The woman holds the creature in her embrace, walking towards the armored vehicle.
Dust clings to her eyelashes.
[Do not dare to hurt it, human. I may come back to see it grown.]
The human gets inside the vehicle.
And before the doors close, she speaks.
[Follow your orders, O4.]
I produce no sound.
Sufficient for the woman.
I turn to the entity.
[I have little time to converse with you.]
[Three hours seems enough, Psyllid. What are you going to do after?]
[I will certainly peel every layer that makes you a creature. And return you to the place you come from.]
The entity's pupils dilate.
[I do not come from any place. I simply exist.]
17 of my face's muscles convulse to shift my expression.
[Why are you smiling, Psyllid?]
[It is certainly amusing how clueless you are.]
I respond as they relax.
A mass of flesh pierces my abdomen.
[Do not make fun of me. Answer, if you do really know where I come from.]
[You certainly couldn't grasp it.]
It retrieves the flesh, leaving a hole in the body.
As crimson spills out, I sew the flesh together, growing irritated.
[You seem to have no care for that child of yours.]
My eyes narrow.
[I certainly don't mind eradicating everything around us, creature.]
The entity's eyes mimic mine in movement.
I adjust my cuffs.
[You bore me, creature.]
[Certainly...]
Dust flies around, back and forth.
Stars shift above the sky. Stretching.
Like home.
The Sun's angle changes.
[Three hours have passed.]
[What have you done?]
The entity stands on edge.
I sense the countless branches of it spreading under the ground.
Reaching far and wide.
Across half this Earth.
[You certainly cannot attack.]
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
[Not anywhere near my child, that is.]
Its expression grows hostile, almost hysterical.
[You're not close to it, Psyllid.]
I step back.
To the remains of the first ring.
The ground trembles, rupturing as thousands of pillars made of flesh pierce.
[Not bad. Certainly interesting.]
They end in bone-like spikes, vaster than most mountains.
Convulsing, they twist, crashing as they shape the surroundings into a flat expanse of nothingness.
A second.
I stand behind the entity.
[Careful, creature. You could certainly reach the baby if I step further.]
It calms down immediately.
[I want to know, Psyllid. What made you take on the human form?]
I run a hand through the pink hair coating my scalp.
[It is simple. Certainly, I had to bind to its soul to survive. It died, so I took on its body.]
[Where do you come from?]
[I do not know where it is. I certainly have not recalled its name.]
[You seem to be clueless, too.]
[Do you have something else to show me?]
[I'm afraid not.]
[I see. Certainly, this is the end of you.]
I grasp a piece of the creature's mind.
It falls on the ground.
Dead.
——
[I certainly seem to be interested in the child, still.]
I step through the corridor, next to the woman.
[That changes nothing, O4. We'll decide what to do with it.]
Her hand grasps the metallic handle, twisting it to open the door. I follow her movements, entering inside.
She walks over to the chair, resting on it.
[It's my decision to make.]
[Why did you take it?]
A deep breath escapes her lips.
A sign of frustration.
Jenneah: [I don't know. That's the issue. Maybe...]
[I wanted to save at least one life. Of the ones I couldn't.]
[Certainly, it is not a human life for you. Or is it?]
[You wouldn't understand.]
[I can't possibly understand. Certainly, you humans come across as virtuous. Not even that creature would've dared to freeze a baby.]
My words seem to come out without much thought.
[I know. But it's the safest way for us, and for the child, too. Once I decide what to do with it, then—]
[I'm not really sure to trust it to you.]
[What do you mean?]
[Certainly, you weren't able to care for your own son.]
Her eyes widen.
She slams her fist on the desk.
[Don't.]
[You panic for nothing. It is certainly the truth.]
A painful expression forms on her face.
[I know. I want to make things right. Even if it's taking care of... That child.]
[I see. How much will you wait? 15 years is a lot for you humans. You've even changed physically.]
Jenneah: [That's why... It's enough.]
[I'm retiring in two years.]
[Why not now?]
Another deep breath escapes her lips.
[Tensions worldwide are still present. After all, a big and influential country ceased to exist.]
[I've done too much. Handled media, resolved conflicts, calmed nearly every government and its people. Yet, it seems, there's a bit more I have to do.]
[And what may that be?]
[It's of no interest to you.]
[Certainly. I will still not miss the introduction of the baby into this world.]
[Haven't you waited enough?]
[It is nothing. I may blink, and the time may have passed.]
Her eyes dart around the room.
[I sometimes wish I were like you.]
[Then, certainly, you know nothing of me.]
[What will you do now?]
[It is hard for me to admit, but I find myself hesitating.]
She turns around on her chair, looking down below.
To the shorter buildings.
Her eyes narrow considerably as light flashes on her pupils.
[On what?]
[I have lost all interest in the child.]
[What? Why?]
[Certainly, I've never seen a child born of human and demon origin.]
I say.
[But it'll grow as any other child under human care.]
I smile.
[That is, certainly, what the Isothe wanted.]
The woman seems shocked, though she regains composure shortly.
[Then?]
[I will simply return.]
I watch closely as she stays still.
[We may see each other again. Certainly.]
[I'd rather not.]
I ignore her comment.
Breaking the world into infinite pieces, I rearrange them, appearing before my cabin.
And I enter, resting on bed.
[There isn't much to do now.]
[It all bores me.]
I close my eyes.
Returning home.
Emptiness.
Ground.
Cold.
Particles.
Light.
Shift.
Change.
Don't.
Forbidden.
Stare.
Wait.
Time.
Can't.
Absent.
Eternity.
Then...
Light.
Keys.
Soul.
Lock.
One.
Lock.
Two.
A binding.
I taste existence.
And taking it in, I bind.
To the rich soul that resides within.
And all the while, it is clear to me, ever since today.
Certainly, I have seen the baby again.
