No, no, I'm not dead, and neither is the story. I sorta kinda initially intended to release the final four chapters at once, is the thing. All together they're considered "the ending", if that makes sense, and chronologically occur back to back, so it's best to read them that way, too. But these chapters are something of a mind-bender, and 23 and 24 especially aren't currently where I want them to be. 22 still needs a few edits as well. But I'm tired of sitting on this and I feel really bad for making you all wait this long so fuck it let's do this thing!
In DitF episode 21 (what a long time ago that was, huh?), things got a bit... strange.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
The back of his mind sometimes wondered if, perhaps, the klaxosaurs remained oblivious to their sheer scale. Human researchers long ago postulated their fellow hominids grew to similar sizes and weights. Neanderthals, for example, were assumed to be larger humans. Perhaps seven or so feet tall, just over two meters, with weight distributions matching the difference. His meeting with Elistre seemed to support that theory: despite her incredible age, her body remained that of a teenager, and he supposed her to be of similar height to an average human girl at that stage of biological development, if not a bit shorter.
Throughout history, humans displayed... issues with comprehending scale. Take the internet away from the average Jane Doe, ask her the height of an elephant or giraffe, and marvel at the results. Neither did such things change if one placed the human on the receiving end of the scale differential. Ask an airline passenger at what altitude they soared, and again, marvel at the results.
Did Delphinium, then, comprehend that with every step they took, the ground shook with the intensity of a minor earthquake? Did they understand that their pacing would eventually create a valley rivaling the Grand Canyon in scope?
Did they realize he was building a bomb?
"Delphinium, please. What troubles you?"
Ah, momentary relief.
We are thinking.
As if that wasn't obvious. "About?"
Strelizia.
...
Oh.
He cleared his throat and set down the tools. "I see. Perhaps I may be of some assistance?"
They crossed their arms and seemed to huff. Could machines huff? They didn't breathe, so how-
Is it real or a mere simulation?
The question put Werner on his metaphorical back foot. Right to the heart of the matter! Such immediacy!
"I... I would argue that, at this point, whether it is a simulacra or the actual thing made manifest does not matter."
And we would argue that it does. How do we know it is not the lion masquerading? That saurian in particular was never trustworthy.
"Strelizia claimed otherwise, and told me it it had different... priorities, so to speak."
Even the wolf acknowledges that it, and all saurians for that matter, were beasts of hunger. They were the same, the lion included.
"They told me the lion was sapient."
Whatever reply Delphinium mustered died within their emitters. They dropped to a knee with a cacophonous thud and stared down upon him.
Surely you jest.
He swallowed thick, nervous spittle, aware as he was of the implications. "Their words, I assure you, not mine! They, ah, explained that it knew what it was doing. That it was aware of its own existence. That it was... ignoring... its hunger, in a way. Intentionally."
To what end?
"I'm not sure even they knew. And if they did, they never told me."
We knew they were mad. We knew they were hypocrites. But we did not know it ran so deep. They told us all the saurians, the lion included, operated as simple machines. Inputs and outputs. Until the merge, they did not display traits beyond the hunger.
"And that simplicity was the reason for the success, both within the klaxosaurs and within Strelizia, correct?"
Correct. That is why we presume it to be a simulation. Based upon what we know of the saurians, we believe it to be lines of code stemming from a set of variables - the hybrids, in this case - which have modified its behavior beyond the norm. So far the program has aided us. We hope that continues.
He rubbed at his eye. "You're worried it's temporary?"
Delphinium stood and resumed their pacing.
It is no longer a klaxosaur, as was planned. But what happens when it stops simulating? If that algorithm is a chain wrapped around the lion's neck, what happens if the chain breaks, and Strelizia are not there to contain it?
He understood their reasoning. Their concern was valid: all of their eggs rested in one volatile basket. But even still-
"Did you not admit yourselves that there was hope? It is unlike you to be so shallow of belief. Up until this point, it has done everything they hypothesized and more: guarded them; self-diagnosed; identified, evaded or engaged potential threats. Before it escaped, my last tests even hinted at it keeping logs and modifying its dormant subroutines! Delphinium, that goes beyond Strelizia's predictions!"
Delphinium stared up at the tall, black ceiling of the Gaia-class. Hazy blue lines pulsed and ebbed.
You claim it learns, despite the absence of that which should allow such.
Werner picked up the tools and returned to work. Almost done, almost done.
