In a dark and silent room, a single machine stood in the center of the dim, dirty space. Dust and sand were scattered everywhere, the walls were moldy and pocked with holes from the passage of time, and rust was visible on the pillars that supported the place.
The machine was connected to something resembling multiple cylindrical batteries, with tubes attached to an oval-shaped capsule. A rectangular computer beside the capsule lit up, casting a faint light from its dust-covered screen. After so many years, it seemed to be reaching its limits.
Error Low Power: Life Support in Danger
INITIALIZING CRYOGENIC RELEASE PROCESS
The tubes connected to the capsule detached automatically, releasing cold air and cooling the area. The top of the capsule opened, allowing a small cloud of mist to escape.
Initiating Transition Protocol
Inside the capsule lay a man in poor physical condition; his body appeared malnourished, his hair had grown long, and his nails had extended considerably. His entire body was draped in a hospital gown.
Slowly opening his eyes, showing signs of someone awakening from a long sleep, the man finally awoke, and the first thing his eyes saw was the damaged ceiling above.
Using his arms to support himself on the sides of the open capsule, the person inside struggled to pull himself up to a sitting position. After what felt like millennia, he finally managed to sit up.
His breathing was labored, as if he had just run a marathon; his chest rose and fell with each short, gasping breath. His body was far from being in optimal condition—he was malnourished, and his muscles were nearly atrophied.
Looking around, all he saw were the batteries scattered throughout the area and a computer. The place was completely disorganized and filthy, as though no one had been there for a very long time.
The computer screen flickered a few times, and a type of holographic projector aimed at the wall activated, causing the person nearby to jump slightly in surprise at the sudden noise.
It seemed to be broken, as no image appeared, only the sound of a pre-recorded message.
Hello, this is your personal support from Bunker
The message seemed corrupted, thought the man. Letting it play in the background, he used his arms to push his legs out of the capsule with considerable difficulty.
The purpose of this facility is the preservation of human life
Looking down at his frail, weakened legs, he finally took in his current state, realizing how bad his condition was. Even basic tasks would be challenging, like simply standing or even attempting to walk.
In the event of a threat to humanity's existence, the cryogenic project was created to combat the disease spreading through humankind
The man paid little attention to the message; so far, it was nothing he didn't already know. After all, he had been chosen to enter the capsule precisely because he had not developed the disease that was decimating humanity.
If this capsule hasn't been opened in the last 100 years, it means humanity lost the battle against the virus
The recording's words shocked the man, causing him to fall to the ground, knocking over a few items near the panel.
If this has happened, forgive us. This facility is equipped with only one cryogenic capsule due to resource shortages, as it was the last one constructed
At that moment, the man on the floor couldn't hear the recorded message anymore. His head throbbed, not from the fall, but from the shock of what he'd just heard; it felt as if a grenade had exploded nearby, leaving only a ringing in his ears.
Your body must be in a precarious state, as expected—the human body isn't designed for long periods without nourishment or exercise. That's the purpose of this facility: to extend human life. We recommend you start with slow, basic movements
Gradually, the ringing in his ears began to fade. Using the computer to support himself, he tried to stand, only to collapse back onto the ground. He started crawling toward the door, which had nearly disintegrated from rust.
This facility is stocked with non-perishable, nutritious food for one year, along with energy-independent exercise equipment. There are twenty bunkrooms, but you will only need one. We recommend staying here until supplies run out and exercising until your body is in acceptable condition
Finally, using the wall for support, the person managed to stand, eyes wide with surprise, stumbling and leaning on the wall with each slow step out of the room. Feeling the cold, dirty floor beneath him, he could barely see as his vision doubled, and he collapsed to his knees in the corridor.
After the recommended period, a survival manual and some basic equipment are located at the Bunker's exit… all we can offer from this point on is our hope. Please, survive for everyone, wherever they may be
It seemed the power finally ran out, and all the man could hear was the woman's voice from the recording echoing through the place.
Dragging himself across the floor, an irritated expression crossed his face as he gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Don't mess with me! What the hell am I supposed to do in a world where no one else exists?!"
Dragging himself inch by inch, he fought for survival, as any human would in his position.
-A New World-
(A year later)
On a sunny day on planet Earth, the clouds in the sky twisted, forming a triangular opening that caused the clouds to dissipate.
Something—or rather, someone—seemed to be coming out of the opening: a woman with white hair and one arm missing, a flower lodged in her eye, was falling from the sky, and she did not look happy.
