“I’m going with you.”

The girl looked up from her bag. “Are you sure?”

Elias nodded. “I can’t stay here forever. I’ll have to go look for help myself.”

“Okay.”

After their victory over the clone, Elias had dragged the girl back to the station where he’d fed her until she was able to move again. Recovering from the damage that had been inflicted on her had expended a lot of energy, and she’d even had ruptured organs—according to her. He wasn’t able to tell. The burn marks and bruises, serious as they had been, had completely disappeared from her body, and in just two days, she’d become herself again.

Now that her mission was complete, she wanted to return to the place she’d come from. Which was why she was packing her supplies, and he was packing his.

“It will be good to have someone to talk to,” she said, going over her items.

“Really?”

“It will keep my mind off of the emptiness I’m feeling. What more is there to do but die?”

“Live life,” Elias answered, zipping his bag up. He’d taken out his old bag again with the tent, water purifier, and clothes, complete with more combread. He’d need more packing space for food. Going to the storage, he found another bag and moved to the combread storage room to fill it up. Thinking again, he tossed in some additional things he thought he’d need. He returned to the beds afterwards. The girl was waiting for him.

“Living life,” the girl repeated when he sat down. “What exactly is that?”

She was beautiful, she was athletic, and she had supernatural powers. But she didn’t know how to live. Elias leaned back on the bed and sighed.

“It’s different for everyone. Well, being entertained is one.”

“Hmm.”

“You’ll need to be happy to enjoy life,” he said, looking at her. Their eyes met, and he found himself turning around first.

“How do you be happy?” she asked.

“Do happy things. Like eating tasty food, going to wonderful places, petting fluffy animals, and...falling in love.”

It had been the happiest moments of his life.

“Love?”

He didn’t reply. It hurt too much to think about it. “Anyways, when are we going?” he asked, getting up. “I’m done packing.”

“We’ll leave now,” she stated, picking her bag up which she hung on her back. While she fetched her helmet and weapon, Elias retrieved his items as well. He kept his MUP inside of his bag since he didn’t think he’d need it while traveling with the girl. Two bullets were inside of his pocket—the only memento of Crystal he had with him.

It was time to move on.

He opened the walls of the station and headed inside of the monosphere with the girl. After she pressed some buttons, they finally began traveling towards the outer walls. The vehicle smoothly slid down the rail—they exited the station.

Winter was nowhere to be seen, and Spring was in full bloom. Green trees and flowers were abundant on the roads, and vines had begun to climb the buildings, if only at the base. Without anything to take care of the city, nature had begun to reclaim the land. Its progress was minimal at best, but within a couple of years, it would begin to resemble the landscape outside.

“Will you miss this city?”

Elias tore his eyes away from the scenery. “Here?” He scratched his cheek. “A little. But I didn’t particularly like this place. It was nice, better than living outside—”

He remembered the Shadows that had haunted him. “—but it wasn’t amazing. Yeah, I’m glad to go.”

“I see.”

She simply kept her head facing him, and because of the helmet, he didn’t know if her eyes were closed or looking at him. Like a robot, she remained seated in the same posture.

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?” he asked, shifting his body to face her. “You could take the helmet off.”

“It’s more comfortable than you’d think,” she replied, touching it. “Would you like to try it on?”

“Oh...sure.”

She took it off, causing her hair to flow out. Killer weapon or not, she still washed her body as any person would. It had been a little strange seeing her do the laundry for her bloodied clothes, but it had made her feel more human.

Elias accepted the helmet and slid it onto his head. It was comfortable. The padding fit snugly onto his skin, and it was surprisingly easy to breathe. And it smelled nice.

He took it off, returning it to her. “It’s better than I thought,” he admitted.

“You really liked it, didn’t you?” she said with a smile with eyes that seemed to read his soul. “But it’s not just because of the helmet. Did you—”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Elias interrupted, raising a hand. “What did I tell you about reading my emotions?”

“But I couldn’t see your face because of the helmet.”

“That’s—”

She was right, and he didn’t have an excuse. He felt the heat rush up to his cheeks. Now that the greatest danger had passed, the other emotions were trying to run rampant inside of him after being repressed for so long.

He frowned.

“Why do you feel guilty? You did nothing wrong,” the girl asked softly.

“It’s—nothing,” he replied, swatting his memories away. Guilt? Still? After all those months of shifting blame, this small act of enjoying another girl’s company had come to bite him in the back. Officially, he hadn’t broken up with her. But in this world where the world was in ruins, where he was alone with a strange girl with supernatural powers, where he’d spent his time being chased by horrifying creatures of darkness—could he forget about Jewel?

