The Past
The Nasod Kingdom was burning, everything was burning. I feel weaker and weaker by the minute, my suit becoming coated with soot as I cough, banging on the glass to escape my once regal bedroom. Oberon and Ophelia, who I see blocking the doorway to prevent my attackers from coming in.
"Miss Eve," My Vitality System(Or VS for short), chimed in, "Your breathing rate is high, please calm yourself, otherwise hyperventilation may occur. Thank you." Beginning to panic, I look around frantically for anything to use as my coughing becomes more frequent. Moby and Reby, my two drone-toys who I had completely forgotten about, slammed right through the glass, their tiny black and white figures turning to me, urging me to jump. Without any hesitation, I did. The fall seemed brief, though the impact shot through me like wildfire. I groaned, sitting up and shaking my head, and the scene that slowly but surely came into focus was horrifying. Almost every building that was built by the Nasod, every citizen I cared for, was either gone or being burnt to the ground. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stand, despite the pain that came afterwards.
Finding the path that seemed the most clear of all the fighting and raiding going on, I glided across the battlefield that was once my home, pushing people and Nasod alike out of my way. A single sword cleaved through the fighting, aimed straight for my head. I gasped and backed up, falling to the ground. I closed my eyes and awaited the blow that never came. Looking upwards, I saw Moby and Reby fighting them off, their tiny, fragile bodies against the steel of the sword. But as I got up and ran, I couldn't deny the sickening crack of metal that followed. A brief glance behind me revealed their cleaved bodies dropping to the ground. Covering my mouth to cover a whimper, I kept running, my glide-mode running low on power. Tapping into my systems, my orb flashed, projecting my status overall in front of me. My glide mode was about to go dead, and my breathing rate was higher than before.
"Miss Eve, your gliding battery has depleted, please recharge. Thank you." I scowled.
"Shut-!" I gasped in mid-sentence as I fell to the ground, rolling briefly. I caught myself, doing a somersault, and landing gracefully. I got up, checking my glide-mode battery. It was completely dead. Shaking my head, I ran towards the only safe place I could think of-the Core's Slumber Chambers.
I have to get there..it's my only hope now.
Oberon and Ophelia were absolutely nowhere to be found, and I was slowly seeing double vision as smoke filled my vision and lungs.
"Miss Eve, your mecha-lung capacity is becoming filled. Please go to a more stable environment. Thank you."
Turning around, I saw a large armored figure pursuing me, eyes filled with hatred, a broadsword being dragged along the ground, sparks flying from the tip. I began to slow down the more I stared at the figure as they lifted their sword, the blade coming down to cleave me in two as I froze in fear. At the last possible minute, I regained control in my body, and the blade came down on my long, silver hair, cleaving most of it off. I shrieked at the sudden tugging pain, and felt the back of my hair to see mostly all of it had been cleaved off. I didn't even look back as I ran even faster than before.
"Miss Eve, your-" I muted my VS, my footsteps getting heavier and heavier as I approached the entrance of the Core. Taking a quick breath, I ran inside, and what greeted me was the tapping of my shoes hitting the cold, metal floor, the security lasers, and the Chambers just up ahead. The Slumber Chambers, deep within the Core of Altera. With a smile of relief, I slammed into the door, typing in the passcode and slipping inside. When I stepped inside, gazing around, I saw Nasods inside their pods, including Vladimir, an old friend, his brown, coarse body curled into a ball in his chamber. Hearing banging at the Core entrance, followed by the sound of alarms ringing through the Chambers, I gasped and ran farther in, looking for an empty Chamber. All of them were filled, and I couldn't find any that were dual-usable.
Am I..am I going to die? Right here, at the hands of a human? I shivered at the thought, my eyes scanning the area once more. And I caught an empty Chamber, right at the back of the Chambers. I dashed for it, hope glowing in my chest. As I neared the core, I saw another Nasod heading for the exact same Chamber. They caught sight of me, and halted, staring at me with reddish pink eyes, a creamy pink dress covering their pale skin. I gasped and halted as well, blinking.
"Apple?"
"Queen Eve! You made it!" Apple ran to me, hugging me. "I'm so glad you are all right. What happened to Oberon and Ophelia?"
"I..I don't know. I just kept running until I got here.."
"And your hair! It's been completely chopped-" Apple stopped as another alarm went off. Her eyes widened and we exchanged a knowing glance. Apple smiled kindly at me. "There will be time for exchanges later. Eve, get inside the Chamber."
"Apple..what about you?"
"I'll find someplace to hide. You know how hard you looked for me when you were first built..and you never found me, did you?" Apple said in a teasing voice. With a soft smile, I nodded and stepped inside the Chamber. The doors slid on me as I smiled at Apple one last time as the alarms went off, and these ones were closer. Fear flashed in Apple's eyes and she looked to the entrance, and then back at me. With a smile and a nod, she mouthed,
"Don't give up." and ran away, disappearing behind the pods. Wires attached to my body, sending jolts of electricity through my systems as my VS said,
"Shutting down. Please remain stationary until shut down is finished. Thank you." A sleepy, unaware feeling slowly overtook my body as I felt the anti-gravity turn on inside the chamber, and I gently floated upward, just inches above the steel roof of the pod. My eyes lost their lustrous golden color, slowly turning gray as I entered Hibernation Mode, the last alarm going off as I faded away into sleep.
