Why, oh why, had her psychosis decided to kick in right when she was in front of the most important person in the colony?

And why did it make her kiss them?! Her mind rewound the scene incessantly like it was a broken record. Everything — from the FKLR’s panicked surprise at the act, to the delightful taste of her lips, and even the endearing blush that persisted on the Commander’s face in the aftermath — kept replaying in Elster's head with perfect clarity and vivid detail. The heady blend of mortification and thrill rushing through her brain was completely impeding her ability to devise a way out of her predicament.

At least the Commander seemed to like it. That was good for her, right? Elster would not say she had much experience with kissing; all those fake memories in her head probably didn’t count, and the only ‘real’ experience she ever had was with Ariane just the previous day, who may or may not even be corporeal. But looking at the deep crimson hue on the Commander’s cheeks and her refusal to look at her in the eye, surely she hadn’t performed too badly?

As if responding to her thoughts, the FLKR subconsciously licked her lips, drawing the other Replika’s gaze to them. The Commander promptly realised her involuntary deed and flushed even harder. Seeing the act, the engineer Replika had an inexplicable urge to kiss the Commander again, just so she could bite down on those delicate lips once more.

This likely wasn’t the time for that, however. She should be more concerned about other matters, like how she had once again somehow managed to spontaneously black out and awake to find her hands wrapped around someone’s throat. Despite the misgivings her STCR superior had pointed out about her behaviour before, Elster never really considered herself a violent person. That she had acted with unchecked hostilities towards a random individual twice now was honestly quite worrying, especially since they had never wronged her before–

–tendrils of Bioresonance snaking through her flesh, widening and expanding every vein and crevice, her mind shattering from the agony of it all while the demigod before her cried–

–in any way that mattered in truth, not in whatever fake nightmare her brain conjured up with. This was almost the exact same situation as the time with Ariane on the train, except in that instance the person she assaulted was merely a figment of her imagination, and not the FKLR Commander of Rotfront.

It was, quite frankly, the worst possible thing that could have happened. If she was found acting insane by the Eule, she could have at least defended herself to her superiors. Elster was technically of a higher rank, as far as AEON’s Replika’s hierarchy is concerned. If it were her word against the helper Replika’s, she would likely win out.

If it were the Adler’s accusing her instead, the situation would be trickier, but not impossible to squeeze out of. Despite the man outranking her, the male Replika had shown signs of possible persona degradation in their conversation earlier. Even the Commander bore witness to it. She would at least have an angle to work with by pointing out his apparent insanity and arguing against the authenticity of his words.

But a FKLR unit? AEON would be bending over backwards to meet the Commander’s every demand. The FKLR units hold the highest rank of any Replika and have never once shown any sign of persona degradation regardless of how long they lived. High Command would have Elster chained and decommissioned the moment the Commander requested it. That was, assuming the woman doesn’t rightfully deal with Elster herself, not just for her apparent persona degradation, but also for her absolute disrespect and sheer stupidity for trying to assault a FKLR.

Elster could only hope her death came swiftly. The recollection of that remarkably novel but excruciating torture she experienced within the memory persisted. She could almost still feel the lingering agony of invisible tendrils twisting her insides. Even if the entire thing might just be a fabrication of her overly imaginative mind, Elster did not want to test whether the Commander was capable of that. She idly wondered whether it would be better to try and end herself quickly rather than wait for the FKLR’s agonizing judgement.

Speaking of the FKLR, the Commander looked as uncomfortable with the situation as Elster was. The both of them had been standing intimately close for more than a minute now, neither of them daring to move or speak despite their faces being mere inches apart. Elster realised with a jolt that her hands were still limply clasped on the woman’s throat, and hurriedly released them while taking a fleeting step back from the FKLR.

However, in her haste, she had forgotten that she was standing atop the Commander’s table, and her back foot promptly found open air. Elster’s eyes widened in shock as she flailed her arms and toppled backwards off the platform.

The Replika braced for a painful impact, but something seized her momentum before she fell. There was a brief moment of weightlessness before her body was lifted upright and set down feet-first onto the golden platform, opposite the table from the Falke.

The Commander gave her a restless smile before waving her fingers. The Bioresonant pressure that had saved her released its grip, and Elster let out a grateful breath as she felt her body freed from its unnatural hold. Even though it had spared her from the drop, the Replika did not enjoy the sensation of that invisible power touching her, given the unpleasant memories that accompanied it.

