Part 1 –

The old world never had many stars to begin with.

Tiny shimmers drowned in the darkest nights. The moon as all the light in the night sky for as long as the world remembered.

Cosmic dust was but a thing of imagination and speculation.

Darkness was all the world knew once the sun fell across the horizon. Somewhere along the way what little of the stars were plucked from the skies by the malevolent Gods and Goddesses, whose actions plunged Corozin into eternal despair.

Whose eyes did Exrite see through at the base of the oak tree?

She sat there, tangled with drapes of silver hair as she watched the abyss above for an eternity.

No word could ever begin to describe this agony. A sense of longing filled her heart, never quite reaching a breaking point. Somewhere in her heart was a small spec of hope, like a single star shining among the cosmic darkness.

This person was waiting for someone. For something…

She was waiting for the stars to return.

The stories of these stars were cherished by the woman. She would sing them alone beneath the moon with her broken voice, her audience being the metallic flora and the small structures scattered across the young Biomechanical Gardens.

How long did she have to wait?

Exrite didn’t know.

She was lost in an endless trance of darkness, watching countless moons rise and fall until one night, an eruption of cosmic dust showered the night sky.

It was beautiful.

An explosion of so many colours consumed the darkness, spreading as if a can of paint spilt over an empty canvas, and before long, countless stars began to populate the sky.

The hope that the warring Gods and Goddesses destroyed had returned stronger than ever before, plentiful in the numbers and beautiful to all that roamed in those nights of desolation and war.

And it all began with a single wish…

But the loneliness in the woman’s heart never faded. The stars above came and went. They were too far for her to reach from the place that anchored her for all eternity.

She yearned to be surrounded by them. To cleanse her heart from the agonising loneliness…

The children she birthed were as incomplete as herself. Emotion was stripped from their beings, leaving them as children that never knew how to smile.

The woman tried everything she could to amend them but to no avail.

She watched them die over and over.

Many had fallen into the rift that separated the Biomechanical Gardens from the Shallows.

Many more were killed by their childish curiosity.

How many years had passed? How many children did she lose? Exrite lost count of it all. The stars came and went in the blink of an eye. Eons must’ve passed for the woman.

Everything slowly faded to black. Despair began to well in her metal heart. She sat there patiently waiting for her star; her Creator to be reborn, for only She could save her children and the agony that caused her heart to rust.

But little did she know was that her Creator was no star.

* * *

The dream ended unceremoniously.

Exrite awoke in a dark world, suspended in a place where there was no up or down. Left or right. Only darkness persisted.

She felt the tips of her fingers. From the sensation alone she was aware that she had returned to her Maidenly body. It was strange. She was more fixated on her transformation than the blackness around her.

It somehow calmed her.

But she could not stay here. Neither did she want to.

This place is the Void, isn’t it?

No other place compared to the darkness of the Void.

What am I doing here again…? I thought I was already finished with despair.

Her eyes wandered. It was like looking around the darkness behind one’s eyelids. No matter how far her sight ventured, it all felt like everything was mere inches in front of her.

That was until a small light shone in front of her.

“… am I finally free?” A voice wept from the source.

It was full of anguish and misery, echoing infinitely amongst the darkness.

“No… It’s so dark in here. I want to get out. I don’t want to fall anymore. Please let me out.”

“Hello?” Exrite called to the light, wondering who it was.

The sobbing froze for a second.

“P-please let me out! I don’t want to be in here anymore!”

Confusion struck her.

What was this voice? Who did it belong to? She wondered if it was the Demi-human from the picture, but the longer she listened to its weeps the sooner she realised that his was the Egg.

“… no – why are you here still? Why are you still here after my death? I don’t even know who I am anymore because of you. Why… why did you make us descend? You knew we were damned. You knew we never would reach the end!”

It cried, lashing out at Exrite as if she were the sole reason for her agony.

She remained completely silent, knowing that her voice may be identical to Gaia’s to the ears of this being considering it spoke to her as if she was Her.

Comforting it was the last thing going on it her mind.

Whatever she said would only further fuel its agony.

“… why won’t you talk?”

It croaked.

“You’ve been poisoning my heart for so long. You made me descend. You made me reach the Attributed Whole. I thought I’d become myself. But I ended up becoming you... Why…? Tell me why!?”

Exrite’s eyes were half-closed. Sorrow filled her heart. Anymore and it’d drag her down into the darkness below.

Still, she kept quiet, allowing the Geared to vent its frustrations.

They must’ve been pent for eons.

“… please say something. Anything. Why won’t you talk to me? I heard your voice already. Are you still there…? Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me here! Please… I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

Beyond its genderless voice, she realised something deeper than the grief.

This Geared was a child.

Exrite pushed herself closer towards the light. It couldn’t see her at all in this darkness. Until she was within mere inches away from the light did it finally see the face of the person who had damned it to a fate worse than a thousand deaths…

Yet her face was different.

It croaked a voice of crushing disbelief when it realised this.

“… you’re… not my Creator?”

Exrite gently shook her head.

Her face was identical. Even the voice it heard was identical to the one it eternally despised.

Yet it believed Exrite gentle answer.

No… It knew that she wasn’t the Creator, no matter how similar they were.

Her eyes were different, and the childish look her Creator had was nowhere to be seen. This person looked mature, a far cry from the child that had Created her.

The light pulsated as it realised this.

The sobs soon disappeared alongside the anger it had directed from the depths of its heart.

It realised that this was not the one who had damned it, but rather this was the person who had saved it.

“… you were the one who killed me. You… reached me. Reached the end. Did you… also become Her?”

She shook her head again.

“No. I’m completely different from Gaia. I don’t know why you all keep saying the same thing.” Exrite half-complained as she smiled at the faint light.

“Different?”

“Yeah. I’m not your Creator. I’m not Gaia. My name is Exrite.” She simply announced.

The light didn’t speak for a while. They were tangled in a strange trance. Exrite felt its gaze scrutinise her until it suddenly softened.

“… Exrite… a name. You have a name. How… can you have a name?”

“… right. You don’t even know your own...”

“I… we never had one to begin with. Even if we did it’d all be lost and clouded by Her memories… everything was destined to be lost. Consumed. Overwritten by Her.”

Anguish and rage returned in its voice. The mere thought of Gaia disgusted it. True to the emotions that all the Geared felt – they wanted nothing more than retribution against the one who had damned them.

“But I can no longer hear Her voice. Is it all thanks to you? Maybe it is… It’s all… thanks to you. Thank you… thank you for freeing my heart. Thank you for destroying the monster that I had become.”

Exrite felt the light with a hand, cupping it, and feeling nothing but a fleeting warmth in her palm. Her eyes nearly shut again as she tried to find something – anything to say but nothing came to her.

Eventually, she spoke.

“… you don’t need to thank me. I didn’t do anything special. We just killed you. That’s all.”

“… but that’s what freed me.”

“… even though you’re now stuck here in this Void? I don’t know why I’m here again. Or why I’m with you in the first place… but maybe… maybe if you’re seeking true ‘freedom’ or ‘salvation’ – then maybe…”

“… yes…?”

“Maybe I’m here to give you closure.” Exrite concluded with a soft voice.

“… closure…”

“You won’t have to suffer anymore.”

“… you’ll kill me again… to free me from this place?”

“Yeah… I have a friend who’ll take care of your soul. A really… really great friend.”

Exrite nearly choked as she spoke the last few words.

“Really… I wouldn’t mind. Even if past my final death I’m stuck in a void like this it will never compare to the agony of the eons I’ve wasted, lost in the mind of my Creator… Exrite…? Why are you crying?”

“Eh?”

She touched her face and felt the damp streams of tears fall from her cheeks.

“Ah… I am?”

Why am I crying now of all times for the Geared?

Exrite didn’t know. She simply wiped the tears away and listened to the voice.

“But the agony will always persist. Erasure is the only… only way to cure this pain. But I don’t want to disappear either. I don’t want to lament over never facing the Creator who had abandoned us. In the chance that there is a world beyond this death, I’ll lament for all eternity. That’s why – I want to reach Her… and I finally thought I had when I heard your voice.”

The light flickered with each word.

“I was the closest to her. I was not born like the others. I was born directly from the pool of her blood… which is why I was the only one who made it this far. I remember when she was attacked by us. Her blood spilt and countless of us died trying to lap the sweet blood of our Creator. Until thousands perished, the blood was diluted enough for one of us to carry it in their veins, along with the already existing gears within us.

That was I. I began as a single blade of grass, descended and became a monster, and finally became the Egg. I want nothing more than to find her. Perhaps this is also part of the curse – the curse that will never allow me to forget her. The curse that will never allow us to forgive Her… the curse that always pushes us to seek Her.”

Exrite summarised everything into one emotion.

Retribution.

This Geared sought to kill Gaia.

She didn’t know it at first. But it all came together after remembering Frosty mention this desire, and the overwhelming bloodlust the Geared directed to her whenever she was in her Maidenly form past the <41st Floor>.

This was understandable. Even Exrite had some sort of desire to get back at the Maiden for dismantling her life. Gaia was unredeemable, no matter the excuse.

However, she personally did not wish to kill her. She could never forget the face Gaia made when she spoke of Auga… nor the warmth of her embrace when Exrite wept.

“All we ever wanted was to live.”

“Yeah… I can understand that.” Exrite softly spoke, reminiscing for a moment.

“And I still desire to live… so please, take me with you.”

Exrite blinked. “Eh?”

“Please take me with you.”

“Hold on. I… don’t know if that’s even possible.”

“I can come. I truly can. No, I absolutely have to come with you. I can help you.”

Exrite raised a brow, urging it to continue.

“I don’t how much the world has changed outside, but I can help you navigate the birthlands of my Creator. I still possess her memories… and I know everything about Her that existed before the Biomechanical Gardens.”

Exrite did not need to press it any further. She accepted it as a companion in a heartbeat. The information this Geared held was worth the world to her and can very well aid in pointing her in the right direction.

After all, she would no longer be taking orders from Gaia or the Children of Balance.

However, there was one question that she needed clarified.

“Wait – birthlands? Gaia’s birthlands?”

“The tabletops above the Shallows, towards the west. Above the mountains smothered by the mist lays her birthlands.”

Her eyes suddenly broadened. There was only one place west of the Shallows.

“The Depths!”

This information alone was already worth more than a million words from both Gaia and the Children of Balance combined.

“Depths… why such a bleak name for Her birthlands?”

“It’s one of the Forsaken Regions. The largest of them all! The name ‘Depths’ probably stems from the ‘Shallows’ nearby.”

“I see. Forsaken sounds strange… why is it described as such?”

“From what I know it’s because they’re ‘Godless’ regions. Mystery, legends, danger – no one truly understands what the Forsaken Regions are or why they exist. It’s easier to understand if you just think of them being considerably dangerous places compared to the normal regions of Eastern Six Point.”

“Eastern Six Point? Six Point? I only know of Corozin.”

Ah! That’s right. This thing came from a time before the Maidens existed, didn’t it? Of course it wouldn’t know!

Exrite sighed, smiling softly at the light.

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you soon enough. First thing’s first – how are you going to come with us?”

“My… body still exists outside of here. I remember falling into your bosom before I arrived here… could… could it be possible that I can leave with you from this place?”

“… I don’t know… but that might be the case. I have no way of knowing how to leave or bring you with me if I do end up leaving so –”

She cupped it with both hands like it was a precious object.

“Maybe this will work?”

There was an odd silence. During this moment Exrite felt her surroundings slowly begin to shift. After a moment, the light spoke.

“… ah-! I- I can feel my body outside… we’re… moving… there’s rumbling. This sensation… we – we are most likely ascending.”

It spoke with disbelief and awe upon this realisation.

“To where exactly?”

“The top. Her home rests there...”

Exrite’s eyes widened. The darkness wavered, the faint talking light suddenly cutting through its curtains like blades as it shone like the only star in the night sky.

The sensation of this… nightmarish? Dreamlike? She didn’t know what to call the Void. Whatever it was, the sensation of it slipping away threatened to return her to reality.

In these final moments she brought it close to her chest and spoke with a motherly voice that dispelled all emotions of despair in the creature’s heart.

“Well then – Let’s do our best, Nav.”