"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!" she screamed in desperation, flailing her arm wildly as she got closer and closer to the ground. But by some stroke of luck, the ground was never hit; instead, she landed in the water.
"SHIT!"
Splashhh
Her body hit the water in a way that was far from ideal for freefall situations—arms and legs together—landing instead on her back, causing immense pain and making her let out a silent scream as water filled her lungs.
Arching her back in unimaginable agony, the woman felt the suffocating grip of water invading her body. Flailing her arms—her one arm in a frantic manner—and kicking her legs, she fought her way to the surface, her body rising and rising until she finally reached her reward.
"AGH!" The sound of her mouth gasping for air finally reached her ears as her body moved closer to solid ground. Lying on her back with her legs still in the water, she breathed heavily, feeling her back burn and twisting uncomfortably from the water she had swallowed.
Several minutes passed before her breathing stabilized and the pain in her body subsided. All the woman could see at that moment was the portal from which she had come, slowly closing until it vanished completely. She blinked as she looked, her eye not obscured by the flower observing her surroundings.
The area appeared to be filled with structures unlike anything she had ever seen—rectangular shapes overrun with vegetation, broken windows, trees invading every corner, and grass everywhere.
A sound of a twig snapping caught her attention, causing her to turn her head toward the noise and encounter an elk that quickly bolted away. Her chest rose and fell as she scanned the area for a few minutes, then glanced up at the sky again.
…
She looked at her severed arm; specifically, her forearm was missing. A type of armor remained in that spot, but it seemed to have been torn from her. As she stared at the place where her armor had been, irritation flared within her.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY ARM!"
The woman shouted in fury, her voice echoing throughout the area.
She had already lost her arm once and found a substitute… which had now been ripped away again.
Slowly rising as she felt the pain in her body, she pulled her legs from the water, gradually mustering the strength to stand. Her body trembled slightly.
"What the hell kind of place is this?" The woman walked slowly, cradling her severed arm, a phantom pain coursing through her.
The sound of birds echoed throughout the city, visible perched atop the buildings.
"What the hell, I could have grabbed a weapon or something… I'd even take Mikhail back, anything." Hearing her own words made her stop suddenly, blinking a few times. She placed her hand on her face in frustration as she muttered to herself.
"Damn it, did I really say that? I'm so messed up that I miss that damn lizard?" She smacked her own head repeatedly in frustration while leaning against a metal object that had something resembling shattered glass windows and torn rubber wheels.
"Where the hell did those bitches send me? What kind of magic was that? I was told it was just one in that place!" The woman scratched her head, trying to think about what had gone wrong, but nothing came to mind. Her sisters had surprised her, catching her off guard while she thought she was hunting just one, but they were all together.
"Think, Zero. You need to find a safe place and figure out where you are." Zero, as she called herself, couldn't see a single soul in what seemed like a city in ruins overrun by nature. Looking up, she noticed the trees were gigantic, providing ample shade from the sun.
There wasn't much to do now; her only option was to survive, as she always had.
…
"Hey, did you find anything?" said a man dressed in slightly tattered clothes.
The sound of a creaking door opened as another man emerged, dressed in similar tattered clothing.
"Well, I'm not sure if this is going to be valuable. What do you think?" He displayed a worn magazine with a faded title.
"101 Recipes: A Survival Guide for Singles," the man whistled, admiring the find in his hands. "Dude, this could sell for a high price!"
The man holding the magazine glanced at the magazine and then at his partner, uncertainty flickering across his face. "Really?"
Giving a thumbs-up in approval, he confirmed, "Of course! Everyone at the camp loves stuff used by humans."
"Yeah, you're right. Anything human-made is worth a lot. I might even keep it if it's super valuable, you know? I could raise the price over time." He nodded with pride in his logic while his partner scanned the state of the building around them.
"Yeah, yeah, but first, let's get out of here. This place looks like it could collapse on us at any moment." His friend glanced around as well, nodding in agreement.
"Agreed, let's get the hell out of here." The two moved towards a hole in the wall and jumped without a care for the height, landing on top of a car with a heavy thud, revealing that neither of them were human.
A Jeep waited for the two outside, and they climbed in, heading off toward the scorching desert.
"Hey, what do you think?" said the man driving, turning his head toward his partner in the passenger seat.
"Think about what?" his partner replied, confused.