Thousands of Years Later...
The Core of Altera was still. Humming no longer emanated from it's depths, the life above the ground completely dead, uninhabitable. The wind no longer blew through the area, the Core completely void of power. The El, shining above Feita as a beacon, exploded on this very day. As the shards skyrocketed into different directions, one small, stray shard managed to find its way into a crack in the now rusty, mossy Core, shooting through the dead security beams, the powerless Nasod, and the lone, armored skeleton that lay in front of a familiar Nasod's Chamber, a single laser burned through the back of the silver, rusted armor. The Nasod, Eve, was cold and lifeless, her eyes closed as she lay slumped in her Chamber in the corner, her suit covered in dust, soot, and slight rust.
The El flew right into the Chamber, snapping the glass and filling the entire chamber with life. The anti-gravity re-activated once more, floating the girl upwards. Eve's eyes snapped open, revealing gray eyes that slowly but surely turned a grayish-golden as she scanned the desolate area, the glow of the El catching her eye. Staring at the small shard that was lying on the floor of the Chamber, the wires detached from Eve as she bent down to pick it up, her movements stiff and robot-like. As she picked up the El, it glowed brightly in her palm, and a feeling of life surged through her. She gasped, a full golden glow returning to her eyes as her orb burned a dark aqua color. Stumbling backwards, she blinked a few times, overlooking the area once more, the desolate place once called the Slumber Chambers now a graveyard of sorts. Shaking her head, she muttered,
"I wonder..if there's anyone left.."
Stepping out of the Chamber, she looked around, walking around the makeshift-graveyard. Her footsteps echoed through the empty space, sending an feeling of loneliness that shook the Nasod to her core. After what seemed like only few minutes of walking, it became clear that Eve was truly alone.
"Miss Eve," Her VS had chimed in a bit after walking, "Your systems heat is accelerating slightly, please calm your systems. Thank you." A feeling of helplessness fell over her, and she kept her head down as she walked over to what used to be known as the Nasod King, a successor and army general of the Nasod, whose hand was lying outstretched, the palm of it facing upwards towards the small crack of grey light that shone down from the surface. Curling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees, staring at the lifeless void she had awoken to. The war had done this. All of this was caused by the humans. The very thought of their name made anger flare up, but Eve soon calmed herself, blinking a few times.
"No.." She said, her voice slightly hoarse. "This is not their fault. We could have lived in peace...we could have..I know it." Eve repeated this to herself several times, and by that time, she realized it had gotten darker inside the Chambers. Looking upwards, she saw white dots in the black sky, and her gaze never lifted from them the entire night.
Day 2
Eve was utterly alone, spending most of her time building make-shift toys to play with, even managing to find a Nasod Scout's memory chip, but nothing could replace the feeling she had inside her chest.
I wonder..is this what the humans called..loneliness? Eve contemplated the thought for a bit, before shaking her head. I cannot feel emotions...it is highly inappropriate for a Nasod of my intellect to activate emotion, anyways. But the longer the day drew on, the worse that feeling got. Soon, she was back to resting her chin on her knees as she sat in the Nasod King's outstretched palm.
"What am I to do.." Eve muttered to herself. "Almost all of the Cores here are completely destroyed..there's no way.." Eve stopped mid-sentence.
Most. Almost all of the Cores..yes..that's right. Eve turned to the Nasod King's heart, a giant Core, big enough to be powered by a single Nasod. A smile outstretched on Eve's face as she scrambled up the Nasod King's rusty figure, stopping at the handle of the Core. Opening it with a grunt, she looked inside to find it untouched, a bit rusty and some dust here and there, but completely ready for use. Excitement filled Eve's chest as she hopped down, ideas swimming in her head.
This is it..I can revive our race with this! And of course...an King needs a Queen. And if I can use enough energy to power him..then we can be together, just like a King and Queen should be. With a smile, Eve found a semi-functional Nasod Scout, and, after a quick repair, made a direct link to the Core with the Scout's El that she had inserted through a single touch, making it so that it would collect data on the outside world and its data, and in return, make more advanced Nasods for that era. Night soon fell, and Eve nodded her head as she stared at the moon for what could be the last time.
"It is time..Remo..are you ready to go on your mission?" Eve turned to Remo, the Nasod Scout she had named after Moby and Reby, her toy pets, and Remo responded with a series of beeps. Eve smiled, bowing to her subject, and climbed into the Core of her King. With one last look at the area, she closed the pod door, and closing her eyes, focusing all of her energy into her orb, released a discharge of El energy. The Core lit up as wires attached to her body, a small breathing outlet going over her mouth. With a smile, she glanced at Remo one last time as he disappeared towards the exit of the Core, Eve closed her eyes, allowing her energy to be sapped away, bit by bit. Feeling her strength failing her, she let sleep overtake her body, silently praying to the Lady El her efforts were not wasted.
Chi: And that was the revamped version of Chapter 1 :P
Eve: Much better...way more detailed.
Chi: :I
Eve: Er...the first version was good too!
Chi: Good Eve *pat pat*
Elsword: I NEED ME SOME ELSxEVE ACTION :U
Chi: Hush boy, you shall get your EvexEls action
Elsword: No. ElsxEve
Chi: EvexEls. Period *holds gun to Elsword's head*
Elsword: ..Fine =.=
Chi: Good boy~ R&R and I might just update the next one sooner~