“Nav?”

“You don’t have a name, right? Your name from now on is Nav. It’s short for Navigator. We’ll be counting on your help since no one else will probably know as much as you do.”

The light was rendered speechless. A strange warmth filled her palms right before the voice croaked.

“… a name… thank you. I’ll… I’ll cherish it.” It sounded like it was holding back tears.

Just as the Void faded away, she heard one final voice.

“Thank you... for saving me.”

* * *

Exrite finally awoken sometime during the ascent. The black object that rested on her chest was now pale. It emitted a soft ticking that resembled a heartbeat.

She knew straight away that this [Gear] was Nav.

It had been two days since they began the ascent according to the others. Nav had awoken a day prior an already introduced itself as a new member of the party, although the others wanted to hear this from Exrite herself.

When she confirmed this was true, Nav was quickly taken in as one of their own. Its knowledge was certainly second to none, and it’d vastly help them in navigating through the Depths where Melody’s Domain of Realms resided.

This insight was vital. The Depths was the largest of all the Forsaken Regions in Eastern Six Point and getting lost would prove to be a significant danger even for them.

Exrite wrapped herself with a black garb as she sat somewhere, watching Uru, Commanders and Khaos surround Nav. They assaulted it with question after question, with Nav also asking questions in return regarding the new world it had awoken in.

“It’s lively again.” Frosty hummed as she took a seat beside her. “Black was kind enough to give you her garbs. Imagine my shock.”

“Aha. She’s kinder than you think.” Exrite said.

Currently, Black was wearing a white buttoned-up shirt. For someone who bathed in the colour of darkness, it was quite a surprise to see her wearing something so distinctively different.

She almost looked like a completely different person.

“But maybe not as kind as you.” Exrite added, turning to the scythe cradled in Frosty’s arms.

“Well, any normal person wouldn’t leave them behind. Bringing them to the surface is the least I can do for them.” Frosty stared down at the weapon with soft eyes. “They’ll be disappearing soon… but they’re not afraid of it. They’re glad.”

“Glad?”

“Mhm. I can’t tell why but… they’re glad.”

A strange feeling filled the air. The souls of the Geared patiently waited for their final respite atop the trial.

After everything they’ve suffered through, Exrite could not help but to understand their sentiments.

After all, there was a time when Exrite sought for the same thing.

Not wanting this strange feeling to linger, she spoke.

“We really did beat this trial. It feels… weird. This feels like the end of a long journey, but we already know that this is far from that. It’s the beginning more than anything else.” She softly laughed, her gaze moving to the endless chimney above.

“Yep. It really does feel that way.” Frosty’s voice trailed off as she too stared up into the darkness. “Geez… we’ve got a hell of a journey ahead of us, huh.”

“Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Sure, sure. Mhm. The fact that we’re even here is proof of that.”

After what felt like minutes, and as the voices of the others faded into the background, a fist suddenly smacked into Exrite’s side.

“– O-ouch!?” She jolted.

“That’s for being so reckless again.” Frosty half-complained. “At least talk to me before you do something like that again. Geez… do you never learn?”

“S-sor –”

Another punch struck her at the same place, somehow bypassing the armour of Black’s garbs as Exrite jolted once again.

“I also thought I told you not to apologise anymore.”

“Y-yeah.” Exrite said slightly bashfully.

“Remember, we’re all supposed to make it to the end together.” She plopped her head on Exrite’s shoulder. “So don’t make us worry so much.”

“I’ll try not to.” She softly spoke. “We’ll definitely make it to the Maiden of Wisdom. All of us.”

“That’s right!” A hearty voice joined. They both instantly looked down and saw Khaos walking towards them.

“You’re back already?” Frosty pulled herself from Exrite with eager eyes. “What did Nav say?”

Khaos sat down with a slight groan and a sigh. His eyes didn’t know where to look for a moment, struggling to meet with his sister’s.

He shook his head, and the excitement behind her eyes disappeared.

“Nothing. No luck on the Frostbitten. They weren’t a thing that far back. That’s a damn shame…” Khaos revealed defeatedly. “Isn’t it strange? Aren’t we Frostbitten one of the oldest races?”

“The oldest race.” Exrite added, pondering on this revelation. “… but then again, the Gaia we’re talking about came from a time that predated time itself. Maidens didn’t even exist. Not even the Children of Balance existed…”

Uru loudly cleared her throat as if in response to this.

“If it’s that far back then that’s probably the reason. But I’m still confused. Did you guys hear what Nav said?” Khaos’ voice suddenly shifted to a serious tone.

“No. What happened?” Frosty pressed.

He explained that other races also existed back then. The Beastkin were one of them. Humans were also surprisingly present. Demons were vaguely there, and so were the Elves, Dwarves and even, to their immense surprise, Demi-Humans.

The Frostbitten however either did not exist or were never stumbled upon. Whatever the case was – they still did not learn anything about them even with Nav’s knowledge of the past.

Nav also mentioned that most of Gaia’s furthest past occurred in the Depths and the Shallows, which severely limited its scope of the past. Despite this, it deeply knew about the major overlaying events that occurred outside.

It was total chaos, where countless wars were being waged by the Gods and Goddesses...

But because of Gaia – and the magic she cultivated in the Depths – the wars were never held within the Depths and the Shallows. They were peaceful compared to the rest of the world.

All of this changed their outlook of Corozin. Many of the things they believed were true had always been false. The races did not come in one by one throughout history. They had always been there from the start, save for the Frostbitten which were a whole other mystery.

Or at least they existed before Gaia was born into this crumbling world.

“Six Point is too big to have one truth, huh.” Frosty sighed, still confused about the revelation.

“Far too big.” Exrite whispered as she slowly dragged her gaze onto Uru.

The Demon took the greatest brunt of the surprise. No. Not even shock or disbelief could describe what she was feeling in the depths of her heart.

Whatever revelations Nav revealed cased her dark face to seemingly turn pale. Her golden, dot-like pupils shrunk to an impossible point and tremored as she stood there, frozen by the truths that she could not possibly comprehend.

It defied everything she knew and believed in. The teachings that were passed for countless of generations across her benevolent race were all lies and fiction.

Gaia came before the Children of Balance; therefore, Gaia came before the Maidens.

This was the truth.

Exrite couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind. The wars that were waged by the Demons for the sake of spreading the truth was all for naught.

They were never spreading the truth.

Exrite stood up and approached the Demon, who was left alone at the centre of the platform staring longingly into the depths of the ceiling.

“Uru. Do you remember why you left your birthlands?”

The Demon’s eyes slowly fell to her, mellowing once they met her crimson and blue eyes.

“Ho. How could I ever forget?” She cupped both of Exrite’s cheeks in her palms. “I travelled to Colight in search for the Maiden of Time. I strove to prove to the world that She existed. Exrite – your worries are wasted on this one. The truths are bitter, but they are seeds for us to sow. The sweetness of their fruits all depends on the palate. Not everyone will accept this, but it can be learnt over time.”

The ticking beneath Exrite’s flesh calmed her. Exrite wasn’t convinced that her mind had accepted this all. That was until a grin rose across the Demon’s face.

“Over a thousand years of my existence led up to this moment. Perhaps it was a blessing that I was exiled from my homeland. I am no Demon in their eyes. But under yours; I bear the truth that makes me the only Demon, aside from my Gods – the Zelmori Fall.” She hummed as if reciting sacred scripture.

The soul-shattering shock that had temporarily consumed Uru was no more than the digesting process. When it all settled down, nothing mattered more than the truth. Even if her entire race was pit against her, she’d never abandon it…

But this was all on the surface. Deep into Uru’s dark and gold eyes Exrite saw her soul continue to rattle at the seams. She drew closer to her and listened to her voice for the time being.

“I was betrayed for seeking this knowledge, and I do not regret an ounce of it for my betrayers will suffer more than just the fury of my vengeance.” Uru’s voice began to fade. “But… even I have my limits. Exrite. I have but one selfish request. Do you mind if I hold you?”

Exrite placed a hand on her head, gently rubbing her pale hair.

“Not at all. Hold me for as long as you need.” She said warmly. “We’ve got a while till we’re finally out.”

With her approval, Uru’s hands diligently slid behind Exrite, her tentacles wrapping her until she could move no more in her embrace. As tight as it was, she didn’t mind it at all. The elasticity of the tentacles made it rather comfortable.

The ticking of her body was a fantastic thing. Even the most severely damaged souls could be soothed by a single touch. An embrace would most likely repair them.

If Uru had the option to; she’d keep Exrite like this for another thousand years.

After all she did allow her to embrace her for as long as she needed to.

* * *

“Soooo.” Khaos began, breaking the silence. “What’s everyone looking forward to once we’re out?”

“Sleep.” Frosty yawned. “I bet you’re thinking about food or something. Do you miss Bailey’s cooking that much?”

“Haha! You know me too well! I wish we brought more of those sandwiches along! You, Exrite?”

“… the stars, I guess?” She answered unsurely before her eyes suddenly glistened. “I kind of just want to leave this place. Repair the Biomech… and maybe go back and see some familiar faces.”

“Getting my mantle back.” Black hummed.

“Some blood probably.” White answered simply.

“Exrite. What else would a Demon like myself require in life?” Was Uru’s answer, causing the girl in question to softly sigh.

The platform passed a chamber after some time. For a split second they saw the remains of a defeated monster inside. It was huge, resembling a humanoid wearing heavy iron armour.

“Hey. I’m not the only one who saw that, right?” Black said.

“No. I saw it as well.” Frosty looked at the others who all nodded affirmatively. “Exrite? You mentioned meeting something like that. Was that it?”

“Yeah… that was the Geared that gave me its heart.” Exrite revealed.

Nav floated in front of her, twisting as if it were tilting its head.

“Geared?”

“It’s what we call anything that has gears in its blood. Just like you.” Exrite said, causing Nav to twist itself in the other direction.

“But that didn’t appear to be like one of us…”

“Really?” Exrite wondered. “How can you tell?”

“Armour was never something my Creator knew how to create. Tools were the same. Whatever it was – it cannot be one of us. Its knowledge differs from ours. It most likely came from the surface.”

Exrite’s blood suddenly ran cold.

“So it wasn’t a Geared after all…”

“I’m afraid not.”

Exrite already knew that this thing wasn’t a Geared beforehand. She simply called it as such because there was no other fitting name. However, to be outright told that it was not only impossible, but it arrived from the surface raised all kinds of questions in her mind.

She placed a hand on the limite box containing the envelope and nodded to herself. Only Milkazako can solve this mystery.

That aside – the platform began to accelerate.

Before long, more chambers came whizzing by. One by one, Exrite recognised each reservoir’s chamber until they hit the <46th Floor>. By now everyone had gone silent as anticipation began to build in each of their hearts as they collectively stared up into the darkness of the chimney.

Then, it all turned green, and then blue. The scenery of the very first Reservoir surrounded them. Hundreds of giant pale [Gears] turned in unison like the innards of a clock. Thousands of Geared thrived all around them, whether running in herds, swimming in schools, or soaring in squads.

Exrite broke away from Uru’s weakened embrace and wandered to the edge, completely baffled by the liveliness. It was such a stark difference from the world below.

Somewhere below, she saw the [Gear] at centre of the inland ocean seemingly nod goodbye with a single turn. The corners of her lips rose as she returned the nod with thankful eyes.

“Goodbye, Exrenity.”

She could almost hear it say.

Before long, they were halfway up the Reservoir. Birds, tiny dragon-like creatures, floating jellyfishes, and the smaller cousin of the Megitavis – the Minitavis – ruled these skies.

Gaia’s trial had never felt so lively… so alive.

No. It was always like this. They had just forgotten.

Exrite returned to the centre as she stared up into the gaping hole high above. Dozens of waterfalls collapsed into fine mist, all surrounded with countless rainbows.

It was like something out of a dream. Once again, Black and White were reminded that they were indeed in a world of magic and fantasy… but even this far surpassed any lucid dreamscape.

The platform brought them straight through, plunging them into a vast ocean. Thankfully, a [Barrier] surrounding the platform protected them from being crushed or dragged away by the currents as it continued to ascend.

From the wetness of the ocean to the red skies of the <41st floor>, they emerged from the volcano’s caldera and surged into another chimney hidden beyond the black clouds.

