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mistypurplespark · 6 months ago

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Chapter 44: Lone Fight

Chapter 44.1: Lone Fight

Translator(s): Elestrea

Editor(s): juurensha, namio

This battle could easily be called the pinnacle of Xiang Shu's life. One lone man challenging 60,000 men; it was comparable to that unbeatable Martial God who had charged alone seven times through the enemy's ranks in the ancient battlefield of Dangyang nearly two hundred years ago. No matter how many he had killed, the Rouran cavalry just kept coming and coming, and Xiang Shu, who had been fighting alone, was losing his strength. When he heard Chen Xing's words "You can't beat them all, just run!" it was like there was a mouthful of blood inside his chest. Contrary to the words' original intention, they instead stirred up the blood all over his body. He wasn't afraid of death and once again went all out at the bottom of the cliff!

Chen Xing climbed up with both his hands and feet, and from below, he could see Xiao Shan trying to pry up the stone pillar; his whole person jumped up and down on his claws, and he was using all his strength to step on them. But then, Che Luofeng picked up his blade and aimed it straight towards Chen Xing who was still climbing! Chen Xing dared not shout, fearing it would distract Xiang Shu, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and swing on the cliff.

Che Luofeng was fuming with rage: "Han dog, the time of your death…"

Then the stone pillar on the platform fell over and smashed into Che Luofeng's waist.

Before Chen Xing could clearly see what had happened, he felt something flash before his eyes. He saw Che Luofeng with open arms and a stone pillar following behind him directly fly towards him. Che Luofeng's face looked ferocious as he fell past Chen Xing.

Chen Xing: "???"

Chen Xing immediately looked up and shouted: "Xiao——"

He had yet to finish when the thousands of jin stone pillar dragged the iron chain down with it and woosh! —— Chen Xing also got pulled down and flew straight to the bottom of the cliff! Chen Xing felt the sudden pull must've distorted his facial expression.

Chen Xing: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA——"

Xiang Shu's right hand was trembling from exhaustion, so he switched the sword to his left. When he was about to urge his horse to go up the mountain, he saw a stone pillar rolling down from behind the Rouran army. It made the ground tremble as it dragged the chained Chen Xing down the cliff!

"Beware of falling stones…" Chen Xing, who was dragged by the chain like a kite drifting in the wind, shouted from a distance.

Zhou Zhen, who was commanding the army, suddenly turned his head only to see a massive stone rolling down and crushing nearly ten thousand Rouran cavalry. This turn of events wasn't good at all, so he quickly dodged away to avoid that huge pillar that was falling from the top of the mountain. Xiao Shan had immediately gone after it, and Sima Wei, with black armor covering his whole body, rushed down from the top to chase after him. Desperate, Sima Wei detached and threw his black shield. It spun as it flew over, aligning perfectly with Chen Xing's feet.

"AAAAAAAAAA——" Chen Xing's tongue almost flew out in the wind. With the pillar still dragging him downhill, he stepped on the shield and began to ski down: slide to the left, avoid to the right —— all while still handcuffed. The pillar crushed anything it ran into, and there wasn't enough time for the Rouran cavalry to dodge it. Just like a rolling pin, the pillar flattened both riders and horses into meat pancakes.

Xiang Shu: "…"

Chen Xing felt dizzy for a moment and kept changing directions while Xiao Shan kept trying to throw himself on him several times. Luckily, not only did he not fall, he even managed to stabilize himself. Preoccupied with dodging, Zhou Zhen unexpectedly had forgotten for a moment that Xiang

Shu was still right there. Panicking, he rushed into the canyon. Xiang Shu once again flipped over to get on his horse and chased after Zhou Zhen.

Zhou Zhen changed his horse's direction and came face-to-face with Xiang Shu.

"Heart Lamp!" Xiang Shu roared.

Chen Xing was dazed from all the dragging, and he kept seeing stars in front of his eyes. When he heard Xiang Shu's shout, he instinctively started the Heart Lamp.