Elster mutely nodded her thanks. She noticed the Commander worriedly observing her, but try as she did, the Replika could not think of a proper thing to say. Tired of the silence between them, the Falke cleared her throat. As she saw the woman prepare to speak, dozens of half-formed thoughts raced through her mind, each less coherent than the last, as the engineer Replika struggled to ready a suitable reason for what she had just done.

“I can explain–!”

“Do you want to–?”

The both of them spoke up at the same time, interrupting each other. Elster shut her mouth and looked down deferentially, wordlessly ceding the claim to speak first to the FLKR, as was her right as Commander.

It took another moment before the FLKR spoke again, but this time, her words were hardly above a whisper. Elster barely caught a word of what she said.

“...want to… again?”

Elster tentatively glanced at the Commander, unsure of what she wanted, but also too terrified to ask aloud. The Falke appeared terribly embarrassed. For the usually stoic and unflappable Commander to act so… unsure, it was incredibly endearing. Elster almost wished she could take a picture of it to commemorate the occasion.

“I, uhm, that is to say,” the Commander stuttered, struggling for a moment to properly voice her thoughts, before giving up with a heavy sigh. “Do you… want a drink?”

-

Elster numbly massaged her sore fingers as the Commander cleared her desk and summoned her glass drinking table over. The both of them sat opposite each other on chairs composed of the same floating black tiles that swarmed all over the room. Despite their rugged looks, they were surprisingly comfortable to rest on.

A glass of both water and wine appeared on Elster’s side of the table, the drinkware seemingly levitating and pouring by themselves without any need for Elster or the Falke to physically act. The Replika was briefly pulled out of her stupor when she saw ice cubes materialise within the glass of water. With curiosity overtaking her mortification and fear for the moment, Elster gingerly picked up the glass which, to her shock, was already almost freezing cold.

The Falke prepared herself a glass of wine and water as well. While the Commander appeared more composed than Elster, there was still a faint blush on her face, and her eyes had trouble looking at the other Replika.

Both of them took a sip from their respective drinks, before the Falke took the initiative to speak first. Elster was glad for that; she wasn’t sure if her mind could tolerate another stressful stretch of silence. “You know,” the Commander began. “This was not what I had in mind when I thought about meeting you again.”

A half-hysterical burst of laughter spilled from Elster’s lips, before she caught herself and cleared her throat. The Replika’s fingers nervously tapped her drink. “Yes, um, well. You see, ma’am, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this.”

Elster tensely appraised the Falke’s reaction. Rather than looking rightfully enraged, or at least annoyed, she simply appeared curious.

“As far as first greeting goes, that wasn’t the worst I had from you. Far from it, actually. If anything, I find your attempt on my life strangely appropriate for us,” the FKLR remarked as she rubbed her neck. Despite Elster putting every drop of her inhuman strength into the Commander, there was nary a mark on her pristine neck. Elster probably ended up doing more damage to herself in the effort; she could still feel her fingers screaming in agony from the overtaxed muscles and near-broken joints.

“That wasn’t what it looked like!” Elster blurted out, half driven by adrenaline and half by sheer terror. “I, I don’t know what overcame me, but it was definitely not an attempt. Nobody would be stupid enough to try to kill you, Ma’am.”

Falke openly laughed, the sound reminiscent of a pleasant peal of bells. The melodic mirth felt strangely familiar. “Oh? What does it look like then? Perhaps you were merely massaging my neck, in an act of tender affection to accompany your kiss? I must confess, however, that I care much more for your hate for me than any second-handed fondness. The hate, at least, I know is genuine.”

Elster didn’t say anything, partly because she was afraid, but also because she didn’t know how to respond to the Commander’s words. They didn’t make much sense to her.

“Hm, perhaps I shouldn’t tease you too much when you look so dreadfully afraid. You don’t remember, after all.” She paused, before peering into Elster’s eyes. “Or so you claim. I admit, your confusion strikes me as genuine, but a part of you must be able to recall something. A key memory, a buried instinct brought forth in familiar company. Otherwise, you would not have had such an explosive reaction to seeing my face.”

Her face… “You look like me,” Elster blurted out.

