The world has always felt cold ever since I was born. I sought warmth and hunted lesser creatures for sustenance.
But one day, it was hot. Too hot. I am weak. I hadn't had any water in a long while. I needed water.
But where?
And that's when I ran into a human child. At the time, I did not understand anything except to follow my instincts.
He gave me water, and slowly, I began to understand once he communicated with me.
How was that possible?
I realized he wasn't a threat, nor prey, nor kin, but a friend who helped me when I was in need. After that, I became self-aware.
He taught me about the human world, and as a snake, I could never truly understand his views as a human. Yet steadily, I began to grasp some of the abstract concepts he tried to convey.
But then, before long, my short life came to an end.
How I wish I were human—would I have been different if I were?
To that question, I did not know.
But… I knew that I wanted to be by your side. Feel your warmth, coil around your arm. Maybe, just maybe, see what a human saw—the colors you saw. See your smile. You said mine was cute, whatever that meant. Even so, I want to see yours too.
But in the end, this is my cruel fate. Had I stayed just a snake… Maybe I wouldn't feel this regret.
Never before did I wonder what it was like to be dead. Was there something? Or… just this dark nothing?
And why am I?
Will I spend an eternity drifting inside this darkness? Is this "Death"?
I don't know.
Or so I thought.
The moment I opened my eyes, there was this strange sensation.
Where am I?
I felt foreign inside my own body—rather, did the world look like this before?
"Huh?"
It was odd. Limbs I never had moved by thoughts alone. The sensation was strange, and I couldn't help but touch and feel this new body. It was soft, and there were no scales. But there was something on me, like annoying skin I just shed, so I just tore it off.
Looking around, I found myself in a "bed". I had also gotten bigger—I had hands, and I was warm. When I tried to slither out of the blanket, it didn't work very well.
Naturally so. I wasn't a snake anymore…
What? Am I not a snake? Is this… Am I human?
Then, I noticed someone enter the room.
"Oh? You're awake. How is it?"
Was it human? He had the shape of a human…? Everything looked so different. Was this how humans saw the world?
Are these the colors Al spoke of?
Strange.
What was more strange was that, despite having never met this human before, I knew him. Rather… information flooded my mind.
"B-Core One."
I made a human sound! A sound!
The human looked at me, scratching his cheek.
"Ah… I go by Bettlon now. You can call me Bet or Bettlon—whichever is fine. A—ahem… Sis."
"Sis?"
What's that? Can you destroy it? Eat it?
"Oh? Is your memory hazy? Don't tell me your information transfer got corrupted?"
"Negative. The rebirth into flesh has significantly reduced this unit's processing capacity by an estimated 98.3%. Full bodily autonomy has yet to be achieved."
"I see…"
"…"
Somehow, those complicated words escaped my mouth. I didn't fully understand it myself. It's all confusing. But from what I understood, the memories I inherited had no ego.
Even if I don't fully understand it, I somehow do. It was strange.
B-Core One. No. Bettlon, he's one of Master's original creations. A biological construct made to adapt to the natural world. It had quickly taken the form of a human, now living like one.
Then there was R-Core One. R'Stelesso, who was initially a golem made by using shards from this world's origin runes. He later underwent a biological conversion ten thousand years ago, and was what mortals of the current civilization call a "Sage."
And I… A-Core One, the oldest, had no name. My sole purpose was annihilation, evident in my Core design. I was once powered by a magnetar and used its mana fuel and trapped it inside a pocket dimension alongside a supercomputer—A-Core One, which ran annihilation as the algorithmic protocol.
How absurd…
Wait?
Master?
Master Alester?
I see…
The machine A-Core One became sentient. After the war, it endlessly calculated yet had nothing to execute. As if it wasn't isolated enough, its star weakened and became more stable, leaving it less room to calculate its unpredictability.
Bored and without a purpose for thousands of years, it wanted a purpose for its existence. It wanted to directly serve its Master.
I—Liss… somewhat understand. I am you, and you are me. I've decided. For you and for me.
"Bettlon. Teach me how to be human."
"…Huh? Sure, leave it to me."
—This time, when I meet Al, it'll be as a human. Will he be surprised?
..
A day has passed since A-Core One gained consciousness in her new body.
Bettlon, tasked with keeping an eye on her during the transformation, wasn't entirely sure of how to treat her. After all, he never once saw her as something with an ego—just a weapon.
Unlike R'Stelesso, he hadn't interacted much with her. And when they did, it was a cold exchange of information.
Out of Alester's constructs, A-Core One was special. It was a machine for war with the sole purpose of disintegrating enemies, whether they were mortals or gods.
