Lissa glared at Louis and Jun who were trying their hardest not to laugh while Nina was quietly eating ignoring the three that afternoon. As it turns out Nina wasn’t the only person that was watching over Lissa and Thomas, and as a result, Louis and Jun found out from Nina herself when she mentioned her observations.

“I mean it checks out given the fact that you two are trying to one-up one another in a fight,” Louis pointed out, while Jun was quietly laughing. Thomas on the other hand simply sat there confused as he got dragged along by Nina and the rest.

“I’m pretty sure that Nina just misinterprets our rivalry thing as something else.” Thomas pointed out with an amused smile, not at Nina’s observations but rather on Lissa’s flushed face.

“I agree. After all, there’s nothing wrong with having a healthy rivalry.” Lissa nodded nervously clenching her fist, a sign of her lying or hiding something. Something that Louis has ended up getting accustomed too.

“I mean I remember in some dramas that’s how it all—”

Thunk!

“—never mind,” Louis said with a pained smile as the table briefly shook earning an amused laugh from Thomas who noticed it while Jun and Nina gave the two a confused look.

“Anyway since you’re here Nina I have something to ask—”

“Statement: I refuse,” Nina answered without batting an eye at him, she knew full well what Thomas was about to ask, it had been a few days since Nina had done the tests. As much as she is very much willing to explain to Thomas and Lissa on the results on the test that shows that they are very much the Children of the late Arios and Andras, but she was told by Nurse Slate that she must not yet tell them the truth.

“Fair enough, I should get going then,” Thomas shrugged and then smiled as he stood up and left and then turned to Louis. “Try to get that looked, she’s surprisingly a powerful kicker.”

And with that he left, for a brief moment, the two continued to tease Lissa for a bit until they noticed a braided cord on the table. Lissa caught notice of this and picked it up, it contained a combination of Red and Magenta colors.

“Hey did you guys drop this?” Lissa asked raising the cord in front of the two, this caused the two to exchange glances at one another and then at the Cord. “I think I saw Thomas was wearing that?” Jun pointed out.

“I’ll go return this to him for a bit.” Lissa nodded as she stood up and left as soon as she was out of earshot Nina spoke once more. “Query: Are you two going to spy on the two once more?”

“Of course,” Both of them smiled at Nina, causing the Homunculi to note that they seemed to share the same cat-like grin on their faces. “Statement: Have fun, I shall be off to conduct more studies.” Nina nodded as the two ran off to follow after Thomas and Lissa. Meanwhile, Lissa immediately ran up to Thomas and called out to him.

“Hey, you forgot this!” Lissa told him as she showed him the cord, his eyes widened in mild horror as he looked on his wrist to reveal that he had indeed lost his braided cord but was immediately replaced with relief.

“Thanks, I’m glad you found it in that case.” Thomas smiled at Lissa and took the braided cord and tied it around his left hand. “I didn’t know you were Axian by birth as well,” Lissa asked him.

“Hmm? Yeah, this was a gift from my parents, or rather the only thing that reminds me of them.” Thomas explained to Lissa with a wistful smile and looked at Lissa. “What about you? Are you Axian by birth?”

“Uh yeah but I don’t wear it,” Lissa shook her head, she remembers leaving her cord behind but it was sent to her by her mother stating that it was from her original father. But she was very much not willing to wear it.

“Why not?” Thomas asked in confusion. “Because.” Lissa grinned at him.

“Is it because of your heritage?”

Her grin immediately disappeared, while the deaths of Rise and Emma were a sensitive topic for Thomas. The fact that she was an illegitimate daughter is one for her.

“I’ll be very much open to talk to you about what I think during the Embassy if you tell me about yours,” Thomas said, it lacked the usual cockiness that he usually has but it was obvious that it was out of genuine kindness.

“Fine but under one condition.” She said, she then pointed towards a nearby corner showing Louis and Jun peeking at them in a corner.

“Good point.” Thomas nodded.

[Axis:Legacy]

Nina quietly borrowed a stack of books from the library much to Petra’s amusement. Ever since she had been enrolled in Axis Academy, she was trying her best to adapt to what is called a Fleshling’s Lifestyle. It was called Human’s lifestyle by Nurse Slate but she prefers to call it that since that’s how she perceived everyone besides her. But despite all of that she was very much eager to learn how to live that way.

“Statement: Being born a few days ago with little knowledge regarding one’s purpose is what the fleshlings call it ‘sucks’ had I been given more purpose than just find the person who activated me and thank them would be much easier.” Nina sighed as she rested underneath a tree.

“You know talking to yourself won’t help you in that case.” A male voice told her causing her to look around.

“Up here.”

Nina looked up and to her surprise found a tired-looking young man lying on a branch on a nearby tree with his headphones on while looking back at her with an amused look on his face.

“Query: Who…are you?” She asked as he hopped out of the tree and let out a yawn.

“Name’s Oscar Leblanc, Class 1-E you know from Thomas’ class. I never thought that I’d be able to meet the Automata Transferee.” He explained to her but then he smiled menacingly causing Nina took a step back and readied her firsts.

