Warning for scene: Spoilers for Episode 30, "Computopia".

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Something had been broken.

It hurt to know that those two were right… right about me not knowing what love was.

Dad was the only one around, since Mom had died when I was an infant… but he was focused on his computerized city. He put in all he had to create it, to perfect it… So I helped him too.

And even then, I didn't feel the kind of love I would have wanted to feel.

The day I died, was just one day away from the finishing of the Sphinx. Except I didn't really die. I just left my body behind, and went inside the system. I wasn't happy in the real world anymore, so I transferred my mind into the Sphinx.

The Sphinx and I were one and the same. Yet entirely separate.

Time passed, and that's when she came to the city. I've never seen someone so beautiful, but a lingering feeling told me I had… When she was scanned into the system, I felt so different. The gentlest touch reminded me of long ago. Because no one else I've met ever had a touch like that.

After she had been connected to the mainframe, I wanted her to stay with me. But that boy had to interfere with everything… he loved her too.

And she returned his feelings. Not mine. I knew the moment she tried to protect him.

They said that my love wasn't real love. I couldn't force love. I only knew virtual love.

I thought, by now, I could understand love. I could know entirely what real love was. But I did understand love! I understood! That's what I kept telling myself.

The real truth was; I wanted to feel loved.

It was too much to handle. My heart was broken, and along with that, a primary memory cable.


Owari

I apologize for not updating in over... say... three or so months, but now that I'm on winter break, I have a whole lot of free time to myself. And since GoldAngel2 asked for a "Carl Ekerman" scene, I'm finally able to comply. Speaking of which, I'm not sure this could be classified as angst. I keep seeing this like a lot of his thoughts at once just before the cable went out.

As for the idea of Carl putting himself into the system... I got the idea when noticing that one: Dr. Ekerman definitely looked surprised at hearing his son's voice. Along with two: they never explained the cause of death at such a young age.

And as a last note: Merry Christmas everyone!