He kept his eyes focused on the endless expanse of desert ahead as he elaborated, "I mean about humans. We always scavenge the places where they lived, looking for their old belongings. Have you ever stopped to think about how they lived or what they liked or anything like that?"
His partner glanced at the magazine, pondering for a few seconds. "To be honest, no. I mean, they were our creators and all, but we never met them. Sometimes I wonder if they still exist."
The driver contemplated his partner's words. He understood the logic; humans created them, so in a way, they should be considered their gods. Yet they had never encountered them, making it hard to form any concrete opinion. Nevertheless, the curiosity about humanity had always been ingrained in them—it was probably part of their programming.
"I see," he replied, keeping it simple. There wasn't much more to say on the subject.
"Maybe if we're lucky, we'll find a human. What do you think?" The driver finally looked at his partner with a grin, donning sunglasses to shield his eyes from the harsh desert sun.
The passenger scoffed at the comment, knowing it would be impossible, after all, the planet was not safe for humanity to inhabit. "In your dreams."
But he had to admit that the idea was not unpleasant at all.
And so, they both left, disappearing into the heat of the desert.
…
Looking around, Zero found herself in a kind of city partially submerged in water. Zero didn't know where to go, so all the girl did was choose a direction and move forward.
The sound of something large passing by at high speed caught Zero's attention; she heard it frequently. The woman wondered what it was, usually just seeing a black blur in the air.
A new noise drew the woman's attention even more: her stomach.
GRUUMM
She was hungry.
Pressing her hand against her stomach and still feeling pain throughout her body, the girl was getting irritated again. Zero's magic wasn't working, the regeneration from the flower parasite wasn't working—nothing was working for her, which only made her more frustrated. Normally, Zero would hunt some animal, but her body was in terrible shape, and without any weapons, that was impossible.
Why was everything such a mess? Where were the people? Where were the cities? Why was everything destroyed? What kingdom was she in… damn, what year was it?
Zero just walked in the direction she had come from, trying to exit the city that wouldn't lead her anywhere. Damn, she didn't even know which direction she should go; she didn't know anything that was happening, so any direction could be the right one?
Hunger was affecting her mind to the point that the woman with the strange name was smelling food.
Zero suddenly stopped and sniffed her surroundings; she really did smell food.
"Meat," to be more precise.
Zero looked around and saw a small cloud of steam coming from one of the windows of the abandoned buildings. The woman blinked in surprise; it seemed that someone was in the deserted city. What someone was doing there was none of her business; the only thing on her mind was food.
Zero walked toward the building with slow steps and entered the abandoned and crumbling place. The girl noticed that the design inside was strange—very strange. There were wooden tables and chairs with a design similar to what she knew, but it seemed there was a kind of reception area in front, maybe a lodging of some sort, something where people paid to sleep. It resembled a tavern, but without any alcoholic drinks. Zero ignored all of this and followed the smell of food.
Zero noticed a broken metal door, and her curiosity led her to peek inside to see what it was. All she noticed were broken metal cables and a hole that she couldn't see the bottom of.
She set that aside and headed toward the stairs, looking up at the number of flights that made her bite her right cheek in frustration as she climbed.
"What won't I do for food…"
The higher she climbed, the stronger the smell became. Zero went up and up until she reached the floor where the scent was emanating from.
Zero noticed that the corridor had several wooden doors with numbers on them. The woman wondered about the purpose of the numbers, but that thought quickly vanished as she approached one of the broken doors. Carefully, she placed one leg inside and slowly moved her entire body through the opening. She walked until she reached a room and came face to face with someone inside; he appeared to be eating meat, in fact, he had a piece of meat on a skewer and a fire burning in the middle of the room.
The man chewed the meat a few times before noticing the existence of the white-haired woman with red eyes and questionable clothing—was she wearing lingerie?
Red eyes met the man's brown ones, and both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. The woman wondered who would break the silence first, but all the man did was take a skewer of meat from the fire and put it in his mouth, chewing the piece of meat.
A vein appeared on Zero's forehead in irritation at the man's attitude.
"DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
…
Anemone rubbed the tip of her nose while placing the papers on the table. It seemed that the leader of the resistance was struggling with a lack of resources. Normally, the woman would send out search groups or buy supplies from other unassociated androids. It wasn't critical, but it could lead to problems in the future.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Anemone looked up to see the android Jackass standing in front of her desk.
