Two days had passed. Two days of the same persisting argument. No matter how hard Genesis tried, I would not stand. But at last, a break in the monotony had become long overdue.

I watched the practically invisible doors to the White Room open. I was expecting to see Genesis returning for another debate. Instead, my eyes met with something unexpected. In place of Genesis, a young woman stood in the doorway. Our eyes met and we stared at each other from across the sea of ivory. She froze for just a moment. Finally, she began to walk towards me.

"What’s she doing here?" I heard the "other voice" mutter.

My eyes were fixated on the strange girl intruding upon my confinement. Her strength competed with her beauty for my attention. Clumps of navy blue hair spiked outward, piercing the air like soft mountains. Smaller threads of blue seemed to fall off her alpine locks in an unkempt mess. Her chin was like a dagger dipping downward while her cheeks were tender and warm, like a pillow. Looking closely, you could just see the faintest hint of natural blush shrouding her soft cheeks.

Compared to such a pretty face, the woman's body was a different story. Her body was akin to an Amazon's. Her muscles, while modest, were displayed like trophies, with the pride of a true warrior. Even with such power, her strong frame retained the hallmarks of an alluring woman. For all her muscle she still had curvaceous legs that guided the eye along her fine hips. Her contours only amplified the largeness of her breasts, which I quickly averted my eyes from.

I couldn't explain it. Her whole image grabbed every fiber of attention within me. That day, I beheld a beautiful creature. My presence was graced by the Goddess of Warfare.

A dark set of clothing wrapped the girl's strong body. She had a punk style to accommodate such glamourous bravado. She wore a loose-fitting black tank top that exposed her cleavage. An assortment of bombastic rings and bracelets embraced her fingers and wrists. Her black pants were baggy and adorned with chains, buckles, and straps matching the shade of her hair. Her boots, shielded by her baggy pant legs, were large and heavy like a soldier's. This girl, despite such beauty, dressed with attitude. She was the kind of lady that would rather defend herself with barbaric fists than dainty words. She was no princess, nor was she a knight. She was truly a barbaric Amazon.

As she drew ever closer to my seat in the White Room, I began to feel anxiety swelling at the bottom of my stomach. This woman became more and more intimidating as she approached. The weight of her strength was palpable. She could’ve been stronger than Genesis, or she was just bad at hiding her own power. Finally, she stopped in front of me and looked down at my pathetic face.

"Mind telling me your name?" said the girl with a surprisingly friendly smiling.

For someone so strong, I never expected a voice so soothing to come from her parting lips. Her voice had a creamy and soothing sound. It was the kind of voice you wanted whispering in your ear before you fell asleep at night. It was a voice that was almost seductive yet still carried that immense power she wielded. But that power came out in a much different way than one would expect. Her voice reminded me of a mother's.

"I don’t have a name," I responded in sorrow.

"Everyone has a name, kid."

"Who’re you calling kid?"

"You, at least until you tell me what your name is. Besides, I’m at least three years older than you!"

"I already told you. I don’t have a name."

"Don’t have one, or can you just not remember?"

A sudden pain came to me. There was a sudden pounding in my heart after hearing that simple question. I felt tears begin to well up within my eyes. Of all the things I had to forget, I had to forget my own name. I truly had become a husk. I was a pathetic waste of human flesh wallowing in misery and sitting alone in a blank room as the world continued turning.

When you lose your name you lose it all. Names are everything, even if they are names of your own choosing. Names are the words that define entire people. A single name not only has a meaning for itself but also the person who wears it. A name says everything about you. It says who you are, what you like and dislike. Names talk about your hobbies, your skills, your weaknesses, even your fears. Every factor of a person is written in a name. Names have immense power. After all, no two Eves are the same. One Eve could be a shy young girl who likes to draw in her spare time. The other Eve could be aggressive and play sports. Names change depending on who they are given to. They are the most malleable and most powerful words in all of language, and I lost mine. How shameful of me.