A single point of light shone through the darkness. Everyone’s heart simultaneously throbbed as they refused to pry their attention away from that light.

After being underground for so long they were finally about to reach the surface.

The hour of ascension in this final stretch felt like a minute. The light grew with increasing increments. Roars of the wind drowned out all sounds as the air from the outside funnelled in and battered their bodies.

An unexplainable feeling kept Exrite from thinking. The longing for the light was all but a familiar sensation…

They shot out from the Trial’s chimney, consumed by the light. Mist surrounded them as they continued to soar upwards, the platform finally beginning to slow down.

They scaled towards the top of a gigantic plateau, a sea of [Dimensional Mist] surrounding them from underneath.

They were finally above the clouds that enshrouded the Shallows.

Within them Exrite could sense the [Gears] now.

There were thousands.

Finally, the platform breathed its final breath and came to a complete stop atop the ledge of the plateau. The skies were ever so clear. Not a single cloud smothered the sun’s loving rays.

But as much as they missed the blue skies, it could not compare to what laid before them on the other side of the plateau’s boundary.

“That’s –!?” Exrite was unable to finish her words.

A world unlike anything she had ever seen unravelled as far as the eye could see.

Above the mountainous tabletops to the west of the Shallows laid one of the most secluded places in all Eastern Six Point.

This place was none other than the Depths.

The entire region was raised far beyond reason, surrounded by walls of mountainous plateaus at its borders. It was no wonder why it was so hard to reach this place. Airships were not designed to reach these heights. Neither were most feathered creatures.

At the centre of it all were three layers of floating landmasses stacked atop one another, each held in place by countless purple crystals, roots, and the branches of the largest tree they had ever seen.

The canopies of trees across the Depths concealed all but the protruding crystals that lunged for the heavens. They were gigantic and chiselled perfectly like quartz.

The largest of them all resided beside the floating landmasses, clustered with many more crystals beneath which gave it the appearance of a blossomed flower.

It was like peering into another world. Their eyes sparkled wonderfully as they could not help but to stand there in silence, captivated by the grandeur sight.

The Depths was enormous.

It surpassed their wildest dreams by a thousandfold.

Even Uru was mesmerised by this.

The Forsaken Region that the world feared was utterly magical.

“… woah…” Khaos muttered, finally breaking the silence.

“I… I don’t believe it. We’re right here… at the edge of the Depths…” Frosty slowly shook her head in disbelief as she peered over the edge, a breeze washing over her face. “It… it was above the Shallows this whole time…?”

“I did not know either.” Uru confessed. “I remember it running on the same plane as the lands of Vevillen. Granted, it was mountainous at the borders, but none were quite as high as this. Unbelievable.”

“Our airship’s not going to make it up here, unfortunately. Looks like picking up Nav was a good idea Exrite. We’re probably going to have to go by foot once we’re ready.”

White said, her mantle fluttering with her hair majestically. She was the first to part away from the sight, turning around to see the ruins of an ancient structure.

“We should go. We’ll be back here anyway.” She added.

A thin bridge extended from the stable rocks out to a small platform where the structure floated above a sea of [Dimensional Mist].

Exrite broke away from the Depths just as White mentioned it.

She did not need to think for another second.

“Gaia’s home…” The whisper left her parted lips without her knowledge.

“Yes. That’s Her home.”

“It’s different from what I was expecting.”

“Is it not fitting for Her?”

“No… somehow this feels more fitting that what I imagined. It’d be strange if it were still standing after all this time.”

“Are you feeling disappointed?”

“How’d you end up at that? Of course not.”

“Then why do you look so perplexed?”

Exrite thought for a moment, a hand scratching the back of her head as she wondered the same thing. Nothing seemed strange about it. Nothing really nudged her until she picked up the faintest scent of cinnamon in the air.

“… Well, we’re about to find out.” She said, walking towards the ruins.

The ruins of the structure were no more than cracked stone pillars, rotten wood, and sticks. It was by no means small. In fact, the structure’s floorplans were quite large and spread out.

She could only wonder what it looked like in the past.

“No way… you can even see Mount Winterfall from all the way here as well!” Frosty suddenly cried, noticing the looming mountain far into the distance north of the ruins.

“And you still can’t see the top of that mountain.” Black pulled out her fob watch. The orb turned yellow as both arrows pointed behind her, somewhere beyond the Shallows. “You guys coming along or are you going to stay here sightseeing?”

“Go without us. I… want to see this a little longer.” Frosty said, gripping the scythe with both hands.

Uru parted ways and quickly passed Black.

“Ahahaha! I still can’t believe it! It’s the Depths!” Frosty exclaimed repeatedly with the excitement of a child.

Meanwhile –

“Uh… Black?”

“What do you want Khaos? Don’t you dare start squealing like your sister over there.”

“N-nothing like that- I-I just wanted to ask you about… w-well – H-how high do you think we are right now?”

It seemed like Khaos was frozen in place for a completely different reason than the others beforehand. While they were struck with awe, he was attacked by his terror of heights, rendering him unable to lift even a single finger.

Black’s face suddenly morphed sadistically.

Maybe she did want him to squeal like his sister after all.

“Hmm~? How high? Aww~ Don’t you wanna find out yourself?” She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “C’mon, let’s find out to~ ge~ ther~”

“Hey- HEY! BLACK WAIT ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME –!?”

“Don’t be shy~ Let’s have a closer look~”

“I’M SLIPPING! YOU’RE TILTING FORWARD! STOP! FUCKING STOP!”

“How lively.” Uru muttered, paying little heed to the torture Black was putting the poor Khaos through.

In the meantime, Exrite was already at the foot of the stone bridge. She crossed it alone, the wind pushing her from behind as if to guide her forward. The ruins called with the scent of cinnamon, mixed with the fouls smell of rotting wood and the sound of various ticking.

Her heart was queasy. Warm and relieved, but queasy. It was a similar feeling to anxiety, or how one felt before entering a stage full of lights.

“… She loved this place very much. It’s a shame to see it in such a state of disrepair. Not for Her sake, of course. It would’ve been useful for you.”

She didn’t answer Nav. Debris littered the floor, along with countless objects that neither Exrite others could identify. Not even Nav was able to trace their origins.

Gaia’s home was all but lost to the ebbs and flow of time.

Along the way to the source of the scent and ticking, she could not help but to run her hands along the remaining pillars, feeling familiar words inscribed into them.

Ecloma was written, but in a way that made little sense.

It spelt nothing. A further inspection revealed that they were arranged in the Ecloman alphabet.

“Hmm… Nav, was Gaia trying to learn Ecloma here?” Exrite slowly asked.

“No. She did not learn this language.” Nav revealed, confusing the three that were present. “She was its creator. The alphabet serves as a memorial for the language She and the Orignal developed in the Biomechanical Gardens.”

“What…? The ‘Tongue of the Gods’… belonged to Gaia all along?”

“Ho…!?”

“Just how convoluted is this going to get?”

Exrite, Uru and White responded in that order. Seeing their confusion and shock, Nav elaborated:

“The languages She learnt from the other races were but a hindrance to Her. As you now know; She had enshrouded the Shallows in order to hide the Original from the envious eyes of the Gods and Goddesses. The creation of Ecloma was a way for Her and the Original to communicate without risk.”

“… Does Auga know that she was being protected this whole time?” Exrite asked between her teeth.

“I’m afraid not. The Original was created far before the Trial. The Gods and Goddesses were only vaguely aware of my creator’s power.”

“Which was?” Exrite further pressed, not allowing a single question to go unanswered.

“… I am unsure.”

“Nav. Tell me.” Her tone drastically sharpened.

“No. I am unsure. She did not know herself... She did not know who she was. What she was. What her purpose was. Why she was brought into this world. Where she fell from. How she began, and why she will never disappear. Exrite – these are the memories I possess of my creator. The clouds will never be lifted, for I was born when her mind was clouded by hope and despair… I apologise –”

“Don’t. It’s not your fault.” She tapped it with a hand. “What do you guys make of this? Uru?”

“You’re asking a dangerous question. Theorising is meaningless now that we’re aware of how fickle the truths of our world are. Although – I’m intrigued, nevertheless. The power of the previous Maiden of Time must have been tremendous considering she was the cause of envy for the Gods.” Uru proudly recited.

“I’m not sure how my opinion fits into this, but since you asked – Let’s just say that the target on your back is bigger than we thought.” White warned. “There’s probably more to it all than just the title of the ‘Maiden of Time’ if the all-mighty Gods of your world had their eyes set on Her. The question is – what does this all mean for you?”

“It’s exactly as you said. Everything will have their eyes set on me. But that’s nothing new. Funnily enough, the only things that have happened so far was the army that appeared at the mountains, and the war between Di-Lock and the rest of Colight.” Exrite quickly spoke as they thought about what Nav said.

The question of Gaia’s power sparked some confusion. If there was one thing the world’s prestigious and influential desired from the Maiden of Time it was her [Gears]. But little did they know that there was something far more potent than it, which was knowledge only for the Gods. Whatever this power was, there was no denying that it was related to Gaia’s creation of the fundamental magics that governed Eastern Six Point.

The Maiden of Time no longer fit Gaia…

No, it never did to begin with.

“I… always knew that the Maiden of Time had more meaning behind it. But never to this extent.” Exrite admitted, not fazed in the slightest. “Be it the Maidens or the Gods – I don’t care. Nothing’s going to stop us. C’mon. Let’s go.”

She quietly resumed to exploring the ruins in search for the source of the ticking and the scent of cinnamon. In the meantime, she was distracted by other similar pillars that jutted around like giant spears.

There were scribes of the [Biomechanical] smothered on them, most with their meanings far from salvageable while some provided insight into the magic. Or more specifically – its process.

The [Biomechanical] magic was as they already expected. It was a magic to create life out of flesh and metal, melding the two into one organism. From what was written down, it seemed like objects could also be made using the magic.

They’d still be technically living, just like plants.

Furthermore, alongside the pillars pertaining to this magic, she stumbled upon information regarding the [Gears]. They were in the same pillar and context of the [Biomechanical] magic.

“… requires blood…?” She whispered, reading that part aloud with intrigue.

“Precisely. Blood is what creates the [Gears] and what allows the [Biomechanical] magic to function.”

“Not just any blood, huh…”

“The [Gears] can only be created by those with Her blood, hence why I was able to create an array of [Gears] by bleeding myself out. The [Time] magic [Gear] on the other hand was already present in the chamber” Nav stated, adding:

“Your case is different, however. You are essentially Her – but not in a literal sense, of course. I’m only stating that you have overtaken her absolute authority. Your gears are your own.”

“… so not just any Geared can create the [Gears]. And from my understanding, Auga can’t create [Gears] as well then?”

“Indeed. Biomech cannot create them. They’re more suited to using [Biomechanical] magic. I am the only one of her creations capable of producing [Gears] as far as I am aware of, for I have directly consumed a fragment of my Creator’s blood and survived.

Even if it was the smallest, most insignificant fragment… make no mistake, the Her blood still exists in us all – but it is nowhere near as potent. The only way to reach where I am is to drink from Her blood directly. But of course, under the presence of the [Gear]’s absolute ruler – you – I will never hold authority over them, unless you so choose to.”

“Interesting… and this seems like it’s all due to the gears that run through us, not the blood specifically.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“I do not need to say more, for you are correct.”

“… makes sense… but at the same time, why were there living [Gears] before the Final Dive? On the first Reservoir after the <41st Floor>?”

“Have you not realised that we – the ones that you call the ‘Geared’ – are beings of adaptation? Those that truly wish to serve Her will become the most beneficial form to aid her endeavours. The [Gear] is the perfect form for this. Those [Gears] keep the Trial in motion, and what prevents it from collapsing in on itself.

I on the other hand… lost my way at the end. The only perfect form other than becoming a hideous monster for us ‘Geared’ is to become a [Gear]… but I then strove for rebirth – a motivation that my Creator held yet knew was impossible to achieve. So, I amassed flesh around my true body, eventually becoming the Egg.”

“… yet you never ‘hatched’.” Exrite softly said, Nav moving itself up and down as if to nod.