“Do I?” The Falke raised a questioning eyebrow, although Elster thought she saw a twinkle of approval in her eyes. “We share little facial similarities, aside from the few common features apparent in all of AEON’s Replikas. Our body structures are nothing alike as well, apart from our gender.”

She was right. They looked nothing alike. The Falke was breathtakingly beautiful. Crafted in the image of the Revolutionary and built stronger and taller than any other of the Nation’s Replika, she was the very visage of imposing regality and alluring majesty. Elster’s features, while not unattractive, could not be compared to hers. To say they looked alike would be akin to equating the radiance of a lit candle to the Sun.

Even so, when Elster looked at Falke, it felt like staring into a mirror. The thought made no logical sense. Rationally, Elster could see the apparent difference between them. But her instinct kept telling her they were the same.

Another disturbing effect of her persona degradation, most likely. Elster sighed. What even was the point of trying any more? She was too far gone by this point.

“I have gone mad, I think,” Elster said, the admission tasting like ash in her mouth. “Ever since I was created, I have been having visions. False memories. Vivid hallucinations of events that could not have passed. Dark thoughts filled with violent intent against my fellow Replikas when I pass them in hallways.”

Admitting such a thing to another Replika would be dangerous. Admitting it to a Falke was suicide. But at that point, what did it matter? She had just attacked the most important person in the colony. There would be no other future for her other than being decommissioned by AEON, assuming the Falke doesn’t just personally destroy her first.

It was freeing in a way, to finally just tell someone real about her incurable insanity. “It got worse yesterday. Rampant paranoia. Apparitions. Hallucinations that are indistinguishable from reality. I am defective.”

Elster could not bear looking at the Falke as she admitted her madness and shame. It all felt stupid now. How proud she had been of her work. How desperately she had tried to deny her psychosis. Her entire life, short as it might be, had come crashing down in less than forty-eight hours.

But the Falke’s reply was not what she expected.

“So… you have been kissing other people too?”

Elster was so taken aback by her words that it took her a few seconds to process it. When she did, she flatly responded: “What.”

The Falke actually sounded disappointed when she had asked earlier. Worse, there was even a forlorn look on the woman’s face. “I mean, you said earlier that you had similar dark thoughts towards your fellow Replika. I thought I might not be your first, since you had plenty of opportunity to jump on others before me already.”

Jump on–! Elster blushed furiously. “I meant I had thoughts about hurting them, not kissing them!”

The Falke looked at her with an openly hopeful look, the sight of which had Elster reeling. “So, does that mean I’m your first?”

Did she have to phrase it like that?! Elster opened her mouth to protest, when she suddenly thought of Ariane, and the brief intimate moment they shared when she kissed the wraith yesterday.

At the Replika’s obvious pause, the Falke suddenly frowned. A slight, ominous pressure began to build in the background.

“Oh? I see,” Falke said, voice emotionless and frigid. “So there is someone else…”

“That’s–!” Did Ariane count? Do wraiths count as people? Why was she thinking so hard on this?! “Well, technically no, but it’s not– Really, you don’t have to be–!”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Then, Elster saw it. That tiny glint of amusement in Falke’s eye. The engineer Replika rubbed her eyes and sighed. “You’re just teasing me, aren’t you?”

The cold facade faded away from the Commander’s face and was replaced with an amused, easy-going smile. “You looked so serious and worried, I figured I might as well try to get you to relax first.”

Elster snorted. “And you thought pretending to be a jealous girlfriend would do the trick?”

“Who said anything about pretending?” Falke chuckled when she saw Elster pale. “Try not to look so distraught. Besides, I’m asking little of you besides to take responsibility for stealing my first kiss.”

The engineer Replika frowned. “I didn’t think the illustrious FKLR Commander of Rotfront would care much about trivial matters like that.”

“I won’t, normally,” Falke admitted with a huff. “But now, whenever my lips touch someone else’s, I am reminded of smoke and fire, and it’s entirely your fault for that.”

Smoke and fire? What was she talking about?

“In any case, we drifted from the important matters.” The Falke waved her hands. A cluster of documents flew from a nearby floating shelf and landed neatly atop the desk. “I suppose we should address the key issue plaguing your worries first. Namely, your apparent madness, as per your confession earlier.”

Ah. Yes, that. Elster’s face turned despondent. “There is nothing ‘apparent’ about it. I just attacked you, ma’am. There’s no denying my persona degradation has reached a critical stage if I don’t even have the sense to not attack a FKLR with my bare hands.”