"Oh, Jackass. You're back early from your expedition. Did you find what you were looking for?" The question only made the hooded android, designed to handle the desert environment, huff in annoyance.
"Nothing. It's hard to be a mad scientist without anything to research," she said, leaning against the wall with a pout on her face.
Jackass's comment caught Anemone's attention. "Mad scientist?"
Jackass simply ignored the remark and moved a bit of her bangs from her face, but the effort was in vain as they fell back into place.
"What's got you all grumpy today? I mean… more than usual," Anemone sighed, disregarding the last comment from the android.
"The supplies have been a bit low lately, and the search teams haven't been bringing back enough," Jackass blinked and gave a half-smile at Anemone's comment.
"Ah, is that all? Why don't you just buy what you need? I think YoRHa sells those things, right? They manufacture more than they use," Anemone leaned back in her chair. She understood Jackass's logic, but she didn't want to rely on the organization created to protect humanity.
Jackass raised her arms in surrender. "Okay, I know the reason you don't want to do that."
She moved closer to Anemone's desk and suggested, "Why not hire YoRHa's services? It's cheaper to search for resources than to buy them ready-made. Remember, you have a camp to take care of, don't you?"
Anemone didn't like to admit it, but Jackass was right; she had to think of the camp first.
But first, there was something she could do.
"Tell me, my dear Jackass, you're free of tasks, aren't you?" Anemone's comment made the android blink.
Jackass didn't appreciate that remark.
…
Vehicles arrived at the camp, catching everyone's attention. The androids around quickly gathered as the people inside opened the compartments, revealing the goods.
The androids looked around, and others clustered even closer.
"Did you find something interesting?" The man looked toward the sound of the voice and saw two androids with red hair—the twins.
"Ah, I think I have something for you," the male android reached into his pocket.
Devola and Popola had a bad reputation in the camp, something about being responsible for the destruction of humanity. Well, he didn't care much; he always thought the stories were exaggerated. Still, the man wondered why Anemone allowed the androids to stay in the camp, especially since everyone around seemed to harbor a certain animosity toward the red-haired twins.
"Here, you can pay me later," the male android handed the book to Devola.
101 Recipes: A Survival Manual for the Single Life
"Ah, thank you!" the female android exclaimed, but the male android simply waved his hand. The twins headed to their quarters; they didn't cause much trouble.
They usually kept quiet and isolated from others; it must have been guilt or something like that.
Well, back to work.
"Ah, it's good you both arrived," the male android turned and saw Anemone and Jackass passing between two trucks.
"How can I help?" The man waved, resting a firearm on his shoulder, which looked like an AK model.
"Just checking in. I see you brought back more than usual. It was promising, right?" The male android scratched the top of his head at the words of the resistance leader.
"Kinda. At first, we weren't finding much, but we stumbled upon a strange android who told us a place where we could find what we were looking for," the man said, scratching his cheek as he recalled what happened.
Anemone and Jackass blinked at the male android's words.
"A strange android? What do you mean by that?" Jackass asked, curious about the unit.
The man looked at her and searched for words to describe the peculiar unit.
"Well, we found him in one of the abandoned apartments in the submerged city. In terms of appearance, he was nothing out of the ordinary, but… he was eating meat and drinking water. I understand that many androids want to resemble humans, but I think that's an exaggeration." Anemone and Jackass exchanged surprised glances. The male android's comment caused Devola and Popola to suddenly stop their journey to their quarters, freezing for a few seconds before looking at the man and walking in his direction.
"You said he was eating meat—raw meat or something?" Devola asked.
"And that water—was it drinkable?" Popola chimed in.
The male unit, Anemone, and Jackass jumped slightly in surprise; normally, the twins were quite silent and passive, not wanting to disturb anyone, but now they were quite active and raised their voices, catching everyone off guard.
The male unit blinked while responding to the red-haired twins.
"Well, he was boiling the water. I didn't understand much about that, and he was putting something on the meat—some spices, I guess, but I can't say for sure. Why do you ask?" The male android placed a hand on his chin in thought.
The two female androids pounced on the man, nearly knocking him over. "You have to bring him here! This is urgent!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.
The male android looked to Anemone and Jackass as if asking for help.
Anemone placed a hand on the twins' shoulders. "Okay, let's calm down a bit. Why the sudden interest in a solitary android?" she commented, while Jackass shifted her weight onto one leg and crossed her arms under her breasts.
