Fame made her way through the forest, devoid of life, only the rustling of leaves as she shook them or when the occasional breeze blows. Fame kept running until the sun was way over their head. Exhausted, Fame sat down on a branch, exhausted, the pale lady still unconscious and slung over her shoulder. It was then Name finally woke up.
“Gaspppppp!!! DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”
Name suddenly feel the exhaustion hit her.
“*Huff* *Huff* what the hell did you do?”
No response as Fame is already gone.
“Ahhhh you stupid forsaken piece of….. AHHHHHH!!!! Why don’t you respond when I want you to!” Name just sat there, catching her breath. And she feels hot, feverish even, though it’s not so bad that she needs to dive into a well.
There, Name spent the night, quietly breathing as her fever died down, unable to sleep. Thankfully, not creatures attacked her like the first night.
When morning came, Name spoke again. “Turn North and run-”
“Your council be damned, I want answers Fame. What did you do?”
“...”
“Faaaaamme”
“I just took us out of the mansion as fast as I could”
“The lady?”
“I felt like I should save her.”
“...”
“Now turn north and go straight until I tell you to stop, I’ll-”
“Sigh.”
“What is your complaint now?”
“Nothing, guide the way Fame, I’m just tired.”
Carrying the pale lady, Name continued to follow Fame’s instruction.
With Fame noting her improvements.
They wandered around for a few days before finding themselves in a familiar stretch of woods.
Soon, they came across the ruins they came from.
“Enter the ruins again.”
“Wait… what? Why?”
“There is something I want to try.” and that was all Fame said.
Name walked into the ruins, approaching the pod she came from.
“Now what?” Name said out loud for everyone to hear.
“Throw her in.”
“Wat. Seriously? Throw her in? We don’t even know how to turn this thing on.
“I don’t think we have to.” Fame replied, taking control of the left arm again.
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Name slapped the arm away. “No. bad, we are not doing that again.”
“Then would you please?”
Name threw the pale lady into the pod and closed it.
“Now what? I don’t know how to operate this thing.”
“Now we wait. Make sure that door is sealed as well.”
“Uhg” Name went over back to the pod and sat on it.
“There, happy now?”
The pod hummed again and Name yelped. She turned her head down and saw the pod is filling up with liquid. The pale lady was soon suspended in the liquid as needles came out and stabbed her, presumably injecting something. Soon a glowing spot appeared where the pale’s lady’s hair would be. The silver continued to travel down her veins before fading.
“Okay, when did you know how to figure out how to operate this?” Name demanded.
“I don’t know, I just vaguely remember something about the period we were out, though this confirms something.”
“What? I don’t get it, what does it prove?”
“Something inside us is still recording and processing the events and just dumping the information into our brain. Though we just have a hard time actively retrieving it actively.”
“...I-”
“It's what you call ‘Knowledge’, at least part of it.”
“Ohhhhh, that makes a lot more sense. So what do you reckon what is happening to her? Did you ask me to carry her out just to be your test subject?”
Fame frowned… “Hrmmm...I...you’ll see when she awakens.”
“Isn’t she dead? She looks really dead to me.”
“No, not dead, but hibernating.”
“...its ‘Knowledge’ isn’t it.”
“Not just that… I think… it also applies to us as well. We don’t exactly die, just into hibernation.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Do you think that a normal creature can survive having their entire body drained of blood?”
“...”
“We lost a lot of blood, yet not only we didn’t die, we were able to wake up as well. And I have a feeling that this pale lady is another unit like us and the ice mage in the village…”
Name snapped back up and turned her head towards the village.
“Ah, scrap bucket, I forget about that ice witch.”
“Don’t-”
“Why should I listen to you this time Fame?”
“...”
“I thought so.”
“Let me do something first.” Name’s currently black hair had the left side turn into a brown color, as a mud-like substance was generated in her left hand, Fame put her hand on the pod’s down, the brown substance now filling the crack and holding the door in place. “I’m done.
Name took a deep breath and pushed against the pod’s door, sending herself flying out the ruins.
She caught a branch on her way out and swung herself up and land on top of the branch. And pushed herself off it again, this time with less force so she doesn’t destroy the branch.
She quickly made her way to the village’s location.
When she made it to the spot, the village is, honestly, fine. The giant ice chunks are gone. The villagers have managed to retrieve the lanterns and made new posts for them. Though there are still a lot of buildings that need to be rebuilt, the rumble is cleared and they are well on their way on the path of recovery. They even manage to plant a new set of crops.
Name slowed down and walked down the new dirt path and towards the well. Its roof fixed and the water has long since thawed. Name looked down the well, and it's just like she expected. She suddenly feels a tug on her clothes behind her. She turns around and sees the kids.
“Where ipsum you? We amet find you, can’t!” Name only smiled and replied. “Far away” Name continued to search the village but the ice mage was nowhere to be seen. Her belongings have been all taken back and gone from the village. Almost like she never existed if it weren’t for the damaged buildings, though it could have something else that wrecked the village.
Name turned back towards the forest. One of the children grabbed her clothes again.
“Gone? Again?” the child asked. “Play?” another asked. Name kneeled and patted the child. “Yes, back soon.” Name turned to the other child. “No play” She got back up and left the village again. Into the ruins, back on top of the pod, she waited.