The Heart Lamp's brilliant light flashed inside the dark canyon. Xiang Shu lifted up his broadsword and pointed towards the horizon. From it, white light burst out and swept across the surroundings; the blade of the sword shone bright, each character of the Nine Syllables of Tao appearing on it in succession——

——Zhou Zhen's eyes opened wide. When he was met with Xiang Shu's sword glare, he raised his hand to block out the light.

"Go back to wherever you came from," Xiang Shu's voice sounded in his ear. Then, the sword split him down. Amidst his loud scream, Zhou Zhen suddenly burst into glimmering dust before scattering in all directions.

Meanwhile, the stone pillar dragging Chen Xing rolled into the forest before crashing into a big boulder —— it immediately shattered into almost ten pieces.

Along the way, whenever Chen Xing wasn't being obstructed by branches, he was sliding in the snow. He had almost fallen to the side but managed to step on the shield again and avoid danger, unexpectedly stopping without the slightest injury. Then, he kicked the shield up and caught it with his hands. His hands were still bound by the iron chain and now he was tied to a huge stone pillar's remains that still weighed around 60 or 70 jin; his whole face turned pale, and he gasped for breath.

When Xiang Shu eventually caught up with Chen Xing, he suddenly grabbed his hands. He was covered with black blood from head to toe. They

both didn't say anything.

"You… you…" Chen Xing looked at Xiang Shu and didn't know what to say.

"Me, me what?" Xiang Shu grabbed Chen Xing's wrist and wouldn't let go

—— unconsciously hurting him a little. Looking around, he could only see chaos everywhere. Most of the Rouran cavalry had been taken care of by Chen Xing's Iuppiter and was now regrouping in a panicked rush. He quickly said: "Now is not the time to talk, let's go!"

Chen Xing: "Xiao Shan…"

Xiang Shu: "He can protect himself!"

Chen Xing also thought that Xiao Shan's speed was indeed very fast. Since Sima Wei couldn't catch him, Xiao Shan should be able to protect his own life without much trouble. Now, the most important thing was that he couldn't fall into the enemy's hands and become a hostage again, or else it would only put Xiao Shan and Xiang Shu at more of a disadvantage.

Chen Xing ran until he was out of breath. In the depths of the woods, a cave appeared.

"Ah!" Chen Xing was about to say "Nice!" when Xiang Shu pressed his head down and motioned him not to speak. The two of them went in.

The cave was pitch-black, and it was covered with frost. Chen Xing lit up a small area with the Heart Lamp.

"Why is it just the two of you?" Chen Xing asked.

Xiang Shu: "I didn't let Xiao Shan come! He followed me! Am I alone not enough to save you?"

Xiang Shu was practically furious with Xiao Shan. Back then, he had been ready to rescue Chen Xing, but Xiao Shan kept following him around. So, Xiang Shu had to change his plans. He challenged the enemy head-on to distract their attention while Xiao Shan climbed up the peak to quietly

rescue Chen Xing. The end result: Xiao Shan went up, went wild, and made such a big mess in the end.

"How about Karakorum?" Chen Xing asked.

"It's guarded." Xiang Shu walked ahead, one hand carrying the boulder and pulling the chain along. He vigilantly looked around, watching for an ambush.

Chen Xing finally calmed down. He frowned and said: "You're taking too much risk. You came here alone?"

Xiang Shu: "I don't want my people to risk or even lose their lives just because they followed me to save you. You have a problem with that?"

Chen Xing felt a little guilty when he heard this, and he didn't know why, but he felt very stuffy when he looked at Xiang Shu. If I hadn't helped defend the city for you people to begin with, would I have been caught? But this was merely a passing thought. Looking at Xiang Shu's armor that was covered with black blood and his disheveled hair, he looked more like a ghost who had crawled straight out of the underworld —— it made Chen Xing slightly uncomfortable.

He had wanted to reply with: "Then why did you still come?", but he faintly picked out something else from Xiang Shu's words. The feeling was the same as when one plucked out a string; it gave out a barely audible, hard-to- discern vibrato. He wanted to listen attentively, only to discover that the guqin sound had long been gone and what remained was just the echo —— feeling similar to the feeling that appeared when one was tasting an illusion of reciprocated love.