"No. I believe the hybrids are not absent at all. A simulation, lines of code - they could not so convincingly pantomime that level of self-understanding and actualization. It did not exhibit the behavior of a machine troubleshooting. In those tests, it acted more as an indifferent third party rummaging through a file cabinet. A curious bystander, picking out a book from a shelf."
A third party? You consider it separate from the lion?
"The lion is dead. It perished defending itself and the hybrids against the drones' emergency protocols. I watched. I saw. As you yourselves said, a klaxosaur no longer moves Strelizia. But I claim it goes further: a saurian does not move it either."
He finished his work and zipped the backpack-turned-explosive just as a hideous tremor ripped through the foundation. A low groan echoed; Delphinium's gaze drifted across the Gaia's cavernous walls, then they called out for a companion.
Kivala!
The worm seemingly materialized out of nowhere, such was their speed.
Reporting! Oho! It's been so long since we said that!
Delphinium fought back a laugh. They'd deny it of course, but he knew!
The time has come, friends. Please escort Werner Frank to the human installation.
Of course, Captain-Lieutenant, of course! Please, my friend, climb aboard! It is good to see you again!
He hefted the pack and approached the klaxosaur. At long last... "Likewise, Kivala. I trust you enjoyed meeting the children."
Indeed! They had a great many questions!
"I'm sure."
Before you go, Werner Frank, one more thing.
He turned to Delphinium, waiting.
In your own words: what is it?
He half expected a farewell, but such sentimentality held no place here, nor was it the appointed time. Delphinium held the protocols - a copy of them, rather - and their true work had yet to be done. Should all go according to plan, they would meet again. He resumed his walk.
"It is a separate creature commandeering a corpse and using it for its own ends. Were my wife still alive, she would label it a parasite."
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
The water did nothing to help the dry, sickly feeling strangling her throat. Nana's pensive stare amplified her headache. This entire situation, those guards standing statuesque outside the cell, the fight in the Garden...
Theta lowered the empty cup to her lap and tried not to puke. "Where... am..."
"Asphodel."
Really tried not to puke. "Tres...passing! I... c-cant!"
"You were taken here as a prisoner, against your will. They'll understand - well, they would if you were going back. But you're not, so the point's kinda moot."
"H-Huh?"
Nana massaged her brow and sighed.
"From what we understand, Papa's lost his patience with you, your siblings, the doctor, and pretty much everyone else caught up in this insanity. He's sent all the remaining magma to the Grand Crevasse, along with the parasites and the last two operational plantations, and intends to stage one final push to get it into orbit and onto Cosmos."
"C-Can he... do it?"
"Not if the doctor has his way."
She was conflicted. On one hand, Theta knew her responsibility, her designed role. But on the other, she kinda sorta definitely didn't want to die, especially not after the therapy worked and she survived and oh Papa this timing truly was awful. And she didn't want her siblings to die either! If the doctor's concoction worked for her, it would work for Eta and Zeta. With some slight modifications, maybe it could help the others, too!
"What... do I..."
"Make a choice, like everyone else has. The doctor gave you that medicine because he feels guilty, and because he wanted to convince you and the others that there's still a chance for you all to have a bit of normalcy when this is over. But whether you believe him, Theta? Whether you trust him? That's up to you."
If Papa won, humanity would be saved. A guaranteed pyrrhic victory. The survivors would struggle. The parasites would fall in battle against the klaxosaurs. But in some small fashion, here or there, the species would live, even if it was not in the flesh. Perhaps Asphodel would eke out an existence among the ruined world, though without APE's ever-present shield she doubted it.
But...
"What h-happens... if doctor... wins?"
Nana only shrugged.
"Don't know. Not sure he does, either."
...
Her throat cleared, just a bit. "What... happened... after the b-battle?"
"Hachi told me Epsilon died trying to save you. That blizzard cleared up. He saw foliage surrounding Plantation 13, too. Grass and vines and some small bushes. A few flowers, maybe. He evacuated the children into plantation's city, where they're being cared for."
Theta rested her head against the cold walls and wrapped the blankets more securely around her exhausted body. The children survived. Good. But for Epsilon, for herself, for her siblings? Even for Iota, idiotic though she was?
She searched long and hard for the right choice, the correct course of action. In battle it was easy: kill the klaxosaurs. Always the enemy stood before them, always they pushed forward as orders dictated. Nice and easy, black and white, good and bad, heroes and demons, allies and enemies. But what now? What would guarantee their survival?
