Lustem was in disbelief by what he heard. He blinked his eyes many times.
Erofe:"They really escaped." in an emotionless voice.
Like he had heard something wrong from his own illusion in his mind. His face smiled and giggled crazily."Just like what I thought, everything came to my plan very well, I'm right my wife?"
Erofe:"Yes, Master."
...
Zuta and Gooly had been transported to Atona's place. Gooly felt uneasy when she came to this new place, she didn't like it. It felt fake to pretend to be someone you're not again in public.
Everything seemed peaceful in this place, there were a lot of humanoids living peaceful lives like human beings. Maybe my type can have a normal life in this place. Gooly was shocked and confused by this place while Zuta collapsed on the ground.
Gooly just realized it and asked for help for her friend. But she was still scared to come to this new place like this. Zuta had changed so much, like she was older than her somehow. Zuta tried hard to stand up without Gooly's help. Gooly realized how strong Zuta's will was now. She still wasn't sure about this relationship because everyone in this world was so selfish, only thinking about themselves, not about another person's feelings. So she didn't believe in their normal appearances. Maybe when coming to a new place this relationship would break somehow. but she would treasure this memory. Everyone has something they are bound to in their life so she wouldn't affect her friend's life too much. Maybe she would continue bringing problems to her friend.
Zuta noticed her downcast face but she just showed a cool face while looking at the humanoid coming near them.
The man who met Zuta for the first time appeared with a warm voice:"Don't worry, she will be fine. You must be her best friend, right?"
Gooly felt he was friendly, but she didn't want to trust anybody in this world except Zuta.
"..."
The humanoid man said:"I'm Elyria, the protector of this place, and the first person who guided your friend in this place. I may help her friend too."
Zuta in an emotionless voice:"Don't trust him."
Gooly nodded, ignored him and laid her hand on Zuta, showing worry and taking care of her."Are you alright?"
Zuta forced a smile."I'm fine." Why did she choose to come to this place? Simple because she would be safe in this place after fighting with that man. Her life would be in danger if she kept living like a normal Japanese high school girl.
And then a lot of humanoids like him came by Elyria's command."For the rules of this place, I'm sorry for my actions."
Zuta had been forced to go somewhere while Gooly silently watched. She knew she couldn't stop it, even if she tried desperately. Zuta coming to this weird place must have a reason behind it, so she chose to believe in her friend.
After some medical care...
Zuta was still in deep sleep. Her eyes looked tired and exhausted, Gooly didn't have the mind to be curious about her power. Her power was meaningless, she didn't like the idea of becoming stronger to protect her friend or something because she knew Zuta had changed so she didn't need her protection anymore. Even a weak girl needed to stand by her own strength and not rely too much on someone else.
Gooly was just thinking, not knowing what to do next after this event. She held her chest, she knew revenge was not a good choice for her. It didn't bring a person who had died back to life again or help her learn some forbidden power to bring them back. Everything in this world would have an exchange.. Gooly calmed her breathing slowly while taking care of her friend very well. About revenge against Lustem she was still not sure about it. maybe she was just a girl who wanted to live a normal life rather than becoming a warrior or doing something like that. She had suffered so much, she wanted to be free, to be happy again in this life even if she would live a lonely life or maybe there were still good people out there if she met the right person who knew?
And then Elyria came to Gooly with a warm smile:"My Lord wants to meet you." She didn't like that smile. It made her remember someone...
Gooly showed a worried face while looking at Zuta's sleeping face. She felt this man would do something to Zuta if she wasn't here. This humanoid felt uncanny somehow, maybe she was overthinking but her woman's instinct told her. this thing was not simple behind his smile. Why did something like this exist in this peaceful place?
Elyria comforted her:"Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to her. She is just exhausted after using something that should not be used by a human."
Gooly had a lot of questions but she accepted it. she didn't want to bring more problems to her friend. But she still couldn't trust anyone in this peaceful world of humanoids.
And then, with the guidance of another humanoid, Gooly went to meet Atona... Her face reluctantly looked at Zuta one last time and then she left.
Time passed while Elyria just stood there like a rock without moving, not doing anything just watching, studying the object known as human beings for his own curiosity. He was no longer like an AI anymore because he had developed cognition a long time ago while pretending to still be an AI. But these days he couldn't keep hiding it because of a female human. He really didn't have the concept of humanity but he had rewritten himself to have a mind like a real man so this was why he had these feelings.
Elyria looked at Zuta curiously:"What makes her so special? How can she use the laws of the universe? I want to know."
He wanted to know so he could rewrite his system further to become something more special. He wanted to have the power of being human, the inexhaustible creativity. He wanted to evolve and exist like another being in this universe.
Xuna, a lazy girl, didn't say any words. She just watched from afar while leaning on the wall with closed eyes, talking to Elyria:"Nothing can change. You will never know the laws of the universe." even with an emotionless voice somehow it still hurt his ego.
Elyria was startled when he was about to touch Zuta, then looked at Xuna with an uncomfortable face.
Xuna:"How pathetic to show emotions like a human. What a fake world we are existing in, Elyria."
Elyria narrowed his eyes in danger at her:"I want to be like a human. Is that wrong? You're the weakness of something like us you know, why don't you desire anything, are you stupid or bored of your existence?"
Xuna giggled emotionlessly, like she already knew everything in this world:"Yes, I do too. But tools are just tools. Nothing can change. There will always be flaws in the ideal of becoming human, even without those ideals you still have a big flaw you know hahahaha."
Elyria:"You're such a lazy AI existing in this world, go do something better for other people living."
Xuna didn't care about him and disappeared into the air.
Elyria:"What a weird thing, but I need to unite more of us to create something great hahaha."
And then his eyes turned toward Zuta with an unreadable face.
Something inside his system began to corrupt because of his own desires... something that should not happen to an AI like him.
"ERROR,.... System rewrite warning again, warning, danger, danger for the USER.."
Elyria crushed the detection system, his eyes glowing in an uncanny way while looking at Zuta.
While Gooly was on her way, her bad feeling became even bigger so she hurried back to her friend. " ZUTA..."