“Yes… until you came. Thank –”

“You don’t need to thank me again.”

“… I’ll shall refrain then.”

From what Exrite gathered, the most important piece to creating the [Gears] was the blood of the Maiden of Time. The rates were unknown, and she expected them to be monumental as she remembered the vast reservoirs of blood leading into Nav’s chamber.

The process of creating the [Gears] was – surprisingly – simple from what she read. Just her blood and focusing on a clear mental image of the [Gears] themselves.

In a way, it resembled a certain umbrella of magic called Catalyst magic, where one required a certain kind material to act as a catalyst in order to successfully perform the intended magic.

This was extremely common in [Transmutation], [Smithing], [Smelting], [Refining] and [Alchemy]; essentially in almost all craftmanship-type magic.

Nav then added:

“You yourself – in your other body – are fundamentally the same as us, even though you did not begin like we did. The same as those that we passed during the ascent. Our hearts are different, but so long as the gears course through us and we consume, we will change to adapt… but as you know, we who have lost ourselves to despair became nothing but grotesque husks, the feedback loop repeating over and over. Hope drives the superficial changes – the ones we require. But despair pulls out the truth of who we are and what lays beneath the deepest recesses of our minds… that’s why there is such a drastic change from the floors above the place you call the first ‘Reservoir’ and beneath.

Conquering that is what the Attributed Whole means to us… Only the Biomech are spared from this fate of self-destruction, but even they are cursed to be bound to Her.”

Exrite devoured every word in complete silence. And then, after a few seconds of fruitless thinking, she asked:

“So, beings with a [Gear] for a heart are technically Geared as well?”

“I’d assume so. That way, if a normal being were to possess a [Gear], they would not be afflicted by our curse of longing. Instead, they’d be under the mercy of a malignant growth of changes, just like what we had to endure. Unless of course – they do not despair.”

“I see…” Exrite eventually stopped pondering on this, satisfied with Nav’s response. With a token of immense thanks, she resumed following the scent of cinnamon and the ticking once again.

In a space that seemed like it was used as a workshop of some sort, which was also confirmed by Nav, she began to rummage through the rubble.

Her blackened hands caused Uru to click her tongue as they all intently watched her dig out a black box.

It was no larger than the size of her chest, and by the lack of metallic lustre she was able to tell that this was created from Carbodix.

The source of the ticking came from within, and the scent of cinnamon was potent as she heaved it out. Suddenly, the box emitted a low-pitched rumble as it briefly lit up in a pattern like that of the obelisks.

Then – they heard a voice.

“You finally made it!”

“Gaia!?” Exrite blurted out, instantly searching for the voice before it followed with:

“Please don’t respond. You met with a similar recording earlier. Mnnmnn. No, a while back. To the Exrenity that made it thus far – I congratulate you for being the first to reach my home. Was fate by your side? Were you strong? Have you changed? Am I talking to the right person and their companions? I wish I could see… but if you were able to find this place, then Auga must’ve pointed you here. Or maybe it was me? That doesn’t matter now…”

She spoke slowly with joy, but towards the end there was a gloomy tone of regret and sincerity. This Gaia sounded different from the one Exrite knew, and the one that they heard long ago in the Trial.

She sounded more mature.

“I’m sure you have many questions. I’m sure the future me must’ve promised you the answers are all here… And I shall fulfill that promise. So – will you please listen to the voice you’ve grown to hate?”

Gaia began with herself and asked a thousand questions as to what they believed she was. All were incorrect, save for one.

The Creator.

This name had no meaning to her, but it meant everything to the world.

She was the one who had created the Biomech and the Geared – and in their present time – the Maidens, and possibly the Children of Balance.

Back then however –

The Maidens were not yet conceived of and Gaia only possessed three of the six [Fifteenth Tiered] magic known, which were [Time], [Realm], and [Space].

All were learnt in the Depths through the knowledge of countless inhabitants and Otherworlders who had also found themselves lost in this ravaged world, all plucked from the endless constellations of other worlds that were seemingly connected to this one.

[Time] was realised by the Otherworlders.

[Realm] was realised with the aid of the Beastkin.

[Space] was conceptualized by the help of the only Demi-human Gaia knew that existed in the Depths.

In any case –

[Realm] was the very first magic she created, followed by [Time], [Space] – and then – [Biomechanical] magic as she began to yearn for true company, for the Otherworlders were fragile unlike her.

Many of the ones she had befriended died painfully before her thousands of times over.

The [Gears] were the only inherent magic she possessed, for her blood already ran with countless gears. [Time] was likely the same, but Gaia did not know herself.

A single droplet of her blood was equal to the mana of millions of souls, and it became the basis of creating the [Gears], hence why they possessed limitless mana.

Furthermore, with all the knowledge she accumulated, the fibres of [Wisdom] magic began to weave into shape, alongside [Wish], for her desire to return the stars to the empty night sky never faded even to the day that Gaia created this very recording.

[Judgement] on the other hand was entirely absent however, as at the time she was indifferent to the world.

Gaia had confirmed many of their speculations, for better or worse. The greatest hit was the Children of Balance.

They were not even a fleeting thought that far back into the past.

Gaia came before them. This was the undeniable truth.

She then fell silent. The wind blew over for minutes as they all patiently waited for her to continue. Her mouth made sounds of hesitation before she finally spoke.

“… you’re wondering why I left out Auga until now. Truth be told – I feel guilty for leaving her there. But I could not afford to allow her to leave. The Gods desired everything I touched. I enshrouded the Shallows to hide her. I left her incomplete because if I saved her, then she’d follow me. Or worse, she’d leave the safety of the Biomechanical Gardens…”

Her voice was heavy. Insufferably heavy.

“In the end, Auga was my Original. She was the first, and she was created by an unskilled, dreaming child. The [Gears] in your hands are proof of my maturity… but also my lack thereof, because I’m leaving it all to you… Exrenity... no. Who am I kidding? The Exrenity were damned from the start as well. Hope was a dream. Despair was their reality. Whoever you are, I hope you can bring them to her. These words may not reflect who my future self is but… please tell her that I will never be reborn…

Gaia’s demeanour cracked as she stifled a cry.

“I’ve damned so many… the ones I create out of my blood and gears are destined to become me… I… want to break this cycle of attachment. Don’t you know? Don’t you all know? Attachment is the root of all suffering.”

She broke down in the end, the recording fading away as the last thing they heard were her whimpers…

“Please… save Auga for me…”

The box stopped glowing. They were left there in an uncomfortable silence, allowing everything to settle in.

Uru was brought to tears, for it was her beloved Maiden of Time that wept.

Exrite shut her eyes, her mouth moving.

“Yeah… I’ll save her.” She affirmed in silence. “But you’re cruel, Gaia. She waited an eternity for you to return. How can I tell Auga that you were never going to return?”

The carbodix box creaked under the might of her grip. A dark expression loomed over her face as she tried to find something – anything to redeem Gaia. In the end, nothing came to mind.

She had abandoned Auga and never intended to return, instead, leaving it all on the shoulders of Exrite, or whoever happened to reach Her home.

“Exrite, try to hide that grim look.” White said, already beginning to make her way back across the bridge. There was nothing else to see here. “Your personal conflicts with Her shouldn’t be interfered with others. You just need to save Auga, not avenge her. C’mon. Smile. We’re not in the Trial anymore.”

“I know. Vengeance never crossed my mind with Gaia anyway. Haaaaaaaah.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Don’t worry. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“How we’ll be on our own from here on out. I’ve already decided to stop listening to Gaia and the Children of Balance.”

White raised a brow, realising something.

“So that’s why you recruited Nav. I just hope you’re not thinking of ditching our goal as well.”

“Not a chance. I also need to get through Melody. We can’t reach the Maiden of Wisdom otherwise. Besides, I’m not like Gaia. I won’t abandon my friends.”

“You say that, but that’s exactly what your Gods wanted anyway. The liberation of the Maidens.”

Exrite shrugged. “That’s right. But what happens afterwards isn’t any of my concern. Once they’re free from the Domains, the order the Maidens uphold will come crumbling down. I think you can guess what happens after that.” Exrite said, also beginning to make her way across the bridge.

Uru reluctantly followed, her gaze constantly moving ahead and back towards the ruins of Gaia’s home.

“The Gods will no longer be imprisoned in their domains.” Uru dramatically answered.

“Chaos will ensue, huh. The best outcome by far.” Black said aloud from the other end of the bridge. She was listening to them the whole time. “Some hero chosen by fate you are.”

“You know I wasn’t one to begin with. Black, I’m not trying to fix this world. I just want to live in it.” Exrite said sincerely. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to save the homes of my friends. I’m not that cruel.”

“Hmhm~ That’s music to my ears.” Black hummed with delight, catching Exrite’s by the shoulders just as she passed.

“… what? What’s wrong now?”

“My garbs. The least you can do is wear them properly.” She said, rebuttoning them until they fit snugly on Exrite. “You know what? It suits you surprisingly well. Maybe I’ll have to teach you a thing or two about some of my world’s articles.”

“Alongside your weapons?”

“Obviously~”

* * *

Many questions were finally answered. Many more remained in the dark. But it was enough to satisfy Exrite.

They eventually regrouped at the edge of the Depths, staring into its mystical lands one last time before it was finally time to return to the Biomechanical Gardens.

But first, there was something Frosty needed to do.

The woman wandered towards the edge by herself, gathering the gazes of the others. No one questioned her or told her to return.

They knew what she had to do.

The scythe was presented to the world with open palms and a heavy heart. It grew warm and started to emit a faint glow just as orb-like particles began to float from it, gradually shaving down the size of the weapon.

With each one came a sign of ‘goodbye’ and ‘thanks’, bringing her to the brink of tears. The scythe returned to its former size as every soul was consumed and erased.

What she felt from each fleeting soul wasn’t sadness or sorrow.

It was contentment.

The warmth never faded from the scythe. She hugged it and stayed there for a while before returning with sore eyes. And with a bright, child-like smile – she cried.

“Let’s go –!”

Tears collapsed down her cheeks involuntarily as she re-joined them. Khaos instantly helped wiped the tears away with his thumbs but they wouldn’t stop.

It was strange. Frosty face changed little, yet the tears kept streaming down.

“Sis – what’s wrong?”

“Don’t… don’t worry. This isn’t because I’m sad or anything. I’m just… I’m just relieved.” She sniffled, breaking back into a smile. “Yep… relieved.”

“Are you sure?” Khaos pressed, unconvinced by her.

“Idiot… why would I lie? Geez… let me cry for a bit, alright? This is the first time I’ve felt like this. I’ve never felt so… so relieved for being a Reaper.”

This response took Khaos by surprise. He had half expected her to come running into his chest after erasing the souls. But this was clearly not the case. Instead, she managed to take it on and accept what she had done.

For the first time he saw Frosty accept a part of her Reaper self.

He could not help but to smile.

Before long, everything was resolved. Exrite began to lead them towards the ticking of an obelisk she sensed somewhere in the direction of Gaia’s home. In the meantime, Frosty remained at the back of the group with a strange happy-yet-conflicted look on her face.

That was until she felt something on her head.

When she looked up her eyes widened at the figure walking beside. Black, of all people, was comforting her.

She removed her peaked cap and fitted it snugly onto Frosty’s head, partially covering her reddened eyes.

Frosty was about to say something out pure shock. But before she could even consider it, a gloved finger primitively hushed her.

“Don’t say a word or I’ll kill you.” Black stringently warned. “Just be my hat stool for a bit. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

Frosty could not believe this. She even pinched herself to check if she was dreaming or not. Seeing this, a vein popped on Black’s forehead.

Why was she doing this? Frosty didn’t know for sure. For all she knew this was a ploy to get her to trust Black. But Black wasn’t the type to take round about measures of doing so. Rather, she was extremely upfront on that matter.

If she wanted trust, then she’d make it clear.

So – what was she doing then? What were her intentions? Frosty’s brain scrambled all over the place searching for an answer.

That was until Black spoke again.

“Don’t let who you are dictate what you do. Let what you do dictate who you are. How it took you this long to figure that out is beyond me.” Black criticised her with a near mocking tone from out of nowhere.

“But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t believe in it either. For a while at least. But you know, seeing Exrite’s fucking stubbornness does things to you.”

