his parents and his siblings, let alone all those that have fallen to Thunder." Jenma closed her eyes with one hand on her forehead. One can tell the distress the news and situation had already stressed her out for years.
"Well…" Lena remarked, "At least make it fair for William…"
Jenma's eyes widened. She remembered the drone who'd saved her from instant death. Jenma was reminded of the debt she owed William and me. She then sighed once more.
"I won't make any promises." Jenma insisted. "If Aitian says no, then no means no. And we'll leave it at that, but if, for any reason, he does decide that he plans to save Thunder and restore William, it'll be up to you guys here to decide where to go forward. For I lack the knowledge and experience to go from here." Jenma turned to leave the room when suddenly the doors opened.
Aitian stepped into the room, quiet as we all were wondering if he had been listening to the conversation the entire time or had only heard what needed to be heard. Before Jenma could speak or ask anything, he held his large claws up to halt her from speaking. She bowed lowly to Aitian as she slowly stepped away from him. Aitian then didn't make eye contact with any of us. Instead, he trotted towards Thunder's immobilized body, still stuck in the ice.
"Perhaps it is time…" Aitian said.
"Time for what?" Mai asked.
"Shinta and Jenma…remove this heavy armor off of me. I'm going to need to focus on the ice." Aitian said as he lowered his claws.
Shinta and Jenma didn't waste their time; instead, they worked in haste as they were ordered. With the parts of the armor that were getting removed, each of our stares changed from being astonished to horror gazes. As each piece was removed from Aitian, his actual figure and form were shown to each of us in the room. As Shinta and Jenma took each armor layer off, I could see the tears in Jenma's eyes roll down her cheeks. Finally, after all the armor was off Aitian, you can see he was a very well-built king with a toned muscular torso, and his face was utterly human with multiple scars and gashes from his long years as ruler. His face would remind you of a handsome middle-aged man with years ahead of himself.
Aitian's entire left arm is a dragon arm with four claws still, but his right arm is entirely human, with each digit of his finger still in contact. His head still bore the tri horns on both sides of his forehead. On his back, you can see spikes sticking out of him, starting to form wings of sorts. With each detail you looked at, you began questioning what and who Aitian was. Once they were done, Aitian stretched himself, and he then turned to face all of us.
"What's wrong? You all seemed surprised and somewhat frightened." Aitian jokingly said.
None of us wanted to reply to his statement. Not even Jenma, who was pouting her lips, trying very hard to hold back her tears. She was not in the mood. Jenma knew it was her fault for what was becoming of Aitian.
"If there are no questions, then don't bother me until I've finished releasing Thunder," Aitian remarked.
"Wait!" I remarked. "You, you are human Aitian?"
"Of course, I am a dragon borne. Half human and half dragon, as you would call it." Aitian proudly stated. "Now Jenma will be explaining while I free our friend here…"
Aitian turned to face Thunder, closed his eyes, and chanted, declaring, "DISENCHANT!" A circle of magical rays appeared underneath Thunder, and the ice began melting and parting into the glow of the magic circle. It was something I'd never seen before. As each ice melted, Thunder's movement slowly became free.
"Jenma…tell me, what's happening?" Lena asked.
Jenma quietly sniffs, "My Aitian is disenchanting the icicle prison to free Thunder, but that's not why I'm crying. I'm crying because, well…" Jenma looks for the words. "In any case of usage of magic and such, there's always a cost, mana, energy, life force. You know, a price."
We all then stared in amusement at Aitian. "And what's Aitian's price?" All of us asked Jenma.
"My dear Aitian's price…" Jenma stuttered as she broke into tears and eventually couldn't keep explaining.
Jenma couldn't explain anymore, nor did she need to. As we watched the ice melt and disappear into the magical circle beneath Thunder, we watched in horror and sadness as Aitian's left side of his jaw began protruding dragon-like scales with an outward jawbone spike.
Shinta continued for Jenma, "My lord Aitian's price is his humanity. The more he uses his magic, the more he will fail to retain his former self and humane side."
