Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Time between the siblings together have been scarce at the time of late. The main issue has nothing to do with instabilities of the world, or a heavy responsibility to shoulder, but merely… distance. Prototype is by far the most unfortunate in his circumstances, his home being a lowly room deep within the bowels of the mines, but Cedric and Rue are able to breathe in fresh air. Cedric has been spending a lot of his days at the cemetery region of the Glen, as a safe space for him to tend to his pet projects and fixing his father’s flying machine, but also to ground himself to his reality, placing himself amidst the remains of those who have passed through the world at some point. Cedric remembers faintly the chaos of the old world, and remembers vividly the turbulence of this current world. The graveyard helps him to… feel more in touch with what he ultimate is; a ghost of a former world.

Rue, on the other side of the world, likes to spend her time on the Refuge. She finds the city calming to look around from all angles, and watching the residents pass by on the streets. Whenever she feels lonely, she would masquerade and chat with the residents online, or have a small talk with The World Machine. She’d love to talk face to face with the residents, but the revelation that one of their friends is a talking fox would not make for a good introduction. Rue lives the life of a living shadow within the city, lurking in the dark and watching the lives that cast those shadows. When she thinks hopping around buildings for a daily life is nothing more than enthralling, how could she not leave?

Their own lives had no schedule for each other. Cedric frequently passes off letters to Calamus and Alula, checking in on them after Solstice and helping them with their lives while they do the same to him, but he does not have access to an online device. Though Rue can fare with typing on a keyboard, there was no way she can write letters to him. She can only converse with Prototype and the folks at the Refuge, but often times she has to start conversations with him.

That much was certain… but what if someone were to break from that norm?

Cedric was feeling admittedly bored out of his mind. Unlike his other siblings, he had no phones and communication was rare. Lately though, he has been getting some more frequent visits from another sibling pair, Calamus and Alula, as they always greeted the pilot after visiting the ash and ember of their mother.

On one faithful day, another visit happened, as Alula sprinted towards Cedric to greet him. “Hi, Cedric!! Did you receive our letter?”

“I have!” Cedric waved back, giving a soft pat on her head. “What you wrote sounds really delicious. Did you two cook it by yourself?”

“We did!” Alula nodded her head, her eyes raised happily. “We fished a lot of anchovies, and we cooked plenty for ourselves!”

Cedric’s stomach grumbled quietly, the thought of food rotating around his mind reminding that he hasn’t ate anything in a while. “Anchovies?”

“M-hm! Calamus cooks them really well! He doesn’t like to write that in his letters though, since he’s shy.”

“H-hey! I’m just being modest!” Calamus interjected. “It’s polite to not boast about things, Alula.”

“But I wanna tell people that you are cool!” Alula pouted to Calamus, as he blushed a little from the subtle compliment. Rubbing the back of his neck, he laughed it off.

“Alula…!” Calamus wrapped his arms around Alula’s shoulders for a loose hug, one hand scruffling her hair as the younger sister giggles.

“Aren’t you two adorable.” Cedric smiled warmly, as Calamus realizes the company and finished the soft hug.

“Sorry, heh… ever since that anxious dream a few months back, we’ve been trying to keep each other more at company.” Calamus explained.

“But we don’t get to play hide and seek anymore!” Alula whined, as Calamus gave a stink eye to her.

“Because I don’t want you to go missing again!” Calamus shifts the conversation to Cedric, feeling slightly guilty of holding the topic for too long. “What have you been up to, meanwhile?”

“Actually, nothing much of late! The flying machine has been fixed, and I’m here doing… well, nothing.” Cedric sighed. Truth be the fact, he missed seeing his siblings. Aside from the brief reunion at Solstice, they never got to meet each other again. Everything changed yet he returned to his life the same.

Alula’s eyes sparkles as she went over to look at the flying machine. “That’s so cool! Can we ride it?”

Calamus interjects before Cedric gets a chance to speak. “Alula, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Maybe Cedric doesn’t want us to!”

Alula frowns and leans forward with both her arms extended downwards. “Aaawwww, but I bever got to ride one! The messiah got to ride it, so why can’t we?”

“Because we’re not messiahs.” Calamus sighs.

“Actually, now that I think about it…” Cedric sees this as an opportunity to light up their days, and give himself an excuse to ride the flying machine. “I am feeling quite hungry after talking about food earlier, and I want to make a stop at a café on Refuge. Would you two care to-”

“YES!” Alula screams with joy, jumping around in excitement.

“R-really? Thank you, Cedric, I appreciate it!” Calamus thanks Cedric in a more polite way, as the pilot smiles.

“No problem! We all need some excitement in our lives. Hop on!”

Cedric jumps onto the pilot’s seat, while Calamus sits on the passenger’s only seat, allowing Alula to sit on top of her brother. Calamus tackles Alula with fervor, gritting his teeth whilst laughing lightheartedly. “I can’t believe you got us on a flying machine!”

Alula laughs hysterically from the tackle, stimming on top of Calamus as she begs to stop. “Please–! Please- ehahahaha!!”

Cedric laughs at the antiques, looking behind with his shoulder rested on top of his seat and speaking with a mock flight attendant’s tone. “Well, when you two are ready, please remember to wear your seatbelts, as we take off to the Refuge.”

And so, they departed from the deads of one, through the great sea as the winds shimmer on their faces, to the city full of lives of another. Cedric makes a stop at a forgotten street, touching down his flying machine without anybody seeing it. This part of the metropolis does look somewhat like a dead city with the lack of people and buildings with unlit opaque glass, but Calamus and Alula are simply in awe of the red lights, the vast phosphorous ocean expanding beyond the catwalks just besides them, and the pale skyscraping tower.

“OH MY STARS WE ARE IN THE REFUGE! IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!” Alula jumps around on her living seat, as Calamus winces in discomfort before laughing it off.

“Wait, why do the buildings look all weird? It’s all black!” Calamus looked around to make sure he wasn’t seeing things the wrong way. The buildings are like giant black monoliths with only the faint pinkish hue from the city lights, giving Calamus a different vibe than what he expected the Refuge to be. It all seemed dystopian.

“Oh, those are windows.” Cedric blurted out, to which Calamus gave a dry ‘oh’ response.

“What’s a window?” questioned Alula.

“A window is like a thing you can see through. We don’t use them because we can’t see windows.” Calamus answered.

“Only clear windows though!” Cedric added, “Birds can see dirty or opaque windows, but not cl ear ones.”

“Why can’t we see the windows?” said Alula, “We can see anything else just fine but not windows!”

“That’s because birds have a different perception. Glass can be too transparent for them to see through.” Cedric supplied.

“Ohhh…” Calamus and Alula said at the same time, nodding along while looking at more windowed buildings.

“Well, we’re here!” Cedric unbuckles his seatbelt, hopping off the flying machine followed by the siblings. “I will allow you two to go anywhere, but don’t get lost, okay? Here.”

Cedric gives Calamus a compass and spare change, one that always point to the flying machine. “We will meet each other again at this spot three hours from now. If you don’t know where to go, this compass will help. Understand?”

Calamus looks at the compass, before nodding. “Yes! Thank you once again, but… why do you want to leave us be? Why can’t we follow you?”

“Well… I do have some things to take care of myself, but I promise I’ll see you at the café if you want to go there!” Cedric explains, looking around suspiciously. Calamus inspects Cedric closer, but pays it no further mind. He is a trustworthy friend, and any business must be important enough for him.

“We’ll be seeing you, then! Let’s go, Alula.” They both ventured off onto their own journey, as Cedric sighs with a smile and waves them farewell. While all that was happening, Rue was already watching. The sight of a flying machine soaring past the sky caught several resident’s attention, and so did hers. She follows the trail of flight, ending up where he has landed.

