|Location: City Ruins, Ruined, Near Wasteland |

-ZERO-

Towards the edge of the city, away from the collapsing structures. I watched as everything fell below sight. each in turn. creating a passageway for the strong wind. When the dust came flying my way, I sneezed. Although it was my first experience, I wouldn't call it the best.

[Notice, automatic dust filter.]

I sighed and climbed to a higher place as my sneezing subsided.

when several structures collapsed to make room for the sun, whose day was about to come to an end. I find myself enjoying watching it. Despite how redundant it may sound; I can't help but love the sun's shadow every time it makes one. I was reminded of how much I had missed such a beautiful scene as I watched this, which took me back to the morning I had woken up in the middle of the desert. And that dream is the only thing I have. Nobody besides me, no memory, nothing. It was in that desert that my life began.

But from now on, I want to savor every second. And as a result, why do I constantly feel the need to search for something? I was thinking to myself, "What are those things I haven't learned?"

I sat down and propped my back up against the nearby rock. I found many images of locations I had never seen before while browsing SAI. buildings with a lot of green and radiance. However, as I was reading through it, the phrase "SIGHTSEER: ABU DHABI" caught my attention. Pictures of the location I had just left started to appear, in addition to a straightforward comparison between the present and Abu Dhabi. based on the information I am currently moving my head back and forth. I understood that Abu Dhabi was the location I had been to.

Detailed memories began to flash before my eyes at that point. I was there, perched on the roof of a building, gazing down at the bustling activity below. I noticed a woman hurrying down the street wearing business attire, an elderly couple sitting on a bench, and a man strolling despite the crowd.

My attention was fixed on him. His similar-looking dark hair and eyes, which are exact replicas of mine, caught my attention. And even though there was a lot of noise coming from below, I could somehow make out his humming voice from up here. Unknowingly, I started to walk in his direction as soon as his voice began to draw me in. I took my step very slowly, almost as if I were being hypnotized by it, and only then did I realize I was on the verge of falling. It was also too late to turn around. I fell.

The experience was so intense that I could feel me falling all over again. Although I tried to scream, nothing came out. My body wouldn't listen when I tried to hold onto something. Only as the ground began to press against my face did I manage to open my eyes. Soon after, I was abruptly awakened from my trance by an electrifying sensation that ran from my head down my spine. I abruptly peeled back my eyes.

"Ah!" I yelp after I start to catch my breath. "What was that? That felt real, and for a split second before reaching the ground, I'm sure our eyes met," the speaker exclaimed.

No problem there, I reassured myself as I made an effort to process what had just occurred. After that, somebody whispered something in my ear. If I visit new locations, will the same things occur? What exactly did I just experience, and was that my memory, I wonder? Or was it merely a fleeting remnant of something that once existed? Who was that man, exactly? I, who am I?

My mind was awash in queries. The question "Who am I?" is frequently asked.

I looked ahead and made a comparison to what I had just seen in that "memory." I made an effort to search my mind for the answers I was seeking, but nothing there satisfied my curiosity. And the more I pondered, the more I convinced myself that SAI was the only thing that might know me. "It's not out of the question if I assume it knows something about me,"

I asked without thinking twice.

"SAI!"

[Replying to the host: YES?]

When I uttered the words "SAI, what am I?," I was overcome by the ugliest feeling that I should not have asked that question because, deep down, I knew it was inappropriate and not something I needed to know. I instantly recalled the 'memory' of how my eyes first met that man.

Then, out of nowhere, I felt a sting behind my head that caused me to lose control of my body. My ears were filled with a loud ringing noise, and my eyes began to blur. I had a brief period of being both blind and deaf. It appeared as though something was being compelled out of my body. I started to get scared. It became more difficult for me to breathe as if my body were suffocating me.

When fear suddenly gripped me, I shook hysterically and bit my nail until it started to bleed. I was unable to even scream. All I could do was remain still and accept what was taking place right then.

[ERROR…]

I assumed that would be how things would remain, so when my sight gradually returned, I suddenly felt relieved. That alone was able to calm me down and make me feel less anxious. After that, a red panel appears to welcome me. Questions started to flood my mind right away.

"SAI, what's going on?"

I refrained from saying what I was about to and instead forced my curiosity to remain in check. How can I ask another question? when I'm concerned that something similar might occur again. It affected me subliminally. I don't want something similar to occur once more.

I decided to move on. I tried to keep my thoughts on the little things, like how the breeze felt against my skin and everything that happened after it. Strangely enough, it worked for me.

My anxiety finally subsided when I saw the two individuals from earlier approaching me. Their stumbling steps, their labored breathing, and the sound of their pounding heart are all audible to me.

I turned around right away.

They both said, "Thank you very much," and bowed their heads in my direction. I then realized that I had been oblivious to their distinctiveness.

Their jade green hair, long pointed ears, and fiery amber eyes. Ironically, I somehow missed how I was gazing at them in silence. The women asked first, and when they said, "Sorry, is there something wrong?," I noticed that the two seemed a little uneasy around me; they were averting their eyes, and I could see that they were sweating unnaturally from their skin.

I tried to put on a smile and said, "Sorry, it's just my first time seeing people like you, so don't get worked up." I can still tell they are anxious because of how strangely they breathe and how pale their skin is whenever they try to look at me.

Additionally, the man kept sneaking glances my way, as if he were searching for something—wait, is he looking for his sword? I attempted to add, "I'm also sorry for the sword," but the woman just shook her hand, which calmed me down.