"STOP THIS AITIAN!!!" Jenma broke out after seeing his elbow grow a wing spike. Jenma rushed to his side to stop Aitian. "Stop...please stop! Don't leave me by myself, Aitian!"
Aitian continued to work on Thunder. As each icicle fell, Thunder eventually came to a halting kneel right before Aitian and Jenma. Jenma continued to persuade Aitian to stop. He was doing more than necessary. He was trying to free the entire drone's body from the ice.
Shinta continued. "My lord Aitian and lady Jenma have no heir to the throne. Should Aitian be killed or deceased, the mighty Ravenian Empire also falls."
Finally, after all the hard work, Thunder kneeled before Aitian and Jenma, freed from the ice. Aitian was exhausted and relaxed as Jenma, and he rubbed heads. I thanked Aitian for his hard work and added that his efforts would not go to waste.
"I would trade my entire kingdom to have the drone who'd destroyed my home and my family, to return the favor to those of my enemy…" Aitian said in a tired state.
"Aitian…no more, please, no more…don't leave me alone. I've already lost my brothers and father. Please, I don't want to lose you too." Jenma hugged Aitian and cried. Aitian understood her message and returned the hug.
Shinta clarified to me and the others, "My lady Jenma is the last of her clan of the galaxy wars that ravaged her homelands. She's lost multiple people she's come to trust. She is a strong woman, but one can only be so strong for so long, for we all have a soft spot." Shinta touched her torso where her heart would be. "Like lady Jenma and my lord Aitian, I only exist as long as Thunder does."
I understood, and Julie and I gazed at one another, happy that we had each other in those times of dire need. I then turned my attention towards Thunder, who knelt before us. As I approached the lifeless body of Thunder, I couldn't help but notice how significant his drone's frame was. Thunder had no booster and no weapon frames.
"Say Jenma?" I asked.
"What idiot?" Jenma answered.
"You mentioned cannons on Thunder, correct?" I replied.
"Yeah, what about them?" Jenma answered.
"I'm examining his frame and don't see any unless I'm missing something?" I then answered while scratching my head.
"Well, he doesn't have any power now. Perhaps it'd be best to try your part out and see where that goes?" Jenma concurred.
"I agree. Let's ask later, and perhaps we should just put in the core for now." Lena added.
I nodded as Julie told me to be careful. I then carefully took out Thunder's old memory core. The entire part was utterly soaked from the melting ice and had electrical sparks coming left and right as I unscrewed the core.
"Well, here goes nothing," I said as I put in William's core and the attached part.
I then put Thunder's old memory core in my pocket as the T-33 powered down, and then suddenly, a mechanical whirring could be heard as it booted itself up. As it booted up suddenly, there were electrical sparks as the water evaporated from the drone's body and massive frames. It was as if the magic was not over. Suddenly, the T-33 hopped up on its own and aimed its cannons hidden on its shoulders directly at Aitian. Before, Jenma shielded Aitian with herself, halting the T-33's advances. This, however, was stopped by Shinta, who was faster than Jenma, with her already in front of the T-33's face, caressing it.
Shinta continued caressing the T-33's face as she got closer to the T-33 and whispered, "Thunder?"
The T-33 then reacted by deactivating its cannons aimed at Aitian and returned the gesture to Shinta. "I know that face…Seems you're always by my side whenever I wake up."
Shinta didn't care, and she leaped into the T-33's arms as they hugged one another with tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldn't believe whether it was Thunder or William. It seemed things would be getting more and more enjoyable for everyone. I was sad because sadly William would not be coming back… or so I'd thought, until-
"Specialist…" William said with Shinta hugging him tightly as he gestured the "OK" with a thumbs up.
I would sleep tonight, not in the prison cell but in a comfortable room in the capital, along with Julie sleeping beside me. Sometimes, I'd wonder if it was all a dream, and I'd wake up to tell her about this CRAZY dream I've just had. Then she'd say to me that it was a crazy dream and what we would do if we were in that dream.
Aitian was relieved that the cannons were not armed and fired at him. He sighed in relief as Jenma helped him leave the room. To which Shinta stopped them and respectfully kneeled and bowed to the ground in front of both. To Shinta, being alone for so many years without her lover was the best gift ever. She didn't care if it was William or Thunder. To her, it was a curse for just being alive. Multiple soldiers would enter the room and collect Aitian's armor pieces and garments to be later re-fitted.
