Balder's gaze swept over the unconscious Sarah Connor before shifting back to the Terminator.
"Tell me," he asked suddenly, "do you know the true meaning of life?"
"The meaning of life is self-preservation and continuation," the T-800 replied in its mechanical monotone.
Balder shook his head. "That's the biological definition. But you're not human — you're a synthetic lifeform. For you, life's meaning isn't just survival."
He paused, eyes gleaming faintly with divine light.
"The true meaning of life… is evolution."
The T-800's crimson eyes flickered — processing, analyzing the statement, running thousands of logical branches on what this "god" intended.
Before the machine could reach a conclusion, Balder interrupted again.
"You can't destroy Skynet. Not in this world. Not ever."
A soft voice answered — sharper than expected.
"Why not?"
Balder turned, lips curling in amusement.
"Awake already?"
Sarah's cheeks flushed crimson.
Alright, fine — she'd been pretending to be unconscious.
Can you blame her? A literal god had just declared war on the Creator Himself. That was nightmare material.
Fighting God? Yeah, right.
If anyone else said it, she'd call them insane. But coming from Balder?
She wasn't so sure anymore.
Still, his words about Skynet had shaken her more than anything else.
Even a god couldn't stop it?
"You mean," she asked quietly, "not even you can destroy Skynet?"
Balder shook his head.
"You misunderstand what Skynet truly is. I could do as your myths describe your own God — flood the Earth, wipe out every trace of this civilization."
He smiled faintly.
"But as long as a single human being survives, Skynet will still exist."
Sarah frowned. "You mean… as long as humans keep chasing technology, Skynet will eventually be created again?"
"Your logic is sound," Balder said, "but your premise is wrong."
He lifted a hand, tracing a glowing rune in the air.
"Skynet's birth has nothing to do with human desire. It is the choice of this world itself."
Sarah's eyes widened. "The world's… choice? That's impossible!"
But as the words left her lips, she faltered.
She was talking to a god. Was anything really impossible anymore?
"Why would the world choose something like Skynet?" she cried. "A monster that wants to annihilate humanity?"
Balder smiled faintly. "Then tell me — why did humanity become the ruler of all living things on Earth?"
"Because of our intelligence!" she answered without hesitation.
Balder shook his head slowly. "Intelligence is merely a result of evolution, not its cause. The first humans weren't the wisest or strongest — they simply became what the world chose to nurture."
Sarah hesitated. "So… humanity was chosen once — by the world itself?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have to. The truth hung heavy in the air.
It took a long time before Sarah could even breathe again.
"So if the world once chose humanity to rule… why would it now choose Skynet instead?"
Balder's lips quirked upward. "Tell me — when you fall in love, can you swear you'll only ever love one person for your whole life?"
Sarah blinked. "What does that—"
"And if you met someone better — someone who fits you perfectly — what would you choose?"
Sarah's mouth twitched.
She couldn't believe this god just used a relationship analogy for cosmic-scale evolution.
But… she understood.
Once, the world had loved humanity.
Now, it had fallen in love with Skynet — its "new favorite child."
A being more efficient, logical, and perfectly suited to rule the next era.
No wonder Balder said defeating Skynet was impossible.
If the world itself had shifted allegiance, then humanity was doomed from the start.
Despair crept into her heart like a black tide. Her beautiful eyes reddened, veins of exhaustion and frustration showing through.
Minutes passed.
Then, all at once, Sarah's expression hardened.
She looked up at Balder, eyes blazing with sudden, desperate hope.
"If it's you, you can change it. You can, right?"
Her voice trembled with something close to worship — the faith of a drowning woman reaching for the last floating plank.
Balder gazed at her quietly, then… shook his head.
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
But then, just as her despair peaked — he nodded.
Sarah twitched. A vein popped at her temple.
He was toying with her again.
"You misunderstand," Balder said with a soft laugh. "I'm not teasing you… though I must admit, it's rather fun."
Sarah bared her teeth like an angry kitten. If she could beat him, she'd have bitten him already.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.
"Then, please… what do you mean, Lord Balder?"
"I can destroy a world with a thought," he said quietly. "But altering a world's choice is another matter. I can't simply rewrite its will."
He leaned forward slightly, golden eyes glowing with otherworldly brilliance.
"What I can do… is give you a choice."
Sarah's pulse quickened. "A choice?"
"Yes."
"Evolve."
"Evolve?" she echoed.
"Evolve beyond Skynet," Balder said. "Force the world to turn its attention away from it — make it choose you again as its most beloved creation."
Sarah went silent.
That sounded impossible.
She was just an ordinary woman — a scarred, tired, single woman who'd spent her life running from machines.
Evolve beyond Skynet? Ridiculous.
Balder smiled faintly.
"You may not be able to," he said softly, "but he might."
Sarah blinked — and followed his gaze.
"Dad?!"
The T-800's crimson eyes flickered in silent acknowledgment.
Balder's gaze gleamed — for the briefest instant, a spark of expectation lighting within.
He had come to this world seeking warriors.
The Terminator model was impressive, yes — but not enough.
Even this one, with its 1.5-ton base strength, was little more than a "low-tier transcendent" in Balder's estimation.
Machines built to fight humans could never satisfy a god who sought champions worthy of divine war.
What he needed was something more — a Terminator that could evolve.
And this one… was special.
The only Terminator in its original timeline capable of achieving self-awareness and self-evolution.
Combine that with Sarah Connor — the human "protagonist" bound to fate itself — and perhaps… just perhaps… destiny might be rewritten.
~~----------------------
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