The police station, usually full of life with robots working left and right, was eerily quiet at night—perhaps because they were all in standby mode, being prepared for the next day. In contrast, the rooftop, usually empty during the day, came alive at night, with birds sleeping there and, more importantly, a breathtaking view of the city: an almost endless sea of lights stretching as far as the eye could see, each light representing a life, a family, and much more…
Anyway, I found myself here with Haru after she "took" me from the meeting room, and for the past fifteen minutes she hadn't said a word, staring into nothingness… and I was starting to feel like going home—it was cold here…
• "It's not that I don't like you, Haru, far from it. But if you don't say anything in the next thirty seconds, I'm going home to sleep."
Still no response… I was about to leave when I heard a drop fall. My first instinct was to check if it was raining—and that's when it hit me. If Haru wasn't speaking, it was because… she was crying. And of course, I was too stupid to notice…
I stepped closer to her to see her eyes, which had been so lively that morning, now red from tears. Seeing that, I wanted to say something… yet no words would come out. I simply stayed by her side in the cold until she calmed down.
• "Feeling better?"• "Yes… You know, today, I didn't expect to feel so powerless… and to see you die in front of me."• "For one, I'm still alive. And two, powerless? You're a Level 1 Ranger!"• "A Ranger so great she's been stripped of her Transformer, huh?"
I didn't even know what to say. I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know enough about her to understand, let alone console her.
Feeling helpless for not being able to ease her pain even a little, I pulled her into my arms, and to my surprise, she started crying again—both to release stress, anger, and frustration.
All I could do was hold her and whisper tender words, trying to comfort her as best as I could.
• "You know, you really remind me of my son… You always know how to make me feel better."
And there it was again—after the brozone, here I was in the sonezone, but let's not dwell on that.
• "Oh really? I hope he's as cute as me at least."• "Maybe… I don't know. I haven't seen him in six years."
Haru was feeling better, but her eyes were still red from crying, and deep in them there was a trace of sadness, while the smile on her face revealed nostalgia for a past long gone as she gazed at the city.
• "You know why I lost my Transformer… It's because I committed a crime… and ever since, I've been under Céline's supervision and orders for six years."
As expected, that old woman had something to do with it. Motioning for Céline to continue, I listened carefully.
• "Six years ago, I had just finished my Ranger training and joined the government's Special Forces. I was in Unit 3 at the time, serving as vice-chief, and Céline was one of my subordinates."
Wow, so she was the one in charge… why had she ended up so low then?
• "Everything was going well. I had just gotten married, my sister had her second child, and I was about to be promoted. I was living a normal life… except that, apparently, that already constituted a crime in their eyes…"
Them? Who was she talking about? Had she offended the wrong people?
• "I offended an Awakened from a very powerful family. Her mother served an Awakened in the Top 100. I 'stole' the position she wanted in the Special Forces, so… so…"
Tears welled up in Haru's eyes as she recalled this dark chapter of her life.
• "They killed my sister, her husband, and two of their children. The first one was spared because he was at my place that day visiting me. Then they murdered my husband, removed me from my position, demoted me to Unit 15, and placed me under their orders—threatening to kill my son if I didn't obey."• "Haru… I didn't expect you to have gone through so much in the past. I'm truly sorry."• "No, I don't want your apologies. I want you to promise me that you won't do something stupid like that. I was really scared—it reminded me of the day I lost my husband… that idiot."
She started crying again. I look like her husband and her son? I felt strangely insulted, as if I were being rejected.
• "Hey, you know? I have a dream."
Of course, she didn't respond, too busy crying. But as I gazed at the stars, I continued my monologue.
• "I want to change society, and I want to do it for people like us, trapped in this Awakened-dominated world with no chance to change our lives. A life like that isn't a life. I want to change it—like the Forgotten Demon."
Hearing her sniffle and probably smear her snot on my clothes, she finally spoke.
• "The Forgotten Demon?"• "Yes. It's an old legend, about a deity who once challenged the Ten Primordial Gods to restore free will to mortals. It's the legend that the Sacred Shaman used to repeat—she was above the Top 100 but just below the Top 10. She saved Africa during the Great War, single-handedly protecting her continent from a monster armada."
• "Wait, you mean your dream is to challenge the Ten Kings!?"• "No, I aim even higher—I want to defeat them."• "You're serious, Shin? Have you gone crazy? I just asked you not to do this kind of thing, remember!"• "Hahaha! Just watch me!"• "You're really an idiot…"
We stayed like that for a while, wrapped in the warmth of the embrace, forgetting the world for a moment.
• "No matter what the Special Forces or the police say, I want to take care of Rubis."
Shocked by my words, she pulled back and looked me straight in the eyes, tears still streaking her reddened cheeks.
• "I hope you're joking."• "Not in the slightest. And I want you to help us—me and Manu. We're already on it. Manu went to make preparations, and if you agree, we could even save your son."
She began to avoid my gaze, rubbing her hands nervously. I grabbed her hands and looked her straight in the eyes.
• "We need you. Think of all the people suffering out there, all those like your son who could die if we let Rubis continue producing these monsters."
With hesitation and fear, she finally replied:
• "Alright… I'll help you."
As Haru and Shin celebrated the agreement, Grid, watching from afar, smiled with satisfaction. The wheels of fate had begun to turn—we were drawing closer to the fateful moment.