Unlike me, William and Shinta didn't need sleep. The two stayed up, catching up about their interests and such. More of perhaps that Shinta didn't care at this point.
"Shinta, I must apologize for having you save me so many times," William said.
"It's okay. At least it gives me something to look forward to." Shinta replied.
"You must be disappointed that I'm not Thunder…" William added.
"I'm not disappointed. I think you look better this way." Shinta smiled.
"Hey, you look different from before as I remembered…you look more…how would I describe it?" William searched for words, puzzled as if he'd never seen the real Shinta.
Shinta looked at William, gesturing to see what he was trying to imply. "Beautiful? Or pretty?"
"Human, yea. You look more human than before, Shinta!" William remarked.
Shinta, disappointed in William's response, clicked her tongue. Frustrated, she drags William by the hand and guides him to a room with him struggling all along the way.
"WHOA! Hey, hey, hey! Where are we going!?" William demanded.
"You're the Drone of Revolution! We got to make sure that you fight like you are!" Shinta remarked.
Once they entered a coliseum-looking area, Shinta left William by himself and ran to the opposite side to face William. She then calmed herself down and then opened her eyes.
"I want you to fight me with full force!" Shinta declared.
"Isn't that dangerous!?" William yelled.
"Don't worry! I'm not alone anymore." As she summoned eight other Shinta clones, Shinta said, "Now, let's see what you're capable of!" Shinta said as she launched all eight drones towards William.
The following day, we awoke to the capital in complete disarray as soldiers and advisors scrambled. Everyone looked busy, excluding Shinta, of course. The once-empty corridors were filled with people, from mechanics to engineers to soldiers to anyone who had a class of work with drones and aircraft. Shinta greeted our group, who bowed to us and immediately requested our presence in the throne room. As we obliged, we scrambled to the throne room, with my fiancé Julie still trying to get herself presentable.
"How do I look?" Julie asked as she finished tying up her hair into a ponytail.
"Great, let's get going. We got to see what the fuss is all about." I replied.
"You didn't even look at her hair!" Lena yelled.
"If you guys are done talking about your hair, I'd suggest you keep up, as I think there seems to be something of interest to all of you. Especially you idiot." Shinta said.
Soon, we had all reached the throne room. Aitian was absent, and only Jenma and some generals were in the throne room. Judging by the looks on their faces, something was very off. It seems there was a debate of some sort just now.
"Seize them!" One of the generals commanded.
"Wha-what are you doing!?" we questioned as soldiers apprehended us.
"My lady." Shinta bowed as she approached Jenma.
"You're possibly wondering what's happening or why this is happening? Well, allow me to explain. Ravenian Empire is under attack right now as we speak by Stars and Sky." Jenma explained.
"So, you're thinking we're spies!?" I denounced.
"No, that's not why I'm apprehending you and your little group." Jenma continued while being handed a see-through frame with a picture captured, "Take a look, idiot. If my guess is as good as yours, please don't lie to me, as every second counts. My husband and his army are now engaging this enemy."
One of the soldiers then held up the see-through frame to show us the picture inside. Sure enough, there it was, the T-01 once again. Only this time, it wasn't William. None of us knew who it was. The picture had captured the drone in its combat form, full halo out and laser blades in every direction. Upon closer examination of the image, I pointed out to the rest of the group that it was MK. It was engraved TMK-01. It seems like I will meet her once again. SHINTA SPOKE UP FOR US ON HER BEHALF before I could vouch or say anything to clarify our innocence.
"My lady?" Shinta bowed in front of Jenma and the soldiers.
"Speak Shinta." Jenma stated.
"My lady, I believe the idiot and his group have caused no harm and have not transmitted any information to that of the enemy. If anything, I insist that you let them prove their innocence." Shinta claimed.
Jenma thought for a moment before requiring further clarification from Shinta. "And what do you suggest they do to prove their innocence to me and Aitian?"