Of course, Cedric already knows how keen his sister is, and calls her out with a smile. “I know you’re there, Rue. I couldn’t hide if I want to.”

“That you couldn’t.” Rue giggles and unveils herself from the shadow, pitter-pattering her way to Cedric. “What brings you here?”

“I want to meet you, actually. It’s been a long while since we met, and I want to see how you were doing.” Cedric supplies, much to Rue’s own heart being touched.

“Aw, I’m flattered! I have been doing well myself, but how has your life been holding up?” Rue returns the question to him, as Cedric sighs.

“Well, it hasn’t been all that interesting. I did reassemble father’s music box using spare parts, it felt great to recover that memory again.”

“I didn’t know our father had a music box!” Rue beams with intrigue.

“Our father was really into antiques. He’d build all sorts of stuff; clocks, toys, and he gave some to me! That music box, he gave to me to cheer up my hopes at the old world. I couldn’t… I couldn’t let that go.”

Rue’s ears droop at the backstory, but her curiosity still has a question. “I see. What song plays with the music box?”

“Solstice. It’s a short hymn for solstice days. Not interesting in of itself, but father gave it a new meaning of course. It’s an important day to us, and to me.” Cedric lowers his head.

She nods, before coming up with another topic. “I presume you want to keep that promise of going to the café?”

Cedric’s eyes light up at the realization, clutching his head. “Oh, yeah! Are you hungry too?”

“Yeah! Come on, let's go to the cafe.”

Rue hops onto Cedric’s shoulder, sitting on all fours as he couldn’t resist but to stroke her chin with a finger. She playfully avoids the temptation of being pet by her own brother, and bites the air close to his finger. Cedric ventures forward, walking by the streets and taking in the fresh air, taking his time to peer over the shimmering water. Rue extends the courtesy of enjoying the pleasure, leaning herself on her brother’s head as the gentle air washes over her with his every step.

“Why did father make you all cute and adorable as a fox? He doesn’t extend that chance to me!” Cedric gently nuzzles on the fox’s head, whilst pouting in partial jealousy.

“You want to be like me? You’ll have to deal with not wearing clothes and having fleas and mites.” Rue laments her situation, living like a fox.

Suddenly, it doesn’t seem all that appealing anymore as Cedric blows on the air. “Well, seems like I’m the favorite out of us.”

“Don’t even think about it.” To retaliate, Rue licks Cedric’s cheek much to his surprise, as he flusters and moved his head away from Rue.

“Hey, I know you have bad stuff on your body but you don’t have to give it to me!”

Rue sticks her tongue out. “Maybe next time, you wouldn’t consider petting me.”

“You don’t like pets?”

Rue quiets down, looking down to the ground before looking back to Cedric. “Sometimes, when I feel affectionate.”

“Why can’t you be affectionate now?” Cedric makes a pretend pouty face, mostly because he really liked petting Rue whenever he gets the chance. Usually it is when she’s asleep, and her soft fur doesn’t help in keeping himself controlled.

“It just comes and goes whenever it’s like! It’s like uh, being silly.”

“Hmph, alright then.” Cedric turned his head around, unabashedly showing his playful sulking.

From the corner of the streets, two people walked in opposite directions from Rue and Cedric. A well mannered scientist wearing her work attire and a die-hard die-headed librarian were talking to each other.

“Oh! It’s you!” Kip noticed Cedric first, walking up to him.

“Oh… wait, what?” George followed behind – well, more of chasing after – the scientist’s steps, as they two now face the boy and his fox.

Cedric gasped, feeling his body thrown off the brink of confidence. It’s… her, the person that tried to stop him from entering the laboratory. Seems like she had remembered his face. George shared an equally surprised reaction, knowing the story as well. Rue only watches – the scientist would absolutely freak out if she talked then – observing the little mannerisms and expressions.

“You’re the boy who… ran off to the labs with one of the books in the library.” Kip stated the facts plainly to him. Her face suggests worry, but curiosity.

Cedric only nodded, and tried to wave it off as fast as he can. He really didn’t want to have this conversation, lest he remembered the whole chaotic and dangerous moment of his life, and be scolded by the head honcho of the laboratories. “Yeah, that’s uh, me. I’m sorry for running away and taking the book-”

“No no, it’s okay! I’m just… relieved you’re alive and well.” Kip smiled.

“Wait, really…? You’re not mad at me…?” Cedric looked at her with genuine surprise. She’s… not mad? Not one bit?

“No, why would I?? I was just worried, what- what were you doing?” She questioned him.

“I, uhh… I wanted to find something in your lab. Spare parts, for something I had to do. It’s… a complicated story.” Cedric strung together a series of misarranged truths.

“If I may ask… why did you take The Creation of Prophetbot in particular?” George asked a follow up question.

“...I was trying to build a similar robot to the book.” Cedric confessed.

That intrigued Kip’s interest, with her eyes lighting up and her body leaned in towards him. She didn’t want to act too brash and ask him then and there, but she waited for a moment to ask.

They both nodded, before George made a remark. “Um… if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother… could you return the book sometimes?”

Cedric gets flustered, apologizing to the librarian. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take the book, I forgot to give it back--”

“No… it’s okay… you’re not registered in the library system so there’s no penalty fees…” George pouted (somehow).

“...I don’t think that’s a good system?” Kip grimaced at the librarian’s rather lax borrowing system. Well, lax is a nice term to put it, it’s actually lackluster despite what fuss Bookbot gave Cedric when he took the book and ran off.

“Oh… oh no…” George lamented, her voice weeping.

“Well, I have to be going now…” Cedric walked behind the two as they all turned around. “It’s been nice talking to you two!”

“Ah, well!” Kip didn’t want to miss her opportunity to know further about what this man had went through the great deal of trouble for. “If you want to talk some more about that robot, would you be kind to contact me? I’m always on my office if I’m not doing something else, so I’m sure you’ll know where I am!”

“Sure!” Cedric smiled. “I’ll… see if I can meet you.”

“Sweet! Thanks.” Kip smiled back, before she and George carried on their merry way.

Rue lets out a low whistle, looking behind as they’re far away enough to not be within earshot. “I didn’t know you were famous.”

“I didn’t think she’d remember me!!” Cedric stormed forward. “I thought- they’d all forget a lot of what happened. You know, to ease the pain a little.”

“That doesn’t seem particularly fair to us.” Rue joked coldly.

Cedric spots an elevator at the distant end of a road, and points towards it. “There, an elevator!”

“Bet you can’t catch up to me!” Rue leaps off Cedric’s shoulder and makes a sprint towards the elevator. The brother laughs boastly and makes a dash, catching up to the fox’s tail, but fails to catch up in time as Rue lunges upwards to press the elevator button. “Made it!”

Cedric skids off the ground, nearly faceplanting his face onto the elevator door as the amount of friction he gave himself almost made the poor pilot fall backwards. He tries to balance his body with both his arms making a T and flailing panickedly. “Whoooa!”

“What’s wrong, big brother? You may have the flying machine, but I don’t need a machine to fly!” Rue boasts, giggling with her paw on her mouth.

When Cedric regained his balance, he stomps on the ground with one foot, grumbling. “Aw man! I almost won that time!”

“Maybe next time.” Rue gestures to the elevator’s door opening, as the two hops in. The door closes with a clack and a ding, then the room around them shakes and whirs as lounging music plays.

“…so, how did you catch up to me when I landed back then? There’s no way you’d be waiting at the empty street from the get go!” Cedric asks, puzzled at the acrobatic speed Rue possesses.

