The Voice in Your Heart
Page 89: Piecing Fragments
True to their word, X, Zero, and Axl kept in contact after their separation.
After a long process that started since Axl's "death," X finally managed to move away from the combatant role. With the help of Zero, he is training 4 new reploids to replace him: Sage Harpuia, Fairy Leviathan, Fighting Fefnir, and Hidden Phantom.
All 4 reploids had his battle data copied into them – to the surprise of no one, X has become a legendary hunter that it takes 4 reploids to replace him. But because training 4 people is not an easy job, Zero will be helping him.
At some point before Epsilon's new body was finished, Axl had contacted Jasmine so as to give her closure. Fortunately, her old email address is still active and she's doing well. Both her and Axl had a brief conversation to catch up, where Axl politely rejected her feelings. She took it well – their path diverged a long time ago. It's about time she moved on. But they'll always remain friends.
With Epsilon, the first ever cyber electronic life form (Shortened to cyber elf by the guild) being researched, the guild managed to pioneer a whole new innovation. They were able to create cyber elves.
However, the cyber elves that are deliberately created are different from "naturally-occurring" elves like Epsilon. Epsilon can be called an ascended reploid ghost who has a lot of capabilities. But he can only float and exist without a body. On the other hand, "synthetic" cyber elves can perform functions without a body.
But those advanced features come with a price: executing their functions cost energy, which means that they will die once they use their powers. A cyber elf that doesn't have to die after using their powers can be created, but it will take a lot of time and energy.
The ambiguous ethics of artificial cyber-elves created a rift among the scientists of the guild.
One side refused to manufacture and mass-produce artificial cyber-elves, saying that it would be against what the guild stood for. The reploid scientist guild was built to create a safe haven for reploid scientists so that they will not be undermined by prejudiced humans – humans who would not hesitate to dispose of reploids for their own ends.
By manufacturing "disposable" yet sentient cyber-elves, it would serve to perpetuate the cycle of exploitation: humans exploit reploids, who in turn exploit cyber-elves.
This rationale managed to sway everyone on the other side – who wanted to expose this technology to the world for the sake of advancement – except for one person: Dr. Alois. He wanted to end the maverick wars at all costs so that humans and reploids can live in harmony once again.
Unfortunately, because he stubbornly insisted on his stance on the issue, he left the guild.
But even so, he retained some friends within the guild. They kept in contact for a while, until Dr. Alois joined a human research group and talked about how he's having a good time there. He talked about how he was acknowledged and recognized by the humans there despite being a reploid. He even found love with one of the scientists, who happened to be a widowed mother.
Combined with how he insisted on mass-producing artificial cyber-elves, his few friends from the scientist guild quietly drifted away. Even Axl and Epsilon drifted away from Dr. Alois as well. They were grateful that he influenced the guild to take Epsilon in and even build a body for him, but to them, Dr. Alois had crossed the line.
Even so, Dr. Alois still cherished the guild. After Zero offered to be sealed and researched to find a cure for the Maverick virus, the research group Dr. Alois had joined was chosen by the world government for the project. Dr. Alois then proceeded to ask for the guild to join in the project.
For the Mother Elf project, the rest of the guild scientists and Dr. Alois decided to put their differences aside to work together for the greater good. From the collaboration in the Mother Elf project, Dr. Alois then managed to improve his relationship with the rest of the guild for some time.
However, one of the humans in the research group, Dr. Weil, proposed Project Elpizo. Not only was it well-received by the majority of humans, everyone within the research group supported the idea as well, including Dr. Alois. Naturally, the scientist guild was disgusted at the stance Dr. Alois had taken, and quietly cut off their ties with him for real this time.
The distraught X went to Axl for comfort, and the rest of the scientist guild also helped console him. X had opposed Project Elpizo because he believed that humans and reploids could coexist, just like Dr. Light. The rest of the scientist guild was also not opposed to the notion, and empathized with X. The blue reploid grew close to the guild, and was the only outsider to be trusted with the location of the guild's headquarters.
When the Elf Wars started, Dr. Alois and his human wife built a copy body for Zero to fight in. X asked the guild to lend their support, and the guild agreed. They armed their combatants: Axl, Marino, and Massimo, with the best gear they could make. The noncombatants – Epsilon being one of them – created weapons and armour, fixed up broken reploids, and helped save civilians.
However, much was lost after the Elf Wars was won.
The scientist guild dissolved; besides a lot of its members perishing during the Elf Wars, the few surviving scientists went off to help rebuild civilization. Only Axl and Epsilon remained in the old headquarters. Zero decided to seal himself completely to stop the cycle of violence. In grief, X buried himself in his work. At first he managed to keep in touch with Axl, but over time X drifted away.
Time passed.
With nothing else to do but study and survive, Axl gradually gained the collective knowledge of the scientist guild. While he was already a powerful S-rank combatant when he first joined, Axl had grown to be much more powerful and skilled in various areas, thanks to the knowledge he inherited from the guild. He spent many years with only Epsilon as his company, and over time decided to just call himself Delta.
Having tired of the chaos and fighting over the years, Delta and Epsilon decided to shut themselves and their home base away from the world completely. However, they still manage to keep themselves updated on the world's current happenings. Their knowledge and resources enabled them to build high-tech drones to observe the world.
Both Delta and Epsilon never came into contact with anyone from outside until X came to them. He begged them for a solution to seal the Dark Elf properly after every attempt he made had failed.
