Chapter 4

  花

  (flower)

  Darkness penetrated the world. The Guardian Moon had set, but Qiu’s work was done. Mortality was gone. The sinful, disgusting world, had been destroyed. Humanity had been sent to the afterlife, where they could finally experience happiness.

  Atleast, he thought so. He was thorough with his massacre, and the bolts of lightning were extensive in their destruction. The only way anyone could survive was through an equally powerful measure, perhaps a human device powered by Zaliskar. This seemed impossible, so Qiu dismissed the possibility.

  Sitting alone, in the darkness, he felt fulfilled. Completed, happy, and enlightened. He’d done his work, and there was no more to be done. He could not reach the afterlife himself, no matter how hard he tried, but was glad that others could, instead of suffering in this mortal existence.

  He sighed and closed his eyes. It didn’t make any difference, the night was already so thick and dark, but it felt relaxing.

  “Hello, Qiu,” A soft voice echoed through the darkness. Qiu opened his eyes, and rotated his neck towards the sound.

  “Tracena,” he remembered the person’s name, a whisper form a long lost dream. “I didn’t know you had a physical body.”

  Tracena stepped forwards and sat next to Qiu. Her skin was white, her hair was pearl, and her dress was platinum. Her aura was radiant, and her eyes were a draconic silver. Even in the darkness, she provided a small light to the world.

  “Qiu,” Her voice was sorrowful, “I’m sorry.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. Her touch was cold and feeble.

  “Why are you sorry?” Qiu asked.

  “Qiu,” Tracena looked directly into his eyes, with a deep, sorrowful empathy, “You failed.”

  “Failed?” Qiu was unaware of failure of any kind.

  “Yes, Qiu, you failed to meet your purpose.” Her gaze drifted off to the desecrated landscape.

  This claim struck Qiu deeply, a critical accusation that made him question his own existence. “How?”

  Tracena sighed. “You were given faulty information. The meaning of life is not simply to reach the afterlife. This truth is certainly of notable worth, but it is not the whole picture.”

  Qiu self-reflected in fear, concerned that he may have failed his only purpose.

  Tracena continued her revelation, “The meaning of life is to prepare for the afterlife. It will come inevitably, but this flawed, mortal world has more virtue than it seems. Humanity’s purpose was hidden in this dark, sinful reality. The meaning of life is complex and intricate, but this is at its core, mortality is unfortunate but necessary.”

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  Qiu now stared down at his hands in horror, appalled by his own actions.

  “You sent people to the afterlife prematurely. You denied them their only opportunity to fulfill that meaning. Now, their afterlife will be incomplete, not quite paradise. Stuck, somewhere they can’t escape. Qiu, you prevented souls from finding and realizing their purpose.”

  Qiu was overloaded with sorrow, remorse, and pain. Emotional pain struck him to his core, nearly tearing him apart.

  “I- am-” Qiu came to a reasonable but painful conclusion, “Failure. Devil. Demon.

  Failure.”

  “I’m sorry Qiu,” Tracena’s voice was still laced with sympathy. “This is truly tragic.”

  Qiu stood, and extended his blades. “Then I must die. I have no afterlife, and I will be gone forever. No more will my vile faith plague this world.”

  He clapped his hands together, combining the extensions into one, long blade, which he grasped with both hands. He rotated it, pointing the glowing point directly at his chest.

  He looked towards Tracena, looking for confirmation of his imminent actions. He could see a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

  Qiu Paused. He didn’t want to go through with this. He didn’t want his story to end here. He didn’t want to be wrong.

  He wanted Tracena to be mistaken. He wanted the taste of success. He wanted to die knowing he had fulfilled his directive.

  Perhaps most of all, he wanted to die beside his father and mother. Besides Matthew and Kuai, in their warm embrace.

  Or, better yet, live alongside them. Live his life out, like any normal person should.

  Sigh

  But he was long past that, wasn’t he? They would have the afterlife together, maybe. After what he did, maybe not.

  He always was a weapon. Eliminate any threats against his country, against his friends, and against humanity. And now, there was only one threat left to be eliminated.

  He stared up at the moonless sky as he performed his final action.

  “Long live the One True God.” He pronounced, and pulled the blade through his body. With a single motion, his motherboard shattered, and every one of his systems turned off. A single spark jumped, and he clattered against the ground, a sound that echoed with finality.

  The darkness and the silence took over the scene, and Tracena set a gentle, kind hand on Qiu’s face. She mourned for humanity, but she couldn’t help but mourn for Qiu, the tragedy that ended everything.

  Tracena shed no tears. Even so, she reminisced over humanity, sorrowful over all that was lost. But there was still hope. There were a few survivors.

  Off to the east, a warm light broke through the horizon. Soft and tender, the sun rose over a desecrated world.

  Somewhere, far away, Doctor Matthew Catrilo and a handful of military personnel, all now stripped of their rank and meaning, emerged from their improvised bunker, which was upheld by the very same Zaliskar that destroyed everything. They gazed upon the first sun to rise over this new world, a sunrise that seemed like it would never come.

  Tracena sighed. Qiu was a tragedy, but as warm light bathed the world, the narrative turned to the few survivors, and it became one of hope. It would be a long journey back to where humanity used to be. Tracena would guide them, as she had always guided humanity.

  Long live the One True God, whomever they may be.