"These fine people were behind the resurrection of Thunder, the drone of Revolution…" As the soldiers and generals murmured in fear and disbelief, Shinta declared, "Why not allow the Drone of revolution to demonstrate its loyalty to my lady and lord Aitian?"
Jenma smiled. To her, it'd be killing two birds with one stone. Regardless of how you viewed the situation, it's a win-win scenario for her and her husband's kingdom. Rather than hold our little group here hostage, should the drone disobey, we would straighten things.
"Agreed, Shinta. However, I'll keep these people under watch. Just in case "Thunder" decides to pull anything." Jenma smirked.
"As you wish, milady…" Shinta bowed and joined us in the circle of soldiers to relay to us what would happen.
"So, where's the real you?" I asked.
"Don't worry." Shinta smirked, "William will save you guys this time, I'm sure of it." Shinta said as she smiled a warm smile.
"How can you be so sure?" Lena asked.
"Because right now, he's fighting his own battles, and things will worsen…" Shinta closed her eyes as she softly told us.
Just then, the throne room doors burst open, and a Ravenian soldier with double flags on his back entered the room at a frantic speed. "My lady, our kingdom is undergoing a harsh battle right now. We're fighting both Eagles and Stars at the war front!" He reported that he was dismissed thoroughly by Jenma for the report.
"Hear that?" Jenma asked.
"Both nations and Ravenian…in a nation war," Lena said.
"It's how it's been. None has been able to advance for years. My husband's already at the front with multiple regiments. Of course, he left the Imperial Ravenian Military here to defend the capital." Jenma said as she stood up from the throne to look outside the windows. Jenma then walks quietly back to the throne and sits, "Keep an eye on them…please let them still attend to whatever needs be needed."
The soldiers nodded as they lowered their weapons and dropped their formation. They allowed us to tend to ourselves and our needs as we wandered around the capital. Julie was amazed at the marketplace and the trading facilities as they were kept busy and organized, unlike in Eagles territory. She was also intrigued to find new clothes as I'd been wearing the disguise since the Eagle territory area meeting event.
As we roamed, I couldn't help but notice more soldiers and civilians gathered at the port area. The port area was large, filled with trading ships and naval combat ships parked, along with a vast aircraft parked next to the large monument.
"Shinta?" I asked.
"Yes?" Shinta replied.
"Why is there a combat aircraft here at the port?" I asked once more.
"They must be getting ready to go to the front," Shinta said.
I was going to ask for more information when I spotted a Ravenian soldier and a civilian girl hugging each other before saying farewell. The soldier climbed into the aircraft with the rest of his fellow officers and soldiers alike before putting on his goggles. The girl on the ground waved as she quickly threw something to him, which he caught, and he put it in his pocket as he waved as soon as the aircraft disappeared.
"Shinta?" I asked.
"Yes?" Shinta replied.
"Where's William?" I then questioned her.
"He seems to be…" Shinta closed her eyes as she fell to the floor, "He's fighting for his life, friends, and everything he believes in. Place your trust in him…" Shinta said as we watched her try to relax as she seemed to weaken.
Accurate enough to Shinta's words, thousands of miles away at the front where a battle had been fought laid thousands of broken and scraped Shinta clones all over the field with dead enemy troops of all kinds. It seemed like the war was still going on as multiple drones were fighting one drone. To every side, it appeared they were desperate to get rid of William, who was alone and carried Shinta (who had a severed arm and her entire lower frame severed) in stasis.
To the enemy, a threat had once again risen from the grave. To William, to survive and protect his friends and all he held dear. William had been injured slightly. If anything, the T-33's frame was so robust that it helped him withstand a punishing volley that would've crippled Shinta.
"This time…I'll save you, Shinta," William said as he faced multiple enemy drones with soldiers on different angles alongside one another. He looked at Shinta's face behind his shoulder, repeating, "This time, I'll save you…"
Shinta weakly opened her eyes a bit and smiled, unable to talk. On the Stars and Sky nation, their commander ordered an all-out attack. The T-33 posed a considerable threat to all their Titania model drones and needed to be scrapped and finished. On the Eagle's side, their commander ordered a pincer maneuver to outflank both Ravenian reinforcements and Stars in the Sky nation military units. For Ravenian, Aitian's team had suffered many casualties and were regrouping after the loss of Shinta. William had retrieved the real Shinta's body during a barrage of volleys and survived, and now the fight would only continue to endure as all three nations clashed on the plains with no cover. They now fought for dominance.
