Sylvain woke up, the familiar weight of the day already pressing down on him. The sunlight filtered weakly through the small window, casting long shadows across the humble room. It was just another day, another round of routine. He rubbed his eyes, then pulled himself out of bed with a sigh.
The first order of business was waking Daniel.
"Rise and shine, little one," Sylvain muttered, his voice low and raspy from the night's rest. The boy, Daniel, groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket tighter around his small form.
"Big brother... do we have to?" Daniel mumbled, his voice muffled by the blanket.
"Yes, we have to," Sylvain replied with a slight smile, ruffling Daniel's messy hair. "Come on, breakfast awaits."
Sylvain made his way downstairs where Nizrak, Kenza, and Daniel joined him for a quick meal. Their laughter, light and untainted by the weight of the world, filled the room, providing a stark contrast to the complex thoughts swirling in Sylvain's mind.
After breakfast, Sylvain and Daniel went outside, ready for the day's work. The stable was their first stop, followed by the long hours in the fields. Sylvain worked methodically, taking in the quiet rhythm of the chores. Despite his mind constantly racing, the labor provided a rare peace, a momentary escape from the larger struggles he couldn't quite shake.
As he moved through the hay-strewn barn, Daniel tugged at his sleeve, eyes wide with curiosity.
"What's that, big brother?" Daniel's voice was soft but full of intrigue.
Sylvain glanced over, his brow furrowing. A large, dust-covered blanket lay in the corner of the stable, looking oddly out of place amidst the familiar clutter. He shrugged, not particularly interested. "Hmm, I don't know. But we sure don't need to look."
But Daniel's curiosity had already gotten the best of him. Before Sylvain could protest, the little boy had already peeled back the blanket, revealing something... unexpected.
A robot.
Its blue frame was covered in rust, with big, monocular eyes and a small, flickering screen on its belly. At the base of its form were wheels, like something designed for mobility rather than brute strength. Sylvain blinked, unsure if his eyes were deceiving him.
"A robot!!" Daniel squealed with excitement, his face lit up with pure wonder.
Sylvain knelt down to get a better look, brushing away the dust from the robot's surface. His eyes narrowed with recognition. "I know this model... It's ancient," he murmured, his fingers instinctively reaching for the wrench strapped to his belt. Over the years, he'd tinkered with all sorts of broken gadgets back at the estate, and this one was no different.
He twisted a few screws and adjusted a few wires. "Some simple twists were broken, that's all," he muttered under his breath, as the robot remained lifeless beneath his hands.
And then, without warning, the robot's screen flickered to life. A low hum filled the air, like bits and bytes coming together to form something new.
"Hello, world," the robot's voice was distant, robotic, yet oddly... familiar, as though it had said those words countless times before.
As the robot's screen flickered, its mechanical eyes blinked in unison, scanning the room with a kind of quiet, innocent curiosity. The air was thick with anticipation. Sylvain, kneeling beside the machine, observed it with cautious interest. It felt... strange. Like something was buried deep within the robot, something more than just circuitry and data.
Daniel, his eyes wide with excitement, crouched down beside it. "Big brother, we need to give him a name!" he exclaimed eagerly, his voice bubbling with joy.
Sylvain chuckled softly. "A name, huh? What should we call you?" He ran his fingers along the rusted exterior of the robot, still unsure of its origins. "It doesn't look like anything special…"
Daniel's face lit up with an idea, his excitement overflowing. "Hay!" he said, pointing to the pile of hay scattered around the stable. "Like the hay we found you in!"
Sylvain raised an eyebrow, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Hay, huh?" he repeated, testing the name. "It fits."
"Hay! Hay!" Daniel repeated happily, his tiny hands clapping together. "It's perfect!"
Sylvain stood and nodded, turning to the robot. "Alright, Hay. Welcome to the world."
Just as the words left his lips, a low chuckle came from the doorway. Sylvain looked up to see Nizrak Kirr leaning against the frame, arms crossed with a bemused smile on his face.
"It's been a long time since that thing was turned on," Nizrak said, her voice filled with a sort of fond nostalgia. "Used to be my husband's favorite companion back in the day."
Sylvain's eyes narrowed. "Your husband?"
Nizrak's smile softened, a touch of sadness in his gaze. "He was a tinkerer. Loved machines like this one. Never quite got around to naming it, though. Just called it 'the helper.'"
Sylvain gave a short nod, absorbing the information. "The helper," he echoed. "No name?"
Nizrak shook her head. "He always meant to give it a name. He was... going to fix it, but..." She trailed off, the words hanging in the air like an unspoken history.
Daniel, still grinning, clapped his hands again. "Well, Hay is a perfect name! Isn't it, big brother?"
Sylvain glanced at the little robot, its glowing screen flashing erratically. "I suppose it is. But Hay seems... fitting, doesn't it?" He met Nizrak's eyes, wondering what the robot had been through before it ended up here, abandoned in the hay.
For a brief moment, the silence in the stable was thick, almost heavy. The past, a collection of untold stories, seemed to hover around them.
Nizrak finally spoke again, her old voice lighter. "Well, Hay, it seems you've found a new owner. Just don't expect to be much of a helper around here. We've got enough to do as it is." She lets out another quiet chuckle before turning to leave. "Though I'll admit, it's good to see it working again."
Sylvain watched as Nizrak disappeared from the doorway, her words lingering in the air like a faint echo.
He turned back to Hay, who remained still, its mechanical eyes blinking slowly as though it was processing everything happening around it. The air felt different now—charged with possibility.
"Welcome back, Hay," Sylvain whispered under his breath.
"Syl-Sylvain Flameworth, nice to seee y-you again," Hay repeated, its voice crackling with static, as if the very words were trying to make sense of the world around it.
Sylvain froze. His heart skipped a beat as his name echoed through the room. His mind raced, trying to process the impossible.
How does it know my name? The thought hit him like an unexpected shock. His eyes narrowed, searching the robot's flickering screen for some clue. Was it malfunctioning? Had it somehow heard the name before, perhaps in some broken memory bank?
He took a step back, confusion clouding his face. "How do you know my name?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, tinged with a mix of unease and disbelief.
The room seemed to grow colder, the weight of the question hanging between them like a thick fog. Hay, still sitting motionless on the hay-covered floor, didn't answer immediately. Instead, the small screen on its belly flickered, like it was struggling to process something deeper.