She complained aloud, ensuring that Exrite could hear her loud and clear from the front.

“Listen – A Reaper harbours death. A Colour harbours cruelty. And a Maiden is supposed to maintain order. From what I’ve seen, that’s all. Just. Bullshit. Exrite’s eventually going to destabilise your world, you’re saving souls, and I’m here giving you advice. What does it mean? Don’t ask me. I’m just laying it out for you.”

Despite wanting to lay low, Black ended up gathering everyone’s attention. With a sigh, she ignored them and continued to walk as if nothing happened.

Frosty on the other hand could not be more grateful. She didn’t say anything, but the face she made spelt it all. For someone who took pride in being a Colour for enacting death and destruction, Black was rather…

Kind. Crude, cruel and melancholic, but kind.

Despite their differences, and despite that they did not see eye to eye in a multitude of things, Frosty set it all aide for once and enjoyed the presence of the strangely warm Black.

* * *

Part 2 –

An obelisk hidden beneath the rubble of Gaia’s home teleported them somewhere in the Shallows. After a loud array gunshots and explosions, an all too familiar Biomech child arrived at the scene, donning a splendidly black mantle.

Through the trees that disappeared into the mist canopy, past the waterfall at the edge of the island, and across the ruined stone-bricked bridge over the chasm – they finally reached the Biomechanical Gardens with the help of the lovely Biomech.

Black scrubbed its head agonisingly with her gloved hand. It rubbed its head, unable to express the pain or thanks in any meaningful way. Once they were finally in the heart of the forest after following the cracked pathway, an explosion of emotions gushed from the eyes of a certain Biomech.

Melody only briefly greeted them, using her sheer presence to cause all but Exrite to freeze at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the tree.

Exrite gracefully ascended, passing by the Maiden with a short greeting of her own before moving straight for Auga.

This seemed to surprise Melody, although she didn’t pay too much heed to it. In fact, she was rather pleased. The fact that Exrite didn’t stop, bow, or tremble nervously under her presence spoke volumes of her development.

The Exrite from three months ago would have at least asked for permission to move or would’ve waited for Melody’s approval. As for now, this was a different story entirely. Her priorities laid with Auga above all, and no benevolent Maiden was going to stop her for even a single second.

“You’ll save her, won’t you?” Melody whispered with hope just as Exrite passed her.

“What do you think I came back for?” Exrite responded rhetorically, her legs never stopping.

“Not for me obviously.” Melody nearly laughed, her gaze suddenly mellowing afterwards. “Do it Exrite. Please save her from the mess Gaia left behind. I can’t stand to see her so miserable anymore. For her sake, and for my own – end her suffering once and for all. I’m counting on you.”

“... Yeah. Leave it to me.” She assured, her grip tightening against the black box as she slowly walked over to the teary-eyed Auga.

Auga’s mouth hung open, and then it opened and closed as if to say something – anything, but her voice betrayed her, only letting out the scraping sound of metallic grating and static.

Not only that, but her arms and legs began to pull her away from the base of the oak tree. Strands of metal wires stuck to her back as she unknowingly reached out for Exrite.

Her small steps were like that of a newborn fawn, and when the strands finally snapped, she fell straight into the safety of Exrite’s arms. She didn’t know why her body moved so strangely and without her permission.

In fact – even her mind seemed so absent and strange in this very moment.

But at the touch of Exrite’s skin, and the scent of the person who had left her here to wait for so long, Auga suddenly broke down into a steady stream of tears.

Everything returned to her, and the eons-long wait seemed to finally come reach an end.

No. Not the three months wait. That went by in the blink of an eye. But rather, the wait she had to endure since Gaia first departed.

Every fibre of her cold being suddenly ignited with warmth as she grasped onto Exrite’s attire with all her might, clawing at it. These crystal tears were not the same as the ones that fell the first time they met, and Exrite could tell as she wiped them away with the tip of her thumb.

“… ca… came…” Auga’s voice was barely decipherable.

“… ame… came…”

“… ack…”

“… came back… you came back. You came back…”

The voice was as clear as the tears that fell, causing Exrite’s eyes to widen in surprise.

The reason her tears fell were not out of sadness, despair, or grief.

It was simply because she came back.

Exrite may not have been Gaia, but she was still the embodiment of her. From the structure of her face to the scent of her body, all the way down to the ticking of her heart – it was all the same…

It truly felt like her Creator returned, but she knew deep down that wasn’t true. But even so – she embraced the surge of emotions and never dared to lock them up.

“What if she doesn’t return?”

“What if she disappears just like Gaia?”

“What if she abandons me?”

“What if she forgets?”

“What if she doesn’t care?”

Auga wept harder as she remembered these thoughts. Exrite – who had seen the world through the woman’s eyes – pushed the black box away for a moment and placed her free hand onto Auga’s head.

“Didn’t I already promise you that I’d come back?” Exrite said in a motherly tone. “Auga. Cry to your heart’s content. I’m not going anywhere. I still have to save you and all your children, don’t I?”

“… came back…” Auga could not say anything else, her grip only tightening as if she could not believe this was true. If this was a dream, then she’d clutch onto it so tightly that it’d either become reality or that she wouldn’t wake up.

It was a cruel way of thinking, but thankfully, this was indeed reality.

Exrite let her cry into her neck, standing there for hours as the others began to reimmerse themselves in the Biomechanical Gardens.

After all, they’d be here for a while.

A long… long while.

* * *

Exrite told her everything once her cries finally came to an end.

Late into the night and underneath the stars and the cosmic dust, Auga remained silent and wore an unchanging expression as she listened to it all.

Her eyes glistened with the stars before finally closing upon hearing the reason behind why Gaia left her here to wait in the Biomechanical Gardens, also realising why she was left incomplete.

There was no hint of malice or anger beneath Auga’s gentle breaths. Rather, she was calm… almost accepting of everything she was told. She had never questioned Gaia. Neither did she need to or was ever compelled to.

And even to this day, after countless years of fruitless waiting, she still believed in her Creator.

Was it foolish? It was hard to tell. In one hand there was no possible way for Gaia to return now that she was stuck in the Domain of Time. Furthermore, Gaia herself left everything in the hands of Exrite.

However – it was also this same fact that allowed Auga to smile heartfully.

“… Gaia… promised me that she’d return one day to fix me. I knew that the world around us was in shambles. I knew from the start that my very existence was to be a star amongst the dark sky. I was her only friend. Her only family.”

Auga said, placing a hand on her heart as her eyes fluttered open, revealing a mirror image of the sky above.

“Exrite, do you think her promise was a lie?”

“To return? She said it herself. She won’t be coming back. Ever.” Exrite slowly said, almost apologetically.

Auga softly laughed. “You didn’t say no.”

“… well… it’s complicated. I’ve been thinking about this for a while but, if she didn’t return then doesn’t that mean you’re still at threat somehow?” Exrite brought up an incredibly valid point, to which caused Auga to laugh again.

“Not that. I’m sure that’s how it is, hearing that you’re going to free the Gods that have been restrained by the Maidens. But that’s not what I was talking about.”

She began softly, her voice crackling static as she slowly turned to face Exrite.

“Gaia promised that she would return reborn. Even if she wasn’t a star, she was the cosmic dust that creates them. She was stardust. Exrite – don’t make that face. Please don’t look so sad and upset. You’re not Gaia. You’re not my Creator. You’re not the one who left me here all alone. You’re more than that. So much more… You are Exrite. You’re the Exrenity. You’re the Maiden of Time. You’re warmer than Her. And… you came back.”

Exrite’s face shrunk at the mention of that. A look of dejection and denial came over her, but as much as she tried to deny it, she simply could not.

This question had lingered in the back of her mind ever since Auga brought it up the first time they met. She didn’t know why she looked like Gaia to the point where even the Geared believed it was Her. Whether it was due to the Heart of Time, tampering from Gaia herself or for some other unexplained reason – it still did not make any sense to her.

Not even the Maiden’s next of kin took after their predecessor’s appearance. Perhaps slightly, but never to Exrite’s extent.

This was why the similarities she possessed with Gaia’s appearance had always struck her as odd and unnecessary.

That was until the Egg spouted the notion of ‘rebirth’. What was once an afterthought slowly materialised at Gaia’s home once she revealed that She could not be reborn. And finally – it became the ‘truth’ as soon as Auga’s eyes fell deeply into hers here in this very moment.

Although, calling it the ‘truth’ did not mean it was true. There was still no way to confirm that she was the rebirth of Gaia. But it made perfect sense with the newfound context she was granted.

Since Gaia wanted her to reach the Biomechanical Gardens – and presumably… no, certainly further; it was perhaps an obvious choice to keep their appearances similar for better or worse.

That was how she saw it. There was probably more… no, there was most certainly more behind it. But Exrite was content with this answer, nevertheless.

However, that did not explain why Exrite herself was chosen to begin with.

That was the one question she wanted answered above all else.

It was a goal that was only second to finally finding a place to call home in this world.

With a defeated sigh, Exrite fell back onto the bark of the oak tree and reared her head up.

“Don’t forget to add ‘human’ to that list. Albeit with all the gears and adaptations I’ve ended up accumulating in that body.”

She sighed again.

“… just Gaia in image. In this body, at least. Not something I want to be a part of, but like I have a choice~ She’s cunning, isn’t she? It’s like she knew this would happen all along.”

“She wasn’t like that before. How strange that people can change with time… even I’m surprised that I have somehow changed after all this time. Did you know that I was close to giving up on waiting?”

“… yeah. I saw it with my own eyes. I had a dream where I was you, sitting here for so long watching the stars come and go. Auga… how can you still be so forgiving to someone who let you sit here and wait for eons?”

“You’re asking a strange question… Exrite. I think you already know the answer already. Gaia left me incomplete for my sake. To her credit… I would’ve chased her across the world just to be with her again if I had the chance. But that’s gone now. Right now, I’m just a machine and flesh – a construct of zeroes and ones – a creation left behind not out of spite, but because of my Creator’s love for me.”

Auga’s voice was beautiful beyond words.

“Gaia… I want to believe that the reason she’s in the Domain of Time is because of me.”

“Eh? What do you mean?” Exrite said, looking at her with curiosity.

Auga’s gaze suddenly warmed before she broke into a conflicting smile.

“You told me that Gaia knew that I’d chase her no matter what. And that’s true. In the case that I was to become complete there’d be no way for me to reach her ever again. Thinking about it now… Gaia really is cunning… mhm…”

She suddenly fell into Exrite’s shoulder, quivering for a moment.

“How can I help it Exrite? Gaia created me. To you – to the world – she’s my God. But to me – she’s my friend. My family. I don’t care if I was born just to be a star in her lonely world… I just want to see her again… Am I selfish for only having this one wish?”

“Of course not!”

To her surprise, Auga did not cry. Instead, she embraced her with all her might, and for the next while, Exrite simply remained silent and allowed her to cherish her warmth.

Although, Auga’s embrace felt slightly odd. It felt different in a way that she could not put her finger on. Familiarity was obscured with uncertainty as Auga’s body temperature gradually dropped to freezing.

“… Auga?”

When she failed to illicit a response, she looked to Auga and saw that she was concentrating on something. Realising this, Exrite softly smiled as the warmth returned to her all at once.

She immediately knew what she was doing.

It was time for Auga to fulfil her promise.

She was preparing to grant her the [Biomechanical] magic.

Strands of Auga’s hair began to fill her vision. The cracks between the ancient armour of the tree then illuminated just like that of the obelisk before every leaf glowed like the stars of the night sky.

And then – everything turned white.

* * *

A campfire flickered in the centre of the pathway, surrounded by dozens of Biomech who peacefully slept with hands clutching onto the clothes of Frosty and Khaos.

Nav was present in this group, patrolling around with boundless curiosity for it could not believe that it was here in the Biomechancial Gardens.

Somewhere in the forest was Black and Uru who further investigated the island, while White carefully toyed with a vial of blood. Earlier, White was at the brink of going insane due to her thirst for – what she considered – ‘normal-class blood’.

This was harvested mostly from humans or similar races. In fact, the blood of even stronger races was also considered ‘normal’ at best.