They both went silent again for a moment.

"Are you feeling better?" Xiang Shu asked harshly. "What?" Chen Xing was at a loss. "I've always been fine."

"Bullshit!" Xiang Shu turned around and said angrily, "You were vomiting blood!"

Chen Xing then realized that Xiang Shu was talking about the time when he had fainted because he had exhausted his heart's power for the Heart Lamp. He felt as if he had been slapped hard, so he hurriedly said, "It's nothing. It was just because back then, I had overused the Heart Lamp's power, it made me unable to breathe for a while… Let's just go ah! Or you're going to hit me now?"

Xiang Shu carried the boulder and dragged down the chain. The two walked towards the windy part of the cave and in less than a quarter of an hour, they saw a light. They had unexpectedly entered a spacious ravine in the heart of Yin Mountains.

This ravine had weapons and armor scattered everywhere. Chen Xing murmured, "Where is this?"

"The sinners' pit." Xiang Shu looked around. He saw that the ravine was in the shape of a half-moon; it was surrounded by several peaks and in the distance, there was a dense forest covered in snow. He said: "Inside the Chi Le Covenant, people who have committed a crime are not granted sky burials and must be buried instead. This is where they are all buried."

Chen Xing looked towards the sky. The sky was so overcast that he couldn't even tell the difference between east, west, south, and north. How could they leave the mountain? While he was pondering that over, the sound of a stone falling to the ground suddenly came from the side. Xiang Shu supported himself with his sword as he slightly gasped for breath. It was clear that the battle had taken a toll on him, and he couldn't walk anymore.

Chen Xing hurriedly made Xiang Shu sit down and undid his armor. There were bloodstains inside and out, and even the garment inside the leather armor had been soaked purple and black by blood.

"How many did you defeat?" Chen Xing recalled that astonishing scene.

"I don't know." Xiang Shu leaned against a big tree with his eyes closed as he replied coldly, "No time to count. Help me take off my armor."

>Xiang Shu wore a Tiele heavy armor. Not long after he had entered the canyon, the warhorse was shot by an arrow and it couldn't hold on. This

armor was made of hardened steel by the Tieles' and the Rourans' craftsmen. It was deformed from all the arrows and swords, but it had still protected his body well.

Chen Xing bared Xiang Shu's chest. Xiang Shu took a deep breath and gasped for more air.

"Have a rest," Xiang Shu sat under the tree and with his back against it, he closed his eyes then said, "Guwang is too tired, too tired…"

Translator's Comment:

Guwang is too tired, Guwang’s wife keeps running away

namio will help us edit from now on! You might’ve seen her already as she does many cursed beautiful arts of Dinghai, just like that… Ducksheng… and one more, we also have a new translator coming in, ice will translate starting from Chapter 50! Welcome, everyone!

Chapter 44.2: Lone Fight

Translator(s): Elestrea

Editor(s): juurensha, namio

Chen Xing was still chained, and with much difficulty, he tore off his robe to cover Xiang Shu's upper body. Looking at Xiang Shu's tired and bloodstained face, he thought that he was still so handsome. He couldn't help but want to reach out and touch Xiang Shu's face. At that moment, his mind gave birth to an idea, seemingly urging him to do something to express his gratitude towards Xiang Shu.

"How far is it from Karakorum to here?" Chen Xing said. "One day and one night," Xiang Shu replied.

Chen Xing thought: Did you come to save me as soon as I was caught?

"You want something to eat ma?" Chen Xing asked once again, "Are you hungry?"

"Eat what?" Xiang Shu indifferently said, "Can you even find me something to eat? Eat you? How many liangs of meat do you think you have?"

Chen Xing had to drop the subject.

Xiang Shu's breathing stabilized, and he no longer talked, clearly asleep. Chen Xing sat down on his side, slightly leaned against him. His surroundings were quiet; the only sound he could hear was the rustling of the wind passing through the mountains and forests. At that moment, it was as if all dangers had distanced themselves away from them, and in the whole world, there was only this peaceful snow and lofty mountains.