He couldn't possibly begin to understand what kinds of thoughts a being like that had. In a sense, he was special too. Unlike the other machines of war, he was created without much purpose, or so he initially thought.
When he was made over fifty thousand years ago, the world was already at its demise. He remembered it quite vividly. Those days were filled with gray clouds, lava, ash, and tears in reality itself.
In the Warlord's domain, a massive void rift had torn open the sky, making time and space unstable as the very blood-torn ground.
Yet strangely enough, a sprout of life blossomed as soon as the bloodshed ended, only for the cycle to repeat.
To this very day, he never understood why the fallen goddess of life took the Warlord's side. And in the end, she died by the murder-starved citizens of that land.
When I first came to, Master asked me a question.
"Is this world worth saving?"
At that time, he didn't know. He was but a blob of flesh. Thus, to answer his Master's question, he took a form similar to his and began wandering the world.
Like all living beings, he instinctively knew life was fleeting. And shortly after parting from his master. He integrated with the mortals. He witnessed their struggles, desperation, and their endless greed.
Not even a year had passed since his master asked him that question, but he understood why he did.
Bettlon was sick and dying. He was barely a year old, and nobody was there to help. He worked like a slave, exploited to the breaking point. Weak and malnourished, he sought his master to give him the answer and fulfill his purpose.
And before he knew it. His life had taken a drastic turn. On that journey, he met a group of mortals seeking a home. One of them was an elf. She took pity on him and helped him.
For the first time since his creation, warmth filled his chest, and tears began to run down his face. It was the first time he was met with kindness. Yet, he questioned her kindness.
But he was perhaps hasty in his judgment. She continued to help him and teach him more about the world. It wasn't all ugly as he'd thought, and it was mainly due to her. Whenever he saw her, the world seemed a little brighter.
He'd fallen in love.
But to him, it was too one-sided. He did his best to impress her, and even asked the other mortals how to do so. He got many answers, but none felt quite right. Eventually, he was accepted as one of them.
Like before, life was difficult, but it wasn't meaningless.
However, Bettlon knew he didn't have much time to live. When his second year came, he fell severely ill—after all, he wasn't meant to live a long life, and he knew.
Because out of nowhere, his master had come to ask him the same question. And this time, he knew the answer.
Which eventually landed him here.
Inside a kitchen with smooth limestone walls and a dark wooden floor illuminated by warm light, A-Core One continuously stuffed food into her mouth; stacks of cleanly licked plates lay on the table.
"—Ham~nam~nom~nom~"
"…"
Despite the lack of manners, Bettlon could only think, 'Oh well, it's pretty endearing,' as he let out a small sigh.
To see what he perceived as a former near-omnipotent being like his master eat like a glutton was a bewildering sight to behold.
Regardless, he was happy to see someone enjoy the meals he cooked. As he stood there in his apron, he recalled when he practically had to force-feed R'Stelesso when he first transformed.
"A-One, the food's not going anywhere, you know?" Bettlon couldn't help but tease, but he also understood that she probably wouldn't understand.
"Mhmg? Bus tis sho dwliwcious!" she replied adorably, cheeks puffed with food.
"Hahaha," Bettlon lightly laughed.
At first, he wasn't sure how to handle her, but it seemed simpler than he initially thought. She was essentially a highly intelligent toddler who could walk and speak.
When she finished her meal, she walked up to him, basically sticking to him with curious eyes while he cooked, sometimes snatching a few ingredients.
"Hey, I was going to use that—"
"Peh… I don't like it, don't put it in."
"…"
She'd bitten into a root vegetable and spat it out just as fast, only to demand not to use it.
Rather than older, she seemed more like a younger sister; he chuckled inwardly.
"No can do, it's a part of the recipe," Bettlon replied.
He snatched the root back and cut off the part she'd bitten into.
"Meanie."
"Sigh—"
And that's the favorite word to come out whenever she's displeased; he heaved yet another sigh.
Then, A-Core One wrapped her slender arms around his hips, sticking even closer to him.
"Y'know…"
Thus far, everything had gone pretty smoothly—except for one thing.
"If you're cold, you could put on some clothes—"
"NO! I don't like it!"
And the problem was that A-Core One had some kind of aversion towards clothing. Bettlon tried many things and many different fabrics, but she rejected them all. The only thing she could tolerate was blankets, but she'd obviously toss them to the side whenever she wanted to move.
This is troublesome indeed…
Just remembering all the attempts yesterday and earlier today made his head throb.
Then, when he brought out meat—
"No."
A-Core One was about to snatch the meat right off his hand, but he swiftly raised his arm.
"But whyyyyyy!?" she exclaimed in protest.