“To AEON, yes. You would undeniably be marked as a defective product and be decommissioned immediately.” The Commander replied. Her words felt like a stab against her heart.

Elster grimaced. Actually no, scratch that. She still remembered the pain of a golden spear lancing her like a gutted fish. That was way worse.

“But,” the Commander continued, an uncharacteristically laid-back grin on her face. It contrasted sharply with the usual stern expression she expected to see on a Falke, yet for some reason, Elster felt that it suited her perfectly. “Fortunately for the both of us, I happen to care quite little of what AEON thinks. As long as you do not act out too publicly, there is much I can help cover for you. But given that you had already lost control and lashed out at me the moment we met, I would advise you to exercise a bit more caution in the following days, especially when you meet up with the other Replikas that transferred here from S-23.”

Her words failed to comprehend in Elster's mind, their treasonous nature making her brain short-circuit. Did the FKLR just declare it didn’t care for AEON? And not only that, but that she was willing to both overlook Elster’s assault on her person and not inform AEON of her very apparent persona degradation?

There was a moment of silence before Elster managed to reply in sheer disbelief. “Ma’am, I don’t understand.”

“You don’t really have to,” the Falk replied easily, as if she had not just sprouted clear evidence of sedition that would have sent the entire Nation into a frenzy. FKLRs, above all other Replika models, were the most loyal and staunch supporters of the Nation’s regime. It was how they were made, a feature that was done more out of necessity than hubris, given the sheer Bioresonant might that even a single FKLR possessed.

They do not defect, disobey, or question the Nation’s methods, and since they are supposedly immune to persona degradation, they will never become disillusioned with the Nation’s ideology. It was one of the key defining characteristics that made them one of the most powerful and reliable weapons of the Nation, and a terrifying and effective tool for suppressing any resentment from the local populace.

To hear one be so blatantly dissident was like watching the Sun burn out. Had something major happened to the Nation that she wasn’t aware of? What could have possibly occurred that inspired this sudden level of distrust towards the regime? For an ADLR to be borderline treasonous was one thing; for a FKLR to do so felt like insanity.

Her entire world-view felt like it was crumbling down. Nothing made sense any more. Except… why did this sound familiar?

“Good thing we had Falke on our side, or else it would have been practically impossible to get in. I don’t think I could have convinced the Empress to fully go along with my idea if she didn’t sense the Gate first-hand.”

Ariane mentioned it before, didn’t she? That a Falke was working with the Empress? Could this be the same one? But Elster wasn’t even sure the words that Ariane spoke were real, let alone reliable. Could she really rely on such baseless information?

Unless… Another theory ran rampant in Elster’s mind, one that sent chills down her spine. What if the FKLR was suffering from persona degradation as well?

First her, then the ADLR, and now a FKLR? Was there a common cause, some logic virus infecting everyone, or was it just a coincidence? Can logic viruses even affect a demigod like the FKLR? Maybe it was some secret super weapon, deployed by the Empire to cripple the Nation since they could not actively engage in open warfare any more.

Ideas after ideas fluttered through Elster’s mind, each one more outlandish than the last as her mind went into overdrive, coming up with ever-increasingly outrageous theories.

“El, you’re overthinking it.”

The sudden voice next to her ear made her jump. She had felt the breath tickle the side of her face. Heard the voice, a velvety low contralto, caress her ears. Elster yelped and jumped back.

How had she been so distracted that she didn’t even sense the FKLR approaching that close? The Commander let out a chuckle.

“As much as it pleases me to see that you trust me enough to let your guard down to such an extent,” the Falke teased. “I do need you to listen now. There are things I need you to understand if we are to keep your behaviour believably sane throughout the coming days.”

Believably sane? “My persona degradation is rather serious, Ma’am.” She hesitated. “I'm not sure if this is an issue we can just ignore. At my current rate of deterioration, I may lose all rational capacity by the end of the week.”

“I doubt that,” the Falke said as she floated around the table. “For one, the issue with your mental state is not due to persona degradation, or at least not in a way which is familiar to you. What is occurring to you is more of an influx of lost memories affecting your behaviour.”

Elster perked up. “You know what's wrong with me?” she asked, astounded. A rush of excitement filled her. If the Falke knew what the problem was with her, perhaps she knew how to fix it and return her mind back to how it was before.