I'm sorry, Chen Xing said in his heart.

If I hadn't one-sidedly made you my Protector, I wouldn't have caused you so much trouble ba. Chen Xing sighed in his heart, but regarding this matter, he was very confused. Now and then, Chen Xing went as far as

treating Xiang Shu as his last hope, because when he had been kidnapped, Xiang Shu had fought hard and risked his life for him.

Chen Xing was only leaning slightly on him, but Xiang Shu, eyes still closed, raised an arm and draped it around Chen Xing's shoulders, pulling him a little closer to himself. This action seemed to fill Chen Xing with endless courage, his momentary frustration vanishing like smoke in thin air.

Chen Xing slowly leaned down. Resting his head on Xiang Shu's body, he looked at the desolate graves in front of him.

"What?" Xiang Shu said suddenly. "What?" Chen Xing asked blankly. "Heart Lamp," Xiang Shu said concisely.

Chen Xing said, "Heart Lamp? But I'm not using it?"

Xiang Shu opened his eyes and doubtfully said: "I feel it. It's like you're glowing all over."

"Me?" Chen Xing raised his head, but Xiang Shu pressed it down so that his head still laid on his body. Leaning on him, Chen Xing felt better, but he couldn't tell why.

"Did you see Che Luofeng?" Xiang Shu changed the subject and asked.

"En," Chen Xing gave a rough outline of the events. Xiang Shu frowned and said, "Zhou Zhen became a living corpse shortly after his death and so did Youduo. Where have they been hiding all these years?"

This was also the point that Chen Xing was puzzled over the most. If the world's spiritual qi was still there, they might have been able to ask the yaos who could be found everywhere in the mountains or other areas.

"What are you going to do with Che Luofeng?" Chen Xing asked.

"I'm going to take him back," Xiang Shu said in a low voice, "or finish him here. It's my fault."

Chen Xing had originally wanted to say that you shouldn't hand over the responsibility of guarding Chi Le Chuan to Che Luofeng, but what was the use of saying that now? Besides, thinking about the circumstances at that time, even if Xiang Shu hadn't handed over the responsibility to his Anda, if Che Luofeng were to take over Chi Le Chuan and kill people anyway, there still would have been no one who could subdue him. Xiang Shu's decision to leave Chi Le Chuan was a mistake, and this mistake was caused by Chen Xing himself.

"Before I left, he promised me," Xiang Shu murmured, "that he wouldn't take revenge on the Akeles and that he would protect Chi Le Chuan for me. That night, surrounded by the clan chiefs, the two of us came to an agreement."

Chen Xing suddenly recalled the night when King Akele had waited outside his tent and offered to take him north. King Akele must've also felt that the argument between Xiang Shu and Che Luofeng was endless. He didn't want to drag the whole Chi Le Chuan into danger because of himself, and also didn't want the Great Chanyu to abandon the whole Chi Le Chuan for the sake of the Akeles, so he left without permission in the middle of the argument and came to assist Chen Xing on his own.

"Che Luofeng isn't that kind of person. Some words were said just because he let his emotions take over him in the heat of the moment. Once he calms down, he'll eventually get the big picture. It's Zhou Zhen and Shi Hai…" Xiang Shu murmured, "It was the medicine Shi Hai gave him that changed his temperament."

"Forget it," Chen Xing said, feeling a little uncomfortable. Xiang Shu said, "Can you save him again?"

Chen Xing replied, "It's hard to say. If the spiritual qi of heaven and earth were still there, I could've attempted to dispel the influence of the Devil God's blood."

Xiang Shu: "It's impossible for him to be forgiven. I just want him to regain his dignity and then die."

"For what crime?" A hoarse voice said, "Shulü Kong, the one who should ask for forgiveness is you."

Chen Xing suddenly looked up. Xiang Shu however, seemed to have known that Che Luofeng was coming. He casually patted Chen Xing, indicating for him to get up, before standing up himself, using his sword for support. "Drop it, explain yourself."