The twins glanced at each other. "Well, based on your description, we don't think he's just any android."
The male android, Jackass, and Anemone blinked in confusion.
"What?" they all said at once.
…
The man watched as the girl ate in a rather desperate manner. In fact, he thought this was her natural way of eating. She tore the meat from the skewers with her teeth, sometimes using her hands to toss the food in the air to catch it; in the process, she accidentally dropped some on the floor and picked it up again.
"Well, so you were on a quest to kill your sisters?" the man asked while popping a skewer of meat into his mouth. The question made Zero glance at him as she swallowed her portion of meat.
Normally, Zero wouldn't answer such a question since it was none of his business, but that guy had chosen to share his food with her, so it was okay.
"Yes, I was after Five. I thought she was alone, but that bitch ambushed me with my other sisters and sent me here," Zero replied with a scowl, chewing the meat violently.
The woman had her legs slightly apart, with one arm resting on her knee, adopting a pose that was far from feminine.
"Five? What kind of parents name their kids like that?" the man thought out loud, making Zero narrow her eyes.
"What are you insinuating? Besides, we don't have parents; we just born," the man blinked in confusion.
What?
A doubt crept into the man's mind. "Are you human?"
Zero raised an eyebrow at the question.
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I am!" Zero paused for a moment to think, then opened her mouth in realization. "Now that I think about it, not exactly. Maybe 50%? I don't think Intoners are exactly human. I guess the correct term is Goddesses of Song."
The man blinked at the woman's strange response. What the hell was she talking about? Half human? Goddesses?
Zero pointed the skewers at him.
"Now enough about me. You haven't even told me your name. Isn't it a bit unfair for me to be the only one answering while eating?" Zero waved the skewers up and down.
She might look completely feminine, but she acted like a feisty boy.
"You didn't give me yours," the man said, resting his fist against his right cheek.
Zero blinked. "Well… you… Just say it already! I don't like games." The white-haired woman gestured with her hands, but nothing happened.
The man merely raised an eyebrow, staring at her, while Zero glanced at her hand and then back at him.
"Seriously!? Why doesn't it work here? What a crappy place where everything is broken!" Zero stood up, turning her back to him and kicking anything nearby.
Explosive.
That's what the man thought. And she had a dirty mouth too.
"If you're trying to use magic here, it won't work," the man's comment caught her attention.
"What? Why not?" Zero turned around, confused by the man's statement.
"Well, humanity is dead, and with humanity dead, the gods are dead. And with the gods dead…" Zero blinked, surprised by the man's words.
Magic was dead…
Zero dropped the skewer from her hands and felt her body go cold.
She failed? The world was destroyed? Even with that world that despised her, she didn't want it to end.
Zero fell onto her butt on the ground in horror.
"Hey, are you okay?" The man stood up, noticing the state of the girl; she was trying to hug herself but only had one arm.
"Ah, humanity is dead? How?" Zero looked down at the ground.
"A disease attacked the entire planet. I can't remember if it was because of the invasion or not," the man said, brushing off the dust from his pants.
Disease?
"Well, I guess the only ones left are you and me now. It seems the androids are taking care of the planet. The era of humanity is over. I had the same reaction as you at first, but I've accepted it," Zero looked at him in surprise, not understanding many of the words he said.
Androids, diseases, invasion? What was he talking about? Zero noticed the man preparing to leave.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" Zero stood up and took a few steps toward him. The campfire in the middle of the room was dying down.
The man stopped and looked at the woman, or Intoner, as she called herself.
"You just drop news like this on me and walk away? Where do you think you're going?" The man flinched at the loud and violent tone of her voice.
Seriously, she's going to get wrinkles if she keeps this up.
"Nowhere in particular. I said there's no one else here. I don't want to be around the androids; they scare me a little. They're so similar to us but so different. To be honest, I think I'll just wander aimlessly and drop dead somewhere. I don't see much future here," Zero shrank a little at what the man said. She had known some suicidal people; this man was strange. His demeanor didn't show anything wrong, but he had very destructive ideas.
"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere. If we're the only humans left here, I'm not going to wander around aimlessly. If this is really true, at least the only other survivor besides me is a man, so it won't be that boring," Zero said confidently, and the man scowled.
"Really? What if I said I'm not interested?" A smile appeared on the woman's face.
