IMPORTANT THIS IS A REWRITE OF THE 1 CHAPTER !
I'm really sorry for those who just got here and saw this chapter being suddenly remade, in chapter 5 near the end of the author's notes I explain why I did this. Once again I'm sorry but hey I've decided to take this story more seriously so yeah.
Peace !
Dark...It was the only thing that surrounded him, it was quiet and oddly peaceful to say the least, did the black flower finally took over him? Was he finally dead? He didn't know but one thing was for certain it's that he never wanted this feeling to end. That is when he suddenly heard a faint voice calling him from behind, instinctively he turned his head to see who was calling him. However his eyes widened as he saw a glowing figure standing behind him.
''Erebus, you will always belong to us. Do not forget it.'' The mysterious glowing figure said while walking towards him.
''W-who are you?!'' Erebus asked with uncertainty while slowly stepping away from the strange person.
''Tell me, how many of them did you sacrifice for your own selfish desires?'' Another figures said from behind while slowly walking towards Erebus.
Afraid, Erebus kept stepping away from both figures until he felt something from behind him, he whirled around and saw a black flowers on the ground. The flower suddenly began growing bigger until it towered over him, he didn't understand what was happening. While he was to paralyse to move, a sudden hand emerged from the flower and impaled him instantly. As Erebus was slowly losing consciousness the flower lifted him up to its level while whispering one last thing.
''Do not forget that you were cursed by the queen beast, we will always be a part of you.''
At the center of a massive room could be seen a pod containing a white shaped statue inside. The statue suddenly began to crack while red light erupted from everywhere, soon the statue shattered into pieces leaving a human crashing through the pod's glasses. Erebus fell on the ground before widely opening his eyes as he desperately gasped for air, he rapidly reached a hand towards his chest checking for any injuries. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single wound or scar on his chest which eased him down.
Was he dead?
Slowly, Erebus lifting himself from the ground but nearly fell back if he hadn't gripped the side of the pod that was beside him. The lights kept flickering as he cautiously inspected his surroundings before realising that he was inside an enormous grey facility, his grey eyes were filled with confusion as he wondered if this was some kind of dream. However something bright caught his attention to his left, Erebus hissed as slowly walked towards the mysterious shining source while making sure to not fall again.
There wasn't a single sound that could be heard except his armour boots that resonated across the facility, which made him feel quite uneasy however his anxiety slowly vanished as he approached the shining source. Erebus was relieved to see his sword along with its sheath resting behind a display glass. After some reflection, he repeatedly kicked the glass until it shattered into pieces before taking his belongings. As Erebus kept exploring the room he couldn't help but to wonder why wasn't there anyone else in his room besides him, but what bothered him was knowing how exactly did he end up in this place.
Erebus kept passing by many objects that were displayed inside glasses, while some were chained up against walls. He couldn't help but to be unsettled by some of these objects as he walked past them, his eyes intensely stared stared towards a secluded piece of the room.'Is that a library?' He thought while approaching the area, there was an absurd amount books resting on the shelves, Erebus frowned while placing his hand on a book and kept walking while tracing with his finger on them until something caught his attention, there was a small golden plaque named 'Old World records' in Angelic above a section of books. Erebus carefully inspected the books before searching through them while hoping to find valuable information, his eyes widened in disbelief as he saw a book named 'Erebus source'. Carefully, he took the book from shelves began inspecting it.
Erebus took notice of the book's condition in his hands, it seemed quite rusted which made him wonder how old was this book. He carefully sat on the floor and opened the book to see what information it contained, Erebus squinted his eyes as read the pages.