Tears fell from my eyes as I mourned my loss of identity. The woman instantly reached out to me. I felt her arms wrap around my weeping head gently and press it into her soft chest. Tear stains began to seep into the black tank top she wore as I sobbed. This girl saw fit to comfort me as I cried. It appeared that her beauty was not skin deep. She had a real heart beating inside her, one that was sensitive to the troubles of others. She comforted me without a single prompt. In less than a minute, that woman showed more compassion than Genesis.

"I’m sorry all this happened to you," she whispered into my ear.

The woman’s chest pressed into me gently with each soft breath she took. She made soft shushing noises as she held me close in her arms and spoke once more.

"Do you want me to tell you my name? My name is Terra. I'm just like you."

I stayed silent as tears rolled down my cheeks like waterfalls and my heart crumbled apart.

"I know you are going through hell right now kid. I really do. So I’m going to everything I can to get you back on your feet. Okay?"

I felt Terra’s warm embrace grow tighter. My tears soaked through her soft tank top and ran down her skin. I was finally free to let everything out. All the pain that had billowed inside me. Everything I bottled up exploded in that single moment. My silence was crushed and I began sob without end.

"It must have been so hard for you," Terra said in a solemn voice.

I felt Terra’s fingers comb along the sharp stubs of hair on my shaven head. She held me close to her warm body like she was my guardian angel. I felt protected within her generous embrace. For a brief moment, I saw a glimpse of hope. For only a second, I thought I might get better.

"Shh. It's okay now. No one is going to hurt you, I promise."

Her gentle fingers continued to caress me with tender care. Her behavior was characteristic of a loving mother. For a girl who seemed so aggressive and brash, the way she cared for me was completely unexpected. For when I was weary and alone she wiped my tears without as much as a request. She held me close to her as my emotions ran rampant. This strange, earthen angel took away all of my pain and gave me light.

"I won’t let them hurt you anymore," Terra said with a hint of determination.

I cried and cried, emptying myself of all emotion. Liquid sorrow spilled from my eyes and stained Terra's top like rain. All of the suffering I endured was fading away. I felt like an immense weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Did I even deserve such treatment? What made me so special to receive something like this? I didn’t know the answers to those questions, and it only made me weep more.

It took several minutes before I was finally able to speak again. Terra pulled away from my weak body and gave me a reassuring smile. She rubbed my shaved head once more before perking up and asking a simple question.

"Would you like to go outside?"

I hadn’t been to the outside world for a few days. My recollection of it was hazy and out of focus. I accepted Terra’s offer without a second thought. Even the "other voice" could not convince me to stay in the White Room. It was amazing. This woman had achieved in mere minutes what Genesis would fail to do within days. Terra had convinced me to leave my seat and my almost permanent state of brooding. Finally, I had my fill of the bland infinite that was my confinement. I wanted to get out, and get out I did.

*****

Terra led me by the hand like a child through corridors of pure alabaster light. It seemed my prison was larger than I imagined. The place was strange and bizarre. Its architecture exhaled a breath of mystery into the sterile air. It looked like something out of a science fiction story. Terra made sure to smile back at me every so often as she led me through the ivory corridors. We came to an elevator at the end of the white maze. The facility I was being held in was built underneath the city. This elevator would take us up to the surface. Once the elevator surfaced we emerged into a shipyard. It looked to be one of the largest in Evo City.

Despite Evo’s separatist ways, it still relied on the rest of the world for goods. Evo imported most of its supplies from private companies to prevent ties in world affairs. But it used to be different. When the city was first built, the Slums served as the Industrial District. The old sector used to provide the city with all its necessities. Food, power, clean water, all those things came out of the Industrial District. But something happened that transformed it into a complete shit hole. Even after several years, no one even knows what happened to the Industrial District.

Terra hailed a cab just outside of the docks. We were escorted into Center City. It was a place I was less than happy to visit. Embers continued to dance a deadly waltz within my brain. Anxiety dug its hands into my stomach and clutched at my entrails. My gut felt like a bottomless void that would eat my body from the inside out. Terra held me close to her chest and rubbed my back as I fought my nerves tooth and nail.

The cab stopped and we entered into the "Heart of the City." Terra knew better than to bring me to the charred remains of my father's deathbed. She purposefully avoided the sight of Nina's most recent massacre. Instead, we came to a quiet shopping street hidden by trees and the much larger mega stores towering above. Terra looked back at me with a smile before speaking.

