The console room pulsed with an eerie hum, the rhythmic thrum of ancient machines slowly stirring to life after what felt like an eternity of silence.
I stood there, my gaze fixed on the small, radiant object cradled in my metallic fingers—a key no larger than a child's palm, yet it carried the weight of the world. Its golden glow pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat, and as I touched it, a strange warmth coursed through me. It wasn't just physical warmth. It was something deeper, something… familiar.
Izumi knelt beside me, her glowing eyes locked onto the key. She hesitated before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper. "So… this is it." The light reflected in her eyes, making them shimmer with unshed tears. "This is what we came all this way for."
I nodded, though something inside me twisted painfully. The glow of the key cast long shadows across my face, mirroring the storm within me. "Yeah," I said, my voice quiet. "This is it."
She didn't take her eyes off me. "Are you ready?"
I turned the key over in my hand, feeling its intricate patterns press into my palm. It wasn't heavy, yet I felt like it was crushing me under its immense responsibility. Finally, I nodded, even though my chest felt impossibly tight. "I have to be," I murmured. "There's no turning back now."
The room seemed to shift around us, as if the very air understood what was about to happen. The hum of the facility grew louder, almost insistent. I exhaled slowly and pushed myself to my feet.
The moment I moved, Izumi stepped forward. "Daichi."
Her voice stopped me in my tracks. I turned to her.
She was standing rigidly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her expression was raw—a storm of emotions barely held together. Fear. Anger. Desperation. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" she asked, her voice shaking.
I looked into her eyes—those brilliant, glowing eyes that had always seen through me, through the doubts, through the pain. And yet, this time, I wished she didn't see what I was about to do. "This is the only way," I said gently.
She took a sharp breath. "But what about you?" she demanded, stepping closer. Her voice rose with barely restrained emotion. "What happens to you, Daichi? What happens to us?"
I smiled—a small, bittersweet smile. "It doesn't matter what happens to me."
She flinched as if I had struck her. "How can you say that?"
"Izumi… if this brings everyone back, if it gives them another chance… then it's worth it."
Her composure shattered. "No," she whispered, shaking her head as tears began spilling down her cheeks. "No, it does matter. You matter."
Her voice broke, and she bit her lip, struggling to hold herself together. My heart ached at the sight of her, but I couldn't waver now.
I reached out and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. Even through the cold of my synthetic skin, I hoped she could feel the warmth behind my words. "You're stronger than you think, Izumi," I said softly. "I believe in you. You'll figure it out. You'll keep going."
The words shattered her. She wanted to scream, to argue, to find another way—but deep down, she knew. She had always known.
With a quiet, mechanical click, I placed the key into the empty space in my chest.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
Then, the chamber erupted in blinding light.
The glow from my chest expanded, engulfing everything in its path. The facility trembled as energy surged through it, a force so overwhelming that it felt like reality itself was being rewritten. The hum of the machines escalated into a deafening roar, vibrating through my body.
Somewhere through the chaos, I heard Izumi scream.
"Daichi, stop!" She stumbled forward, shielding her eyes against the light. "Please! There has to be another way!"
I shook my head. Even as my body began to dissolve into shimmering fragments, even as I felt myself slipping away, I smiled at her one last time.
"There isn't," I said, my voice calm despite the storm raging around us. "This is what I was made for, Izumi. This is what we were searching for all along."
"No!" She fought against the invisible force keeping her away from me, her hands outstretched, desperate. "You can't do this! You can't leave me!"
My body flickered, the last remnants of my form breaking apart into light. I raised a fading hand toward her, my touch barely grazing her cheek.
"Izumi…" I whispered, my voice soft, carrying every unspoken word I never had the chance to say. "Thank you. For everything. For being there. I couldn't have done this without you."
She grasped my hand, her fingers trembling. "Daichi," she choked out, her voice breaking. "Please… don't go."
My smile remained, faint but unwavering.
"Save them," I murmured. "For me."
And then, I was gone.
The light exploded outward, flooding everything. The machines fell silent. The air, once charged with energy, grew still.
Izumi collapsed to her knees, staring at the empty space where I had been. Her sobs echoed through the chamber, the only sound left in the aftermath of my disappearance.
I was gone.
But the world… the world would begin again.
Somewhere in the fading glow, she whispered my name.
And then, her consciousness slipped away.
"Why… are my eyelids… getting so heavy…?" she murmured, just before the darkness took her.