"Why?"
"Why what?"
Deeeeeep breath. Deep breath. Inhale, exhale. "Why is the doctor fighting with Papa? Do they hate each other?"
"Hate?" Nana barked out a cynical laugh. "No, nothing so crude, Theta. Their argument and this war as a whole stems from, as the doctor once told me, 'a professional, collegiate disagreement over cause and effect'. Doctor Frank believes the magma extraction itself - as in, the absence of the magma from the planet - is what created our various problems, and reverting the absence with specific procedures will rectify the situation. Papa believes the extraction fueled immediate, runaway climate change, that the damage has been done, and, strapped for resources as we are, the magma is better suited being used a fuel for processes that could halt and eventually reverse the cascade."
Her head hurt. "Who is r-right?"
"Don't know."
Damn it, damn it, damn it! "Who... who has... more evidence?"
"They both have evidence supporting their claims, as far as I'm aware. Papa and the council have done their own research and the doctor has done his. But from what I know, neither party has found a smoking gun or conclusive proof one way or the other. Don't ask me how they've managed to do scientific experiments in the middle of this crazy war, though. I haven't a clue."
They fought for the same end. Both men had the same goal but disagreed on how to get there. All this time they'd just been... trapped in the middle...
...
Wait.
Wait, the middle! In the middle of all this was-
"What... about here?"
Nana was confused. "Here?"
"Here! Asphodel! What about-"
"They don't care."
But! "Why not?"
The older woman closed her eyes and reclined against the aged, uncomfortable wooden chair.
"It is impossible for humanity to go extinct."
The claim came unexpected and Theta found herself wholly unprepared for its reception. She recoiled as if slapped. "H-Huh? What does-"
"It means exactly what you think it does. In the midst of all this, as the world and all her life died, bands of stragglers managed to survive long enough to reach one of the few untouched regions left. These hardy but ordinary people gathered together and created a settlement that to this day sustains itself on subsistence farming and attempted reclamations of what humanity lost in the chaos. Their citizens need to wear aged and cumbersome old world military environmental suits - suits they can no longer reproduce - for these treks beyond the Barrier, into ruined, hostile, foreign lands that a few short generations ago would have best been described as temperate, ho-hum and utterly monotonous. Asphodel is not a threat to anyone. What little weaponized equipment they've managed to salvage barely starts and takes them months, if not years to repair or field. In this new world they are at the very bottom of the food chain, and they know it more than anyone else. Even the klaxosaurs won't bother them: they lack the means to extract magma, and even if they could I doubt they would, given what these poor people have seen and experienced already. They have enough problems, their lives are already difficult, and no one alive with a hint of sympathy for their situation sees any point in negative interference."
Outside the cell, Theta saw a guard's shoulders shaking. But to his credit he said nothing; a comrade sidestepped closer and patted his shoulder with a gloved hand.
"What about Garden? Wasn't that..."
Nana ran a solemn hand through her hair. "Calling such an event 'once in a lifetime' wouldn't do it justice, and even then it wasn't officially sanctioned by Asphodel's government. It's a bad example - too many politics involved."
Too many - that was it! That was it!
"They just want to survive, r-right?"
"Yeah."
"And... and do they accept... um..." She struggled to voice the word. "...de-defectors?"
Nana's posture snapped rigid. They locked eyes. The already frigid room dropped another ten degrees.
"State your terms."
The static-filled rasp came not from the woman across from her, but one of the armored guards outside the cell. He and his other peered through the bars; their visors' ruby light pierced her. The man took a huff of filtered air, like nails through a blender, and said it again.
"Go on, girl. State your terms."
I am the sun on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
"We are going to use one of the remaining two plantations as bait."
The woman's statement stunned the room. Coordinators glanced between one another, concern crossing their visages in brief flashes of misunderstanding and faint panic. Hushed whispers offered potential explanations for such a strategy, but upon hearing the briefer clear her voice, they returned their eyes forward.
She tapped a remote and brought up a flickering hologram of the Grand Crevasse battlefield. The cool orange light did nothing to stifle Alpha's yawn. Exemptions existed for special forces squads such as theirs. They didn't need to be there, but this one? Exception. An exception to the exemption, as it were.
Heh.
"Seventy-two hours ago, the Nines confirmed the existence of humanoid klaxosaurs: klaxosaurs which appear to be modeled after our Franxx units."