Instantly, she jumped up the counter to attempt "Snatch No.2 for this round," but failed yet again. Angrily, she stuck out her tongue and hissed.
"Chiii—Chiii!"
"…"
Hissing? Now, that's new. But did Machinas ever hiss?
Then, as if to give up, she returned down and clung to him.
"Why?"
This again?
"It's not good for you—" which was a lie since they could practically digest anything.
"Why?" she asked again, tilting her head.
"…"
Even though they could digest almost anything didn't mean it would taste any good. Especially with human taste buds.
"Fine, I'll cut you a slice."
"Mmh!"
A-Core One swayed side to side, delighted by the answer—
"Peh… I don't like it, don't put it in."
"…"
I knew it.
He knew, but this had happened on repeat a few times now.
After almost finishing the dish, space in the kitchen suddenly cracked. A man with deep teal hair and golden eyes walked through while shards of reality still clung to him before snapping back in place.
"…"
Bettlon shot the man a tired look that seemed to ask, 'Why aren't you using the door?' but the man did not answer. Instead…
"Oh? Did you lay hands on her—"
"Hey, that's not even funny," Bettlon fired back with a death glare. "I already told you the situation, didn't I?"
"Hmm. My attempt at humor failed yet again," the man contemplated to himself.
"Of course, only someone as twisted as you would find that funny, O Great Sage."
"Oh, please stop with the flattery," the man lightly smirked, deflecting the sarcasm like it was nothing before taking a seat. "So? How's the little A-Core doing?"
"Fine for the most part. She eats well, unlike you."
"Hmph, desire leads to greed," the man shrugged.
Seeing the exchange between the two, A-Core One tugged his apron. "Bettlon, I don't like him. Make him leave."
"Your words deeply sadden me, Older Sister," R'Stelesso feigned wiping a tear.
"Chiii! He's really meanie!"
"A-Core One, I think the word is annoying in this case~" Bettlon gently suggested.
"No, I like meanie, so it's meanie," A-Core One huffed.
"Oho?" R'Stelesso's eyes widened. "Was she dropped during the rebirth process?" he asked with great intrigue.
"No, but why do you seem happy about it…?"
"Hah? It's only natural. Now that that metal husk and I are on equal terms, it's undeniable that I'm Master's superior creation. Ahh~ I'm pleased indeed."
This golem…
Bettlon sighed, but thinking back, R'Stelesso always had quite the personality, even if it was a difficult one—which only escalated when he and Eterisa were in the same room.
"Well, now that you're here, have some as well."
R'Stelesso leaned his elbow on the table, chin resting on his palm, hiding a tiny smile.
"Well, the nourishment you provide is quite palatable. I don't mind."
"Wow, that's honest."
"Definitely, I'm gracing you with my good mood, after all."
—Never mind, I take it all back.
"No! It's mine!"
"Hmhp. See? The greed I told you about?"
"This again…?"
Bettlon could never catch a break with these two. Yet it wasn't entirely tiresome.
..
A while later, A-Core One fell asleep. Bettlon used this opportunity to put her in pajamas, only for her to tear them off the second later. With a sigh, he draped a blanket over her and carried her to the couch.
Meanwhile, R'Stelesso simply watched as he sipped tea. "She's very different from what I'd imagined," he suddenly voiced what had been on his mind.
"Right…"
"Master lets us do whatever we want, but in the end, we chose to serve him."
"…"
"My condolences. Your children and late wife…"
Bettlon's eyes widened; melancholy soon loomed over him, but only for a moment.
"You're a few many years late… forty-seven thousand years to be precise," he replied.
"Right…"
"So? What brought this about?"
"I actually got married recently," R'Stelesso confessed.
"H-Huh? You of all people?"
Exasperated by Bettlon's reaction, R'Stelesso sent him a sharp glare.
"Isn't that a good thing? I've changed too, y'know?"
Bettlon let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. But. Y'know?"
"Whatever…"
""…""
Silence befell the room. And the one who broke it was Bettlon.
"Congratulations," he said with a smile.
"Thank you. We're holding a small ceremony with our family."
"Do you love her?"
"I do."
"I see."
The conversation halted again, leaving a heavy silence. But this time, R'Stelesso was the one to break it.
"She's human, you see."
"…"
"I decided… This will be my last life—I've severed my immortality. I'll just grow old, live out my life, and die with her. Regardless of any offspring, it's fine."
"I see…"
"Yeah…"
""…""
"I'll make sure to make it a feast."
"I did not ask you to cook though?" R'Stelesso frowned. "You'll be a guest."