This humanoid statue was found in the ruins of an old cathedral, precisely inside the mercurius gates. One day a researcher stumbled upon this statue, after some months of research he confirmed it to be a relic from the old world. This discovery attracted many scientists from around the region, after a day we've discovered that this statue contained a absurd amount of Maso. One day as we are about to find to way to extract this energy, a scientist touched the statue before losing consciousness. Everyone in this room heard the baby's laughter that were coming from the statue. It was almost as if the statue was...alive. After this accident we've decided to leave this statue here for the time being until we could figure out what to do with it, after two months the same researcher that discovered this statue came back with a case. Inside this was a sword along with its sheath that were apparently not far away from the the statue, this bought up the question this statue origins however what disturbed me the most was the square stone tablet that rested below the statue legs. It was written in some strange letters, it took us five months to discover it was Angelic...A lost language from the old world. Not only had we discovered relics from the old world but we also founded a lost writing language. However after translating the letter, we were shocked to what was written on this stone tablet.
''Do not open these gates, the cursed flower possessed the emperor.''
Whatever this curse is, we have to take this risk. Humanity is dying, project gestalt is collapsing, replicants is our only hope.
Erebus was having a hard time digesting these information, why was this containing information about a statue named after him? What did baby's laughter had anything to do with the statue? So many questions run through his mind as he tried remembering his past but was unable to. Erebus continued turning the pages until he saw some pages were missing, his eyes widened as he realised that the pages weren't missing but pulled out by someone. After some time Erebus put the book down and got to his feet while taking his sword, he eyes scanned the facility while trying to find an exit. He needed answers and it wasn't by staying here that he would find them.
Erebus stared across the room and saw a red light that rapidly flickered, as he walked towards the red light he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched but dismissed it when he stood in front of the source of light.
It was a keypad as the people from this era called it, he couldn't remember where he learned that word. Suddenly, a memory of a certain pair of twins appeared in his mind, soon after a painful headache took over his head. He remembered their voices, the frequent visits, the countless conversations they had while he was in his slumber. Erebus shook his head trying to forget about these vivid memories and began inspecting the keypad, he pressed numerous buttons while trying to see it would open but nothing seemed to work. Sighing, Erebus took out his sword and sliced the keypad in half.
''Access granted.'' a voice coming from the keypad said before the massive silver doors began slowly opening.
Erebus was a bit surprised by the sudden door's movement, but didn't question it and carefully went through the doors. The white haired warrior kept walking down the grey corridors while carefully observing his surroundings, the walls began to fade into white as he kept walking further down the hallway which made him quite confused. The structure of this facility looked in good condition compared to what he was expecting, and yet there wasn't any signs of someone residing here. Erebus couldn't help but to feel nervous as he kept walking down the corridors, after all there wasn't a single exit that could be seen around him. That is he reached a set of stairs that lead to another floor above, he carefully climbed stairs while making sure to not fall. He couldn't shake the feeling of being observed but he also couldn't sense anything near him which was disturbing, after arriving at the second floor Erebus rolled his eyes at the rusted gate before him.
The gates were infested with plants and trees roots, but that didn't stop him from opening the gates. Erebus immediately covered his eyes as the sunlight penetrated through the door, after adjusting to the sunlight he slowly opened his eyes was agape by the sight before him. A variety of emotions rushed through his mind as he realised that currently was standing at the top of a hill, but what surprised him the most were the numerous trees and waterfall that covered the environment. A rush of wind caressed his cheek as his eyes rested on the disastrous yet beautiful scenery before him, it was the most extraordinary scene he's ever witnessed.
''...Where...am I?'' Erebus silently muttered to himself, the birds filled the sky as the wind blew through his ears. The sound of nature was something truly something amazing, beside him was a path surrounded by bushes and trees that lead down towards a forest with abandoned...castles?
''There isn't anyone nearby, how can this be possible?'' He walked down the hill's path, before reaching the ground. ''Is this the land of the forest? Is this land under the intoners command? Or maybe the shades?''