"First things first, let's get you out of that gown."

Terra brought me into one of her favorite outlets. The aisles were lined with punk style garments. Leather jackets, studded bracelets, spiked buckles, and combat boots. It was more than obvious how much Terra enjoyed punk fashion.

Terra bought me an assortment of t-shirts and jeans. She even bought me my now iconic blue hoodie. Its checkerboard design complimented the rest of the clothes quite well. Needless to say, I wore my new garbs out of the store since my only other option was to walk around in a white sheet. Terra said I looked rather cute in them. It was the first real compliment I received since arriving in this new world.

Terra continued to walk me around the city. It felt so much different, so much bigger. Buildings towered over us like glass monoliths. There were entire blocks of temples to corporate gods. Cars clogged the roadways like a blocked artery. Every street was brand new, every building was a fresh new memory. I was experiencing the city all over again. I truly felt like a newborn. It was becoming more and more apparent that I wasn’t just saved from death. I was reborn as something new. What that something was I had yet to discover. But the suspicion was there.

*****

We strolled through the glossy alleyways of the metropolis. Sun glaring off windows as the afternoon rose upon us. Soon green began to invade my sight as we came to a patch of nature within that sanctuary of engineering. Terra brought me to a small park as the sun began its descent. The sky burned with bright orange hues as shadows caressed skyscrapers. As the two of us strolled through the rolling green, we came across an old swing set on a children's playground. Terra immediately headed towards it as if drawn by childish nostalgia. She took a seat on one of the swings and looked at me curiously as I stood there rather perplexed by it all.

"You ever go on a swing set as a kid?" asked Terra in light-hearted inquiry.

"I... I don't remember. I think I did when I was little," I replied while trying to fight back tears. The realization of my amnesia resurfaced as I stared at the swing set. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t draw a clear picture of my past. Lucky for me, Terra’s voice pierced through the veil of shadow and guided me from the pits of sorrow.

"I love swing sets. Everything just fades away the higher and faster you go. I always wondered… If I swung high enough, could I reach out and touch God?" Terra said softly in bewildering curiosity.

"I think God has better things to do than touch us," I responded.

"Why do you think that?"

"Some people think that God lives in fear of its creation. I don’t believe that. I believe God lives in shame. How could God not be ashamed of such a failure of a being? Too much evil persists in this world, God does nothing to stop it. Instead, God hides away with its shame and regret."

"I like to think some evils are necessary to purge even greater evils," said Terra with an ever slightly optimistic edge.

"What do you mean?"

Terra patted the swing next to her and motioned for me to take a seat. I took her offer and sat down next to her as she exhaled a breath before continuing her argument.

"Do you know how swings work?" Terra asked in a genuine tone.

"Are you serious? Of course, I do."

"Then you know that a swing cannot work unless the proper force is given to propel it. But even then gravity drags it down when the force is cut off."

"What are you getting at?"

Terra looked up at the sunset as she breathed a single breath.

"The same principle can apply to evil. Evil cannot exist without the force that is humanity. At the same time, evil can only be stopped when another force acts upon it."

Terra lowered her gaze to her feet as the conversation took a turn.

"I once saw a man raping a child in an alleyway. I tortured him until he drew his last breath. Taking both actions into account, who do you think is the real villain in that situation?" Terra asked with a straight forward tone.

"The rapist obviously. He got what he deserved," I responded.

"Others would disagree. Lots of people think of cruel acts as they are and believe in black and white justice."

"I believe everything begins with choice, and choice yields consequence. That rapist chose to rape that child, his punishment by you was merely a consequence."

"But did I not have a choice to make. Did I have to kill him?"

"You had a choice. You could have spared him if you wanted to."

"Therefore, you could argue consequence is merely an illusion," Terra said with a bit of a smile. She sighed to herself before continuing her spiel.