Forget everything she’d done? If he did the same, he’d be no different.

A hypocrite.

The girl simply stared, and now he wished her helmet was on. Those eyes of hers seemed to inspect every speck of his existence. Thankfully, she slid the helmet on.

“You know, it’s been a while now, and I still don’t know what to call you,” Elias said with a short sigh.

“I don’t think it will matter,” she replied. “When I return, it’s likely that I will be stored and won’t see you again. Why bother?”

“Then I’ll give you a name,” Elias decided, leaning forward. “You won’t mind, right?”

She nodded. “Do as you please.”

Unfortunately for him, the monosphere arrived before he could think of a good name. They got off at the large station where he’d first gotten the monosphere. Walking down the stairs, he recalled everything that had happened on that day. Running for his life, feeling sick from losing Crystal, holding in his scream while the Shadows chased him all the way to the station.

It felt like yesterday. But he’d avenged her. He was going to move on now.

“Here!” the girl called after she found an entrance on the lower floors of the terminal. It led them underground, and the lights automatically lit up, sensing their presence. They eventually made their way to a small platform where a single screen stood at its center, right in front of the rails. These were the rails he was familiar with—wider, thicker, with two lines instead of one.

“What do you want to ride?” the girl asked, navigating through the screen. “There are three options.”

Elias looked over her shoulder to see the options. The first one was the Cruiser. At a glance, it was the default train but with a toilet and beds if they needed them. The second was the Speeder, designed to go to places the quickest, complete with simple seats. Last was the Sphere, similar to the monosphere, but slightly bigger, faster, with more options in general.

He liked the Sphere. It was great for sightseeing, and the padded seats were more than enough to sleep on.

“Let’s go with the Cruiser,” he decided. With a girl with him, he’d be mad not to take the option without a toilet. Sure, they could stop any time and take a leak outside, and he’d done that plenty of times before, but he couldn’t let a girl do that. He had a feeling that she wouldn’t care, but it wasn’t good on his conscience.

Within five minutes, the vehicle arrived—a simple, silver cuboid the size of a small bus with a single door. The windows were tinted black—and they were larger than he’d expected. He liked that.

They went inside, and Elias closed the door behind him. He looked around while carrying his belongings.

To the left was the driver’s area, complete with a control panel he didn’t know how to use. The bathroom was right in front of him. He turned right.

There were four large seats, two for each window, facing each other with a table in between. The girl had already set down her bag on one table, so he decided to use the other. Behind the seats were some cabinets where he guessed the passengers would store their things while they slept. Opening it revealed pillows complete with blankets and simple hygiene tools. He was grateful for that because he’d completely forgotten to bring his.

The girl passed him and made her way to the control room. Shortly after, Elias felt the train lurch forward as it began to accelerate out of the terminal.

He sat down and looked out of the windows. Being underground didn’t particularly show him anything interesting, but it reminded him of the days when he’d had to take the train to go to school. Times he missed living—moments he would never get back.

If only he had a tablet to play music for him, it would have been perfect.

The girl didn’t return, so he took his time to organize his belongings. He stuffed both of his bags into the cabinet and did the same for the girl’s. Frankly, there wasn’t much to do.

He knew he should have brought something to read or play, but it was too late now. Leaning back on his chair, he wondered how boring it would become if things continued to be the same.

He needed to give the girl a name.

“...but now the world around us changes, and we can only keep our gazes…”

He hummed the song that he’d always listened to while on the train. It’d resurfaced in his mind before he knew it; old habits didn’t die easily, even when so many things had changed.

Elias held back the tears that threatened to spill. There was a reason why he hadn’t sung his favorite song in a while. It reminded him of Jewel. The song had always been something special even before everything, back when he’d used to dream about falling in love. But the lyrics came differently now that he understood.

Something sparked in his mind. Getting up, he made his way to the control room where the girl was sitting down, staring forward.

“Sinanis,” Elias said after she turned her attention to him. “Your name.”

“My name?”

“You told me I could choose a name for you. So, Sinanis.”

“Sinanis.”

It was the pseudonym that Drello the Artist had used to name the girl that he’d loved in his songs. He’d been fascinated by the name the first time he’d heard it, but it had vanished from his memory until now.