What was inside of the vial however, was ‘high-class blood’ – a rarity and a treat to a Vampiric Colour like herself.

Where did she get this from? Surprisingly, Khaos offered his neck seeing that Frosty was still suffering from the aftereffects of the ordeal back in the Trial.

She carefully peered through the glass, admiring the blood’s wonderful colour.

Then, her focus changed to an object behind the vial. It was an egg. A pale egg created from the metal strands of Auga’s hair.

Exrite had been in there for at least an hour. From what she understood; that egg facilitated one’s understanding of the [Biomechanical] magic. Behind it was Auga, who always kept both palms flat on it with pure concentration.

No one – not even Black – dared to utter a word during these critical hours.

Dawn arrived before they even knew it, and before long, the sun had risen halfway into the sky. The Biomech children that awoke seemingly gravitated towards the egg, each one sitting around it like an object of worship.

Aside from the object which they had never seen before, most of them were trained on the strained face her mother wore. Seeing her express emotion so overtly was always a curious sight for them.

Granting Exrite the [Biomechanical] magic pushed her to the absolute limit.

The [Gear] in Auga’s chest was, after all, a weak one.

Then – minutes after a confused pair of faces arose from the campfire – parts of the egg began to crack. Piece by piece, the shell fell apart, revealing the Exrite that slept from within.

Or so Auga thought. To her surprise – and shock – Exrite was still conscious.

Dozens of metal needles were lodged inside of her body like skewers. The pain should have been enough to knock her out, or at the very least leave her on the ground screaming in agony.

Instead, she stood there with a relaxed posture, only moving a hand to cover her eyes from the sun momentarily. Auga didn’t know what to think when she saw that the sun posed more of an issue to her than the pain she must be enduring.

“… Auga? So… what’s next?” Exrite said, her arms held out to her side, avoiding contact with the needles.

Curiously enough, she realised that each one was lodged in places where her vitals would be, and areas where major collections of blood vessels existed.

Although, the placements were strangely off, piercing some vitals she didn’t even know she possessed.

Once again, she realised how different the internals of a Maiden’s body were compared to anything she knew of.

That said – only her heart and brain were left untouched, and –

– Needless to say, the placement of the needles was far from random.

“Oh… no. It’s done. We just need to remove them…”

She quickly snapped out of her trance. A hand grasped onto one of the needles and just before she began to pull, she added worriedly asked:

“… you- don’t you feel pain?”

“Well… let’s just say I’ve experienced something worse.”

Her wounds healed up almost as soon as the needles left. Compared to the regenerative ability of his other body, this one was by far the most potent, healing the deepest wounds in an instant.

“… I can’t even begin to imagine.” She whispered, removing a few before continuing. “Do you feel any different now?”

“A little. No… a lot actually. How can I say it…? It feels like I can control the gears running through me now. Strange… is this [Biomechanical] magic?”

“Yes. It’s the manipulation of flesh and machine, all stemming from the tiny gears that flow through us. It will allow you to manipulate the bodies of the Biomech, create them and augment already existing life so long as the gears are present in their system.”

“Augment? You mean what by that exactly?” Exrite asked as the final needle was pulled.

“How can I explain it… um- look around us Exrite. The oak tree, the leaves, the flowers, the plants – see the metal that grows on them? It’s something similar in that regard. Have you noticed that gears run through their stems?”

“Interesting… hey, it’s not infectious, is it? Like a disease?”

“If it were then this world would already belong to Gaia.” She giggled. “If you listen closely, you’ll notice the tiny little [Gears] inside of them. A Biomech can’t exist without them, but some other beings can so long as they possess gears in their systems. Although, that doesn’t necessarily make them Biomech. For instance… this oak tree.”

She touched it and it responded by illuminating its leaves for a brief moment.

“It’s not a Biomech like us. It wasn’t born using [Biomechanical] magic, and neither was it the offspring of one. Its stems are all filled with healthy gears. It’s been feeding off me, and it’s thankful for all the years I’ve been keeping it company. Likewise, I’m also thankful that it’s sheltered me for so long. A Biomech is only limited by their hearts. This tree is limited by my blood. To sustain its life, it needs a constant flow of gears. That’s the downside of not being a Biomech, or a similar being with a missing [Gear].”

“… Auga, are you telling me to become a Biomech?” Exrite asked, wondering why she was explaining this all with such depth.

All those who heard this had their interests perked, specifically Black who could already begin to envision the prospects of the magnificent magic.

Auga’s paused seemed to confirm her sentiments. However, this wasn’t the case.

“No. You’re a human. A Maiden in this body, and a human in the other. I won’t take away that identity from you. I don’t want to you lose the meaning of yourself. But… those gears are wasted with no means of using them.” She softly spoke, a hand reaching to touch her heart. “Please let me grant you that as well… as a farewell gift when all of this is finally over. Please…”

Exrite didn’t need to wonder why she was so willing to help her. Instead, she was more intrigued as to why she felt so strongly about this matter.

When she tried to pry, Auga simply responded with an answer that seemed so obvious that it caused her to inadvertently smile.

“Think of it like you’re taking me along with you. It’s my only way of reaching Gaia. That way… you can fulfil my wish. See… I told you I was selfish~”

What she had in mind was unknown to Exrite, let alone the others. However, there was no way she could refuse this offer. The fact that it meant that she could use this bizarre magic even in her other body was already a spectacular proposition.

However, Exrite did not need it right now. Instead, she wanted to begin amending the wrongs left behind by Gaia in this sacred place before she could accept any gifts.

With tender eyes and without saying a word, Auga understood her intentions and beamed a beautiful smile.

“I understand. Please… make me complete – Exrite.

Please save us.”

* * *

Part 3 –

The process was simple… or so she thought.

All Exrite needed to do was remove Auga’s heart and replace it with one of the [Gears] Gaia provided from the black box. The largest one seemed to be the most appropriate.

However, that black box was nowhere to be found. They didn’t lose it or accidentally imbued them with magic. Rather – they simply did not need them.

No… that’d be a lie. How could they not need the 50 [Gears] that were compactly stacked inside of the box? They were small, only one amounting to the size of a fist while the others were just the size of the tip of a finger.

So – why didn’t they use them?

As strange as it was, Auga was the one who denied those [Gears]. Instead, she asked Exrite to create new ones from her own blood. Her sentiment was absolute, and she refused to have it any other way.

Auga wanted a part of this new Maiden inside of her. Even if she wasn’t Gaia – this person was the current Maiden of Time, the next of kin of her Creator.

It was also her way of moving on. The promise had already been fulfilled… so there was no need to keep clinging onto it anymore. She didn’t have to wait anymore, and, above all – she could finally live again, this time for the sake of her children.

Exrite firstly needed to create the [Gear]. A fist-sized one was all she needed.

However, the process of creating the [Gear] was the hard part.

There was only so much blood that she could produce all at once.

She had to jam her fingers straight into major blood vessels and keep them there for hours until she had accumulated enough blood to finally create a single [Gear].

Severing her limbs proved impossible. Not even a slash of White’s sword at its full power could bite into her bones.

With all this accumulated blood she was able to create a unique ratio for blood in litres to [Gear] size – which were about the size of her fist. Inside of a stone basin, at least 200 litres of her blood amounted to a lone fist-sized [Gear], hence why it took hours.

It also did not help that her regenerative ability made it difficult to extract any meaningful amount of blood in a short amount of time.

This served as experience at the very least. A hollow tube would’ve been a far better choice than her fingers, although she wondered if one made from limeite would even be able to scratch her skin.

That aside – the procedure went on without any issues.

She placed a hand in the centre of Auga’s relaxed chest and activated the [Biomechanical] magic. Instantly, the woman’s eyes turned lifeless as her breathing stopped entirely.

Auga’s blood instantly pooled from somewhere beneath her body. It began vibrating uncontrollably before suddenly shooting out streams of blood like the hands of a clock, each one tipped with a gear-shaped symbol. There were 12 in total, just like the numbers of a clock.

Beforehand, Auga had explained that each one represented a system within the body of Biomech, or whatever compatible being was being tinkered with. In her case, 11 were reserved for her body specifically, and 1 was solely for her [Gear] heart.

There was some movement around them amongst the Biomech children, but none dared to interfere.

Exrite assumed authority over Auga’s body, as if she was her very creator. She felt every muscle, membrane, sinew, bizarre organ systems, and finally her [Gear] heart as if they were her own.

Anything could be altered now so long as it did not exceed the strength of the [Gear] inside. For reference – and according to Auga and Nav – the more complex one was, the more gears it needed to operate certain functions.

The gears were like oxygen to the cells of living beings, save they did not generate waste.

That aside – She was dumbstruck by this. No visual que or feedback aided her, yet she felt like she deeply understood how to use this magic. However, its blind nature also caused some hesitation.

There was no way to tell if she was doing something wrong.

Realising this, it was no wonder Gaia’s first creation was imperfect.

She couldn’t help but to softly smile.

Second guessing oneself was never a bad thing, but in this case, it may cause more harm than good.

And besides – most of Auga’s makeup was very reminiscent of humans…

At in her chest area this was true.

With her confidence regained through a quiet sigh she continued as planned.

The flesh around Auga’s chest suddenly turned into a liquid sate. She dug two fingers in and plucked the [Gear] out before promptly replacing it with the new blue one.

During this, one of the streams beneath disappeared, and then reappeared once the [Gear] was inserted.

Her flesh returned to their former state as soon as she removed her fingers.

As fast as this all seemed, Exrite made use of [Delay] to ensure that her layers of flesh were correct. She was no surgeon, as Black described, but she certainly did well considering it was her first time.

Or rather – it her experience with the human anatomy that aided her the most.

Moments later, after an intense minute of nothing but silence, she heard the [Gear] tick. Steadily, it grew livelier until the light in Auga’s eyes returned, along with a torrent of tears collapsing down her cheeks.

The procedure was a resounding success.

A celebration broke out as Auga lunged into Exrite for the nth time and wept with all her heart. The cries that passed through her lips were not plagued with distortion or static. Neither did it sound like grating metal.

It was feminine. Soft – and utterly beautiful.

This was Auga’s true voice.

“I’m complete! I’m finally… finally complete! After all this time… after waiting for so long… I no longer have to helplessly watch my children die… Thank you. Thank you. Thank you –”

She could not stop thanking her.

… I was just doing what needed to be done. You don’t have to thank me.

Was what she wanted to say. But Exrite was not so cruel to dismiss this as something small and insignificant. She cherished it and found herself tearing up as Auga repeatedly cried out her name.

Melody slowly joined them, placing a hand on both their heads lovingly.

“… I have no words to thank you, Exrite. Hold her tight and don’t let go. Let’s hope this is the last time she ever has to cry. Please stay with her for another while. I’ll go prepare the children.”

“Please do.” Exrite said with the softest voice she could muster. “But I’ll also need some time to prepare my blood. There’s 30 children… aha… this might take a while.”

“… Is… is it alright to use so much blood?” Khaos carefully asked.

“It’ll replenish in a heartbeat.” Melody assured, passing by them right until she met shoulder to shoulder with the Colours. “Expect to stick around for a while.”

Black clicked her tongue and was about to rebut her viciously until –

“But you should be used to waiting by now. Plus~ It’s not like you’re able to refuse. Somehow, you’ve gotten too soft, Blackheart. Sharing articles? Are you even the same Black I know?”

“Still here. Just don’t want to get killed by souring this boring mood.” She hissed.

“Hmm~ But I didn’t say it was a bad thing. You’re just not supposed to show that kind of weakness in front of you enemies, that’s all. You’ll give me too much hope.”

Those last words left Black speechless for some reason. There was no way to tell what she meant by that at all. In the end, Black clicked her tongue and let loose of an annoyed sigh.

“Tch. How annoying.” She complained.

* * *

Days passed one by one as Exrite drenched many stone tubs with blood. From there they were turned into sizeable [Gears], each one identical to Auga’s before they were inserted into a prepared child’s chest.

The cycle then repeated.

There was not one second that she ever dared to stop. Only during the blood-draining process was she given the luxury to talk and comfort the weeping Biomech children who, for the first time, felt the warmth of the world…

And the coldness of the many years they had spent trapped in their incomplete bodies. The saddest times, the happiest moments, and places they so lovingly adored were all contained in their tiny hearts.

