Aria's eyes still carry that haunted look as she speaks. "I keep wondering why. Why am I here? What brought me to this world? And… how long do I have before something else happens?"
I walked alongside her and kept listening to her speech and was left... weirded out by the way she tried to explain
"For the past two weeks, I've learned something new every day," she continues, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Like how humanity is on the moon, the war that's been raging for thousands of years, and so many other things that… just don't make sense."
"Uh huh…" I murmur, keeping my tone neutral, but my mind is racing.
The way she talks, it's almost as if she's hearing about these things for the first time. It's unsettling—like hearing my own story being told back to me.
"At first, I was in shock," she says, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I even laughed at them when they told me about the war. I mean, the longest conflict I knew of was, what, thirty years? Maybe seven hundred if you count the medieval ages. But a war lasting thousands of years? That's impossible, right? No side would have the willpower or resources to keep going."
I let her words sink in, feeling the weight of what she's been through. Two weeks of fear, confusion, and survival.
It's not just that she doesn't know our history—it's almost like she's from a different reality altogether
Almost like… me when I first came here. Left alone in an abandoned city, with nothing and no one to guide me.
I sigh, glancing up at the moon, faint and distant in the sky. "Sorry to break it to you, but it's true. The war hasn't just lasted a thousand years. It's been going on for nearly 10,000 years now."
And it's going to get worse from now on.
She looks up at me, her expression thoughtful, almost hesitant. "How do you feel about it?"
Her question pulls me out of my daze. "About what?"
"About this conflict," she says, her tone serious now.
I can't help but give a dry, humorless chuckle. "You need to be more specific."
After all, fighting for so long in this pointless war has made me or maybe all of us numb and tired of it.
We can't die, nor can we truly live. Either choice just makes existence harder.
She purses her lips, choosing her next words carefully. "…How do you feel fighting a war that seems to never end?"
I flinch, caught off guard by how direct she is. But still a never-ending war huh?
Touche.
This kind of reminds me of the same question I asked someone else regarding the war who I consider a friend, I still remember the question I asked him.
'How do you feel fighting a war that seems to never end? with a future so bleak that even working seems pointless?'
After thinking about it carefully I answer her, the same way he answers me.
"Heh," I chuckled bitterly "I've been in this fight for so long that it would feel odd if I stop fighting suddenly."
"Simply, our future was bleak. Every day we fight on this godforsaken planet thinking that as long as we can fight, there is a hope that we can win the war."
"Even now," I continue, my voice heavy with bitterness, "the United Nations just passed a law requiring every government to pour their entire GDP into developing more advanced weaponry. They even made conscripting civilians mandatory, all to try and tip the scales of war in our favor."
Aria's eyes widen in shock. "Wait… so you're saying you were a civilian forced to fight?"
"You're half right," I reply, managing a bitter smile. I joined the United Nations, but not because of conscription. I joined because of food."
"...food?"
I can't help but chuckle, though there's no humor in it. "Heh… you really must not be from this world if you don't even know that." Aria pouts slightly, and I see the faintest hint of embarrassment, but I continue. "The prolonged war and the sudden tidal lock on this planet drained the food supply at a rapid pace. Famine became rampant, and slums were everywhere you looked. It was the new normal."
I clench my fist, anger bubbling up as I remember those days. "I was just a student back then—one of the many affected by skyrocketing food prices. I could barely afford a meal. That's why I joined the United Nations not out of some sense of duty or patriotism but just to survive another day. A meal in exchange for my service, my life."
I take a deep breath and continue "Imagine it Aria, a single expired bread was worth a gold bar."
"Gold bar..?" She mumble before speaking "but, did you ever regret joining the UN?"
"What choice did I have? It was either kill or be killed."
Aria's expression softens, sympathy mixing with disbelief. "I see… how do you cope with it all? With all of these... wars?"
I shrugged, a weariness settling into my bones. "You adapt, I suppose. You learn to compartmentalize and bury your emotions deep down. And you keep moving forward because there's no other choice. It's survival, plain and simple."
"Survival..."
I meet her gaze, my expression somber. "Yeah. All we can do is endure, for as long as we can. The fight, the fear… you just get used to it. It becomes part of you."
She falls silent, lost in thought as we continue walking. The only sounds around us are the rhythmic footsteps of the androids that lead the way.
The mood was growing heavier, so I attempted to inject a bit of levity. "And how about you?" I asked, attempting to shift the focus. "How's your day of living on this planet been?"
Aria lets out a small, strained laugh, the sound brittle. "It's… overwhelming, honestly. Every day feels like I'm just trying to catch up, to understand this place. One moment I'm scavenging for food in a crumbling city, the next I'm being sheltered by androids who treat me like some endangered species. I'm constantly wondering what's real and what's not."
"I see..."
Endanger species huh? If my guess is correct with the way she is conveying the information. Then these androids have never seen a human before, if they consider her that look like a common citizen, someone worth protecting then it's pretty obvious.
If the android has never seen a human before then the only reason I can think of is either they rather hide up on the moon for the last 5000 years and make some random announcement or...
Humanity is extinct.
I know I should not make a rash judgment... but despite all logical sense, I can't help but think about it.
That's the truth in the Nier timeline, the year around 3000 humanity was the year of humanity's extinction because the gestalt rebels against its own creator. Ending the project alongside all of the human.
...So that means in the whole god-forsaken planet, only two humans are left out of 8 Billion humans.