“I told you, I can fly!” Rue jests with a snicker, before giving a genuine answer. “To provide a truthful answer, I was lounging at the top of a building when I saw father’s flying machine. I immediately hopped around until I got to see where you land!”

“Do you ever go inside your house?” Cedric teases, but what he wasn’t expecting was a true answer.

“I don’t have a house. I spend all my time outside, usually at the alley with Kelvin and the red tree.” Rue explains.

Cedric looks at her with an exasperated, astonished look. “What?! Where do you sleep?”

“In the tree.” Rue responds flatly.

That only raised his concern, reflected in the frantic inflection of his voice. “How do you eat??”

Rue avoids further eye contact with Cedric, before blurting out a non-answer. “...I’d rather not talk about that, if you wouldn’t mind.”

That only made Cedric’s confusion and worry grow even larger. “Of course I would mind! You can’t just say ‘I’d rather not tell you how I eat’ and expect me not to worry!”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just… I’m not very comfortable with talking about what I do!”

“I get that, it’s just… I worry you’re not taking care of yourself!” Cedric expresses his concern, as Rue nods swiftly.

“Of course I do!” She smiled.

Rue tried to melt his brother’s concern over her, but he finds himself difficult to completely trust her. There’s no doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t tell a lie, but Rue has admitted herself to… not being the best at taking care of herself. She’s smart, but she far exceeds herself oftentimes. Cedric doesn’t want her to be so lost that she forgot to eat.

...still, he lends out a hand towards fate, and asked Rue. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

Ding! The elevator door opens. Cedric steps out, while Rue leaps back to his shoulder.

From high above the Refuge’s grounds, the shoulders of skyscrapers are connected by bridges and catwalks that sprawls like a spider’s metal webs. After the events of Solstice, there were steady efforts on not only reintstating the abandoned infrastructure from the bygone era, but to make improvements for better quality of life. Father had many features readily designed and planned, his vision of a hyperfuturistic neotropolis compact yet full, but those extraneous features had to be cut down for size. Now however, with those restrictions gone, the world is free to expand back to its creators’ vivid spirited vision.

They make their way to Ling’s high above cafe, ready to sink their teeth onto some delicacies, when the fox whispers to the engineer, halting his movement.

“Ced, I’m not sure about this. He’s never seen me before.” Rue shares her concern, a few errant thoughts with her mind prey, no less her anxiety. “What if he kicks both of us out?”

“What do you mean ‘he’?”

“Ling! He’s the owner of this cafe.” Rue answers with certainty. One of her pastimes is to monitor the individual lives of residents within the city, building up a profile for them. She’s adamant on it being not stalking, but she has garnered a lot of information; Ling started out as a vendor way down at the Refuge’s floor, selling food and goods to get some money while studying, and eventually got to renew his luck as a barista.

“Oh! That’s okay, I’ve been here a long while ago, I’m sure Ling won’t mind.” Cedric takes a step forward.

“Cedric!!” Rue whines while still whispering, pleading him to stop once more. “I’m a talking fox, mind you!”

“Rue.” Cedric says with a deadpanned tone, looking at her. “There are folks with humanoid and avian traits, and people with literal objects. What’s more with a talking fox?”

She hisses to herself and continues sharing her worries. “I don’t know! They might be more cultured or hygienic. I haven’t showered.”

“Well, no need to tell me that. Listen, everything’s going to be okay, if you do get kicked out Ling’s most likely will just ask me to bring you outside.”

Rue looks around nervously, before saying a definitive agreement. “I’ll refrain from speaking, then. Is it okay?”

“Yes. Let’s get in, now.”

Cedric steps into the cafe, and is greeted with a pleasant aroma wafting on the place, a mix of peanut and a warm chocolate drink with a faint note of freshly baked bread, that only leaves them hungrier. Rue had to wipe her maw from drooling. The clean checkered floor compliments the warm magenta lights and paintings adorning the walls, pots of flowering plants that grow their own fruits; apples, cauliflowers, and purple coffee berries each with a sign saying: ‘Take one!’

Going to the counter, Cedric is greeted with Ling with a sweet smile as ever. Ling greets him with a wave, before striking a talk. “Hey there! You got yourself a nice pet. Crimson fox?”

“Yeah! She’s trained too, it’s amazing.” Cedric looks at her with a teasing smile, being able to have her follow his commands in prospect of not being rebellious. “Her name is Rue. Rue, can you give this person a wave?”

Rue gives a nervous look before raising a paw to Ling, gently shaking it around while making a quiet trill. Ling cooes in response, adoring her.

“Aww, she’s cute! Where did you get her?”

“She’s a gift from my father! I’m not sure where he got her though, but she’s been enjoying her time, right?” Cedric inquires the wise fox, as she nods begrudgingly.

“I see, well make yourselves at home! What can I get you?” Ling places his palms on each other, listening in to the customer’s order.

“I’d like some macaroni, what do you want, Rue?” Cedric asks. Rue points her paw at one of the items on the menu screen, as he relays her order. “She wants one of your caramel ice cream.”

Ling takes note of Cedric’s order with a small notebook, but hesitates at writing Rue’s order. “Hmm, I’m not sure if a fox is allowed to eat such things!”

“Yeah, I don’t know, it might not be healthy for you!” Cedric gives a coy look at Rue, who can only give an annoyed look back. It took her whole strength not to smack Cedric’s face right now, especially with how close he is. She can only resign however, and point at the honey nut cereal from the menu.

“She wants a honey nut cereal.” Cedric relays again before asking the request with a sheepish smile, as Ling nods and takes note.

“Suuuure.” Ling still had his doubts, but he wasn't about to chase away a patron. “Hey, it’s your choice in the end, little fox. What type of milk would you like?”

Rue placed a paw on her chin, before pointing at strawberry milk.

“Strawberry milk it is.” Cedric said to Ling. “Gee, now I wonder how it’ll taste like.”

“Alright! One serving of macaroni and a bowl of strawberry milk honey nut cereal. Please take a seat while waiting!” He gets right to the kitchen, as Cedric takes a seat on a far away table as to not attract the barista’s further attention. As Cedric opens a seat for two, Rue hops on to one before giving a displeased glare at the brother.

“So much for worrying about taking care of myself.” Rue whispers sharply, a rare moment where her sarcasm is dripping from her words.

“What do you mean?” Cedric leans to Rue, whispering back. “It was Ling who was wary about you ordering ice cream! I had to say no!”

She jumps on top of the table. “Well you could’ve just ordered it yourself for takeout! I’m hungry here!”

“That makes me look suspicious! You’re one of the smartest among us, who guided the messiah through the Refuge when it’s shrouded in squares, yet you can’t think about that!” Cedric raised his voice slightly, little specks of saliva fortunately not hitting the fox.

“That was part of a greater story by our father, this is ordering food.” Rue sighs defeat, before waiting out for the food. “Calamus and Alula will also arrive here, correct?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure when-” Right on cue, the other sibling pair makes their way into the cafe, as Alula gasps with sparkly eyes when seeing Cedric and Rue.

“IT’S YOU!” Alula sprints to hug Cedric, as Calamus opens another two seats opposite of the Solstice siblings, sitting on Rue’s side.

“You arrived much quicker than us! We thought we’d be waiting for you instead.” Calamus gives a sigh of relief as he smiles, before looking at the fox.

“Is this the fox you told about in your letters?” Calamus looked at Rue with a hint of intrigue, before asking Cedric more questions. “Can she really talk?”

Rue makes a scrunched expression, looking at Cedric with a look of worry. Cedric reassures her, stroking a palm on her head and talking in a soothing voice. “It’s okay. I trust these two.”

She closes her eyes with a sigh before looking at Alula with a smile, and cleared her throat. “Hello.”