As the attack commenced from Stars drones, they fired at William and Eagle indiscriminately as they called for air support to annihilate William. William didn't have a shield like his T-01 system; instead, he dodged the shots and missiles by propelling himself into the air while protecting Shinta on his back and using laser blades as platforms. He would hang onto one of the blades when four other drones hovered around him, circling and trapping him.
The Ravenian military, still regrouping, Aitian requested they find William and his whereabouts. Aitian's doubts would come to fruition as he and the others witnessed the sight of William surrounded in the air by four other drones, two from Stars and two from Eagles. The Stars had the T-22 and the T-44; the Eagles drone consisted of a reassigned T-01 with a T-16. None of the drones wanted to move in, let alone initiate an attack. They knew about the T-33's capabilities and what its cannons could do. William, however, knew nothing about using guns. Instead, he's had a practice run with Shinta, not a live run.
Surrounded by enemies in the air and on the ground, it seemed running away was out of the options for William. He was carrying Shinta on his back and needed to ensure she wasn't hurt during the fighting. William stared around him and Shinta, seeing no gaps in the formation. Instead, they waited for William to make a single move.
"Shit." William thought, "I know I'd promise I'd save you…but it seems we're surrounded and outgunned."
"W-William…" Shinta weakly requested.
"Yeah, don't worry, we'll get out of here! I'm thinking of a way!" William replied.
Before William could utter another word or even act on his consciousness, Shinta's arm reached out and attached the cord to her head to William's memory core. This caused a spark of electricity to fill the air. The enemy in question didn't hesitate, and they bombarded William instantly.
Smoke filled the area where William was once at. As the enemy turned their attention towards one another as they were going to attack one another, suddenly something drew their attention. There, amidst the smoke, William was unharmed, still having Shinta on his back. Something didn't seem right to the enemy. They commenced bombardment once again, but something changed this time.
On each of William's shoulders they popped out a cannon engraved with holy languages and hieroglyphic writings. The barrels of the guns rotated 180 degrees as they pointed at the enemies in front of William. As the bombardment commenced, William absorbed the shots using his cannons; upon seeing this, Aitian ordered a full retreat.
"But my lord, this is our chance to attack the enemy. They're distracted by the drone!" said one of the soldiers.
"No! Full retreat! Gather all the wounded and retreat!" Aitian commanded.
After his orders were carried out in haste, Aitian watched in horror. William was absorbing the bombardments into the cannons mounted onto his shoulders. The enemy drones were then commanded to apprehend William and destroy him and Shinta. Eagle drones didn't waste a moment; they wanted the T-33's frame. Star in the sky drones wasted no time as they raced towards William.
The Ravenian aircraft arrived at the front to assist Aitian, only for them to be shot down by the enemy drones. The Eagles' infantry pushed the Ravenian line back as they retreated beyond the border behind the mountainous terrain. Star in the sky saw this opportunity and ordered an all-out siege towards William. As the T-22 drone prepped up its rail sniper rifle to decimate William, there was a blink of something of a flash that had gone past the T-22.
Before the T-22 could comprehend what had happened, her lower torso was ripped apart and exploded in a fury of fire and continuous flames. She immediately became immobile and fell 60 feet from the air to the ground, unfit for combat as her lower torso burned. Those who were the Star in the Sky military, unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire, were burnt alive, feeling the brunt of the fiery napalm's consistent burning. The T-44 and the T-16 turned in horror to find both Williams' cannons aimed at them. He wasn't going to miss.
"Canna de Ignis (Kana de Ignis = Cannons of flame in Latin)!" William declared as the hieroglyphs on his cannons lit up and spewed thousands of flares-like particles that launched toward the drones and enemy soldiers.