How many siblings had they lost in front of their very eyes? From the monsters to the chasm… all they could do was watch and stare with cold eyes, never being allowed to express the pain and grief that fermented in the bottom of their hearts.

But that curse finally came to an end, and the emotions dwelling deep in their chests exploded once the lid came off.

The curse was shattered… and they were finally set free.

Their tears fell for days on end. Exrite, Auga and Melody comforted them during these initial days of grief before they began to settle down, grasping onto the others and asking them if this was all just a cruel dream.

With the smiles and warmth of Khaos, Frosty, Uru and surprisingly the Commanders, they were assured that this was indeed reality. Although, it was mostly just White who managed to show them her kinder side.

They weren’t enemies, so therefore, she did not despise them.

Black on the other hand was a crude with her approach. Many heads were ravaged by her gloved hands, and many more were told that emotions are unnecessary for machines, although –

That did not stop her from telling them to become strong if they wanted to keep it.

It was a strange thing to tell a child, and a much stranger thing for her to say, especially towards the Biomech.

But they weren’t children. Not in her eyes. They were soldiers – or at least they were potential soldiers.

Given the nature of the Biomech, they were stronger than many of the races of this world by default. In addition, they did not require sustenance as their [Gear] provided all the energy they required.

All in all, they were what she considered as free labour.

It was just a shame that she couldn’t pluck just one to bring back with her.

* * *

The final whimpers subsided in the following days. A week had passed since Exrite began replacing their hearts, and now, the fruit of her efforts finally ripened.

Biomechanical Gardens blossomed with vibrant life. The children that were once filled with empty eyes were brighter than the sun above, their faces filled with cheeriness, jubilation, and childish glee.

The clamour warmed the air that swept across the land from the heights of the mountains afar, carrying their emotions further into the Shallows. There was no word better than solace to describe the Biomechanical Gardens.

The thick despair that once polluted the air was now one of hope.

Exrite smiled at his efforts from the bottom of his heart. Seeing them all finally freed was an experience he vowed to cherish for the rest of his life.

Hope blossomed from their despair, and the flower was utterly beautiful.

“Ack –” He unexpectedly flinched, a severe pain running up his left arm straight to his heart.

To feel any sort of pain was a strangely welcome surprise.

“Don’t move! Just let it settle for a bit. You’ll get used to it soon.” Auga quickly said. “It’s attached to your heart and chest, after all. Let your body adapt to it first.”

He complied, slowly dropping his left hand into his lap. There, he saw a series of metal segments, grey flesh and muscle all arranged in a manner that mimicked a human arm, except this one was slightly bulker and far heavier than his right.

Further up into his shoulder were Biomechanical parts that anchored the arm into his chest and heart, thus completely replacing his old left arm. Even the shoulder was replaced, further anchoring it to his body.

One important thing to note was that his regeneration did not attempt to remove the Biomechanical arm, although, he had to wonder if it was due to his regenerative abilities now disappearing along with his spinning Eye of Despair.

For now, it was safe to assume this was his permanent left arm.

So, what was this arm?

Simply put – it was a complex Biomechanical arm, created by Auga using her [Biomechanical] magic. Its design and functions were tapered to squash down as many inconveniences that Exrite’s human body naturally possessed.

One of them most notably was his inability to use magic.

However, not in the traditional sense.

With this arm it was possible to insert [Gears] and use them directly as if he were using magic normally. Earlier, he gave it a test run with a [Liquid Fire] [Gear], which he had taken from the black box.

The benefits of having a [Gear] directly inserted into the arm was that they were both amplified and under the natural effects of [Control], since they functioned as a part of his body.

The downside, however, was that it consumed blood at an extreme rate to use the [Gears] directly. The arm was technically an organ in a way, requiring more gear-rich blood flow than anything else in his body.

Yes, even the brain’s blood supply was dwarfed by his Biomechanical arm. This was why after a fairly extensive trial, he suffered from headaches, nausea and other mental-impairing aliases for a short while.

Aside from that, the arm also increased the range that he could manipulate the [Gears]. No more was it just a single metre or two. Now, it could go as far as 20 metres; a far cry from the near kilometre his Maidenly body was capable of, but it was still a considerable improvement by a mile.

The strength of the Biomechanical arm was also far stronger than his original arm. More than a dozen times over, in fact. Although – it was still no match for Khaos’ strength, which led one to wonder just what the limits of his strength were.

Finally, the arm also functioned as a means to hide the [Gears] themselves from plain sight. Of course, not all [Gears] could fit across its full length, but it still served this purpose well. In addition, the Biomechanical casing protected them from fatal damage.

“… so weird… touching the metal and still feeling like its normal skin.” Exrite slowly said, awed by the arm. “It’s more machine than flesh, isn’t it?”

“In appearance only. Deep down there’s so many wonderful reactions and functions with each finger you move.” She said excitedly, admiring her work with a proud look. “I hope it suits your needs… and – I hope you can reach Her with this.”

“Of course. I’m sure Gaia will love to see this. Just have to wait until she’ll finally let me back into the Domain of Time.”

“She didn’t let you in this time?”

“No. Don’t know why, but I’m not complaining. I want to amas as many questions as I can before I can lash them all out at her at once. Let’s see which ones she’ll be willing to answer.” Exrite said, somewhat irritated by the fact.

“… do you think that I’ll be able to meet her there one day?” Auga asked sincerely, wondering if it was possible.

“Ah… well. Hmm? I don’t know actually. I want to say that there is way, but I really don’t know how or why I end up there. If my body stays here and my mind ends up in the Domain of Time, then maybe it has something to do with [Soul] magic, or with the ‘Timeless’ phenomenon.” Exrite explained, moving each digit of his left hand individually.

“Timeless? Gaia’s last name?”

“No. It’s just the dreams I and Mel – yeah, just the dreams I have. It allows me to see the pasts of others… and maybe it’s what allowed me to talk to Nav in that strange, black world.”

He said, looking up to Auga.

“So, it’s not that farfetched to think that it could work in a similar vein. But – what do I know? I’m just me, looking for answers at every step of the way. And thankfully, this was a memorable step.”

With his right hand, he gently patted the woman’s head.

“Thank you for bringing us here, Auga. I’ve learnt a lot of things, and I still don’t know much but… because of all of this madness, I think I can finally stand somewhere in this world now. Thank you.”

“You’re so strange… you make it sound like I saved you. Really, it’s no wonder you have the kinship of so many different people. You may not know it or believe it yourself, but you really are a star, Exrite. Just like Gaia’s promised to be reborn as, even though she was never one to begin with.”

Auga gently took both of his hands into her palms and deeply delved into his eyes with moisty, silver ones.

“Even if the night sky were to completely fade to black, I believe you’ll be the only one up there for us all to watch.”

“… maybe, but I think I’ll stick to chasing them. I also have dreams too.”

“Afterwards. After everything.” Auga insisted, causing him to softly smile.

“We’ll have to see. If I can’t find a place to call home in this world, then maybe getting out of it is the only way.” He laughed. “But in all seriousness, don’t go out of your way to wait for me. Don’t make that mistake, Auga. The stars aren’t up there anymore. Look around you. Aren’t their smiles good enough?”

“… So sly. But you’re not wrong.” She laughed. “Exrite. Please don’t falter. Please don’t end up like Her. Let her story serve as a precautionary tale.”

“Yeah… I won’t be going down the same path as her. Gaia’s the last thing I’ll ever be. A human does what a human does best. I think I finally understand that now. Creating life? Not a chance. Humans create tools. This is who I am.”

He said proudly of the fact, grinning from ear to ear.

“And besides, I’m not alone in this endeavour.”

His eyes slowly drifted across the faces of his companions, who gathered below with the Biomech children. They were all in this together, through thick and thin, and to the very end.

Auga stared at him unknowingly with shimmering eyes. Nothing but awe and respect filled her as she watched Exrite’s face mellow at the sight of his friends. Once she looked at them, she softly hummed, realising something once again.

“A star…”

“All I really want in the end is to find a place to call home. A place where I and the people closest to me can live without a care in the world.”

“The world will never leave you alone. The Gods so dearly desired her for her power. For you, it won’t be any different now. I was also desired as a piece for the Gods to lure her out, hence my imprisonment. Exrite, you tread a delicate path. Once the Domain of Realms collapses, and the Domain of Space destroys the barrier separating the regions of the Gods – then we’ll most likely be a target once again. Our freedom may one day come back to bite you… but I don’t want you to think about us. You’ve done enough already, so please don’t worry about us.”

“Auga. Just to be clear, I have no intentions of letting this world take things away from me again. Be it the Gods, the Maidens – or Gaia herself – nothing is going to stop me. Don’t tell me to abandon you so easily.”

He said with a voice brimming with conviction.

“I have ties to people in a Kingdom already. Even I can’t abandon them. Every single person close to me are in the same position as you are. So – Doesn’t that make me more vulnerable than Gaia? Aha. It might be stupid, dumb or reckless to have so many avenues for the world to bend me to its will, but if there’s anything I’ve learnt – so long as I’m not alone, then everything is fine.”

Exrite once again placed a hand onto her head, this time with his Biomechanical hand.

“And besides, being alone is one of the worst pains I can think of.”

Auga’s eyes widened at those words. They resonated with her heart.

He was right.

More than anything, it was her loneliness that hurt her the most across the eons she waited here.

That’s why when Melody arrived a part of her heart healed and barely warded off the impending despair. Looking at the people around her now in her once lonely prison, she could not help but to smile so beautifully that all who caught a glimpse of it instantly became captivated.

“… Exrite…” She whispered his name to herself, cherishing every word of his name.

They stayed like this for a little while longer. But as the sun began to fall off from the centre of the sky, and as the others gathered patiently – and some impatiently – at the centre of the bricked path –

– Exrite finally let her go.

It was time to leave the Biomechanical Gardens.

* * *

A choir of heartfelt gratitude filled their ears from all around. The children thanked them all at once, each one giving Exrite one last hug before their departure.

How could one not smile at such a scene? Exrite had to wonder if there someone so heartless to not be moved as he felt tears streaming down his face for the hundredth time.

“Ah… again?” He said with a surprised voice, wiping them away with a thumb.

“It’s normal to show contradictory emotions. As strange as it is, enough happiness can make one cry. Sadness can also make one smile. If I had a proper body, I’d be crying alongside you right now.” Nav said, hovering just over his shoulder.

Nav looked a little different this time. Rather than a pale [Gear], Nav was now a pale spherical-shaped object. Beneath the shell was Nav itself, still in the form of a [Gear].

In the past two days after she had finished working on the children, Exrite wanted to create a vessel of some kind for Nav.

Keep in mind, this was before Auga began to work on his arm.

The reason for this was because she knew that the [Gears] can be destroyed and seeing that they absolutely needed Nav to navigate through the Depths; they could not afford to lose them.

Therefore, Nav needed some form of protection, and preferably a way to fight. A humanoid body similar to the Biomech was ideal, although, Exrite strictly wanted it to be nothing more than a ‘shell’ that could be manipulated, rather than a living body.

It was like trying to create a tool in a way.

But that was not easy. Far from it in fact.

She was an expert in dismantling bodies, not creating it. The most she was able to do was create the pale sphere out of her blood. Anything more was significantly beyond her scope of knowledge.

In fact, White needed to help her just to create the sphere.

And that took two restless days straight…

“I hope you’re not too troubled by my lack of experience. But we can’t have you dying on us. One day I’ll be able to create a body for you. Just don’t expect it to have many living functions once I reach that point.” He bluntly said.

“You’re too kind. I should be fine for now. It will take [Seventh Tiered] magic to break through the shell, and [Eight Tiered] magic to annihilate me.”

“Or just a stray bullet~” Black hummed, tapping her firearm. “The world’s too vicious for a little ball. You’ll get to know that soon enough if you’re unlucky~” She added, knocking on its metal shell.

“I’m well aware. I just ask of you to be careful around me.”

“Dunno. Maybe you have to be careful around us. Hmhm~ Jokes aside – Do your best as our compass. Or – the stray bullet might not be stray after all~” Black warned.

“Don’t listen to her. Anything that comes out of her mouth is just brown noise.” White immediately said with annoyance in her voice.