Alula looked at Rue with her eyes sparkling, barely able to contain her excitement as she quietly squealed and tugged Calamus’ robes. “She’s a talking fox…!”

“I have a name too, and everything.” Rue tries to get herself acclimated to showing her new side with a little joke, giggling to herself. “My name is Rue. You two are Calamus and Alula, correct?”

“Woahhh, she knows our name!” Alula beamed, leaning herself forward. Rue goes back a little at first, but grew fond and went back to her original posture.

Calamus was in an ecstatic daze, watching magic unfold before his eyes as his heart is light with joy. He assembled his conscience back together, and asked in a polite tone. “Hello, Rue. Um… have you heard of us before?”

She nodded. “I do! Cedric has told me about you before.”

“He has?” Calamus asked curiously.

Cedric placed a palm behind his neck, laughing awkwardly. “I made an offshoot mention of you two while writing letters between us, and Rue kept asking me questions.”

Rue swished her tail and loosened her straight posture, resting lethargically. “Since we are properly acclimated to each other, I feel more comfortable with being myself around you. Though, if you will, could you keep me a secret…? Talking fox sounds fun and everything, but the world isn’t prepared yet, I don’t think.”

“Of course! It is nice to meet you, Rue.”

“It is nice meeting you too, Calamus. You take care of Alula by yourself, do you?”

He shared a look of surprise, his eyes widening, before sheepishly nodding and giving a reserved response. “Mhm. Sometimes, Magpie comes by to say hello and give Alula a present. It’s what he can help us with, and I’m thankful for it. Cedric also visits too, sometimes offering to stay inside our house for a couple of days.”

“I understand.” Rue closed her eyes.

Cedric gives a bashful look at first, his eyes darting down at the table as his body shrunk a little, but he cleared his voice and spoke to Calamus. “It’s… the least I can do. I know it is difficult to live without a father, and I wanted to help out when I can. No children should live alone.”

“I wouldn’t say we are alone, I have my brother with me!” Alula chirped her opinion in, scooting next to Calamus to rest her head on the brother’s shoulder. “It is hard sometimes, though. Dad said the hardest part is keeping up with life every day.”

The fox glanced over to her own brother, as Alula with hers. Both of them shared a moment in silence together, smiling towards each other and quietly showing their compassion. Both of them felt a brother and sister’s love.

Noticing the new customers, Ling sprung out from the counter and greeted the table, “Hey there! You two are new customers too, right? What can I get for you two?”

“We are!” Alula beamed. “What foods do you have?”

“Ain’t that an excellent question! What kinds of food do you usually like?” Ling prompted Alula, as he readied his pen on the memo paper.

“Hmm… I usually like salty food!” Alula gave her answer, as Ling scanned through the menu to find any suitable recommendations.

After tapping the butt of the pen on his chin, his face lights up as a suggestion emerged. “Oh! In that case, may I interest you with salt and vinegar chips?”

“Oooh, that sounds tasty!” She chirped. “Calamus, can we have one of those? Pleeeeease?”

“Uh, sure! You can order whatever you like.” Calamus smiled. It wasn’t common for them to have a nice treat, and eating city food for the first time already seems like a luxurious nicety to the glenfolks.

“Yay! I would like those, and fish if you have any?”

“Fish and chips it is! How about you?” Ling points to the older sibling.

“Uhm… is there plain bread or something like that? I’d like it with some oil or margarine, if that’s okay.” He spoke sheepishly to Ling, who in turn gave a confused look.

“Just plain bread? Nothing else?” For good measures, Ling tapped the menu that laid still on the table.

“No no! I’d like it with margarine too. Yeah, I think that sounds fine. I guess I’d like some crackers too.” He smiled.

“Calamus, if this is about spending money, you really don’t have to be conservative! Perhaps I can give a favor?” Cedric proposed, taking a quick glance on the menu to see what to get him.

“I’m really fine!” Calamus tittered between a gasped wheeze. “I can provide for our own, I promise.”

Alula tugged on her brother’s robes, getting his attention as she looked up to him, not wanting to see her own brother neglect himself just because someone else could’ve enjoyed it. “If I get something that I haven’t tried before, shouldn’t it be fair for you to have it too?”

“Yeah, she’s got a point.” Cedric supported her statement. “Tell you what, I’ll handle the bills. If you don’t treat yourself nicely, you’re making this fox upset. Isn’t that right, Rue?”

Rue nodded and dramatically frowned, making Calamus cave in and resign. “Alright, fine! Thank you all, genuinely. It means a lot.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. Now get to ordering, we’re hungry here.” Cedric patted his belly for emphasis.

“Hmm…” He takes a short moment to skim by the menu, before something catches his eye and prompted a swirling hunger in his stomach, quickly locking in his answer. “Can I have a caramel-mocha chocolate ice cream, please?”

Ling wrote down his order, before bidding a smile. “Got it! I’ll be back soon!”

Thus, the orders were done, and now they simply must wait for Ling. Cedric drummed little marching fingers on the wood. Alula looked around the peppy cafe with delight in her eyes and soaking in the vibrance into her heart, while Calamus simply smiled at her joy. It truly didn’t matter that everything else was happening; he was only happy that his sister was happy.

“Would you like to see something?” Alula faced to Rue, breaking the silence with a question. “I brought a toy for our trip to the Refuge, they’re one of my favorites! It reminds me of you!”

With a curious expression, Rue approached Alula closer as she placed a small plush in front of her. The plush nearly towers her in height as she is sitting down on her legs, placing her paws on the table. This plush is… familiar, bearing a leather hat with a small blue feather stuck on it, a scarf sown along with the fabric of its brown rugged clothes that hid its hands and legs from how oversized it is, dragging on the floor.

Cedric gently cusped the plush with both hands, having a closer look as his face softened into a slight wince. “Where did you get this from, if I may ask…?”

“Father gave it to us!” Alula responded. “He was friends with a lot of people, including the late Prophet!”

“Such a small world we live in.” Cedric mused. “The late Prophet… long ago, the three regions all had a prophet to call their own, each with their own purpose.”

Calamus and Alula both leaned closer, as Cedric spun a tale for them two.

…

From when the world was young, echoed till the dawn of morning, the prophecy remained clear; that the messiah will arrive to save the world. However, those who knew the words from either ends of the book know that the messiah is not the only being with a burden. This world is all but a story, and though the stage is getting dimmer, its cast remained still.

You may well know Maize, and perhaps considered her a friend. After all, she is the guardian of the Glen, protecting its folk from the dangers of the wilderness, but do any of you know her tale? From where did she sail, and why was she appointed a guardian?

The truth is, she did not carry her task alone. Her, and the late Prophet, both kept the peaces o’er the horizons. For every sunrise, the Prophet foretells the embers of the sunset, and the Guardian shall protect the folks from any danger that the Prophet has foretold. For every sunset, the Guardian fights the dark dusk whilst the Prophet casted as many help as she could.

But one day, the Prophet became the late Prophet, and later disappeared into ashes, sparks and embers, leaving behind glowing ambers that scattered like golden dew and faint specks of petrichor. Her fate was… uncertain. But then, so were others.

The Refuge had a Prophet too, but her story was by far the most elusive. Little knew who she was, nor many of her stories survived, but her legacy lurked within the shadows of knowledge; living on in idioms and proverbs scattered like motes of dust . However, one tale did remain about her, one that shines her defining trait… and why she fell victim to her own devices.

Each prophets of the lands have their own wisdom: one knows the frozen words of fate, one forsees the uncertain with certainty, but this one is different; she writes her own future. When a fate is uncertain, she has the will to collapse its innumerable possibilities into a certain outcome, sparing from ill or tilting the scales. To harbor such enormous power, even moreso than the other Prophets, she became crowded with flocks. Many asked, oftentimes begged her to tint the world in their favor. For a moment, she was as famous as time, and time was envious of her, plotting for revenge.