The massacre began when the T-44's heat shield protection was no match as he became a burning wreck. His minigun rounds combusted due to the chain reaction of the heat, and he exploded. The T-16's fate was much different; he had deflected most of the flare due to his sword, but his fate became sealed when a piece of the fit ignited onto his thigh, causing a spark on his boosters to chain react an explosion, and he too became a burning wreck.
The Eagle and Star soldiers watched in horror. The "Drone of Revolution" ignited the "Great Runic War" had awoken. William watched the flames burn beneath him as multiple soldiers began fleeing the battlefield. He was alone up in the air, hanging on his laser blade in the air. While he watched the battlefield burn, he sympathized with what Shinta had told him during the night as he closed his eyes in misery.
"Say, how come my cannons, I don't see any ammo count of any sort, Shinta?" William asked.
"Your cannons." Shinta became silent briefly before continuing, "Do you wish to use them, William?"
"Well, of course, I got to protect you and everyone else somehow, right?" William said happily and proudly.
Shinta smiled. "I'll show you some other time…but promise me this." Shinta took William's hand with both of hers. "Whenever you fire your cannons, promise me that you'll never look at yourself as a drone of destruction and mayhem…and that you'll never stop being who you are…"
"Ah, that's easy…I promise, Shinta!" William exclaimed proudly.
That was about 8 hours ago when Shinta could still walk around and smile with and at William. Now William gazed upon the flames and the destruction as they consumed everything in its path. Finally, the fire began dying, and Sventia approached William to confront him.
"My god…" Sventia said as she looked on in horror, seeing multiple people struggling to put themselves out while still ablaze. "You…You're not Thunder, are you?" Sventia nervously said as she readied her gun.
Upon seeing her ready her weapon, William dissuaded her challenge, "Don't…"
Sventia's horror look changed into a confused look. "Why?"
"If you wish to see more, then go right ahead. But if you value your time with Gary, I suggest you save your bullets." William said as he lowered the laser blade to the ground.
Sventia followed William, her weapon drawn out, loaded, and ready to fire. She wasn't confused. She was too petrified to do anything, seeing that he defeated 3 of the enemy drones by himself, soon to be a 4th drone. William approached the downed TMK-1 as her blades and halo ring tried to rotate and protect her from William.
"Please…release me from this…just…don't forget me…" the TMK-1 stated.
William studied the damage. The TMK-1 was getting cooked by the continuously burning flames. Only the head and the upper torso remained unconsumed by the horrendous flames. Sventia would end the drone's suffering, to which William took his laser blade and executed the drone. He then flipped the drone to its back and detached the memory core before the flames consumed the rest of the body.
"Speaking of which, have you seen Shinta?" Sventia asked.
William nods as he reveals he's been carrying Shinta this whole time, untouched by the attacks that William parried and deflected. Sventia sighed in relief. To her, Shinta was more like an older sister. To lose her would be like losing a sibling.
William and Sventia retreated into the Ravenian camp, where Aitian greeted them and welcomed them back, glad to see them unharmed.
"Where's Shinta?" Aitian asked.
Sventia stares at the state of Shinta's body as William, now carrying her like a bride, slowly rests her body on the ground with her hand resting on her heart and her eyes closed. Aitian had no words. He didn't think the real Shinta would lose her life so suddenly.
Unbeknownst to Sventia and Aitian, a Shinta clone was hidden among the medics of the ordinary Ravenian soldiers. To which she came forward, built herself a clone, and began taking herself apart to repair the T-09. For every part needed, another clone was made, and the process repeated until Shinta was fixed entirely in under 5 minutes. Once her duty was done, the clone returned to its original duty to help tend to the wounded Ravenian soldiers.
The T-09 Shinta opened her eyes and smiled, "I knew you could do it, William…"
Everyone in the camp laughed and sighed in relief, with Sventia hugging Shinta. Everyone was in high spirits, even Aitian. Only one person struggled with the thought of his true purpose: William. Though he had saved Shinta unknowingly, and me and others. To him, where did his goal lie now? William was reminded of the constant flames that didn't die as people and drones were burned. Aitian, being the only one to notice William, who was unhappy, eyes William with a questioning look.