Che Luofeng had been pummeled beyond recognition. When he fell off the cliff, his head was knocked until it became dented, the armor and clothes on his whole body had shredded into rags, and one of his hands was broken and hung free at his side.

Che Luofeng's eyes were opened wide, looking at Xiang Shu. "My Anda, you should remember the consequence of going back on your words."

"Don't move a zhang away from this tree." Xiang Shu picked up his sword and slowly walked away from Chen Xing. His upper body was bare, showing the scar left behind from that time in Chang'an not too long ago where he had blocked an arrow for Chen Xing. His lower body was still covered with iron armor. He held the sword horizontally, blocking Che Luofeng's way.</p<

There was a small noise coming in from all directions —— a powerful resentment was spreading quietly in this ancient burial ground.

Sima Yue appeared from inside the forest. Holding an antler staff, he stood on high ground, overlooking the three men in the graveyard.

Chen Xing raised his head to look at Sima Yue, noticing that the antler staff was commanding the resentment around it. After a while, it grew by leaps and bounds, and all of the resentment beyond the Great Wall rushed into the graveyard, pouring into the ravine like running water!

"Sima Yue!" Chen Xing said in a deep voice, "Let your master come out and speak!"

"Exorcist," Sima Yue, standing above them, said in an aloof and cold voice. "You will see him soon enough. I'll give you a chance: Give up all

resistance and come with me. That way, you'll naturally have an opportunity to ask him everything."

At that moment, Chen Xing had an idea: If I pretended to lose and be caught, what would happen? It was obvious that these two resurrected living corpses who were called "Drought Fiend Kings" had received an order from their superior to capture him alive.

But Chen Xing immediately gave up on that idea. Shi Hai wanted to see him, so they would keep him alive, but the same couldn't be said for Xiang Shu. It was too risky to try, and it really wasn't worth it.

"I have no interest in negotiating with him." Chen Xing lifted his chain and confronted the enemy on the high ground. Showing no emotions, not even the slightest hint of fear, he said, "Go back and tell him: My mission is to annihilate him and send him back to samsara, to the place where the dead ought to go."

Sima Yue burst out into a hoarse, frantic laugh. "You alone? I'd like to see, with the Silence of All Magic, what a weak and defenseless exorcist can do!"

The moment his voice fell, Sima Yue thrusted the staff in his hand into the ground, and the overflowing resentment snapped into a frenzy! Cold winds howled in the ancient graveyard, as if their surroundings had transformed into the underworld!

When he saw this, Chen Xing muttered: "Not good." Like the Yin Yang Mirror and the Zheng Drum, this magical artifact had been refined with resentment! The resentment in the magical artifact, coupled with that caused by the war and the massacre in Chi Le Chuan, had begun to stir the earth vein of this gloomy place. This situation was even more dangerous than Chang'an City!

At first, he didn't think much about it as there weren't many people living in Chi Le Chuan, and there had been no large-scale war for so many years. So, even if there were resentment hovering around, it would dissipate very quickly. However, what he didn't expect was that what Chi Le Chuan lacked

the most if compared to Chang'an City was the most important factor: People.

The fewer the number of living people, the weaker the yang qi would become, which slowed down the neutralization of the resentment borne by death. Sima Yue had brought this magical artifact containing powerful resentment out of nowhere and was now forcibly urging and releasing its power. In an instant, dark clouds surged in the sky above, blood-red lightning also faintly visible.

Numerous shadows appeared from within the mountain range, surrounding that tall and ancient tree in the graveyard.

"Shulü Kong…" Che Luofeng roared from inside the dark clouds. "I've given you almost everything I have, and all these years, I've never owed you anything..."

Che Luofeng slowly emerged from the dense resentment. Chen Xing looked around the graveyard and found that countless animals had become corrupted —— deer, wolves, wild dogs, foxes, vultures… A horde of dead animals with exposed, eerie white bones and muddy eyes stared at them as they limped towards the graveyard.

