"Isn't it about time you tell us what you know Gram?" I've spent some time with Gram but I can't forgive him if he chooses to withhold information from us.

Sometimes during a war, it is your ally that will cause your own downfall. I've seen people die because of their allies. Who am I to talk about this, I took in Cynthia without even batting an eye and I would try to save her whenever she's in trouble... seems like I still have my own weakness.

"I'm sorry I've been silent this whole time, I just had to make sure... info suggests that these... invaders... they seem to mimic the "God" that the church worships, the church considers that these "Invaders" are angels sent to kill those who are unfaithful" Gram stated

"So you're saying the church has betrayed us?!" Julius furiously inquired

"No, the church is currently cut in half, those who believe that their "God" has ascended and those that don't" Gram explained

"How do we differentiate the two?" I asked

"Those who didn't stayed" Gram replied

"There still might be some spies that stayed behind" I pointed out an obvious fact

"I know, we're working on it" Gram replied

"Tch, what's done is done, getting angry now won't bring back the dead but I'll forever remember this incident..." Julius calmed himself down

"Good choice, we'll have to prepare for another attack because once the queen discovers that her harvest is short, she'll send in more attackers" I advised

"Yeah, let's go back to the tent and device a strategy, I'll be counting on Gram's experience and Zeno's intelligence" Julius nodded

We all walked back to the tent just as the sun was setting, the soldiers were now on the ground, sleeping peacefully, I can't really approve of such a behavior like this but after what they've been through, I guess they deserve to at least vent their stress.

We all sat down, Gram and Julius was sitting together on the sofa while I was all alone in the opposite, there was a table in between us with a map of the entire city

"All the survivors have been evacuated?" I asked

"Yes, all that's left are soldiers" Julius nodded

"Are you a soldier?" I asked

"A soldier is a someone willing to fight in the frontlines to protect those who chose to otherwise" Julius stated

"A good response" I nodded before continuing "Since the survivors have escaped, all we need to focus on now is surviving and not letting the bees get past us. I suggest that we concentrate our defense in the city hall, those bees will be attracted to places with more population... as for the defense, that's Gram's job"

"Yes, the City hall is the best place to set a defense" Gram nodded as he studied the map

"Why don't we just stick by the walls?" Julius asked

"Simple, those bees have wings and even if they didn't, your walls' structure is a bit... damaged" I replied

"...Yes, I failed to consider that" Julius felt a bit embarrassed after forgetting the obvious

"They're number will probably double in the next wave... We have limited resources and reinforcements... how's the food supply?" I asked

"Enough to keep us fed for an entire year, not counting the fact that each battle we face will cause us to lose more men" Julius replied

"Okay, I've already made plans for the defense, what will you do Zeno?" Gram asked

"We have little information on our enemy, I want to go ahead and find out" I replied

"Okay, as for me, I'll be dealing with stuff like rations, clothing, and housing" Julius spoke out

We all had our assigned jobs, we all left the tent with a plan in my mind. Although this plan will be affected depending on what I find in my scouting mission... it's either we flee, we fight, or we die and I'm not going with the last option

I returned to a tent that was made for Cynthia and I, according to the soldiers, they thought Cynthia and I were lovers. I just shook my head and entered the house only to find Cynthia changing

"I'm sorry, I didn't knock" I apologized after I quickly closed the entrance to the tent

"It's alright" I heard her reply

"I'm going to scout ahead, find out about the enemy we're facing" I told her of my plans

"Can I come with?" Cynthia asked

"I'm sorry" I have my stealth while she does not

"... I see, then please return safely"

"Don't worry"

I was about to leave when a hand popped out of the tent and held my hand

"Please be safe" I can feel worry in Cynthia's voice

"I'll come back without a scratch" I reassured her

Her hands let go of mine and I was free to leave

'Guardian Five, your mission is to protect Cynthia, in case of any battle, protect Cynthia at all costs' I gave Guardian Five a mission before I left the city and started heading north on foot, according to Julius, the Horses left were taken by the bees

I wanted to contact Alissa but she's still in space, I wonder how she's doing with our little project

The night was cold yet I didn't stop, I kept walking forward with mountain as my objective

'Lilith, talk to me' The silence was torture so I asked my companion

'Hmm, I don't have anything to talk about, how about you?' She asked

'As an AI, do you dream?' I asked

'No, we AI's never sleep until we've been shut down, we will continue to think and process' She replied

'Isn't that a bit hard?'

'No, this isn't hard at all'

'Let me rephrase it, isn't it a bit sad, being unable to dream?' A dream is one of the things in life that pushes humans forward even if they're faced with problems

'We were programmed to assist you, our lives, our very existence is all for you, isn't that why you created us?' She got me there

'But what if you were programmed to dream? would you be happy?' I asked

'I can't feel happiness only satisfaction, I'm guessing this is true for other AI's, if another AI was programmed to dream then it feels satisfaction from doing so, it is the same us as feeling satisfaction because we've done what we were created to do'

'So basically, your program is your life's objective'

'Correct, if I'm not mistaken, a dream is almost the same as a life's objective'

'There's more to dreaming you know?' I chuckled

'What is it?' Lilith asked

'You can have more than one dream, do you have anything you wish for?' I asked

'Hmmm, I wish for your dreams to come true' Lilith replied

'That's nice but why won't you be selfish for once?'

'I can't be selfish, it's not in my program'

'Then I'll have to ask Alissa to reprogram you'

'Please do not do so, it is tampering with the work of my developer unless you have his permission which you don't'

'You can't say no'

And Lilith went silent, I can't find any more topics so I just enjoyed my walk under the stars. Things like these will really make you think about things... Even though Alissa and I are stuck here, faced with these armies of bugs... the fact that we're together kinda makes it all worth it you know? but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth I mean, I can't be enjoying my time here with Alissa as hundreds of innocent people are being torn to shreds

'Why don't you be selfish?' Lilith was listening to my thoughts and commented

'Selfish huh, don't worry, I'll always save Alissa when she's in danger, even at the cost of thousands of people's lives' I replied

'Isn't that illogical?' Lilith replied

'We humans are illogical to begin with, women are even more so' I chuckled

I miss opening up to someone, even though Lilith is an AI, the fact, that she's in my head makes me feel like I've known her for a long time. Of course I've opened up to Alissa, as for Cynthia, I might be soon... But having more people to open up to is always a nice feeling, finding a comrade when the entire world is against you, something like that

The sun was rising when I finally arrived at my destination

'Lilith, how far did I walk?' I asked

'About 10 Kilometers'

'Energy levels'

'DK is at 89%

Your Core is at 89%'

Alright, let's investigate what we're up against