Again, more concerned glances. Sorry bastards needed to deal with the rank-and-file. Casualty reports already saw a fifty percent increase. Alpha pitied them all.
In over their heads, the lot of them.
"As you all know, the Franxx itself was derived from reverse engineering the klaxosaurs. They've done the same to us, now. It appears we've come full circle."
She tapped a button and the map first highlighted, then zoomed in to a specific section near the border of the facility. An image popped up: one of the humanoids, captured mid-swing of some mace-like weapon.
"Their abilities and weaknesses remain unknown at this time. We have reason to believe they're communicating with each other and, as such, advise extreme caution. Since their appearance, klaxosaur coordination has risen threefold. Question? Yes, you."
A man near the room's entrance lowered his hand. "Do we know how they communicate? Is jamming possible?"
"No, and unknown. Yes?"
A woman. "There appears to be a noticeable size differential between these new variants and, say, Gutenbergs. Should we focus our efforts on coordinated assault? Are they more susceptible to damage?"
Alpha spoke over the briefer. "Excuse me."
Ah, to be famous among the troops. One could hear a pin drop. Look at their backs, stiff as statues.
The hologram's dull light illuminated blonde locks. "Dear coordinators, when she said caution is advised, she meant you are to have your parasites avoid contact with these particular creatures until further notice, unless in life or death situations. Am I understood?"
"Understood!" they chorused.
"Excellent." The blonde turned to the briefer and smiled. "I shall take over from here, thank you."
The woman nodded dutifully, handed him the remote controlling the display and stepped back. Alpha resumed.
"I shall be blunt: they do not have cores."
...
Hmm. Fear? Disappointing. They could do better.
"Existing strategies have proven... ineffective. We know. We've tried. It is not in the head, nor the torso, nor the legs, arms, shoulders or pelvis. It simply does not exist. To that end, new tactics must be devised and tested. How do we kill a man with no brain or heart?"
Time ticked. The coordinators sat there, ruminating. At last, one raised his hand.
"Go ahead."
"Trauma. You bleed the man. Dismember him. Render him unfit to fight."
Good to know they still picked the smart ones for this job. Alpha leaned on the holographic display. "Very good. Now, how do you bleed a man capable of regenerating said damage?"
Again they mulled and pondered. This time, a woman.
"Yes?"
"Excessive amounts of force. Outpace the regeneration."
"Correct. That is the only way, so far, we have managed to kill one of these vermin. It is inefficient. Gruesome. But let me stress, coordinators, that these are not mere beasts."
Alpha tapped the display and brought up another holographic slide. Two of the humanoids crouched upon a hill. One pointed in some random direction, presumably to human forces. The other raised its hand, as if the flag down a compatriot or use a signal.
Communicating. Planning.
"They are soldiers."
Dead silence. The blonde emphasized the point.
"Klaxosaur soldiers."
Against protocol, one coordinator stammered out his realization. "Y-You mean they're-"
"Yes, they are," Alpha interrupted. "Yes they are!"
Legs took the leader in front of the terminal, blocking the hologram.
"Ladies and gentlemen, no longer are we clearing some annoying infestation. This is not a culling of the wildlife."
They steeled themselves. Eyes hardened, jawlines and teeth set.
"Coordinators of humanity, my dear fellows, as of this moment we are engaged with an occupying militarized force. We are fighting a war!"
With two taps of the remote the clone brought up several slides at once. One displayed APE's two remaining plantations, which straddled the outskirts of the Grand Crevasse.
The others displayed battle lines and territorial borders. Borders of two nations, two humanities, set adrift into chaos by a twin set of rhythmic mistakes, forced into conflict over differing ideologies of the same goal.
So began the beginning of the end.
"Now!" Alpha snarled. "Let us discuss strategy!"
The final hours of the apocalypse.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
"I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help, dear. All we can suggest is that you get more rest and see if your symptoms improve."
So that was it, huh?
"I'll do my best," Ichigo responded. "Thank you for your time, I appreciate it."
Inconclusive.
The nurse smiled in sympathy and watched them leave. The dull thud of their shoes on wood punctuated his uncertainty.
"Ichigo, are you sure?"
"If they can't help, they can't help. I'll be fine."
A bad liar, always and forever. Fine now, perhaps, but in a week? A month? A year? Goro stared at his wounded leg and silently cursed it all. Of course they wouldn't have the resources to diagnose mental illness. What was he thinking? This place struggled to feed its citizenry and he expected them to field, what, MRI machines? Idiot, idiot!