"Oh no, that's fine you saved us, that's what matters". when I had hope that things wouldn't get worse. The woman suddenly fell in front of me, losing sensation in one of her legs as she lay there her breathing became more labored. And for her, everything turned out badly.

The man yelled, "Sis!" I assume that means their siblings. I regarded what had occurred in silence. The man came over to help her right away. His trembling hand and feverish eyes indicated to me that if things took a bad turn right now, he would be devastated.

I couldn't help but wonder why she was struggling when she has something special inside of her as I watched the two of them. My mouth just started to move, "You, why don't you use it on yourself?" For a brief moment, both of them gave me a confused look as if they were perplexed by what I had said. "I mean you treated his wounds with it,"

Immediately, there was a quick movement coming from the ground. The man standing next to her was the one who suddenly pulled out an earthen knife and ran in my direction, aiming it at me. He was immediately stopped by the women, who immediately rose to their feet.

"Nuk, stop!"

"Sis, he knew! He might be one of them,"

She said, "He saved us, unlike those humans. I can tell he's different." She then turned to face me, and for a split second, her eyes lit up.

"You said it was your first encounter with people of our kind; may I inquire as to your origins?"

She said as she turned to face me, "Ah! Yes, it's my first time seeing one of your kind, specifically, since I came out of the desert, I knew no one, so you guys are the first."

She expressed her agreement with what I said by saying, "I see that explains something."

"Wait, you believed him, but he might,"

The woman argued, "Nuk, trust me, you did see him right, he could immediately kill us if he wants to.

"You believed me?"  she nodded. She suddenly began to violently cough up blood, and blood splattered all over the floor. I rushed after the man and he immediately helped her.

I can see how terrified he is as he yells at his sister, "Sister! What should I do!" He began to experience fluid loss from his eyes to his cheeks.

"I- I'm Sorry about earlier but can you please save my sister"

Despite what he did to me earlier, he quickly turns and requests assistance. But it didn't matter to me in the slightest. I have questions, so might as well try to help her. She looked like a person with answers.

"SAI! Scan her."

[Responding]

[Scanning]

[1% 40% 69% 90% 100%]

[Result: specimen SK381 released a neurotoxin gas and entered the lungs which caused it to deteriorate rapidly]

[remedy, ERROR, ERROR]

That caught me off, guard. I never expected that SAI would for a moment can't give me a solution to one of my questions. And today I just realized how naive I was for trusting this 'thing'. What happened just now made me feel pathetic and all I could do was watch the person In front of me die wrapped around her brother's warm hug.

I swallowed my spit as I bit my lips. For some reason, my mind kept on telling me that in the far end of my head. The reason for what I felt was due to my arrogance.

"Please, please, save her." He kept on groveling on his knees and tears won't stop falling from his eyes, his cries filled the area where we stood. I could only shake my head to him and see that even though I can't help his sister, his eyes fell deeper down. He could only stare at it blankly.

"Nuk?" the woman who could barely lift a finger, desperately called for her brother. Her eyes turned white, and her hair started to fall little by little.

"Nuk? where are you?"

Her voice was gentle and immediately calmed her brother's cries. "Sister I'm here" he held his sister more tightly.

"Come closer, I have something to tell you"

I can see that her body is starting to fail her, there is no doubt that she can't feel, see, or even hear her brother. Even though I know how it feels, I can still see how she put up a fight.

The longer I look at them the more my eyes frown, that is when my feelings turn from guilt to envy. But everything happened so fast that it also left me speechless.

I decided to leave those two and let them talk for the last time. I walked away with a heavy chest.

I decided to check on their other companion, I went back to where I placed her and surprisingly, she was already awake. She saw me and tried to stand up, but her body wasn't up to the task. She lost her balance.

"Hello, I'm Zero," I said the moment I caught her by the waist.

"You can just lay down you know" Assisting her to the ground. Looking up close she is much smaller compared to her 'friends'.

She looked at me fiercely, if her body wasn't in a bad shape, I knew she would punch me with how tight she clenched her fist. "What did you do to them?"

From the way she talks, I guess she didn't hear her companions and just woke up.

"Calm down, your siblings are over there, they're talking things. Through. ''

I paused and bit my lips after saying that I still can't shake the idea that I could have saved them if not for my temperaments. I can't even tell what this is I'm feeling like there's this urge in me to let things go and focus on myself. Putting that aside I still need to explain something to her.

"Anyway, how did you end up, confronting specimen SK381"

"SK what?" her face seemed confused by what I said. She looked at me with her eyes narrowed down. The face you make when you don't know anything about what the person is saying to you. So, I told her a simple version of what I said.

"The creature that attacked you guys"

"I don't know about this SK143 of yours but I'm pretty sure an apostle attacked us," she said bluntly but for some reason, it sounded as if she was mocking me. Nevertheless, I'm more curious as to this apostle, if it's the same as what I know.

"What do you mean apostle?" I want a more definite answer from her because I can hint at a bit of disgust from her when she says those words "like the messenger of the gods? "

She immediately answered me with even more repulsiveness in her voice "More like their grim reaper" what she said made me even more confused and looks like she already narrowed down that I knew nothing, about the things she is talking about "how come you don't know what I'm saying" she turned her head towards me.

"Where did you even come from?"

"The desert, in the middle"

"Ha. It sounds like from where you came, they didn't tell you how messed up the world is." She said as if she was mocking me, but for some reason, it didn't sound bad. And instead, it made me want to know more about what she knew about the world.

The air between us seems to lighten because soon both of us began to talk all about a thousand years' worth of history.

•••••••••