“I doubt it would matter. The time we have together is short,” the girl said, pulling off her helmet. She didn’t look particularly pleased or displeased. Frankly, she was blank. “How did you decide?”

“It’s a beautiful name, and I thought it would match...a beautiful person such as yourself.” He cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed. “So...can I call you Sinanis from now on?”

“Do as you’d like.”

She was impossible to read. Elias scratched his cheek, wondering if the girl liked the name or not.

⤙ ◯ ⤚

Someone was shaking his shoulder, and his eyes fluttered open, afraid of what he might see. Seeing black made his heart drop a little, but he quickly regained his composure after recognizing the girl in her suit, complete with her helmet on.

“It’s time to go,” the girl told him, taking her hand off of his shoulder. “We’ve arrived.”

“That was fast.” Elias yawned. “What time is it?”

“Eleven thirty.”

He shook his head, getting up. While the girl headed outside, he quickly got his bags from the back and moved outside. He hadn’t even slept an hour, and they’d already come to the destination.

The verdant forest caught him off guard when he stepped out of the vehicle. The area was thick with plants and trees, and the green covered every inch of land he could see. The wind rustled through the leaves softly, while birds chattered away as if greeting the strangers that had set foot in the forest. It was incredibly refreshing to breathe in and smells he never would have known filled his lungs. Sweet, wet, and grassy.

His only worry was that there was no apparent path through the forest which he could see. And yet, the girl awaited him in the middle of the wilderness.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Elias asked, looking around. Even the rails were covered with moss when he looked back. This was in the middle of nowhere.

“We’ll have to walk from now,” she replied, “and yes, this is the right place.”

“Alright.” He wasn’t going to complain now. “Let’s go.”

Elias took one last look at the train before it disappeared behind the trees. How long would it take them? One hour? Two hours? They walked in relative silence, and sweat began to form the more his legs moved. The weight on his back didn’t help at all, threatening to topple him if he misplaced a step.

An hour had passed when he asked the girl to take a break. She didn’t look fazed, but his legs were throbbing from the sudden exercise he’d undergone. Considering that it was time to eat lunch, he told himself that he was doing okay and that he’d make it somehow.

After relieving himself behind the trees and replenishing the water he’d lost, they set out again. He felt better, now that his muscles were warmed up. They walked and walked, passing through scenery that never seemed to change. He let his thoughts wander step after step, telling himself that it wasn’t so bad.

Elias dropped after two hours.

“Wait, wait, wait, let’s rest,” he pleaded, wiping the sweat from his face. He was drenched with it, and putting his tongue on his clothes told him that he was salty. “We need rest. We’ll faint if we push on like this.”

“If you say so.”

When she took off her helmet, her face was the same as before—clean and fresh. Even with the helmet and the tight-fitting suit, there wasn’t a hint of sweat on her body. Elias gulped down water, all the while thinking about how sad it was for him to be so weak.

She has supernatural powers. You’re doing great, Elias.

But he wasn’t. He wanted to go back to where the showers were and sleep on a bed. The memories of living outside with Crystal seeped back into his mind, memories he didn’t want to live out again. He’d forgotten all about it, thinking that the trip would be no worse than a walk around the park.

Water was scarce too. He couldn’t drink too much. If they couldn’t find a river, they’d be screwed. He’d have to filter his urine again.

“How far have we come?” he asked, massaging his legs. His shoulders were sore as well, and he knew there would be blisters at the end of the day.

“Slightly less than two-tenths of the trip,” she answered, looking at the map of the disc. Elias looked into the sky. Sitting still was making his body colder.

Once they reached the facility or wherever the girl called her home, his worries would be over. He didn’t doubt that there would be a communication device in the facility which he’d use to contact the authorities or anyone that could help him. It didn’t make sense that the world had ended, as nightmarish as the Shadows had seemed. Just why he had been chosen and sent here was a mystery he wanted to reveal.

And he’d be able to see Crystal again. Whether or not she’d have the memories they’d built together here was another question, but she’d be there for him. He’d take the plane or train or boat, make his triumphant return to the megalopolis, and—meet his friends and family.

Think about that later. He didn’t want to stress over something he hadn’t reached yet. Now, there was physical pain to endure.

They began walking again after resting for ten minutes. He’d liked to have rested more if it wasn’t for the bugs and the girl’s stare that forced him to move. His sore legs became number the more he walked, and though it hurt less now, the fatigue began to build up little by little.