"It's fine, isn't it? We're 'family—'"
And the only one I have left…
"…" R'Stelesso turned towards A-Core One. "Even her…"
"Yes, even her. But…" Bettlon chuckled a little. "The woman whom you're married to must be quite the patient one."
"Tsk… What is that supposed to mean?" R'Stelesso snarked.
"Hahaha, I mean exactly what I mean!"
In the end… You are afraid too, aren't you? The thought of loss, falling into despair—with thoughts of ending the world.
"…"
Was that why Master asked me 'that question' that day? He always seemed indifferent, but perhaps the cold resolve in his heart was the reason this world still existed.
Then suddenly, mid-thought, there was a knock on the door. The café was closed today, and since neither R'Stelesso nor Bettlon could sense a presence, there could only be either Eterisa or their Master.
"Welcome back, Master."
Bettlon opened the door, and there stood a man with white hair and blue eyes, dressed in black and gray. His demeanor was the definition of elegance and unperturbed. Beside him was Eterisa, the former Supreme Celestial Angel.
"Hiii~"
As soon as Eterisa greeted him in a friendly manner, they could hear R'Stelesso click his tongue in the back.
"Tsk… So she's here too."
"I'm back."
Alester simply stepped inside; his eyes landed on the couch. When Eterisa followed his gaze, she saw a sleeping girl. Her hair was a dark purple that gleamed warmly in the room's soft light.
"Oh my?! Isn't that the scrap? But she's now sooo cuuuute~!" she exclaimed, unable to contain a squeal.
"Isn't she?" Bettlon replied with a friendly smile.
Meanwhile, Alester had already gone over and sat down on the couch, trying not to wake her up. He materialized a book and began to read, which was Bettlon's cue to serve drinks and treats.
But the two sages immediately began arguing the moment they sat down.
"So? Why were you with Master Alester, Bird Brain?"
"My? We just happened to run into one another," Eterisa shrugged. "But why is a washed-up rock with seaweed stuck to it doing here? Aren't you usually 'busy'?"
"Tsk… One does not simply happen to run into someone like Master; what's your deal, you beldam?"
"Beldam? What are you saying? I'm quite the beauty, aren't I? Did your eyes calcify?"
Ah… They sure get along, don't they? Their common language being insult, that is… Bettlon sighed as he served them some sweets and drinks as well.
..
The evening had been quite lively, and everyone except for Alester had gone back to their own place. To say he didn't have a place wasn't quite right, but for him to call it home didn't hit the mark either.
As he sat there while reading his book, Bettlon finished up all the dishes and had gone out for a strategy meeting with the other shop owners in the district. Although. It was more of an excuse to share drinks amongst themselves.
Just like that, time flew by.
And then, Liss finally opened her eyes. Her vision had never been good, but now that she could see the world as a human. It was very different since she used to rely heavily on scent and vibrations.
She blinked. Even though her sense of smell was worse now, there wasn't a single scent on the man next to her.
But…
"Master?"
She recognized who he was.
"You're awake," he replied, gaze still fixed on the book. "How is your new body?"
"Y-Yes…" she replied, uncharacteristically docile.
Liss found herself to be nervous, even though she couldn't understand what she was feeling. But those weren't the only feelings she couldn't understand—rather, it was an amalgamation of resentment, loneliness, and happiness.
Yet instinctively, she somehow understood that some of what she felt belonged to A-Core One, the machine.
At times like these, she didn't know what humans did, and so, the default was to seek warmth, now that her hunger was satisfied.
She got up and crawled towards him, and only now were his eyes torn away from the pages. Just like that, she lay curled on his lap.
"What are you doing?" Alester asked, his tone indifferent.
Liss didn't know herself, but her Master, known by many names, was strange. She couldn't feel either heat or cold from him.
But seeing how she didn't reply, he simply placed a palm on her head. Then suddenly the room was illuminated in a faint blue light—rather, Liss was the one glowing. Before she knew it, her body was covered with clothing.
Feeling the strange sensation on her skin made her frown.
"Ugh…"
She got up, and when she tried to rip it off, it wouldn't tear. Naturally, A-Core One knew what clothes were, but the hows and whys weren't important. Combined with it being a foreign concept to Liss, neither had the experience of getting dressed and undressed.
When Alester saw how the girl in front of him was on the floor, tossing and turning, trying to tear off the materialized clothes, a small dry chuckle escaped his lips.
"Pffts…"
Eventually, she gave up and sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning forward with her small hands supporting her. Her cheeks slouched into a pout, whether she was conscious of it or not.
"You won't be able to tear it," Alester calmly spoke as he shut the book, kneeling to her level. "You'll get used to it eventually."