"My Anda is already dead," Xiang Shu said, holding his broadsword. "The monster standing in front of me is nobody."

Chen Xing forced himself to calm down. He could see that Che Luofeng's broken and torn body was, to his surprise, being slowly mended inside the dense resentment. Looking up at the darkened sky, he then activated the Heart Lamp. This thick aura was interfering with the light of Xiang Shu's sword, dimming it down.

The resentment was so heavy it gnawed away the power of Heart Lamp by the minute.

"Shulü Kong," Che Luofeng said, trembling. "You selfish, ungrateful, vile man. I've seen through you, just die! Return everything I've given you!"

Chen Xing shouted: "Xiang Shu! Don't get too far away from me! The Heart Lamp's mana has been weakened!"

Chen Xing rushed into the battlefield, and Xiang Shu moved back. Incomparable resentment was enveloping Che Luofeng; he was even more unreconciled than Feng Qianyi. He revealed a bone whip from his left hand and pounced on Xiang Shu!

Translator's Comment:

Ah, Che Luofeng, you’re one of the characters I shall never truly hate or like. I like how Feitian made him such a conflicted person. But I guess, there’s no redemption for you this time.

Anyway, the glossary is now updated until Chapter 44.

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birbleafs · 8 years ago

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[fic] verdant green

Series: Tales of Zestiria Rating: T Genre: AU. Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk/Dieselpunk. Character(s): Mikleo, Sorey, Atakk. Brief mentions of Michael, Muse and Zenrus. Warnings: Character death, mentions of terminal illness, nonsense sci-fi medical procedures and terminology. Summary: Somewhere, encrypted within its system was a stream of coded information, of preserved memories, of a shared lifetime. A/N: So I've been seeing this post going around tumblr about using words like "smaragdine" in fic. And what started out as a joke conversation with Namio/Bagel on twitter turned into something more. Also, Buckminsterfullurene is not a made-up term. They are actually the smallest molecule of carbon shaped like a hollow hexagonal sphere, like a football (that's why they're also called 'buckyballs') except nano-sized. Fic can also be read on AO3

Mikleo refused to vocalize it, of course—Sorey doesn't need to know of it, never needs to—but even he had to admit there was an amorphous beauty to them. If he was allowed to observe them up-close and for longer, he would marvel at that perfect formation of fused-rings, structured and welded together into a tight crystalline sphere, their colour the verdant green of lush forests, of unearthed emeralds hidden in sunken pirate hoards.

Or like smaragdine Buckminsterfullerenes.

Mikleo frowned, and then mentally shuddered, adjusting his glasses over the bridge of his nose with a delicate finger. The corner of his lips crinkled into a crooked smile as he fingered the brass locket around his neck, feeling the blunt edges of the hexagonal sphere. Now that was a terrible way to describe anyone's eyes, though he suspected Sorey would have found it cool anyway, because, Mikleo, look! This author knows about buckyballs too! Think they know anything else about other nanoparticles?

Maybe, he would’ve replied with a frown and a huff, though probably not as much as their proclivity for waxing lyrical with, uh, less than palatable prose.

A heavy silence lingered over him, and—

And Mikleo could almost see it, could almost hear it—the tiny curve of a smirk, an amused snort and then Sorey’s laugh, bright and radiant like sunrise. He blinked, suddenly aware of the throbbing ache within his chest; he straightened himself in his seat, glancing up at the glowing panels beside the bed. Electric-blue lines danced in spikes across the dark screen in tune to the soft beeps of the instruments, like waves crashing and receding from the shoreline.

“How much longer, Atakk?” Mikleo asked, turning his gaze back to the bed, at the figure resting. The small droid beside him chimed a soft response, yellow lights blinking steadily as it continued its extraction work.

“Right,” Mikleo said, and then to Atakk’s second beep—a query, this time—he exhaled softly, before he managed a tiny, reassuring smile. “I’m all right. Just…nervous. But we’ve here now. And I...”

Another sigh, fingers curling into his palms, digging into flesh and, “I... We—There’s no turning back now. Not when we’ve come this far. Sorey will understand.”