"I don't remember asking for your permission," Zero adjusted her posture as if she wanted to fight. "I take what I want; that's just who I am. When I'm done, I want you to take a shower, wash both the front and the back."
The scowl on the man's face turned to disgust; she was a disgusting woman he had ever met.
"You're a filthy woman, you know that, right?"
Zero raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I'll have to educate you too."
A part of five's personality surfaced; perhaps the personalities of her sisters had indeed been born from her.
The man simply ignored her and left through the door, causing Zero's eyes to widen.
"Hey, where do you think you're going? Come back!" she shouted as she ran after him.
"Look, it's not the best idea to fight each other; there are more dangerous things to worry about," Zero kept up with the man's pace. "And I'm not going to fight someone with only one arm."
"What, are you underestimating me? Wait, what should I be worrying about?" Zero's mood shifted from 0 to 100 in one second again.
"The invaders; I think I mentioned them," the man began to descend the stairs while Zero followed him.
"What the hell are they?" The man simply pulled back his hood, shaking his hair a bit, causing a little dust to fall.
"I don't know much about them; I was frozen before I could see them." The man stopped and looked down at the short girl.
"Look, whether you accept it or not, humanity is over. What's the point of fighting each other? Don't you think it's better to use your time for something more efficient than bickering?" Zero scowled but considered the man's words.
After a few seconds, she reluctantly agreed.
"Zero."
The man blinked at the girl's words.
"Zero what?" He looked into her eyes in confusion.
"My name, Zero. Isn't that what you wanted to know?" The man blinked in surprise.
"Now tell me yours; come on!" He had to pull his head back at the invasion of personal space.
"Call me Human," Zero glared at him and raised an eyebrow.
"You must be kidding! What the hell kind of name is that?" Zero placed her hand on her hips, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
"Your name is Zero; do you really want to play this game?" She shrank a bit at his comment.
"What's wrong with the name Zero?" she asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, but with a name like that, I don't think you have much authority to question mine, do you?"
Zero clicked her tongue as they both walked toward the building's exit.
"You said you were on a hunt to kill your sister five, right? What's she like?" the man asked curiously, making a 'Tsk' sound again.
"Type of a slut and full of sexual fetishes," Zero said as she recalled her sister.
"Oh, so like you," the man commented as he left the building with Zero, who was holding onto the collar of his shirt.
"Want to take a beating?" Zero froze with her fist raised, almost ready to punch the man in front of her, but then she noticed someone else with them. The man turned his head in the direction of Zero's gaze, and what he saw made a scowl appear on his face.
There were several vehicles in front of the building, and judging by their appearance, they seemed to belong to the resistance.
The male android, with whom the human had conferred about searching the building, was there, along with two red-haired androids and a woman in a hood, with bangs covering part of her face. It looked like the android was wearing a bikini under the cloak she had on.
The two red-haired androids were the first to speak.
"Ah, sorry to bother you, but could you come with us?" the twin androids said in unison.
The human and Zero exchanged glances before looking back at the androids.
…
Future Chapter
"Who are they, Human?" Zero asked the man beside her.
The man merely scratched the top of his head.
"I don't know, maybe the androids ?" he replied.
A scowl appeared on Zero's face as she glared at the androids in front of her.
"Tell them to eat shit, Human," Zero said, her expression fierce as she stared at the androids. The comment made the androids flinch.
"I'm not going to do that; tell yourself," the human refused, but it seemed Zero was determined to go through with it, regardless of his refusal.
Zero fixed her gaze on the androids, locking eyes with them.
"Eat shit, you idiots! I hope you fall into a hole and break your necks!"
Author's Note: The Nier and Drakengard franchises do not belong to me.
I've wanted to write a story set in the Nier and Drakengard universe for a long time. I don't intend for it to be anything deep; I think it will be more of a slice-of-life kind of story. It follows a human before the main events of Nier unfold and how an Intoner navigates life in a new world.
I think it will be fun, especially since Zero will certainly make things interesting. She has a unique personality, and while I see her as a compelling character, I also view her as a bit gross as a person. Even with her good intentions, the means and methods she employs in the games are, well... let's just say some comments in the games reflect that. Zero is genuinely a very strange girl.
If there's anyone reading this, I'd love to hear what you liked or what could be improved. Even if no one is reading, I think I'll continue writing this story—something to help me unwind, nothing serious.
Oh, and the events of this story take place long before the game Nier: Automata.
Happy reading!