Like a flash of lightning, gods and goddesses whispered unto the Hidden Words etched in the fabrics of the world, proclaiming that she shall not cheat with their fates. The world was too overwhelmed, and her gift proved… improper by the deities. She was swallowed into obscurity.

Thus, time reigned triumphant again.

Now, you all know the Prophet residing in the Barrens most; the robot tasked to greet the messiah that came from the far horizons of nothing. He certainly knows the stories better than I, but even he has untold stories that remained firmly locked, untold.

...Back then, there was another Prophet, a near-identical replica that existed with the same purpose. The world was young, and so was the Prophet; many thought that the messiah would arrive just within the reach of a lifetime, but as time dwindled on and on, hope dissipated faintly. Even so, he remained stationary, waiting for something to happen. Residents from the world weren’t so patient. They sailed for days and nights towards him, with questions.

Bestowed from the Prophet were knowledge about the world, maddening, near impossible, yet it all made sense. They all went insane and rabid, clutching their heads as though the information melted from inside their brains. This knowledge…

Rue gave a knowing look at Cedric, interrupting his story. Perhaps they shouldn’t tell them, lest the true fates of the world unveiled in front of their eyes like pulling wool, and their lives at disarray. Not now.

... the knowledge remained unknown. The new Prophet replaced the old and the old wisdom fell onto deaf ears. The world was old, but the Prophet remained young.

“...whew! That was a tale.” Cedric remarked. It had been long since he got an opportunity to muse, and let alone to a wonderful audience; Calamus and Alula remained dazzled and enamoured in the mystique, glowy-eyed and jittery.

Ling arrived, holding a tray that sits a platter of food, setting them down on the table. Cedric was treated with a bowl of macaroni endowed with delicious creamy cheese, while Rue feasted a strawberry milk honey nut cereal. The other siblings at the opposite side had their own dishes to enjoy; a delicious platter of thin, crunchy fried salt and vinegar chips marinated with soy sauce, and a caramel ice cream that was envied by Rue but thoroughly enjoyed by Calamus.

Though the food isn’t luxurious nor sumptuous, it was delicious and scrumptious, as they finished up gobbling their cuisine in an alarmingly short amount of time. Alula always enjoyed her meals, but it was rare for Calamus to savor and swallow with such delight.

After they had their feast and laughter rippled across the joyous cafe, they all bid their farewells and Calamus and Alula went off towards their own adventures once more. Cedric promised he’d return by the flying machine to send them both home across the border one last time, but he wanted to spend some time with his sibling, together alone. It had been so long, after all.

Resting by the crimson tree, Rue laid still on Cedric’s lap as he sat against the wood. The quiet reverberated city ambiance and the ventilation’s wind plowing through the tight narrow alleys provide a calming soundscape.

Something tugged on Rue’s voice. There was a yearning thought that she wanted to say, but she felt antsy about spilling her confessions to Cedric. But eventually, that thought did come through, only slowly. “...thank you for coming here. It was really nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, it was… really nice, to hear your voice again. It has been so long, hasn’t it?” Cedric stroked his hands on Rue’s back, feeling her warm self underneath the soft fur. Cedric can feel the embrace of his sister gently wriggling and shifting on his skin, feeling her chest rise and deflate with each breath.

“Truly. Your voice sounded different, I think. After a while, I don’t really know which parts of my memory are real or tinted.” Rue closed her eyes, letting Cedric’s pets lull her to security.

“You’re making it sound like we’ve been away forever!” Cedric chuckled, “Though, Solstice is far away now. I remember thinking we’d get over it in a few years, but…”

“...it only took a couple of weeks.”

“Yeah.” His chest deflated. “Strange! Getting over a major event that quickly felt… weird.”

“I suppose it’s because… it was so surreal, so unlikely that we just never thought it was that real? I sometimes forget that what happened wasn’t a dream. It was only a dream to Niko, but not to us.”

Cedric nodded in agreement, before slumping lethargically. “Maybe. I’m just… glad it’s over. The world is finally safe, and Niko got to go home. That was what Father always wanted, right? To have a happy ending for all of us.”

She swallowed a bitter gulp, before she confessed with a quiet voice. Her face looked pathetic. “...it would be amiss to say I didn’t miss those times.”

Cedric was offput by her comment. “What do you mean?”

Rue sighed, the filter within her finally breaking as her laments flowed loose. “Those times were hectic, sure, but… I felt alive. It’s so stupid, I remember being on a low as the world was about to end, but I don’t even remember what I was doing before Niko arrived! When The World Machine brought everybody back and we were together, that was the only time I remember being alive! That was the only time where I felt…”

Her mind had caught up with what her mouth was lashing out about, as she dejectedly finished her sentence. “...happy.”

They both remained silent for a while. Cedric’s swallows are deafeningly loud. Rue’s little breaths felt more pronounced. They both looked away from each other, staring off to the alleyway’s walls as the awkward air is thick and palpable.

“...I’m sorry.”

“No, I should be--”

“You don’t. I’m sorry you were alone. Nobody deserves that.”

“Please, just don’t pity me! I…” Rue trailed off for a moment, debating internally whether or not to continue making a mess out of herself. But, she was already embarrassed. There’s no longer a reason to continue withdrawing.

“...I know I shouldn’t feel this way. I’m supposed to be the wise, elusive one in the story, making calculative moves at every turn and all of this is designed with intent. That was my part in this story. But… I’m just so alone. I’m afraid that if I showed up to others, they’d all hate me, and- and then I lose some imaginary points within the simulation’s code, and then I’ll ruin it.”

“...nobody ever said you had to be that, Rue.” Cedric countered bluntly. “Nobody said you had to play any role. We’re all just living our lives here, nothing more.”

Rue, bawling out her eyes, lets out a grieving screech and buried her face on her brother’s chest, her sobs muffled out by the fabric. Cedric slants himself, allowing her to rest on top as he holds Rue by her waist level, cradling her, comforting her.

“...after I bring Calamus and Alula home, I can stay here a while longer. Maybe I can take you to Prototype too, if you’d like?”

Rue tried to speak in the midst of her choking sobs, but any words that came out were only wails and warbles. Cedric rubs gentle circles around her back, but he cannot help but guffaw a little at the situation.

“I can’t believe you right now… it’s our first reunion and you’re already sobbing so hard. You’re going to cry when you meet Prototype, too?” Cedric teased.

Still burying her head, Rue extends her claws a little and smacks a paw onto Cedric.

“Ow, ow, okay!” Cedric giggled. “I’ll stop, I promise. Take all your time.”

Taking a moment for himself, Cedric expressed his own confession, paying back to Rue. "I missed everybody too. I suppose I still had others to talk too, but... when I saw you and Prototype for the first time in that room, I remember being so excited. Of course, it was a dire situation then, so I couldn't be that excited, but it was just incredible that we got to be together again! Looking at our father's room, that portrait of us... it brings back good memories. I'm sorry we couldn't be like that again. I'm sorry your brothers weren't there when you needed us."

A light fired up within Rue’s heart. Just a moment ago, she never really did feel like she was with company, and now just within her reach, Rue’s got just what she wished for; being together with her siblings. She hoped this reunion would last forever, but even she knew not to let her optimism set her up to disappointment. This was going to be a brief reunion, she thought. But at least she gets a chance to make the most of it.

Pulling herself away from Cedric, she stifled a sob and sniffled, before looking up teary-eyed and uttering. “Thank you, brother.”