Their stomachs growled in unison. Speaking of food...
"We should probably get something to eat."
Ichigo rubbed at tired eyes. "Wanna go to the market? I saw some fish sticks earlier. They looked good."
"Sure."
Out the door they went; he squinted against the sunlight. A beautiful day, spring around the corner, and yet that pensive unease wouldn't stop gnawing at his gut. What could he do? Is this what those two felt before their reunion? This feeling - had Hiro suffered it for years? No wonder they'd gone insane.
A tug on his arm stopped him in his tracks. Ichigo pointed skyward.
"Do you see that?"
He followed her finger to an empty rooftop, already knowing where this topic led. "Describe it."
'Describe it', because in her mind, what she saw existed.
"A hawk."
A what? "What's a hawk?"
One blink, then two. Her brow furrowed. "Uh..."
Some type of creature, probably. Whether her names and descriptions for these things originated from reality or the annals of delusion, he knew not. All he could do was walk her through it and tether her wandering mind.
"Bird, medium-sized. Brown with white speckles. Sharp beak, long talons - oh, it's gone."
This sort of thing repeated: she named some elusive, mystical being; he probed at the vision; and she described it akin to a klaxosaur target until it vanished back into the mists. If it happened only on occasion, like maybe an hour apart or something, he could manage.
"Left side. Bear. Large black quadruped, no tail."
But they happened far more frequently than that.
"Not there either. This way," he urged. "We're almost there."
Her ironclad grip on his hand, though, gave him hope for their future. With that strength they approached the market, and with that tenacity they ordered some food - food they received for free, when the chef spotted the helmets strapped to their backpacks.
"Sagi's squad never stayed long," the man told them. "In and out, here and there, always getting things done. They saw much. Thank you for bringing them home to rest."
Goro accepted their food with grace. If only they could all be so lucky.
Ichigo devoured her plate while they searched for a place to sit. He ate slower in an attempt to savor it while he could. But right as they finally sat down, she choked on a bite, gasping out in alarm. Again her hand found his; this time she squeezed. Tight.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Panicked olive eyes shifted from further down the road, to him, back again. He leaned forward to block her view.
"Ichigo!"
"It's her!" she rasped.
"Her?"
"The woman! Her soul! She's down the road, she's-"
Fuck!
He gripped her shoulders. "Look at me. Ichigo, look at me!"
She hyperventilated.
"She's not real! She's not real, she's dead! I'm real! We're real, we're here!"
Ichigo buried her head in his chest. His arms looped around her. Something needed to be done. They couldn't continue like this.
The poor girl's voice came out tiny and muffled. "She wants me to follow."
Follow? "Where to?"
A long moment passed. A few passing civilians shot them strange looks, but he didn't care. His partner didn't respond - but something else did.
"Mrow?"
At the foot of the bench sat a black cat, tail flicking to and fro in the dusty street. At last, an animal he recognized.
He saw Ichigo glance at it from her eye's corner and decided to take the opportunity. "Want a fish stick?"
The thing swiped it from his hand before he could so much as drop it onto the ground. Secured in its mouth, it turned and trotted down the street, in the same direction of Ichigo's tortured vision. A few dozen or so feet away it stopped, turned...
Her breath grew strained.
...and stared at him.
"What the fuck?" he whispered.
"Goro, it's next to her! I-It's next to her!"
The cat turned fully. It dropped the fishstick. It sat down.
Ichigo shook.
"Mrow!"
...
The woman he loved suffered from some sort of mental illness. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Schizophrenia. Perhaps something else.
"Ichigo?"
But - just maybe, what if...
She squeezed herself against him, tried to get as close as possible.
"Ichigo, the woman - what did she say?"
What if she didn't?
"'Help'!"
Mastermind in the FranXX
Revelation - Part 1
ἓν τὸ πᾶν
"Fish?"
"Check! Clothing?"
"All there, check. Sanity?"
They plopped down on the open hatch.
"Definitely not check!"
He laughed, because laughing was better than crying. "Are we sure we're doing the right thing?"
"Jeez darling, this was your idea in the first place!"
"I know, but..."
"I think we are."
They followed Strelizia's gaze. For the past few hours the machine had done nothing but stare off into the horizon. Presumably in the direction of Elistre's departure. Stupid girl. They knew better than anyone that running away never solved problems.
Zero Two grabbed his hand. "Darling, listen."
"Hm?"