After around six to seven total hours of walking with short breaks in between, they stopped. The sun was going down, and the girl suggested that they make camp before it became too dark. He doubted that the girl would need such things, like sleep or light to see at night. It was purely for him, and he was glad for that.

He set up the tent, feeling like he’d fall over any second. He was so tired. But he couldn’t sleep like this. After the tent was set, Elias took out a package of combread to eat as well as some other treats. The girl did the same, and they ate in relative silence.

He glanced at her. She was nibbling on her food without any indication of weariness. No sweat, no flush, nothing. He looked again. Maybe a little flush.

“Sorry,” he apologized, feeling somewhat guilty. “I’m slowing you down.”

“Rest should be taken when possible,” she replied, taking a sip of water. So far, they were each using their own supplies. He remembered that she hadn’t packed any soft drinks, so he took one out and tossed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said.

He wasn’t sure whether or not she liked it since her expression didn’t change, but she emptied the can and let out a small sigh. It was surprisingly cute, and he couldn’t help but watch until the blood rushed to his cheeks. He turned around, wary that the girl would read him. But she didn’t. She kept her eyes on the can.

“Do...you want another one?” he offered. The girl looked up and nodded. So he reached into his bag and fetched another can, tossing it to her. She caught it and drank it, more slowly this time in smaller sips.

While the girl continued to enjoy her beverage, he went behind the tent and took his clothes off. Pulling some wet tissues he’d brought, he hastily wiped his body down. It would be horrible if he smelled. The girl wasn’t moving, so he took the chance to quickly remove his pants, wipe his legs, then put on the pajamas he’d packed.

He froze when he saw the girl looming over him after he turned around. He hadn’t heard her footsteps.

Did she see? Then again, would she even care? She was looking below him.

“Can I use those too?” she asked, pointing to the wet tissues.

Elias held it up. “Yeah, go ahead,” he said The girl took it, and after heading to her bag and retrieving her clothes, she went inside of the tent and closed it behind her.

His tent.

She came out eventually, wearing the long, thin pajamas that had been in the station. She seemed to like it. She’d worn it every night during their time in the city, which said something.

They sat on their bags and watched the sun go down. It was fortunate that there was a small bottle of bug spray in the survival kit he’d brought since the pests had sensed them. They went away quickly enough with a few sprays, but they’d come back. It was dark as well.

“I’m going to head inside,” he told her, getting up.

“Me too,” she said.

Elias assumed that she was going to set up her tent now, but when he went inside of his and was about to zip the door, the girl poked her head in.

“Here?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“You didn’t bring one?”

“No.”

Before he could say otherwise, the girl pushed her way in, forcing him back. It was inevitable that they’d touch given the size of the tent, and for a split second, he considered sleeping while sitting.

“If you don’t lie down, there won’t be enough space for us to sleep,” the girl said, sitting next to him after zipping the door.

“Now? We’re sleeping now?”

“Do you have other things to do?”

“Not...really.” There wasn’t enough light, and the world was turning grey. “Sure, why not.”

As casually as his mind had taken it, his heart said otherwise. It wasn’t particularly beating quickly, but each thump banged against his ribcage like a hammer, pressing against his throat. The tent had been designed for one person, so when two people used it, they were pressed against each other. Unlike the girl, he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so his skin touched the girl’s clothing directly. It was the same for his legs.

And she smelled nice. He quickly turned his body towards the tent’s wall, creating a little more space between them, but not so much. Now his back was touching her. He could feel her body clearly on his skin.

She was small. Despite everything she’d done and could do, she felt delicate.

“Are you nervous?”

He knew by her voice that she was facing him. If he turned around, their noses would touch. So he didn’t.

“No, not really. But this is a new experience for me, so that might explain my emotions.”

“Hmm.”

Could she detect lies? Well, it wouldn’t matter.

“Elias?”

“Yeah?”

“What is love?”

He wasn’t sure if he heard that right. “Huh?”

“Love. What is love?” she repeated.

“Uh...it’s when you like someone,” he replied, keeping his eyes closed. “But intensely.”

“Hm.” She sounded confused. “Do you love anything?”

“Me?” he frowned. “Well, I love my parents. I love my friends…”

Did he?

He loved Crystal. He’d loved the person she’d been based on. Now...his emotions were a mess.

“It’s the one emotion I don’t understand,” the girl said, touching his back with a hand. He almost flinched. “When you mentioned love before, I felt it. It was strange. Now I felt it again.”

“I see.” He didn’t know what to reply with.