Erebus didn't have any recollection of the events that lead him into his slumber, he tried concentrating on what happened before being awaken from the pod but couldn't due to the throbbing pain his head felt. It frustrated him not remembering most of his past. He merely remember fighting for a purpose that was worth dying for, but then everything faded to white before being put into a eternal slumber. Erebus closed his eyes as the sudden memory two womens who happened to be twins plagued his mind, unfortunately he couldn't see them but he could hear them as they talked to him through his sleep. Their name's were Devola and Popola, both explained to him that they were androids created by humans to preserve humanity, including him. They told him that he was miracle and were honoured to watch over him, the twins also confessed that they were ecstatic about being able to converse with a real human. Erebus also remembered them mentioning about a secret project that they were tasked to oversee its accomplishment, it was called project Gestalt.
The twins also explained that it was their duty's to complete the project and to protect him at all cost. Erebus couldn't comprehend what exactly did the twins meant by protecting him, the more he thought about it, the more it frustrated him. Walking through the forest, Erebus couldn't help but to be captivated by greenery around him as the trees and bushes were become more frequent in his path. However a strange movement caught his attention far further from him. Erebus slowed his pace before hiding behind a tree, the movement didn't stop as it was walking closer to him. Carefully, he poked his head out while trying to not be discovered. Surprise could be seen all over Erebus's face as he saw a boar eating some grass.
''Nature always find its way back, at least i'm not the only living being inside this forest.'' Erebus sighed before continuing walking down the forest's path.
'Something isn't right, I can't sense anyone around here. It's feels like a deserted world.' Erebus thought until he stopped in front of a massive bridge. His grey eyes carefully inspected the bridge, trying to figure out if it was safe to cross over however there wasn't any indication of it being in a good state. Lifting his head, he saw the bridge seemed to connect at the other side of the cliff.
''Well, that's not really convenient for me... '' Erebus said with some irritation in his voice, he could always try finding another way but it would only waste time and it wouldn't be safe to do. After all he didn't know where he was and who lived within this forest, it wouldn't be good to attract unwanted attention.
'I can still feel the flower's energy within me, however its magic isn't stable like it used to be. But now that I think about it, the twins did mention something about powers...I think it was called the sealed verses, it was apparently created from maso. They were made to imitate these intoner's power, if I remember correctly...' he thought before stepping on the bridge.
The bridge wobbled at each step he took, but thankfully it didn't began to break, Erebus could see the river below him which made him feel slightly anxious. Deciding to focus on something else, he took the time to observe his surroundings. It was peaceful and quiet which was surprisingly enjoyable for him, after reaching the end of the bridge Erebus made his way down the cliff. He stared at the birds and boar's that were doing their own thing, even wolfs. The sun was getting brighter as Erebus kept walking through the forest, for hours he continued passing by trees and animals until he reached a cave surrounded by a waterfall. Erebus dragged himself towards the water source and fell to his knees, he didn't understand how did it took him hours just to find some water but decided brush it aside and drink as much as he could.
While helping himself, Erebus saw his reflection on the surface of the water. The first detail he noticed was his middle length white hair, the second detail was a single grey eye while the other was covered. 'How come I never noticed that I had a black blindfold covering one of my eyes?' Erebus thought while continuing looking at his reflection.
After all this time he still hasn't aged in a bit, he had stopped aging a long time. Erebus suddenly remembered memory of his past, he was fighting on the battle along with someone by his side that he couldn't remember. However he could still hear the cries of people dying around him, the sound of villages being reduced to nothing more than ashes.
He has spent most of his life fighting and killing, and he didn't really feel guilty at all. In fact he enjoyed the strange sensation that came from it, killing satisfied an internal urge within him which is why he took some form of pleasure killing those who dared to raise their swords against him.
It was a life where the weaks died and the strong survived, mercy didn't have its place in a environment like that. Erebus suddenly remembered the face of someone that seemed familiar, but before he could recall more of his past. A strange noise came from somewhere near the trees, it was strange since it didn't sound like a animal and it certainly wasn't a human. Slowly, Erebus got up while taking his sword and went hiding inside the cave. He gripped the hilt of his sword and patiently waited as the odd noises kept coming closer, his ears perked up at the sound of not something but rather...someone.
''Protect the king's castle from intruders!''