"No matter what happens, we can't be idiots, okay? We're not gonna move the world for her, or any of the others. Our plans are too important. So if we get to wherever she is and she's already made up her mind..."
As always, her words rung true. "We leave her alone."
"Yupyup!"
Well, might as well get this over with. "Strelizia! What do you think?"
The groan shook the trees. Grinning, they stood and entered the cockpit.
"Vote's unanimous! Let's do this!"
The hatch sealed shut.
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Sitting down did little to ease her exhaustion.
"You don't have to do this. The stryker crews already gave their debriefs. You can rest."
"It's... it's my duty."
Her mother steepled her hands and leaned onto the desk. "Are you sure you're alright, Sam?"
If she didn't stop slouching she'd quite literally fall off the chair. But the energy... just...
"Dunno."
...wasn't really there.
"Tell me what happened, in your own words."
...
"Do I, y'know, have permission to-"
"You don't need to ask."
Granted, apparently. Naomi shoved her hands way deep down into her pockets.
"I'm pretty sure I should be dead."
To her credit, her mother said nothing. No retorts or snarky remarks, thank the founders.
"Why?"
"Cockpit got whacked with some flak rounds or something. One of them APE APCs. Tore Bari to shreds, I just... I-I couldn't, u-um..."
Oh. Was she crying? Awkward.
"...control it, right? Like the whole system was severed. Nothing I could do."
She shuffled her feet for a moment.
"Then it started working again. Dunno."
Her mother stood and took the seat next to hers. "Walk through it, Sam. What happened?"
"Gauges started flipping out. Altimeter didn't make sense. It - like I was at - it flipped from one end to the other. From zero all the way up past ninety-five hundred." She snapped her fingers. "Like that. I-Impossible shit, y'know? And Bari's body was gone and I had her helmet and... and..."
She dug her palms into her eyes. Something hoarse and raspy shuddered from her lips.
"I-I don't get it, mom! I don't!"
Arms wrapped around her. Naomi leaned into the hug. "The crewmen mentioned orange specks floating around. That sound familiar?"
"Y-Yeah, around the... the e-edges? Of my... my vision, I think. I dunno. I just..."
Her mother rocked her back and forth. "Anything else?"
"I heard Bari's voice," she sputtered.
"Really?"
"Y-Yeah. She said I could do it."
"Do what?"
"I-I dunno! Win? I guess? Survive?"
"Did you see what happened after? On the way home?"
"It was fuckin' creepy! So creepy! I hated it!"
"Why?"
"The g-grass, like... I think it was glowing or s-something. Like it wasn't really there. But it was! And th-the-"
She choked on spit.
"Shh, take your time, hun. Here, tissue."
Nice and gunky, the kind of mucus one got from a good cry.
"One of those horses, it... shit, Mom, the things were waiting for us! They stared at the dragoons, they..."
"You think they were real?"
"I..."
Naomi threw the crumpled-up tissue across the room, then wiped the tears with her sleeve. Her mother scowled, but said nothing.
I th-think-" she sputtered. "-that ghosts are not real! They don't exist!"
The poor girl balled her fists onto her lap.
"But... b-but whatever that thing was... Mom, there's s-something in there. Inside the Barrier! Those... things... didn't act like any animal I've ever seen! Horses are extinct! They were not horses! They... th-they couldn't be!"
...
Her mother stroked her back, brow furrowed, and sighed against the weight of the world.
"Listen to me, Sam. From now on, I don't want you leaving the city walls. If you can, try to stay indoors, okay?"
"H-Huh? But... but my f-friends need m-my-"
"Samantha."
She recoiled in her chair. Rarely did her mother use that tone of voice, but when she did it warranted attention.
"I cannot control your friends' actions. I've already spoken with that woman, Nana. If they choose to stay here and ride out the storm, that's fine. But if they leave, I can't guarantee their safety. Once they depart the walls they're on their own, and God forbid something goes wrong. God forbid that man be wrong!"
Her mother stood and took quick, short paces to the desk and the satellite phone resting atop. Pale sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating dust and tears and a tense, suffocating atmosphere.
"You, though, Sam - you're the next generation. If something were to happen to me, the poeple would look to you for council."
"I-I'm - what are you s-saying?! I'm not ready!"
"I know. But this is beyond us now, and for the first time in a while, I'm afraid for Asphodel's survival. The doors will be shut until further notice, barring the exceptions of your friends and the scavenger corps. I will send some people to help them if needed."