"There is no such thing as fate, kid. You are right that everyone has a choice, but consequence is a lie. Consequence is what people use to justify even more disturbing acts. People always say that someone deserved to die just to make themselves look like some kind of hero. But there are no heroes in this world, and even if there were they wouldn’t use petty justifications. They wouldn’t even stumble so low as to kill someone because they raped a child. In a way, both me and the rapist are villainous people. But it just goes to show that consequence does not exist. Consequence is merely the name used for when choices conflict with each other. That man chose to rape a young girl, and I chose to end his life slowly because of it. His choice didn’t force mine, but they both met violently with each other. Consequence is just another word for war."

I was silent. She was right. There really is no such thing as fate, not that I ever believed in it. If someone were to be hit by a car, there would have been a series of choices made by both parties that lead up to that point. But there was one thing that bothered me. Didn’t I have a choice not to be saved? Could I have chosen to die when I was writhing upon an ashen ground, burned and broken at Nina’s feet? That thought was whisked away as I heard Terra’s next few words.

"Something tells me you have a lot of choices you’ve been putting off."

I felt my eyes lower towards the ground as I fell into deep thought. Were there choices I had forgotten along with my missing memory? What choices did I have left to make? What things could a dead man walking possible have to decide? Was it to continue living? Was it the choice to avenge my father? If that were the case, I had every reason to be putting off all these choices. I had a lot of questions that needed answering first. I could tell that Terra saw my mood worsen as she quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, you ever been the Center City Gardens?"

"I don’t know."

The answer was more than obvious. Even if I had gone to the Gardens, I wouldn’t have remembered. My mind was so addled and warped that recalling anything from before my father's death was impossible.

"Come on then! I'll show it to you!" Terra said in a much happier mood than before.

Terra once again took me by the hand and led me through the streets of Center City. It was only a few minutes' walk from the park to the Gardens. As we strolled through the city I watched the light of the setting sun refract off the many skyscrapers. Buildings began to glow like towering pillars of light. It was a truly beautiful sight to contrast the ever darkening sky.

*****

At last, we came to a large, multi-story glass building. From the outside, I could see waves of green pouring out. As we entered the Gardens I was overtaken by the beauty of the place. It was a massive forest of exotic plants and trees. Countless artifacts of fauna were pulled from their homes all over the world to rest in this place. There was more green in the Gardens than I had ever seen in my life. I was blown away by the vibrant colors that danced across my gaze. Beams of stained light emitted from various leaves, bulbs, and petals. This whole building had captured Nature's true beauty. Terra smiled at me as I looked around the Gardens.

"Beautiful isn’t it?" she asked with a much cheerier voice than before.

"Yeah. I never thought something so amazing could exist in this city."

"They built this place when the city became more open to the public. Originally there were plans to make more of these greenhouses. That way island could supply its own produce. But, that didn't go over so well ever since the Industrial District was destroyed," Terra explained.

"Why couldn’t the city just import food to begin with?"

"To be honest I don’t know myself. The city was meant to function without the aid of any outside powers. But I think there is a greater reason to everything that’s happened here."

Terra and I continued to walk through the massive indoor garden. My eyes were assaulted by a cornucopia of color. It was still hard to believe such a place could exist in such a dense city.

Finally, our walk came to a wooden pathway surrounded by cherry blossoms. My eyes widened with disbelief at the beauty that stood before me. Terra walked ahead of me with a skip in her step. My eyes trailed down from the rose colored trees to Terra's sparkling blue hair. I stopped moving for only a moment. Terra turned around to check on me and see if I was okay. I just stared at her dead on. She looked truly amazing.

The image of such a sweet and strange girl painted over the backdrop of a grove of cherry blossoms. A girl with hair of aqua and eyes of blood. What did she see in me that was so special? What inspired her to take such care of me? Those questions faded from my mind as I embraced the moment and the scene before my eyes.

"You okay kid?" Terra asked with concern.

"You’re beautiful…"

Terra immediately blushed as I averted my eyes only slightly. Her image was that of a goddess. A goddess of which I was completely unworthy of.

The last thing I saw was her smile. Her gentle and warm smile. A smile that faded from memory as soon as it appeared. A smile that was taken away as my eyes blacked out. I felt an intense heat all over my body. My vision faded in and out in flashes. I couldn't make out anything in the midst of the flames. But I knew what had happened. Nina had found us.