“Love. It feels like a distant memory,” she continued. “Something I’ve lost. Can you lose love?”

“I guess? If you stop loving someone, it means you probably don’t like them anymore.”

“Would you show me your love again?” She sounded a little too passionate. “I want to feel it one more time.”

Elias coughed. “Woah! You can’t speak like that—”

He turned around halfway when he felt her breath on his cheek.

“Hm. This is different. This emotion is more violent.”

“—!”

He returned to the wall, his face flaring up. Still, the girl kept her hand on his back, which felt very uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, but in a weird way. He wished he could escape but at the same time wanted to stay.

There was a pause before the girl removed her hand and spoke again. “You seem tired. Get some rest.”

“Y-yeah,” he muttered, crossing his arms. His heart was beating quickly now, but it was painful. He was too tired. Every moment of excitement was like poison to his body, so he forced himself to stay still.

Soon, the drowsiness overcame the exhilaration and forced his eyelids shut. While he should have been uncomfortable, being next to a girl made him forget. He never remembered to put the sleeping bag over himself.

Sensing him fall asleep, the girl gently pulled the cloth over their bodies. Then she closed her eyes.

“Goodnight,” she whispered.

⤙ ◯ ⤚

When Elias woke up, the girl’s head was on his stomach. Her body was curled up, and her long, black hair was all over the place.

How?

Oh right. They’d slept together.

He didn’t dare to move, but when he looked at the girl, her eyes were open, staring at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“Good morning?” he said weakly. Gosh, his body felt light. The walking yesterday had wrecked his body.

Wait, light?

The girl got up and stretched, the hair falling on her body. It wasn’t good for his heart, all of this stimulation. It was too cramped for him to get up as well, so he remained where he was.

“Did you heal me?” he asked, feeling how refreshed he’d become. “I don’t feel sore.”

The girl nodded, yawing in a beautiful manner. How someone managed to yawn beautifully, he didn’t know. But she did, and he was amazed.

“Thanks, I guess,” he said, yawning as well.

She nodded.

Then she began to take off her clothes.

Elias covered his eyes with his hands. “Wait, wait—you’re changing here?”

She stopped, looking at him blankly. “You’ve already seen me in my underwear,” she said plainly. Then she resumed.

She was right. But it wasn’t right. He hadn’t even seen Crystal in her underwear yet, and the whole act somehow felt wrong to him. Now that he knew what being naked meant, it made him have thoughts—dangerous thoughts that he resented. They’d been the source of all his problems, so he didn’t even dare to go in that direction.

He was being tempted now.

He forced his eyes to remain shut until he felt the girl leave the tent. With a large sigh, he got up. He’d left his clothes to dry outside.

The morning was slow, and after packing everything, they had a quick meal. When they were ready, they continued on their journey, walking through the forest while the sun rose on the horizon.

He felt much better than yesterday, but that didn’t mean that the journey was easy. Even with the breaks in between, he felt like dying.

Fortunately for him, the girl noticed his bubbling emotions. So he found himself walking without anything but the girl’s rifle on his back while she carried everything else. Even then, the burden didn’t seem to faze her.

Elias felt a little pathetic—and the girl read him again.

“You don’t have to feel down,” she said during a break. “It’s natural for the strong to do more things.”

“I just want to be more reliable,” he muttered, fanning his face with a large leaf.

She didn’t judge him. Her strange personality had been difficult to approach, but it also meant that she didn’t push him away for his shortcomings. Maybe in the world, she was the second person who understood him the best, the first being Crystal. At least around them, any facade he put on was rendered ineffective by their abilities. Perhaps he was truly himself around them.

Had he been himself around his friends? Around Terral, to some point. And around Jewel? He’d always tried to be his best around her. Did that mean that he had been lying to her? He’d treated her with genuine affection.

“Ah, I feel it again,” the girl said, putting her hands together softly. Elias shook his head to get the thoughts out.

There was no point in lingering on past mistakes. He wanted to forget.

They went on, walking through the endless green. They ate once. The sun reached its highest peak, then began to descend.

“We’re nearly there.”

The girl’s words were like rainfall on parched land, and he felt newfound energy course through his veins.

They arrived—

—at an explosion site.

“Huh?”

“We’re here,” stated the girl. “This is the place.”

“But—”

“It’s destroyed,” the girl completed, taking off her helmet. “Something has happened.”