“Brown noise?” Nav wondered what she meant by that.

“Just think of it as annoying sounds. You’ll thank yourself when you learn how to block out them out entirely.”

White unexpectedly jabbed. In this situation, there wasn’t much Black could do other than to sigh defeatedly in a quiet voice.

Even someone as cruel and uncaring as her knew to not disturb the mellow mood, which seemed to also infect her as she could not help but to grin at the faces of the children, albeit with a hint of melancholy.

When the last of the Biomech children released Exrite’s waist, Auga came in and tightly cupped his hands before seeing him off with a smile that no star could ever dream to outshine.

“On behalf of all the Biomech – Thank you! Our words are not nearly enough to measure everything our gratitude.”

She announced from the bottom of her heart before she moved towards the others, touching them one by one with a loving hand.

“All of you – Thank you for accomplishing what was just a selfish wish of mine… for standing with Exrite all the way through to the end. Amongst the journeys and destinations you’ll reach, I hope we’ll be one of the few you can remember and return to. The world is so vast and far reaching after all. Even beings with lifespans as long as mine can grow tired of seeing the world.”

Auga then fell back to Exrite, and after a brief moment of sharing smiles, she took a couple skips back and said:

“This place might not be a place to call ‘home’ for some of you, but if you can at least treat it as a place that you can ‘return’ to, then we’ll be more than happy. I look forward to seeing you all again!”

Once she fell into the loving hands of her children, a choir of heartfelt, childish voices burst through the air.

“Thank you!” They all cried at once.

They had been thanked more times than they could count. Yet for some reason this final cry of gratitude moved them in ways that some did not understand.

In response, Khaos gave them his most hearty smile and cried out at the top of his lungs:

“Right! We’ll be back! You can count on it!”

“Don’t say something so sad. We’ll definitely… definitely come back! The Depths is our next target, after all!” Frosty joined with a cry of her own as she waved in goodbye.

Amongst the crowd were some children who smiled hopefully to the sound of their voice. These children were the ones who were mostly around them during the day and whenever they slept, so they were quite attached to them in a way.

“Ho. It would be a great dishonour to neglect this sacred ground.” Uru announced as she humbly bowed. “I pray to the Zelmori Fall that you, oh Original and her children, will never lose those hearts. You have my word that we’ll return.”

“Yeah… I won’t forget this place. You’ll see us from time to time. That I can assure you of.” Exrite softly said.

“We’re allies now. Of course we’ll be back.” White simply stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Please – take care.”

“What she said.” Black said immediately afterwards. “Except I’m only thankful for the magic you gave to our Exrite~ Don’t think too hard, and don’t hate me too much. I’m just stating the truth.”

Her words were extremely rash, although, there was not one person who dared to interject. Even the Biomech did not seem appalled or angered by her words.

Rather, they were simply listening, almost intrigued by her voice.

Why was this?

They remembered the advice she had given to each and every single one of them. Not because they were crude and blunt, but instead because she was the first out of anyone to drill the notion of ‘strength’ into their minds.

All their lives they had been hiding under the protection of the [Dimensional Mist]. And even then, they were unable to smile or live with contentment.

Everything was always out of their control.

What Black said was essentially that; if they truly desired it then they needed to protect it themselves. One day something will try to take it away from them. If the [Dimensional Mist], Auga and Melody could not help them – then who could other than themselves?

Black wasn’t planning to say anything more, but with the curious eyes of the children, she sighed annoyedly and questioned why she even bothered with them in the first place…

No. She knew all too well why.

They were just like the Demi-human now that she knew the truth.

And – in extension – herself.

As groups who were ‘witch hunted’ by the rest of the world, she saw a part of herself within them. No parent or friend can truly save them when it all came down to it.

Only they themselves can.

“Tch. What a pain. Don’t just stare at me without saying anything. Haaaah~”

She groaned, before pulling something from behind her and Exrite’s back.

“Hey, Auga – catch.”

Without warning, four objects were thrown at her.

One was a green and long.

One was tiny and grey.

And the other two were green boxes.

She caught the largest object with both hands clumsily as many tiny hands scrambled to salvage the others. When they were finally held up over the heads of the children, her eyes widened with surprise, as so did the others.

She instantly recognised them.

What was cradled like a child in her arms was Exrite’s sniper rifle, and in the children was a handgun Black had created over the course of a week. Then, in those limite boxes were ammunition for the two weapons.

“This is –!”

“Don’t use them. Frankly speaking, that sniper rifle is worse for wear, and that pistol can only do so much.” Black interjected the surprised Auga.

“B-but why?”

“I don’t need to fucking spell it out for you. You’re metal and flesh, right? A fucking Biomech. You can change your bodies so long as your heart allows it with your magic, just like Exrite’s arm and our weapons. By that logic, you’re marginally superior to us. Take that for what you will. But – that means nothing as you all are right now.”

Black turned her back to them, her mantle fluttering like wings as they covered her face. In that moment, the cruel image of the woman shattered before Auga’s eyes as she clutched the weapon tighter against her chest.

“Learn them. Learn everything you can about them. They’ll help you protect whatever you cherish.”

She said with a solemn voice before moving down the path.

The heartfelt thanks of the Biomech fell onto deaf ears as she kept on walking, never caring to turn back. There was a conflicted smile on her face for the most part, but that eventually blossomed wonderfully when she heard the familiar patters of a certain child.

“Are you leaving now?” The genderless, high-pitched voice asked.

“What else would I be doing?” Black said mockingly, trying to dismiss the child. However, that didn’t seem to work.

The child simply took hold of her mantle and replied with an: “Mhm.”

“What do you want? Can’t you see I’m trying to leave?”

“Ah. I know~!” For whatever reason, the child’s eyes glistened at the mention of leaving this place, causing Black to feel confused all of a sudden.

“Then – let go. Before I slice those fingers of yours~”

“Eh? But aren’t we going to leave together?”

“We don’t need a guide anymore. We already have a replacement for you.” She sighed.

“Guide? But I’m coming with you!”

Once again, the child delivered a blow of confusion to who was supposedly the Tyrant of the Colour Plane.

“Huh? Coming with me –? Wait – you can’t mean –”

Black, suddenly realising what the Biomech meant, turned back towards the others. Amid those faces she saw Auga’s cheerful face.

“Mother said I could come with you. If it’s with you, then she won’t have to worry about me.” They revealed, smiling childishly. “I want to see the world. I want to experience new things. You might not know it, but I didn’t know what ‘warmth’ meant until you called me ‘special’.”

“Tch. ‘special’. It’s not a compliment. It’s used to call people outliers.”

“So I really am ‘special’ then~”

“Correct.”

Black, who had always desired to have a Biomech on hand, could not stop herself from breaking into a grin. Although… before she saw it as a mere tool, she saw it for what it was – a child, just with the bonus of being a Biomech.

“Hmhm~ And here I thought we’d just be leaving with the [Biomechanical] magic. This is your last chance to change your mind~” Black hummed. “To think a Biomech will be joining us as well. I guess this whole ordeal wasn’t so bad after all~”

The child only held onto her mantle all the more tightly, cementing its decision.

With a sigh – and a delighted hum – Black pushed its hand away and removed her mantle, fitting it onto the shoulders of the child like many moons ago.

“I hope you won’t regret it. I’m not as kind as you may make me out to be. But you should know that already. Hm~ From now on what I say is only what goes, is that clear?”

“Yes~!”

The clambers coming from behind soon disappeared the further they walked, soon reaching the ruins where they waited for the others.

Needless to say, Black’s prospects of the future widened considerably. With the [Biomechanical] magic and a Biomech child at hand, they’d be an unstoppable force once things began to move into motion.

Right now, they were merely in the prelude, and they could only go up from here.

After all, they had already reached the bottom.

* * *

They all bid farewell to the Biomech with heartfelt smiles before catching up with Black. Exrite and Nav lingered at the back of the group, unable to tear their sights away from Auga and her children until they finally exited the emerald forest.

A cool breeze instantly swept by, carrying the scent of grass and pollen. It grew stronger as they reached the dilapidated stone bridge and began climbing it one at a time.

Exrite insisted to leave last as soft scrunches approached him from behind. They were elegant, unlike that of an ordinary creature or person. The calming sounds of a wind chime followed in suit before it eventually came to a stop.

“Leaving without saying goodbye~? And here I thought we were close.” Melody said, instantly causing Exrite to softly smile. “Joking aside – I can only hope you’ll return soon. The Depths is the largest of all the Forsaken Regions in Eastern Six Point. The longer you delay it, the longer our awaited battle will be postponed.”

“Awaited huh. It still feels like we’re so far off from reaching the Domain of Realms.” Exrite admitted, turning around to face her. “Just what do you think I am, Melody?”

“A Maiden, and a human Exrenity. An anomaly by the world’s standards. But by mine, you’re not too bad. I’m sure you’ll find a way~” She hummed, her eyes glowing brightly for a brief second as the world suddenly fell silent.

A strange pressure oozed from her, causing the foliage to seemingly bow to her presence. Seeing Exrite’s unchanged face, she suddenly broke into an approving smile before she continued speaking.

“You’ve grown wonderfully in such a short amount of time. I can only wonder what surprises you’ll bring into my Domain on that fateful day. I like those eyes of yours. They’re unyielding, just as they always were… but you’re no longer looking up at me. You’re finally looking eye to eye with a Maiden.”

“No thanks to a certain God.” Exrite sighed. “I’ve learnt that only I can dictate the present in order to chase the future I want.”

As he spoke, Melody’s hand moved to the container carrying the Gatestone. Unsurprisingly, and true to Exrite’s indomitable conviction, it was unused.

“Ah – did you want it back –?”

“No. Keep it. Gifts aren’t meant to be returned. Think of it as a memento if it helps you sleep, although, I doubt you’ll be doing so any time soon.”

She said, her voice becoming sombre.

“I know I said that it’ll bring you back to the Biomechanical Gardens, but it will actually bring you straight to me. It doesn’t matter what world you so happen to tumble into, or what realm you’re stranded in – you will always be brought straight to me.”

Her hand then fell onto one of the emerald crystals around her dress. This specific one was no different from the others, yet she lingered on it for a short while before continuing.

“Exrite – you have my gratitude for saving Auga. Now – let’s see if you can ‘liberate’ me~ No pressure. The worst that can happen your death and the destruction of the Colour Plane~”

She said with a playful yet authoritative voice. Although it sounded like a joke, there was only truth embedded in those words.

“… yeah, very reassuring.” He sighed. “Funnily enough, our goals align perfectly. The liberation of the Maidens was already a goal of ours long ago. Otherwise, the Maiden of Wisdom will be impossible to reach.”

“Hm~ That’s right. Just. Like. Fate~” She hummed, placing a hand onto his chest where she indulged in the comfort of his ticking heart.

“Your goal is far overbearing than dancing with me in my world of crystals and dimensions. So, what you’re essentially implying is that I’m just a steppingstone, hmm~ Know that if it were anyone else, I’d kindly rearrange their organs~

But – that doesn’t make you wrong. A special magic is needed to bypass the chasms that separate Six Point. Something like, I don’t know, maybe [Realm] magic? I can only wonder how you’ll get your hands on it~”

Melody placed both hands on her hips, almost as if she were presenting herself to him.

“So – what are you waiting for? The Depths patiently waits for your arrival. Until then, I’ll keep watch over Auga and her children. You have a gentle heart, Exrite. Far from suited for this world, but considering how bleak it is amongst the billions tethered to it everywhere… it’s much appreciated.”

Then – images of other worlds flashed around her like a giant kaleidoscope. Her Maidenly demeanour returned all at once like a tidal wave as Exrite could not help but to admire that spectacular magic.

“Until we meet again, Exrite~”

With a nod of goodbye and some words of thanks, he turned his back with a stagnant wave and departed from the Biomechanical Gardens. At the top of the stone bridge, he was met the many faces of his friends and companions.

They moved along it until the world morphed all around them, the bridge becoming an ancient log. Excitement, content, and relief spread amongst them as they all stared ahead, carrying the hopes and dreams of one another.

No matter the adversary.

No matter the fate.

No matter what the future holds –

– They’d all make it to the very end.