“No problem.” Cedric smiled, before planting a small kiss on Rue’s forehead, in the middle of her yellow spot. Rue flared up, feeling shocks of electricity course through her.

“Rrrhhh… don’t ever do that again.” Rue threatened, but there was no malice in her voice.

Cedric picked up her intonation and teased. “Duly noted, I’ll do it several more times later.”

“Hmph.” She pouted.

“Come on, you enjoyed it.” He gave a sly grin.

Rue only furrowed her brows further. “I did, but that is not related.”

He scruffled Rue’s fur a little, done with messing with his sister. “Okay, okay. Ready to go to Proto’s? He did missed you, truthfully. I missed him too.”

Rue’s ears drooped, but she was also ecstatic to meet his other brother. “Ready anytime.”

“Let’s go!”

Chapter Text

“Cedric!” Alula called out to him. She sprinted with speed, leaving her brother gasping for breath as he tried to catch up.

“Woah there, slow down!” said Cedric, holding a hand next to his mouth to call out to the birdfolks.

They came holding bags filled with foodstuff and trinkets, gifts and merchandise purchased by them during a shopping spree prior. It’s only fair for them to return from the city with cherished commemorations, Cedric thought. Though Calamus had repeatedly apologized and mentioned that they don’t want to bother them with spending money on food and ingredients, Cedric and Rue insisted with adamant certainty that they want to treat them well. Calamus is naturally someone who doesn’t want to bother people, and wants to take take of his sister himself, with his own efforts. Yes it’s difficult at times, yes there are moments where they’re short of something, but his efforts are not in vain. Cedric however argues that as long as they can help it, they want to make sure Calamus and Alula are never short of something, that they’re always happy. In his mind,

‘Why not take the fruits of others, when they asked to pluck from their prosperous tree?’

“Hi, Cedric!!” Alula approached the humble pilot, bouncing up and down. “Thank you for all the stuff!”

Calamus was the next to meet the pilot, bowing his head and profusely uttering his gratitude. “Thank you so much about all this! You really didn’t have to do this, we greatly appreciate this.”

“No no, it’s really not a big deal!” Cedric returned to Calamus, “It’s just a pleasure to be with you two.”

“I hope we can make it up in some way.” Calamus smiled, “You two are the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“You don’t have to do anything back!” Cedric raised his hand and shook both his palms, shyly laughing it off. “You’re already trying your best to take care of your family, you’ve already done a lot.”

“Awww, thank you!!” Alula beamed whilst shifting one bag to the other hand, freeing one to hold Cedric’s palm, “I hope we can see you two again soon!!”

“Maybe! I’m bringing Rue to the Barrens to meet a couple of old friends, maybe we can meet again for a short while after returning to the Glen.” The pilot mused, while the fox on his shoulder smiled warmly.

On the other side of the coin, Rue’s acted as the second opinion for Cedric’s actions. The fox endorsed the gifting to the birdfolks, though she’s had on multiple occasion prevented her brother from overspending too much on them. They still overspent, don’t get it wrong, but she decreased it from being truly catastrophic. One couldn’t blame Cedric however; the people pleaser in him greatly overpowered his decisions, and there’s no such thing as doing too many good deeds. But, as Rue said to Cedric,

‘The fruits will fall too if the root of the tree is dead.’

Throughout the trip however, there’s been one thing that she’s looked forward the most. She’s been trying to keep her excitement under wraps if only for the sole reason of voiding Cedric another chance to tease her. But Cedric already knows, his sister is deeply longing to see Prototype again, to see his face, to hear his voice, to be within his cold touch.

“That would be kind of you.” Calamus politely replied.

“Alright, come hop on! Who wants to comfort the fox?” He giggled. Rue lightly smacks his shoulder, but it does little to sway the situation.

“Ooh, me me me!” Alula chirped, raising her arm, “I can hold her!”

“Don’t say it like that!” Rue objected, “I just want someone to hold me while we’re on air. I can’t really wear a seatbelt.”

“Because you’re afraid of heights.” Cedric snarked, stifling a giggle from his throat.

Rue was quick to call on his smugness, barking her own counter. “Like you don’t have any fears yourself!”

“Come on, you know I don’t mean it.” He snickered, “Okay, I think I had enough fox fleas for today. You’ll be with Alula now.”

Cedric gently lowered his body, allowing Rue to hop off his shoulder and skitter to Alula. She held the fox dearly, feeling her soft fur and quietly squealed.

“Eeeee…! I’m holding a fox!” Alula looked at Cedric and Calamus – shaking her head and alternating views – with utter delight, her face lighting up.

“That you are.” Rue purred. She’s quite enjoying Alula’s feathered arms, how light and airy it feels like, as though she was floating atop the clouds.

Alula cannot resist but relish in the moment, holding Rue in a tight cuddle. The fox jolted for a moment, her lungs squeezed, her claws extended… but she relaxed herself, letting her melt into the touch. Her body relaxed, and together they shared a moment of tranquil snow. Calamus and Cedric looked at them two, both having their hearts turned molten as they clenched their chests, their faces morphing to smiles.

“They’re so cute.” Cedric whispered to Calamus.

Calamus locked eyes with the pilot for a while, sharing a tender feeling. “They are.”

Eventually, Cedric figured to get things going. The moment is sweet, but there are other moments to chase lest the time catches up with them. “Alright, I think that’s enough.”

“Aww!” Both of them cried.

“You can still be together when we take flight. I’m sure Rue will come to need your comfort especially.”

“Hey!” Rue growled. She’s had enough of being teased, and if it weren’t for Alula holding her, the fox would’ve pounced straight on her brother by then.

Calamus and Alula got on the flying machine, sitting side to side in the rather cramped passenger seat. The flying machine was only suited for two people (one pilot and one passenger), but the passenger seat was large enough to act as a double seat. The siblings shifted and scooted, their bodies silently negotiating how much space they have. Calamus looks visibly flushed, his awkwardness not boding well in the situation. Rue flashed a look of content to Alula, resting on the blue bird’s laps.

“Are we clear for takeoff, folks?” Cedric looked behind to the three whilst idly cracking his knuckles. His pilot goggles are on, his eyes tinted a very green hue.

“I suppose we’re ready!” Calamus hopped on his seat, excited for the ride. They’re going home, and they’re soaring on the skies once more! He’s never felt more alive than before.

Rue, on the other side of the seat, looked completely not calm. She’s trying to hide it, but the little tense parts of her body and the strained muscles on her face is enough for Cedric to raise a brow.

“Well, I’ll be launching the machine now. Alula, take good care of Rue, okay?”

“Mhm! Don’t worry Rue, you’ll be safe with me!” She locked eyes with the fox. Rue hesitated, her deep instincts begging her to just get out, to say that she’s fine actually and she doesn’t need to see Prototype- oh, but she really wants to meet her brother, she really wants to- but, what will she choose?

Rue, attempting to halt the paradox that swirled on her mind like a violent current, only whined and grimaced, looking back at Alula. “Hhhhh, I don’t know… you’re very comforting, but it’s still so scary…”

Alula pouted, immediately making Rue regret every decision in her life that led to this point. The bird said, “It’s scary for us too.”

Calamus nodded, “Yeah. When we got on for the first time, we were definitely afraid that we’d fall or something.” He chuckled, placing a hand on the back of his head, “But once we saw the ocean from up above and the skylines, all that fear… was just gone. It was amazing!”

“Yeah!!” Alula screamed. Rue still looked side to side, trying to wash away her nagging anxiety before just giving in to the pressure, letting it consume her for the better.

“Okay, fiiine… you’ll hold on to me tightly, right?” Rue said to Alula, trying to comfort her risk of falling out to the sea.