Despite the gloomy thought in my mind, Aria's face was full of smiles.
"But it's not all that bad! It's actually been pretty great compared to before!" she says, her voice suddenly filled with genuine enthusiasm. "The food is delicious, the bed is comfy, and I got to meet a bunch of androids! Just imagining a day when I could see a real robot moving was something I always dreamed of, and now it's real! It's like living in a sci-fi movie!"
Maybe she hasn't realized the truth yet. Or maybe she just chooses to see the brighter side of things. Either way, her energy is contagious, and despite myself, I can't help but smile. Her excitement is infectious.
"I see…"
She grins, eyes sparkling with wonder. "Honestly, when I first saw them, I almost mistook them for humans! I can't believe they're all just moving robots—I mean, androids! It's incredible!"
Her enthusiasm reminds me so much of myself when I first encountered androids. I see a bit of my younger self in her—the awe, the curiosity, the thrill of seeing a real android.
I wish I could have shown my family a android, I am sure their face of expression of shock will be funny.
But just as quickly as the light in her eyes appears, it dims, her expression shifting to one of frustration. She lets out a sigh, her brow furrowing in annoyance. "But there's one thing that really bothers me. It's great and all, but… I'm being watched all the time."
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden shift in her tone. "Watched? What do you mean?"
"The problem I have with them is that they never take their eyes off me! Whenever I move their head always follows me around like a doll! And Every single time I am gone on one of their signs for a single second no nanosecond they begin to search and rescue me when I am only 50 Meters from them!"
Search and rescue? Usually, it's only to people who are in distress or imminent danger, and I don't think either of those can't happen just because she vanished even for a few minutes.
"Huh... is that true?" I look around at the androids and see them looking away in nervousness. Guess what she said was true.
"When it was time to sleep there is always someone watching me like they are worried that I stop breathing in the middle of the night! Even in the bathroom, they knock on my door every minute! There's almost zero privacy!" Aria exclaims, her voice laced with frustration.
She glares at the androids surrounding us, who all awkwardly avert their eyes, some letting out nervous chuckles as if they've been caught red-handed.
She turns back to me, visibly stressed. "And it took me forever to convince them to stop doing that! Just what kind of program have you installed in these androids?!"
She must have a hard time dealing with them.
I scratched my cheeks "Well...You have to ask the maker since I am only a mechanic"
But as I imagine the scene—Aria trying to find a moment of peace, only to be constantly interrupted by a chorus of knocks—I struggle to contain my laughter. The mental image is just too absurd.
Aria narrows her eyes, catching my failed attempt to stifle a chuckle. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just—" I begin, but before I can finish, a sudden pressure hits my gut. I'm launched into the air, my feet leaving the ground in a blur of surprise. The next thing I know, I'm crashing back down, the impact jolting through my bones.
Groaning, I roll onto my side and look up, spotting Aria standing there with her fists clenched and a faint trail of steam rising from them. Her expression is a mix of annoyance and satisfaction. "Ugh… why'd you do that?"
She ignored my question and looked away with a loud 'Hmp', Rude. I guess I had that coming.
I start to push myself up, ready to give her a piece of my mind, when suddenly I'm surrounded by androids. They appear out of nowhere, moving so silently that I almost jump.
They lift me off the ground with surprising gentleness, handling me as if I were a fragile piece of glassware.
When I was lifted up, I grasped the hand of one of the androids, feeling the gentle strength in their grip. Now that I think about it, these androids made their presence like a shadow when we were talking to each other.
Their silent presence almost slipped my mind entirely. Kind of scary now that I think about it since they were listening to our conversation without speaking a single word.
One of the androids, with a softer voice, speaks up, "Are you injured? Do you require medical assistance?"
"No, no, I'm fine," I mutter, dusting myself off as they set me back on my feet. "Thanks for the… uh, quick response."
One of the androids who lifts me up puffs his chest with pride the moment I thank him, Oddly enough the other androids shoot him envious glares.
As soon as I'm upright, Aria continues, her voice tinged with a mix of annoyance and relief. "Thankfully, Captain Rose has managed to stop this from happening repeatedly." She glances toward someone in the group, and I follow her gaze.
The woman in question—an android with strikingly sharp eyes—flinches slightly when she notices the attention on her.
"So, you're Captain Rose?" I ask, stepping closer, feeling a vague familiarity tugging at my memory.
"Y-yes? M-my name is R-Rose, but everyone calls me Captain Rose," she stammers, clearly caught off guard by the sudden focus. "I-I am the leader of this Resistance Camp in this region
I step closer and look at her face closely, feeling like I know her somewhere.
I lean in a bit, studying her face closely, a sense of déjà vu washing over me. There's something oddly familiar about her—something I can't quite place. I wrack my brain, trying to remember.
"Rose… Rose… I know that name from somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on it. Wait, don't tell me—" The pieces suddenly click into place. "If I remember correctly, you were one of the combatants at Pearl Harbor and the one who destroyed the machine server there, right?"
The moment the words leave my mouth, I hear several gasps from the surrounding androids, their expressions shifting between surprise and awe.
Huh... seems I was right
/
ANDDD CUT
Sorry that I did not upload last week, there was an exam last week so I had to focus on that which I successfully breeze on it with ease.
Anyways, thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a comment and review. And if you want to support me go to my patreon.
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With that said see you all next week byee.