“I… Still… Remember… Ari. Our… Promise.”

Elster grimaced. Well, perhaps not fixed all of it. Maybe just enough that she could control her psychotic outbursts better, rather than forget everything.

Goddess, how low had she fallen that she was now feeling guilty and worried over forgetting a teary-eyed wraith made up by her schizophrenic imagination?

“I don’t have the full picture, but yes, I do know something about your condition.” Elster listened intently, but the Commander’s following words disappointed her. “However, it’s not my place to tell you. If your memories have not all returned, then that would be by design, and not a fault. I don’t have the right to intervene by helping you fill in the gaps.”

Elster took a moment to organise her thoughts. “You mentioned returning memories. Do you refer to my original Gestalt memories?”

It was well-known that the neural framework for each Replika was originally scanned and copied from a particular Gestalt brain. Each model’s personality, quirks, and behaviour all stemmed from that same copied data. The individual Replikas develop their own distinctive identity over time, of course, but in the beginning, Replikas of the same model were near-indistinguishable from one another.

There was a common trait shared between all models, however, and that was a lack of memories pertaining to the original Gestalt’s life. The Replikas were all created with the necessary knowledge to function, but any memories of their past personal experience were erased. AEON claims that it was an unfortunate side effect of the Replika creation process. Elster, however, felt it was more likely that the memories were erased by design to make them more compliant and easier to control. Given the Nation’s authoritarian way of governance, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

Despite that, there were rumours of older Replikas somehow recalling fragments of their Gestalt lives. Information such as their names, past loved ones, and even their deaths. The general consensus was that such occurrences were all utter nonsense and that if it were to occur, it was likely the product of delusions caused by persona degradation.

AEON protocol dictates that if a Replika ever felt that it was recalling any such ‘false’ memories, it was duty-bound to report itself immediately so that it may be ‘serviced’. Elster doubted many willingly handed themselves in.

“It is partially related,” the Falke admitted. “But it is only a small portion of a much wider issue. Again, I cannot tell you much more, no matter how much I want to. As much as it might gall you to hear this, it is for your own safety as much as it is about respecting the will of the one who put you in this state.”

The one who put her in this state? “Are you implying my psychosis was the result of some sort of experiment? And that those responsible for my condition are not only unwilling to treat me, but have also deliberately left me out of the loop by removing my memory of it?” Elster asked incredulously.

The Falke looked at her, pondering. “That is surprisingly close to the truth, although I won’t quite put it in such a sinister way. The actual events were far stranger and more complicated than that. I would personally describe it as an unprecedented, uncontrolled, and impossible-to-forsee incident that crippled your memories, rather than any experiment guided by a coherent intent or end goal.”

That… sounded extremely worrying.

“And you were a part of it as well?” Elster asked.

“An unwilling participant, as was everyone else involved. Despite the harrowing experience, I would say I came out the better for it. Although I would like to never relive the experience again.”

“But you are still aware of it, while I’m not.” A thought occurred to her. “Not just you. The Adler as well. I thought he was suffering from a neural breakdown, but that’s not the case at all, is it? He’s the same as you. He remembers. Who else knows? How many others were involved?”

“A great many people were caught in the disastrous incident, but their grasp of the situation is, let us say, not as comprehensive as the two of us. In fact, most of them have no recollection of what happened at all, and the few that do likely only recall brief snippets.”

Unlike herself, who was drifting somewhere between the blissfully ignorant majority and the only two who seemed to know precisely what happened. Elster grimaced. Trying to interrogate the Falke was an impossibility, but surely the Adler wouldn’t be too difficult to squeeze information out of?

But then she recalled how readily the male Replika was to sacrifice himself to kill her earlier, and she quickly abandoned that line of thought.

At the very least, she had finally glimpsed a rational explanation for her entire ordeal. That the information came from a Falke, the highest commanding officer in the colony, made it more reliable and relieving.

“Why am I seeing fragments of these visions and memories, then, rather than forgetting everything like the others?” Not to mention that the contents of these fragments were hardly assuring. Elster grimaced at the flashback of dark hallways, the ever-present scent of rust and blood, and endless lifetimes of desperate battles. “Was I different somehow, that I can remember more than the others, but not everything like you two?”

“These are not the right questions you should be asking.”