Elias looked around trying to spot anything that would be useful to them. But the region had been utterly destroyed, replaced with a giant, charred crater littered with huge pieces of rubble and walls of a building that had once been. They were at the edge of the destruction, and its center was deep and wide enough to contain multiple buildings. But whatever had been, wasn’t anymore.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Elias asked, despair creeping up his back. “Are there any other buildings close by?”

“This is the only one.”

“But—but you’ve only been with me for around a week! Even if it was destroyed right after you left,” he pointed towards the site, “it wouldn’t be possible for plants to grow on it so quickly.”

Like he’d said, moss, grass, and vines had infested the rubble—tiny green spots in the midst of black and grey.

Elias couldn’t believe his eyes. For the first time since he’d met her, the girl looked worried. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she looked genuinely confused.

“You may be right,” she said, looking at the disc in her hand. “I was transported right away to the city after I was prepared. I don’t know why I was given a false location, but it seems to me that I’ve been abandoned.”

She looked at him, and he looked at her. He didn’t know what to say.

“Abandoned,” he repeated. “You—we’ve been abandoned.”

All his hopes came crashing down.

Could he ever go back home?

He’d walked all the way here for nothing?

Then tears began to stream down the girl’s face, and Elias forgot all about his hopelessness.

“Why—”

The girl touched her cheeks, feeling the liquid that spilled out from the eyes. It looked like she couldn’t believe it either.

“I—I don’t know why I’m—”

She was weeping now while standing still. It was a strange sight. She was crying, but her face didn’t look particularly sad, and the multiple bags on her back shook as she trembled slightly, unable to control her emotions. If a robot cried, it might have looked like her. Unusual and awkward.

But Elias knew better.

“Hey. Hey!”

Elias quickly went to the girl and hugged her. He didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t move, but he could feel the slight tremors going through her body.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “You were looking forward to it.”

“That—doesn’t matter,” he said, holding her. He was disappointed, but he wasn’t dead. “It’s okay.”

“This was my final destination,” she told him, placing her head on his shoulder. “If I was sent here—it means that they didn’t expect me to stay alive in the first place.”

Probably, he thought.

It wouldn’t be unusual if the clones were considered to be too dangerous to be allowed to return. Elias thought about the dogs and how they’d relentlessly attacked the girl. Maybe the program to kill her had always been there in the first place before they’d been hijacked. When the mission was over—it would have meant the end of her life.

“You didn’t care about dying before,” he said, trying to cheer her up.

“It’s not about dying. It’s about having a purpose. I am no better than dirt as of now.”

She sounded even more depressed now. He had to do something.

“Look at me,” Elias said. “Am I no better than dirt?”

“You were born free. You are a human, and you can be what you want to be.”

“You’re a human too, you know.”

“Do you really think so?”

Elias didn’t budge. “You have supernatural abilities, and your personality is unique, but you’re definitely human. Do what you want. Live!”

“I am a mere replica. You tell me to live, but I don’t know how.”

“Stay with me, and I’ll teach you how,” he told her, holding her shoulders. He stared into her eyes and hoped that his emotions would come through. “If you don’t have a purpose, I’ll make one for you. You’ve seen how weak I could be. Let’s say that you die here. How about me? Without you, how will I go home? I need you to carry my things, to take care of me. How’s that for a purpose?”

It sounded incredibly selfish now that he’d said it, and he knew any other person would think of him as scum, but he’d blabbered everything he could think of. He was bad with words. So he counted on her to read him.

Please.

She just stared. He dared not to turn his eyes away. They stood there, eyes locked, for what felt like a thousand seconds.

She closed her eyes. He kept looking at her. The tears had stopped flowing, and she wasn’t trembling anymore.

Her face was blank again, and she didn’t move. Had he messed up?

“You’re always very anxious,” she breathed, opening her eyes again. Her eyes seemed to look deep inside of him.

“I know,” he agreed. “That’s why I need you.”

She breathed in deeply, then let it all out slowly, as if recollecting herself. Elias took his hands off of her and stepped back.

“Call me...Sina,” she told him. “Sinanis sounds too long.”

“Sina.”

“Yes.”

This time, it was her who grabbed his shoulders. Elias stood still.

“I have a request,” she told him.

“Anything and everything.”

“Everything I do that is outside of the mission I have been given feels meaningless,” she said, “but there was one thing that was different. I must experience that.”

Elias nodded, feeling relieved. “And that is?”

Sina closed her mouth. Her eyes seemed to bore into him.

“Love. I want to feel love.”

Elias blinked.

Oh.