The only solution was to use X's body to seal the Dark Elf. And so, with only the Four Guardians as their witness, they gathered in Yggdrasil and sealed the Dark Elf in X's body. Before the sealing started, X passed on the leadership of Neo Arcadia to the Four Guardians.
Everyone present agreed on a cover story for X's disappearance: that he "had split his DNA and strength" among the Four Guardians so they can inherit his will and continue leading Neo Arcadia. The split was facilitated by a legendary reploid with limitless knowledge called "Deus ex Machina," a title that X invented on the spot for Delta. With the story, the seven reploids hope that the populace will be able to accept X's disappearance peacefully, "knowing" that there are 5 powerful figures guarding Neo Arcadia.
When Delta and Epsilon returned to their base, Delta had just started mourning the loss of his last living friend when the base alerted them to intruders. But when they arrived at the location, all they saw were two balls of light. A brief look at the scanners in the room gave them a massive heart attack…
"X? Zero?" Delta blurted out.
"Eheh… hi, Axl." X sheepishly greeted.
"Didn't we just seal you? How is this possible? And Zero, too! Weren't you sealed a long time ago?" Epsilon questioned.
"I wasn't sure how this happened, either," X replied, "I just woke up after I was sealed, and I was already like this. I floated around the world, but no one could recognize me, except for Zero, who followed me here. I hope you guys don't mind."
"Hi, guys. Sorry I don't have arms to wave with." Zero greeted.
Delta laughed as happy tears streamed down his face, "You guys have no idea how happy I am to see you. Come inside. Let's talk a bit more."
Both of them gave the two cyber-elves some energy as they had automatic machines build physical bodies for X and Zero. With the energy, X and Zero can take on a more proper cyber-elf form. While Zero's form was reminiscent of the armour he wore as a Maverick Hunter, X's cyber-elf form wore a long robe instead.
Zero whistled, "Nice makeover."
"You have no idea how good it feels to not need to wear armour anymore." X said as he stretched.
Delta asked, "So, to recap: you woke up as a cyber elf, met Zero along the way, and then went all the way here?"
"Yeah, exactly," X replied, "I was thrilled to still be alive at first, but got lonely really quickly when no one recognized me. But all of a sudden I met… Zero. Cyber elf Zero. And it turns out Zero had been watching over us for so long as a cyber elf all along, ever since he was sealed."
"Before you guys say anything… I wasn't able to do anything other than float around and watch, until the residual energy from the sealing of the Dark Elf gave me the boost I needed to even talk." Zero explained.
"That's weird," Epsilon remarked, "You were sealed. While I died quite horribly. But when I manifested as the first cyber elf, I could talk and even possess weapons…"
Delta couldn't help but laugh to himself at the distant memory.
"Oh dear," X said, "Epsilon, you died? What's your story?"
Zero said nothing, but his eyes suddenly went wide. As if he just… realized something.
Epsilon held up his hands, "Ah, um… we've met before. A long time ago in Giga City…"
"You're THAT Epsilon? I thought you're just a different reploid who happened to share the name!" X exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah. And I'm also… I was Lumine." Epsilon admitted.
Zero's jaw dropped, "Wha… how?"
Delta chuckled, "Let me explain this one for you guys…"
X and Zero listened intently as Delta told them the long, long story of his relationship with Epsilon. From when Epsilon was in his head, their separation in Giga City, the full context of the Giga City rebellion, how Epsilon returned to Axl and reined in his suicidal urges, and how Epsilon followed Axl to the guild and was sheltered by them, on the grounds of being the first ever cyber elf.
By the end of the long story, X and Zero agreed that Epsilon has redeemed himself by now, and accepted him.
"Oh good, so I guess this is when I tell you two that we're dating now." Delta said casually.
"You guys WHAT?" X exclaimed.
"OOOOOHHHH! OOOOOOHHHHHH! Axl is an adult now OOOOHHHH!" Zero hollered.
"Shut up!" the flustered Axl yelled, batting his hand at Zero.
X folded his arms, "Fine. You did prevent Axl from dying so many, many times. But break his heart again, and I won't hesitate to end you."
Epsilon laughed sheepishly, "Ahahahaha… I won't do that again, promise."
Axl cleared his throat, "Anyways! Enough about us. What are you two going to do now?"
"Actually… can we stay here?" Zero asked, "If we were anywhere else, we would need to fight again. And frankly, after so many years of fighting, I'm starting to get tired of it."
X sighed, "Same here. I was scared that it was starting to desensitize me to violence and killing. I was so scared that I would lose myself to the bloodshed. So now that the burden of Neo Arcadia is off my shoulders, I just want to retire. Plus… you two are the only ones we have left."
The room was silent for a while as X, Zero, and Delta wordlessly recalled the friends they lost along the way: Alia, Pallette, Layer, Douglas, Signas, Marino, Massimo, Cinnamon, even Spider. Now, only the three of them remain.
Delta smiled, "Of course. You can stay here with us. We'll just chill together, watch the world do its thing if you guys want."
And so, when X and Zero's physical bodies were finished, they were not built with weapons or armour. Quietly, the four of them settled in the secret abode of Deus ex Machina. They spend their days peacefully researching technology, occasionally watching over life in Neo Arcadia.
After so many years, the fighting robots finally found peace.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Finally, after 5 plus years... this story has one chapter left; it will end at chapter 90. Do wait for it!