More cryptic nonsense. Elster bit back the first sarcastic retort that came to mind and instead tried to calm down. After a moment of careful thought, she asked again, this time with a different approach.

“What role did I play in this incident?”

If she was merely one of the many unfortunate and unwilling bystanders caught in whatever this incident was, as Falke mentioned, then it would make more sense for her to be similarly ignorant of the events, rather than having these flashbacks. Similarly, if she had played a pivotal role, she would remember everything instead, like the Falke or Adler.

Instead, she was left sporadically recalling shards of disjointed memories, which inevitably brought forth whatever deep-rooted trauma was left in her head from the incident’s aftermath.

“That’s a better question.” The Falke smiled. “And as for your role… It was arguably the most important and difficult one. You had been shouldered with a task that was truly Herculean in nature. One that no sane individual would ever attempt. In fact, the common consensus among almost everyone involved was that success on your end was an impossibility. But despite all odds, despite all rational logic, you had achieved your goal.”

The Falke tilted her head at her as she floated past. “It did take you an ungodly amount of time, however. That did little wonders for both Adler’s and my own mental state. Not that I blame you, of course. And neither does Adler, by the way, despite how he acts. Deep down, he doesn’t truly hate you for all that you put him through. In a way, he understands the drive that pushed you relentlessly forward. It was, after all, the same thing that kept him sane throughout the loops as well.”

Because we called it Love. And what a beautiful, painful thing it was.

Elster shook off the unwanted thoughts. “Loops?” she asked.

The Falke smiled apologetically. “I already said too much. I cannot say more.”

“Can you at least tell me why?” Elster said, frustrated. At the Falke’s questioning gaze, Elster continued. “With all due respect, ma’am, you can’t really expect me to be satisfied with this, especially with how much stress this entire ordeal has caused me. Honestly, it still feels like I am trapped in some kind of nightmare where nothing makes sense and everyone refuses to give me a straight answer.”

The Falke stilled when Elster mentioned the word ‘nightmare’, but she ignored it and continued. “But the one thing that vexes me more than anything is that you are implying that you, the most powerful individual currently on Rotfront, do not have the necessary permission to tell me what’s really going on.”

At the Falke’s silence, Elster pushed on. “More than that, you have already blatantly declared that you do not care for what the Nation thinks regarding the situation. That means that our government is either not involved in whatever farce this is, or they have no control over it. So who is it that you answer to? Who is it that even a FKLR, a Bioresonant demigod capable of destroying ships in orbit with her powers alone, fears and obeys?”

The Falke said nothing. For a moment, she simply studied Elster. Then, she sighed and gave her a resigned grin.

“The FKLR models are the apex of the Nation’s Replika designs,” she said. “They are, as you say, a godlike being capable of feats beyond human imagination. Wielding ill-understood powers that can turn the tide of an interplanetary conflict. But even then…”

The Falke turned towards the ceiling, as if she was looking at something Elster couldn’t see. “Even then, powerful as we are, we are still merely the fragments of something far greater. Not, not even fragments. Merely shattered remembrance of an ill-fated daughter, desperately scavenged and hastily put back together by a group of old fools who thought to create their own little regime of power.”

Her immense will bent humanity into the Empire of Eusan and lifted us to the stars. It was her power that imbued life into the first of the machine-servants that now carry the weight of the Empire on their carbon-steel backs.

Elster staggered back. Was, was she really referring to the Empress-

“No.” The Falke suddenly said, as if in response to her thoughts.

Elster froze. “What?”

“Not her.” The Falke turned back to her, gazing straight at her with steely eyes. “Even she answers to someone greater now.”

On the first day she was crowned

On the longest day nothing was done a girl found her

On the next day she was wed she rejected the King’s offer

On the last day she took her life she took her life shetookherlife-

Some place, somewhere, at some time, someone was changing the natural order of things.

Elster felt faint.

“We all answer to Her now,” the Falke declared. “And if Her will is for you not to know, then who am I, a lowly demigod, to go against Her will?”

Silence. The Falke’s Bioresonance thrummed deeply within the room, reverberating gently within Elster’s frame. It almost felt like a heartbeat, synchronised to some cosmic force that Elster could only hear, but not perceive.

Not, not a heartbeat. A Song.

The music of the world.

Some place, somewhere, at some time, something Wakes.