She dialed a number, one Naomi knew well: the hotline to the barracks.
"Mom, I don't understand. What's happening?"
"The debriefs both you and the crewmen submitted have unfortunately reminded me of some details that insufferable doctor mentioned in our phone call. I do hope he's wrong about everything, but on the off chance he isn't it's best to take precautions."
"B-But... but closing the walls? Shutting the doors? The f-farms are out there, Mom! It's not like we're under siege or something! It's just us!"
"We don't know that."
...
The phone rang.
She sighed, resigned. "Look, a phrase he mentioned during the conversation that has me on edge. It was an old world colloquialism apparently, dating to before the collapse. Truthfully I didn't think much of it - I thought he was jesting, or speaking in parables. But now, well..."
A phrase? A phrase. What stupid combination of words could scare her stone-cold mom, mayor of the last city on Earth?
"What phrase?"
And as the older woman peered beyond the window to the skies above, Naomi noticed just how exhausted she really was. Humanity's final leader bowed her head and shut her eyes tight, desperately praying for the failing satellites to work and for the call to be connected.
"'Mother Nature'."
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there
"C'mon, let's go, let's go!"
His grip remained ironclad. "Relax."
"But...!"
"There's no need to rush, Ichigo. Is she still there?"
She scanned the forest path, but the woman was long gone. Just that cat now, and a... a...
fox
"No, just a fox - uh... u-um, like a small dog? Reddish-brown kinda, fluffy tail."
"How do you know their names, anyway?"
"I don't... know..."
do you?
Did she?
Summer? No - no, fall, the leaves were changing, but-
He squeezed her hand. Ichigo took a moment to glance at his feet.
Late winter. Almost spring. Okay, then summer and fall weren't real. Just visions.
She glanced up again. Still the cat, now a-
stag
Stag. An adult male deer.
Just memories.
"Where are they leading us?" he asked. Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut.
"You can see the cat, right?"
"Yeah."
Some relief, just a bit. Like the slightest twist of a pressure valve.
"Focus on the cat. The cat's real."
Spring summer autumn winter spring summer autumn winter spring summer autumn winter-
Rain sun leaves snow rain sun leaves snow rain sun leaves snow-
"More die..."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
The librarian, the woman, on this same path!
It hurt to blink. "I think it's the bunker."
Goro frowned. "Mitsuru and Kokoro cleaned it out, though, didn't they? All the stuff they could take, I mean."
Not here, but then? One moment, one blip, one life, one death.
"Maybe there's something else."
The cat gave a sudden yelp and darted off the path, into the foliage. Goro bit back a curse.
"Now what?"
A hand lifted, a finger pointed into the woods. She hadn't seen this one, what-
gorilla
She tugged his hand. "This way! C'mon!"
fish
But they lived in the ocean! How - that made no sense!
whale
Could... could something grow that big? It twisted through the sky... whoa...
toad frog
They looked kinda slimy. Whoa, that one hung, like, upside down!
"What's gotten into you?!"
"We're almost there!"
wolf coyote fox dog
Through the trees, turn left up here, follow the pack...
grass tree bird bat
All those birds...
"Goro?"
"H-Huh?"
Tears stung her eyes.
"I... I wish you could see this..."
tiger
Beautiful stripes.
lion
Majestic hair!
lynx
Look at those ears!
And at the entrance to the bunker's clearing, lounging in a stray patch of chilly sunlight...
"Mrow?"
...was the cat.
Goro took a moment to catch his breath, but grinned regardless. "You're too quick for us, little guy."
But her focus remained elsewhere. For at the far end of the clearing, Ichigo spied the doctor dragging a body out of the bunker.
"G-Goro? Goro! Quick, look! Is there anything in front of the bunker right now?!"
"No?"
Again she tugged him forward. "Let's go!"
She ran as fast as she could with Goro's injury, but her attempt was vain. The doctor vanished around the bunker's rear with corpse in tow. Together they trailed him, and to their surprise found the clearing continued some ways past the structure. To the far end, covered in rust and moss, lay a forgotten shovel.
To the left of the shovel, hidden in the underbrush, they spied a dozen or so rocks propping up a pair of thick, rotting planks, tied together with vines into the shape of a cross.
"That's... strange..." Goro noted. But a blur flashed by Ichigo's vision.
"The librarian - he couldn't find her body."
The epiphany crossed her partner, then, and out of respect the truth went unsaid.