"…Master, this is cruel! Animal cruelty!"
"…?"
Even though Alester was inexpressive, the expression on his face clearly wondered where she'd learned that.
"I suppose humans are animals," he replied, purposely overlooking that she was way too different from her programming.
"…" Liss' whole body stiffened before jolting to her feet, eyes sparking. "That's right! I'm human!"
"…?"
"Master, Master! I want to see a proper smile. What is a proper smile?"
"…"
It wasn't often that words got stuck in his throat, but Alester was left speechless; his eyes widened.
"A smile you say…?"
Materializing something reflective, he showed her exactly what a smile was. Liss knew what a mirror was. She'd seen what her new body looked like, but in the current reflection was the smile she wondered about.
"You're already smiling."
"…"
Her eyes darted between her own reflection and her master. She tilted her head, then poked her own reflection.
That is a smile?
She did it again, and again—she found the so-called smile rather pleasant. But when she looked at her master, she wondered.
I'm smiling. Then why aren't you smiling?
And yet, for some reason, she wasn't able to ask.
…
..
It was now night, and the streets were lit in many beautiful colors. It was Liss' first venture outside.
For some reason, she found the sound of her own footsteps on the tiled limestone pleasant. All the smells were pleasant. But Liss found herself disliking the crowd. She was afraid of being stepped on, so she clung to her master's arm.
"Is there a scent you're interested in?"
Liss pointed towards a stall.
"That!"
"…"
And so, without saying a word, they went ahead and bought whatever piqued Liss' interest. They even rode a levethren both underground and up in the sky, even visiting the central park. And since it was nighttime, the spirits at the park were active as they played with the visitors they took an interest in.
But the spirits naturally avoided Liss, for a good reason.
"Please…?" she asked adorably, tugging Alester's sleeve.
"No. You cannot eat them," he replied and bought her treats instead.
But after wandering around the park for a while, Liss found her master come to a halt. A woman with white hair and gentle green eyes suddenly called out to them.
"My? If it isn't Lord Silver? Good evening."
Alester responded with a small nod.
"Good evening, Saint Riria."
Riria lowered her gaze a little, her eyes meeting Liss'.
"Good evening to you too," she said gently. "Are you perhaps out on a date?" she teased.
"Y-Yes?" Liss tilted her head, hiding behind Alester while still holding his arm.
"You should greet her back too," Alester prompted.
Liss poked her head out, barely showing her face. "Good evening."
"Hm~hm~hm~" Riria lightly laughed, covering her mouth. "She's really adorable, isn't she?"
"I suppose," Alester replied indifferently. "Are you out on a walk? Alone?"
"Yes. I wanted to stroll around the city. You see, my daughter and son-in-law will be coming by the monastery, so I got all excited and couldn't sleep~! And then, I ended up here after shaking off the guards, hehe~."
"Quite the troublemaker for a saint your age," Alester remarked.
"Geez! Should you be saying that? Out here late at night with a young girl that doesn't even look like you—you seem almost suspicious…!" she retorted with a deadpan stare.
Riria knew he wouldn't respond to anything less than serious, but that said, she knew Alester wasn't doing anything suspicious. Yet she couldn't help but be curious about the girl. In that moment, Liss poked her head out again.
"Hello again," Riria smiled gently. "May I ask for your name, Miss?"
At those words, Liss froze. She wasn't sure whether to call herself Liss or A-Core One. It was probably the latter since that's what they all called her, but… She knew that wasn't exactly a name either.
"A—"
But just as Liss was about to answer, Alester interjected.
"Her name is Aetlise. Same as the serpent constellation."
"…"
Aetlise… Aetlise, huh?
For some reason, Liss' face grew a little hot, and there was a strange warm feeling in her chest.
"What a nice name~," Riria said.
However, when she saw Aetlise in that state, she couldn't help but add, "Oh my? Isn't her smile adorable too?"
"Yes. Very."
After some small talk, they parted with Riria. Aetlise held his hand, swinging them back and forth as they walked.
He gave me a name, called my smile cute… Master is just like Al—I'm so happy. I like him too, very much! I want Master and Al to meet. When will that be? I want it to be soon!
A/N
Thank you for reading!
Ah, it's a pretty chill chapter overall. We also get to learn more about the characters that showed up earlier in the story. And we also officially meet Amethely's grandmother, the previous saint!
Anyhow, I finally beat Sekiro after 3 years. My save files were still there somehow, buut I started from the beginning and got past the damn monkey, only to be ganked by another monkey, yey…
Then the "sword saint" pulled out a glock and a halberd on me mid-duel. Gramps a funny guy, I guess.