In a flash, Erebus unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the person that kept coming closer. His eyes slightly widened as saw something rather than someone, 'It looks like a...machine? Is that how the twins called these metal things?' He thought while taking a good look at its physical form, it had a big round head with 2 red glowing eyes along with a grey body. Both of them looked at each other's for some time until the machine took a couple steps towards him which caused Erebus enter his fighting stance while preparing for an attack. ''Kill androids, protect the king!'' The machine shouted before jumping at him, however Erebus saw what was coming and side stepped before slicing its arm.
The machine fell down but immediately and whirled around. ''Die, androids!'' It said before charging once again, Erebus wasn't amused by this machine. In fact he was livid. 'How dare you...' Erebus summoned red lightening around his body and pointed his hand at the machine.
''Now, Disappear.'' Erebus coldly said before unleashing his lightning towards machine, hitting it at full speed. The machine was sent flying back into wall and crashed through it, once the smoke cleared out Erebus walked towards the debris to see if the machine had survived which he really doubted. His suspicion were put to rest when he saw its body wasn't moving anymore except one of his eyes was still glowing red before shutting down.'What a weak machine.' He spared once last glance before making his way back inside the cave and rested for the time being.
Erebus slowly opened his eyes and stretched his tired body, ''How many hours did I sleep...?'' his silver eyes wandered around the ground until he found his sword and took it, staying here wouldn't be safe for him and especially if there were more machines roaming around. Slowly, he stood up and walked towards the cave's exit.
Once Erebus stepped outside, he squinted his eyes at the shining sun that hasn't moved from its spot, 'Shouldn't it be night time by now?' Erebus thought while walking further into the forest, he could hear the birds singing around him and for some reason he took joy In that, it's been centuries since he was able to enjoy the beauty of nature.
As he walked through the forest, he couldn't help but remember the events from a few hours ago. The encounter with that machine made him wonder if there were more of them inside this forest, 'Where did that machine came from? And why did it attack me? It said something protecting a king, maybe this forest is the king's territory. But it doesn't explain why this machine talked about killing androids, could it be that it was talking about the twins androids? Why would that machine be after them?' He thought while remembering the twins.
'Speaking of those twins, i haven't met another single person since I got out of that room. It doesn't make sense, I need to find them as fast as possible, only them could give me an explanation on what happening here.' Erebus was contemplating his surroundings until he suddenly heard footsteps from coming from his left. Quickly, he jumped on a tree and patiently waited for some time before seeing a group of...people?
To his surprise, there were two women, 'but something isn't right, they look human but I can't sense anything from them.' He thought while observing them closely, despite the of them looking like any other human, there was also something odd about them. Both women were dressed weirdly, however what ever more stranger was that one of them was wearing a black blindfold that covered both of her eyes. Erebus also noticed something that flew beside the one wearing a blindfold.
It was quite a weird square creature which confused him since he never saw a anything like that. Erebus's eyes shifted towards the other women and saw that she was wearing a deep brown and black clothes along with a cape, both women also had swords strapped behind their backs. Erebus then tried taking a good look at their features and saw that one had red hair while the other one with the blindfold had white hair, just like him.
Erebus saw that they were coming close to his direction and wondered if he should stay hidden or confront them, after all they were the first people he saw since he woke up from his slumber. He didn't know how strong which didn't put him at ease, not to forget he couldn't sense anything from them. It almost seemed like they were ghost.
After some thoughts Erebus decided to sneak up on them to see what their motives were. Maybe they were to hunt him down or even take their revenge for what he did to that machine earlier, it wouldn't be a surprise that the loud explosion attracted them. Erebus sincerely hoped they would fight him, It's been ages since he hasn't had a proper fight and he has in no mood to talk things out. Erebus smirked as he jumped from trees, he was going to wait for them near the waterfall.
21H was tired of walking in this forest without an actual mission, and she was sure that her friend also was. Command told them to scout the forest and to collect datas on several devices created by aliens when they first came to earth. She didn't know why command told them to look for those things, they were elite soldiers and not some damn scanners.