She'd already been buried.
"Mrow!"
The cat's meow diverted her attention back to the bunker's rear wall. She flinched against a sudden chilly gust; the animal brushed against her leg and disappeared into the underbrush. But before they followed she paused, for something had once again caught her widening, alarmed gaze. Her heart lodged in her throat.
Against that bunker, in that field, stood the dead hybrids. Man and woman, adult and child, crippled and weak and deformed and proud. All watched her.
Then she blinked, and to the mists they returned.
Goro tugged her hand. "Ichigo?"
"I'm fine," she whispered. "I'm f-fine. Where'd the cat go?"
"Further into the forest. There's an overgrown path behind the grave."
Late winter's chill faded as they went. A few moments later the trees came into bloom, and a few after that the sun broke through their cover. Flowers dotted the path now; massed chirping graced their ears, only to pass into omnipotent silence. Not even a breeze rustled the leaves when they entered a new, much smaller grove, circular, drenched in sunlight and covered on all sides by peculiar flowers. The sky shone blue. They heard naught but their breathing.
"These flowers are beautiful," Goro admired.
A narrow stem crested into sharp angles, atop of which rested magnificent petals, some of which shone sapphire, the rest shaded from brilliant gold to deepest crimson. Bird-like in appearance, the plants fluttered amid an invisible, silent breeze.
Ichigo's head throbbed. "They're called streli-"
"Strelizia!"
A desolate warzone. Blue blood soaked the soil, flowed from machine corpses like rivers.
"Almost done, Delphinium! Buy us time!"
Delphinium?! Her parents!
"KLAXOSAURS!"
She whirled around. There stood an army thousands strong, humanoid and beastlike, rank and file - shields, spears, fangs and claws and assorted vicious weaponry all positioned and at the ready. Delphinium moved to the front, raising a bladed tonfa to rally the troops.
"Today, at last, we end this madness! Today we save our home and its future! So for those who have died and for those who have yet to live, I beg you! HOLD! THIS! LINE!"
Beyond the army, seemingly ten times its size, a veritable avalanche of monstrous machines charged. They galloped and clawed over the ruined ground as a tidal wave drowns the sand, unrelenting, a natural force in all its horrible glory.
"-go?"
"For the Earth!" Delphinium cried.
"FOR THE EARTH!"
Ichigo turned away, unable to watch, only to now look at the missing few: the Franxx. Genista, Chlorophytum and Argentea, colored klaxosaur blue, were all positioned as the last line of defense, weapons raised. They stood between the army and Strelizia.
Strelizia, who, with eyes bleeding magma, planted a still-living strelitzia flower into the barren soil.
"Ichigo!"
And then she was back, soaked in sweat and gasping for air. A panicked Goro stood over her.
"H-How..." she sputtered. "How long was I out?"
He lessened his painful grip on her shoulders. "A... a few minutes, but... damn it, you scare me sometimes. Look!"
Goro moved out of her line of sight. Dozens of black and white songbirds sat on the strelitzia blooms. Their eyes followed her movements and wait wait hold on!
"Wait, Goro, you can see them?"
"Yes I can see them!" he hissed. "It's creepy! I've never seen so many birds in my life!"
There they sat, observing her. Ichigo put two and two together.
"They're... real..." She clutched at her head. "This - the Barrier, these flowers, it's all..."
Her partner peered around and tried to remain calm. "Cat's gone too. Man, what the hell is this place?"
What? Not... not what, but when-
"Are you the klaxosaurs?" she blurted aloud. Goro shot her an alarmed look. A bird nearby tilted its head, then pointed its beak at the path.
The path? Wait, right, the path continued! In the center there, that was-
Goro's eyes narrowed. "Another grave?"
For reasons unknown, her stomach twisted into a knot. She stood on instinct, and he followed, and together they approached the grove's center. The air grew thick. And Ichigo, at last, began to understand.
"He's trying to repeat the process," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
She shook her head and answered his question with her own.
"Goro?"
"Werner?"
"Yeah?"
"Hm?"
They kneeled before the slab. With her right hand she gripped his left; with her left she reached forward.
"I'm gonna go under again. Bring me back, okay?"
...
He intertwined their fingers.
"Always."
...
...
...
...
...
...
A simple tombstone marked this site, chiseled with a name and no date:
"What would you do if I died?"
The silence, broken. Away, the birds flew. Up! Up!
...
KARINA
I did not die.