Sorey wouldn’t want this and you know it, said the quiet voice in his head, and Mikleo knew, in the deepest recesses of his heart, it was true. Sorey would want him to move on, to be happy, to live—

But what about what I want? He thought bitterly, almost angrily. They had all left him, one by one. Mother first, in the crash, and then Uncle in that incident when The Council had demanded access to his research, had coerced him into a project he’d fought hard against and failed. Even Gramps was gone, returned to dust and cinders. Mikleo had lost them all within a span of five years and now, after months of endless tests and bacta-therapy/arti-org graft procedures and hollow promises of he’ll be cured and awake in no time, don’t you worry! ...

Mikleo sighed, squeezing his eyes shut to chase away the pain and memory, to find his centre again.

No, he would not lose Sorey either; he could not. He was selfish, he knew, for wanting this, but he was also afraid. If they could not, would not save Sorey—then, he will.

Atakk’s excited whistle drew Mikleo back to the present and he opened his eyes. He watched the droid remove its data extraction limb from the tangle of wires and cables that ran from the instruments and up the bed frame, to the device strapped around the figure’s head. Turning to the panels again, Mikleo could see the blue spikes gradually receding, the oscillation sluggish now, before it finally flatlined. The instruments began to screech, and Mikleo quickly moved to flick the power button off, killing off the alarm.

For a moment, he neither moved nor spoke—gazing through the silence of the room at the figure on the bed, his eyes misty from guilt, pain and longing. Then, he rose from the chair and patted the droid fondly over its domed head. “Let’s get out of here before someone notices.”

Atakk chirruped a positive and quietly rolled towards the door. Mikleo followed suit, pausing only at the doorway to glance furtively back at the motionless figure.

Forgive me, Sorey. But I’m going to save you—I promise.

They left the city before dawn, riding past residential blocks of dreary grey, the land-speeder coughing out clouds of grit and yellowed dust in its wake as the engine whined in tune to the faint trill of birdsong. Camlann had never been more than a decaying city of rusting metal architecture and sun-baked streets. But it was the only place Mikleo had known, had called home for the past twenty-one years.

It’s not really home anymore though. Not since Mother and Uncle and Gramps...

He shook his head, concentrating on the dusty trail ahead, before looking over at Atakk. The droid whistled softly in the seat beside him, beads of lights flashing in sequence over its front panels. Somewhere, encrypted within its system was a stream of coded information, of preserved memories, of a shared lifetime. Somewhere, embedded in the deluge of algorithms and alpha-numeric ciphers was a glimmer of hope, of home again.

By early noon, they’d left Camlann far behind them, blazing ahead towards the deserted valleys of Elysium.

He sat, for three days and nights, in a makeshift bunk in a rocky cleft, hidden from view by sparse shrubbery at the foot of a hill. Atakk was always by his side. The droid’s extraction limb was plugged into the network of cables and creaking machinery around them, information—information and memory and a shared lifetime—downloading in flashing blips of green and blue upon the screen.

Mikleo sat upon a bed of desert flowers entwined with curling vines, fingering the brass locket in his hand, watching the viridescent glow cast nebulous shapes over the slate-grey rock face surrounding them.

He sat and waited, the sound of whirring mechanical parts his only lullaby.

It almost seemed too long, too bleak, but finally, finally—the sun broke through gloom and misty cloud banks, and Atakk chirped. The droid wiggled where it had stood motionless for days, releasing a series of excited beeps and whistles. Mikleo moved quickly to its side, blood rushing in his ears, his heart pounding as his gaze flickered over to the cramped corner of the cave.

He exhaled, softly, slowly. There was a whirr of pistons and the soft whine of mechanical joints. Mikleo watched in silent awe as the figure—an android shaped and formed like a young humanoid male—sat up, one hand raised to brush a lock of synthetic brown hair from his forehead. The android held up both arms, studying them for a moment, before turning to gaze at Mikleo. His eyes were over-bright in the dim cave, bright and radiant like sunrise. Bright like the verdant green of lush forests, of unearthed emeralds hidden in sunken pirate hoards.