“Aggressive Query: How did you know? Answer me now or I will personally knock you out.” Nina threatened him, the young man simply smiled as he snapped his fingers as a small machine floated nearby carrying a small laptop and a pair of headphones. As soon as they went near him he grabbed the headphones and tossed it towards her, as she reluctantly put it on the young man walked towards her and played a video of her conversation of her and Nurse Slate.

“Aggressive Query: How—”

“I have tons of bots flying around spying at everyone, everywhere.” Oscar explained with a confident smile as he extended his hand revealing a small machine that resembled that of a ladybug and then floated towards Nina.

“Though whether or not the Faculty knows or not is something that even I don’t know,” He shrugged noticing the confused look that Nina had shown them. “Either they know but don’t see me as a threat or my bugs are just that good at staying hidden.”

“Query: Then why are you telling me all of this?” Nina asked taking a tense step back.

“Because I’m interested in your body.”

She gave him a mildly disgusted look, she had read a few books that Fleshlings would often have these ‘desires’ and to satiate them they would engage into acts no different from what the fleshlings call ‘Procreation’.

“Okay, that look is very much deserved since I did not properly phrase it,” Oscar commented with an equally disgusted look. “Besides you’re barely showing any sex appeal that can drive a man insane you know.”

“Query: Then what do you want with me then?” Nina asked keeping a distance with him while ignoring his insult. “I’m more curious about how you work internally you were made, since I aim to follow after Niltria Erde’s steps as well,” Oscar explained as he opened a handful of files on his laptop all of which are on the topics of Automatons and Homunculi, the same thing that she is made off.

“Statement: Care to elaborate further,” Nina said looking around fearing any eavesdroppers nearby. “Addendum: Privately.”

[Axis:Legacy]

She was told by Nurse Slate that she is allowed to share the truth of her identity towards others, provided that she trusts them enough. She is however reluctant as she learned that Petra herself tried and failed to do that involving one of her classmates.

However, the idea that someone would find out about her identity was something that she was not prepared to do.

“Statement: Explain,” Nina said glaring at Oscar as the two of them sat together on a private booth in the Academy Café. “As I said,” Oscar continued as he showed her his research and notes. “I simply want to know how to make an Automaton or Homunculi, your mother, Niltria Erde is the smartest person to have lived and yet she died never being able to fully reach the apex of her research. And I intend to continue where she left off.”

“Query: Then why am I involved with your research.” Nina pressed further crossing her arms. “Statement: The way I see it, you have the intention of just turning me into a guinea pig.”

“Not entirely, I just want to know what makes you tick, and once I learned what I need that’s pretty much it. However, the only reason I’m asking you all of this was that any information regarding the titular Next-Phase Automata research is just rumors and legends, any solid data or plans regarding it were left a secret.” Oscar explained as he tapped on his wristwatch opening several holographic projections showing various articles and pages towards Niltria’s Next-Phase Automata project. “Tried hacking to find out about it but most of them are heavily censored that they look more like barcodes. That or there aren’t any articles regarding it at all.”

“Statement: Your interest in Niltria’s research borders that on obsession,—”

“—No denial there—”

“—Addendum Query: But I need you to answer this question first, what do you intend to do with it once you managed to create a generation of them?”

It was a tough question after all, according to Petra and the others who also ventured into the Niltria Lab at the Culthos Mountains that they first found her in heavy armor and was actively killing them until Petra forcibly reprogrammed her causing her second form to be deployed, either way, it implies that she was designed not for coexisting with fleshlings like them but rather for war. These were among the reasons why Nina speculated that the Next-Phase Automata project was kept a secret. If any of the Crowns were to learn of such process then without a doubt it will result in a cold war between the two Kingdoms and eventually another conflict like the last one.

“I just want to help orphans,” Oscar explained much to her confusion, but his lax behavior was gone and was instead replaced with that sadness implying that he had little to no intention of using them for war.

“You know full well that even if the war is over it still left scars of war is present, among them caused people to lose family members. I hope to create an automata that can at the very least help people cope from the loss when we Humans cannot.” Oscar stated, he was not wrong.

The war was over and peace was made, but at the cost of hundreds if not thousands dead. Many families will have to cope with the fact that they lost family members over a pointless war, the grief and loss of their loved ones had caused many families in Axis to go and blame the crowns for dragging them into their conflict. As such many separatist factions had formed in retribution to the two kingdoms.

But at the same time…

“Observation: Even if you mean to create them in hopes to comfort those who lost their families, it can’t replace the feelings they left behind.” Nina pointed out, that much is true that even a being like her can understand.

“I don’t intend to have them replace it, I just want them to be a way for them to help cope in a form of therapy. Since at times, we humans can be manipulated into doing terrible things believing that what we do will help us in recovering. Such a thing is the reason why the ALC is present.” Oscar pointed out as Nina kept quiet. It was a stupid idea, after all creating a machine will never replace the feelings and emotions that a person felt nor can they help in coping loss. But at the same time, doing nothing to help cope could cause people to think of distorted ways to cope.

“Statement: I understand, but only if you help me understand what it means to be human,” Nina answered with a nod.

“Sure.” Oscar smiled.