21H shook her head trying to keep her temper down, it wouldn't look good on her if she started throwing tantrums. She was the captain of her squad after all, which meant she had to keep her emotions in check. This is what the commander kept telling every Yorha units. That emotions are forbidden, but how were they supposed to keep doing that in this forsaken war?
Many of Yorha units, including resistance members have died in this war for the past centuries, they were told to keep fighting for the glory of mankind, that the humans were waiting on the moon for this war to be over so that they could finally return to earth. The humans, the gods that created them, 21H remembered that many androids used to dream about meeting an actual human. It was the dream of every androids alive including hers, she recalled conversations she had with others androids about the humans.
Every androids wished they could talk to humans, serve, and live among humans. It was one among the many others fantasies that most androids shared. 21H remembered the countless androids that died without meeting a human, Her friends who served the resistance camp told her they couldn't believe that they would probably die one day without seeing a human. It saddened her to see the dejected look on their faces as they told her their worries. To her, it felt like the humans abandoned them to their own fate. They haven't shown any signs of being alive for centuries, no matter how much they cry or died, the humans still won't acknowledge their cries for help.
What have they ever done to deserve this fate?
21H sometimes wondered if the humans despised androids, maybe that's why they let androids getting butchered by the machines. She was tired of this war, she wished that the humans would listen to their calls for help. 21H kept having these thoughts until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
''21H...? 21H! Are you with me or not?'' Amelia asked while placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
21H jumped a little bit before turned her head towards Amelia, she was one of the few people that she considered as a close friend and one of the very few that was still alive.
''Yes sorry, I was just thinking about stuff. Is something wrong ?''21H looked at Amelia with a raise eyebrow.
''Um yes, I said did you see this thing that bounced from the trees ahead of us...? Are you sure that you're alright 21H ? You've not really been yourself since we left the camp.'' Amelia asked with a worried expression on her face.
''No I didn't see it. Listen, I assure you that I'm fine Amelia. It's just that lately the work has been really intense for these past days and I barely got time to rest, after all the machines has been very active lately so commander told us to keep an eye out for them and to report whatever seems suspicious.'' 21H explained with a tired sigh.
''Well...yeah it's true that you yorha soldiers have been running up and down quite a lot these months. You should rest you know because it's not good to keep working so hard to you barely have time to rest. Just watch closely and keep your guard up, I've got a bad feeling about this.'' Amelia said while still being concerned for her friend.
''Yeah i will, and thank you for worrying about me.''21H said with a small smile.
Amelia could tell if something was bothering her friend and she wanted to know what was the cause of her worries so that she could help her. However she thought that maybe 21H just needed some space, having all this stress can be quite difficult to handle and having some time alone would help her.
She has known 21H for years now. Many Years before when she joined the resistance camp, she was timid and didn't speak to anyone. The other androids thought that there was something wrong with her and didn't bother talking to her, except if it was something urgent. She didn't mind it since most people at the resistance camp were decent to her, However sometimes she could hear some remarks about her personality. It didn't hurt her that much but it was also wasn't pleasant, there was a few people that were willing talking to her and get to know her like 21H.
Amelia remembered when 21H was first deployed along with other Yorha units on earth to help the resistance camp, Out of all the units 21H was the first one to come and talk to her like a normal person. At first she didn't want to open up to anyone, but after some more visits she eventually decided to trust 21H and slowly the two of them became close friends. 'Now isn't the time to be distracted, we need to focus on what's waiting for us.' Amelia thought while walking towards the waterfall along with 21H.
Outdated!: welp that's my first time actually trying to write something. Not that I didn't try writing anything before but y'know i was ehh lazy? Yeah that must be it...I think? But seriously I've had this project that I wanted to do for so long but didn't know how to put it in place. As some of you can see English isn't my main language, so yeah. I'm open to criticism since I'm actually trying to improve as a writer so don't hesitate, until then cya next time losers !