“Yes! I won’t let you go, I promise!” She placed a hand on her chest.

For the first time, Rue genuinely seemed relaxed.

The flying machine whirred to life. A loud growl roared from the engines as the gears gnashed their teeth, the individual contraptions revved into the living. Calamus and Alula held their hands, content in their little journey, while Rue buried her face in the bird sister’s shirt. Alula wrapped her other arm on top of the fox, securing her from the strong wind current.

With a forceful jerk, the flying machine sprinted forward, the wheels rolling on the pavement. Air rushes below the wings, tiny niblets of particles punching the lower surface one by one and pushing the flying machine up, and up. Weightlessness heaved upon the passengers, as their face scrape on the fast-moving wind ploughing through their body at cruising speed. It only got faster, and faster. The land beneath them fall down as they were brought to the sky. Vertigo seeped in, but not too unfriendly.

Rue looked down to the far far ground below her feet. She expected her brain to react violently, followed by a thrust from the pit of her stomach and painting an awful mess, but… it didn’t happen. Instead, the fox felt awe. Awe, rushing through her emotions and seizing her thoughts, amplified by the cold air and the loud noises all clamoring through, all echoing round her like a fanfare! The excitement! The thrill! It was incredible!

“Ha… hahahaha!! This is great!! This is amazing!!” Rue screamed as loud as she could from the heart to her voice, fruitlessly trying to best the roars of the wind. She cried! Cried, with tears of joy, as she looked to the other occupants. Calamus and Alula are seasoned by now, but they too share the same joy. The siblings held their hands tightly, while Alula grasped onto Rue.

This was great. Rue couldn’t be anymore excited to see Prototype.

Approaching destination: the Barrens.

Cedric touched down nearby the lookout point, using the long strip of road leading to the mines’ entrance. The environment is quiet, desolate, morose. But it is not empty. Rue and Cedric knows of it, they’re here to visit a far secluded brother, but they did not expect somebody else.

From afar, somebody heard. From afar, she stood up from her chair, peering out the window to see an all too familiar flying machine, a memory buried underneath a thousand other empty moment suddenly resurfacing. Was it… was it really…

“Alright, we’ve landed!” Cedric announced, before turning his head to the passenger seat. “Are you doing good back there?”

Rue was splaying all four of her limbs, her claws dug well deep into the fabrics of the chair. She huffed, giving a quick and hasty nod to Cedric. “Mhm, I’m… all good, haha! All fine…!”

Despite trying his best to look unamused, the pilot broke character and chortled, his smile betraying his facade while he covers it with a fist. “Snrrrrk, oh Rue…”

He hopped off the flying machine, going behind before crouching down and cupped his hands close to his chin- ready to catch Rue. Rue hops and lands on his hands, the force pushing his arm down and faceplanting the fox onto her brother’s chest.

“Mmfh--!” Rue pulls herself away from the brief suffocation. “Perfect landing.”

Entering the mines, they were greeted with… not much. A simple room, presumably a bygone check-in station for the workers, now the only remains is a dubious train track that leads through a perilous chasm. The silence was eerie, interspersed by mechanical groans from way deep deep in the bowels of the mines and the hum of the lanterns left behind. Cedric felt antsy to try and conjure a solution, while Rue looks at him quizzically.

“Why are we headed deep for the mines?” She said in a bout of confusion.

“Oh!” Cedric realized he’d forgotten to tell Rue, “Prototype lives inside the mines. If I remember right, he should just be in the first vista point we see, though…”

Rue looks at Cedric all bewildered, but upon second thought, that seemed about sensible for Prototype. In her head, he’s the… reserved one, to put it succintly. There are about a hundred more adjectives that can be used to describe Prototype, some unorthodox, most describing a hermit, but ‘reserved’ is the best one.

Cedric scratched his head, then squinted his eyes and looked far onto the mineshaft. How in the stars’ alignment does Prototype think they can conceivably reach him? There seems to be no end in sight! It’s utterly ridiculous!

“Are you certain he’s referring to this place? Are there no other mine entrances?” Rue challenged his assumption.

“Maybe? We can try looking for another entrance.”

[Why are you two here?] A robotic voice caught them by surprise. The heavier footsteps pounded on the ground, reverberating through the stone walls, causing a tiny effervesce on the atmosphere. She looked at Cedric, something jogging up in her memory. Has she seen him before…?

Rue completely froze up. Her body tensed, petrified to a gargoyle. She had gave herself away. Cedric looked in bewilderment, not expecting another being to be at the Barrens. He thought she was transported back, after father had… it didn’t make sense. Why is she still here?

“Oh…! You must be Silver! Father told me about you, but… shouldn’t you no longer be situated here?” Cedric asked, trying to stave off the anxiety permeating the room. His familiarity with Silver only made her more suspicious of him.

[...there is a reason I have been remained to situate here.] Silver deflected Cedric’s question. [For example, I find you two being here to be a questionable matter.]

“Ah, we’re trying to find somebody who resides in the mines.” Cedric supplied, before asking her a question. “Have you heard of somebody referred as Prototype?”

[I don’t remember anybody named that.] Silver answered.

“Maybe you’d best know him as Prophetbot instead?” Cedric prompted an alternative stimulus to the robot. “There is the Prophetbot on the outpost, but there’s another one.”

[That is interesting… regardless, I hold no information about him.] She supplied, [However, I can accompany you throughout the mines. It is unsafe to travel on your own.]

“Oh, that’d be lovely!” Cedric smiled.

[I heard another voice coming from the mines. A feminine voice, she seemed to strike a conversation with you. Where is she?]

Rue exchanged an uncomfortable look at Cedric. There’s no good excuse to weasel their way out of this, but confessing about the fox’s true nature could bear implications with Silver. For Calamus and Alula, sure they kept their promises, but even if they didn’t their stories would simply be chalked up to an extraordinary bout of imagination. But if anybody heard of a talking fox from Silver’s point of view, no doubt would it spark some discussions.

No, he can’t just place Rue in a precarious position like this. He has to be a good brother. Cedric tried to provide an excuse nonetheless, having one is better than keeping silent. “Well, uh, it’s just-”

“...it’s me.” Rue spoke in a reserved tone. “I’m the voice.”

“???!!?!” Cedric was taken aback. He looked at Rue with utmost confusion, throwing his head back and drawing a slight distance from the fox on his shoulder.

“I figured to spare you the trouble. It’s… about time I get more comfortable with the world, anyway. You showed me a lot with Alula and Calamus.” Rue smiled.

[This… is certainly interesting.] Silver’s eyes widened, [Are you a robot?]

“Well… no.” Almost gave herself away, but Rue kept her face. “That would explain a lot, but it’s even weirder than that. Do you wish to know further?”

[Will knowing further lead to repercussions?] She asked.

“Towards yourself, yes.” Rue gave Silver a subtle warning. By all rights, she can know the true nature if her whole world right now, but is it worth the risk? Does slumbering in ignorance yield better satisfaction than to catch the ultimate answer?

Silver faced the ground, then back to the fox. [...perhaps I’d prefer not to know for now.]

“...lead the way then, please.” Rue finished the conversation.

The air here is cold. Prototype sits all quiet on his chair, contemplating his screen. A slow hum escapes from the robot’s fans. A quiet little crackle from the stalagmites and stalactites crooning with each other, followed by the groans of the ventilation. One could easily assume the place is ghosted with roaming spirits, but their faiths would be misplaced, for there are ghosts elsewhere.

Lately, he has been thinking about the past. Isn’t it fair to say that one’s life is entire comprised of the sum of their past, and therefore is held important to their whole being? Yet, some mistakes in the past is best to be forgiven and sometimes forgotten, but these blemishes remain in the sum of the whole. No matter if they grow away from it, it will be held against them. Some see it as unfair, others see it as justice.

