Amil sat cross-legged on the barren ground, eyes fixated on the motionless Neato before him. The towering figure of Neato knelt, wrapped in chains, his once imposing presence now hollow and diminished. Amil lowered his gaze, the weight of hopelessness thick in the air. Neither spoke for a long time, the silence between them palpable.
Neato, still chained and staring down with lifeless eyes, finally broke the silence. "Why do you want to save the world?"
Amil didn't respond right away. He glanced up, then back down, his voice distant. "Why does it matter now? You already told me there's no way to save it."
Neato's gaze shifted to him for the first time, sharp yet calm. "Please... answer the question."
Amil sighed, as if the question pierced something deep within him. "As you look at me now, I'm half human and half machine. I don't know how to feel. My emotions are... fragments. But even so... I want to know more about the world." He paused, searching for the words. "What does it mean to be human? What was the world like before it all fell apart?"
Neato smiled faintly, a strange warmth seeping through the coldness in his expression. He chuckled softly, surprising Amil.
Amil blinked, confused. "Why are you laughing?"
Neato's smile lingered as he raised his head. "I'm just thinking about your answers. They're... unexpected." His voice, for the first time, was filled with a curious sincerity. "Even I didn't foresee them."
Suddenly, the chains binding Neato's body began to rattle and slowly fall away. One by one, they disappeared, dissolving into thin air. Amil, wide-eyed, stood up quickly, a sense of urgency rising within him. "What's happening?"
Neato rose to his feet, the last of the chains evaporating around him. He extended his hand toward Amil, his smile now more serene, almost sad. "I hope you achieve your dream, Amil."
Without warning, the air between them shifted. A brilliant light enveloped their forms, their bodies drawn closer, melding into one another. The sensation was overwhelming—two souls intertwining, merging into a single entity.
Amil felt a surge of power, of knowledge, of conflicting emotions—the despair of Neato, the hope of Amil. They were becoming one, yet their essence remained distinct. As the fusion completed, they awoke in the real world.
The figure that now stood was transformed—tall and ethereal, with long, flowing white hair that cascaded down their back like silk. Their skin was pale, almost luminous, and their eyes shone an intense, piercing blue. Their attire was simple, pure white pants, symbolic of the new being they had become.
Amil and Neato were no more. What stood now was something else—a fusion of light and dark, hope and despair, purpose and emptiness.
And the world outside awaited their next move.
END OF CHAPTER 70