Bright like—

“Smaragdine.” The low, electronic voice echoed through the cave; a long pause, and then—“Buckminsterfullerenes.”

The android blinked and tilted his head in an angle that was achingly familiar to Mikleo.

“Mikleo…?” the android said, and Mikleo felt his heart clench, relief and yearning and sorrow all rolling into one and threatening to overwhelm him. He’d almost wanted to laugh then, at the absurdity, at everything. But he let out a sigh of relief instead, the knots and tension he hadn’t realised was there gradually dissipated from his shoulders.

“I... I know you. I know us,” the android repeated, testing the feel of his voice as though he’d finally understood his nature, of his being . And this time, Mikleo knew for sure, it was Sorey’s voice. It sounded lower, inflected with a synthesized edge now, but still, it was unmistakably...

His eyes burning, Mikleo reached towards the android—towards Sorey, now awake and aware; towards Sorey, his dearest friend, the only person left in this crumbling barren world who was family—and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“I’m here, Sorey,” he said, voice strained and heavy with emotion. He could feel the soft vibration of whirring gears through Sorey’s chest, could hear the gentle ticking of a clockwork heart encased in alloy and steel. “Took you long enough.”

“Mikleo,” Sorey said once more, his head still angled in confusion. But his eyes were filled with recognition and warmth. “Looks like I’ve missed a lot. What... happened? Did we—” He looked around the cave in wonderment. “Did we fall down a hole because of you again?”

Mikleo crinkled his nose in slight petulance, brushing away stray tears from his eyes before they could fall. Beside them, Atakk was still wiggling in barely contained excitement, chirruping lightly. Mikleo laughed softly then, and tightened his hold around Sorey.

“It’s a long story…”

—end—

End notes: Seriously though, please don't call anyone's eyes "smaragdine orbs", unless they're part lizard-man/dragon or literal jewels LOL I don't really know what this is but the idea wouldn't leave me. Showers are dangerous places to cultivate plot bunnies. Some backstory to this AU, because idk if I'll write more for it: - Mikleo and Sorey are Bio-engineering research graduates. Their interest in the study of ecology and mechatronics was, in part, due to Michael, who is a well-known Robotics scientist within the Academy's research circles and Muse, who worked as a conservationist. Sorey's mother, Selene, was one of the few who dared brave the safety of the City Dome to explore the endless sand dunes outside. Shortly after giving birth to Sorey, she headed out on a scouting expedition, searching for the famed oases rumored to exist somewhere in the Elysium valleys. She never returned to Camlann. - When the boys were sixteen, the Council of Camlann approached Michael to recruit his skills for Project War Machine. However, he refused to co-operate as he'd only wished to apply robotics for the betterment of their people, not to create weaponized droids in the War of the Dying Cities. He and Muse were punished severely for their refusal. - Gramps became Mikleo and Sorey's guardian after Michael and Muse's deaths, but he was old and frail, and soon succumbed to the Dust Plague. Sorey caught the Dust virus while venturing out to the sand dunes to collect water samples from the solar-powered harvesters. The Dust virus causes gradual failure of all vital organs and patients soon fall into a deep coma that most do not awake from. - Mikleo searched for a cure, but could not find any. When he looked over Michael's old research notes in transferring a person's ghost (his uncle's term for the human soul) into a synthesized host body, he knew then what he had to do to save Sorey. For two years, he worked on building android prototypes in secret and when he finally created the perfect model, he set his plan in motion. - Atakk is named so because of its model number: AT-AK01. The droid belonged to Michael and had helped him with his research. -Mikleo's brass locket was an anniversary gift from his father to Muse. His father had passed away before he was born. - I was listening to this track from the Wonder Woman OST while editing and was promptly whelmed with feels. sorry for the pain adskffjhf

#tales of zestiria #mikleo #sorey #fanfic #okay i know the DEATH tag sounds bleak and all #but the ending is actually hopeful lol (i think)..#listen i love my sci-fi AUs too much

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