But, maybe that’s not it. Maybe some aspects of history are less important than others. But, wouldn’t it cause an arbitrary selection? One can turn a blind eye to any memory, and therefore render a person to anything they wish. A person that undid all of their past with one mistake, spiraling down into somebody worse. A person that is lauded for one good deed, after a barrage of atrocities. How can this all make sense?

“Prototype?”

But, the world is full of these arbitrary choices. Decisions after decisions where there was just… one factor that made it feel right. This elusive catalyst that made everything reasonable. Hm, maybe this is all overthinking. Prototype tunes in to another thought, letting himself be carried away further down the stream of ruminations. Most asked – well, mostly Cedric, - “What in the stars’ constellations is Prototype doing all alone in the mines?”

It’s mainly him thinking to himself, and occasionally conversing with his siblings or The World Machine. For most others, this surely would’ve been soul rending, to live one’s life in a closed space with little connections, but… that’s just how it has always been for him.

“Prototype.”

Cedric tends to ask if he likes to do something else, from time to time. Prototype’s never denied giving it a shot – apparently he and Rue are planning to visit him soon, whenever that time comes – but Cedric rebels at stagnation. Humans do, in general. It’s normal to yearn something more than what you have, often to the point where you overlook the people that have less than you, and you realize you’ve always lived atop mountains of sacrifices. But robots don’t have that yearn nor desire, unless it is actively embedded within their programming. Is it part of the taming process, to have this yearning? He doesn’t have the desire, but every program has their own adventure, so the line gets murky. Maybe--

“Prototype!!”

Rue yelled out to the robot. “Wake up, you dummy!”

He turns around, surprised to see Rue, Cedric, and… Silver accompanying them two. Proto’s eyes shrunk to emulate surprise, as he walks forward to welcome his companions.

[Greetings. It has been a long five months, Rue.] He said with a casual, reserved tone.

“It has!” Rue jumped up towards Prototype, forcing him to catch the fox with his two arms while she cuddles the robot. She’s never felt him this close before. It’s a wonderful feeling, like a metal chair to unwind, or the hug of a cold person. “I missed you.”

Prototype held Rue close to his eyes, a hand raising to gently pet her head and stroke her back. [I know.]

“I hope you’ve been doing well.” said Cedric.

[I have been. I take it you and Rue are healthy as well?]

“We have been.” Cedric responded, “Forgive us for being late, we had to drop off Calamus and Alula to the Glen before arriving here.”

[I understand.] Prototype looked at Silver, locking eye with her for a moment. An air of unease washes over both of them, though for different reasons respectively. [...I must say, I wasn’t expecting a visitor in our reunion.]

[I am here to supervise in the case that the mines becomes unstable. If you wish for me to leave, it is recommended to exit this place and reunite somewhere more… homely.] Silver ended her response with a suggestion, glancing around the place. She’s never expected anybody to reside here, and contemplating how long this has gone under the radar… doesn’t bode well for her.

“Hey, you know what, that sounds like a good idea…!” Cedric said in a slight mocking tone, accentuating the ‘surprised’ emotion in his voice to tease Prototype a little.

Gee, a sibling reunion taking place in an abandoned mining complex, cold, slightly moist and almost definitely haunted by the people of the past? Sounds about good for Proto! Cedric finds it unbelievable how he managed to convince himself to come to Proto’s place instead of the other way around, though it would’ve been a hassle to persuade the robot into coming here, and Rue does a good job of persuading Cedric to come over here.

Does that… say something about Rue or Cedric- Whatever, they’re here now, they’re about to leave this place. All’s well, if anybody asks.

[I don’t see any difficulties with that.] Prototype shrugged.

“Welp, we’re riding through a dangerous chasm again…” Rue blurted out.

“Yeah, I do want to ask. Why do you live in the mines?” Cedric asked a very blatant question towards Prototype. Call him brash, but when your brother is very secretive and unorthodox about the very way he lives, you tend to ask questions like this.

[I’ve always been situated here, after my replacement.] Prototype supplied. That stung.

“You can just… go outside and do what you want, right?” Cedric said in an exasperated tone. This was painfully obvious to him, surely he doesn’t have to pitch it like an elaborate scheme.

[I don’t personally find a reason to do so.]

Cedric bit his lips, thinking of rebutting further but simply chose to seal the lips shut. It’s going to turn into an endless argument back and forth if they keep going, so might as well not bother. Silver need not bother with their prattling, picking back up the topic of getting them out from the mines.

[I will be awaiting you outside when you’re ready.] Silver exited the room.

As the others remained inside the terminal room, Silver began to ponder about just what she’s gotten herself into. First, the revelation of a talking fox, and now these three are apparently related to each other in some way… she knows better not to pry on other people’s lives, but her curiosity simply got the better of her. This was all far too weird for her to simply wave it off.

Silver tried to eavesdrop the conversation, if they were talking about something. Her curiosity keeps getting the better of her, even when the fox had told her that the mere fact of knowing why she is, the way that she exists can pose a risk to the robot.

“I would like you to stay with us, Proto. You don’t have to stay here, we can bring you, Silver and Prophetbot along to the Refuge.”

[I don’t think you are fully understanding what I mean. You two are being disruptive of the story. You weren’t supposed to be here, you weren’t supposed to try and bring them all away.]

“Then what are we meant to do? Just stay in our spots and do nothing? It might be easy for you, but it’s not for us.”

[I never said it would be an easy thing.]

“Not like you implied it in a first place.”

[Pardon?]

“You know exactly what I mean. Anytime you say something like ‘I never said that’ or ‘I never meant that’, you are just banking off the fact that your sentences are ambiguous enough to suit whatever we need because we complain. That’s what it means to you, right? Complain! Complain! I, I just, all I want is for us to have a nice day together and we’re arguing about you leaving this place!”

[That is what creator wants, there is a reason everything sets itself back in position.]

“Maybe there are some things that father didn’t plan for! The World Machine only restored the ending, not the aftermath of the events. Father only tried to ensure Solstice. It’s up to us to continue the story.”

[The story is over.]

“It’s not!”

[Then why did he leave us? Why did he do this to us? Why did he do this to me ? ]

Silence.

Silver distanced herself away from the door, removing any air of suspicion around her. All of this is very… interesting. A story. A common fatherly figure. The World Machine.

...by chance, was the man that visited her related to all of this? Was the man their father, why Cedric remembered her despite never meeting each other? No, still too little evidence. She has to keep searching. Maybe, she can convince them to stay here a little longer. Maybe, she can get some answers herself.

Silver leads the trio out the mines, herding them towards the lookout point. [Would it be alright if we stay in the mines outpost?]

“Oh, sure!” said Rue. Cedric still looked hung up on the prior argument, while Prototype simply followed behind them with the same neutral expression. Is he feeling guilty?

They all entered the lookout point, expecting a quiet and idyllic cabin that Silver’s made herself home of, before--

[Oh! It’s You Two!] The sleek, shiny robot stood up from a chair and greeted the visitors. He holds his staff, a bright snd glowing orb prominently displayed on top of the staff. [Greetings! I Am Excited By Your Presence Here.]

“...oh!” Rue looked at him with utter surprise.

[Oh.] There’s a deep, sharp, almost threatening glare coming from Prototype.

“Oh, Prophetbot!” Cedric walked to him, giving a handshake.

[Cedric! Rue! It Is A Delight To See You!] He beamed with utmost glee, jumping around. It’s them! It’s really them! It’s been so long since he’s seen them!!

Rue hopped on Prophetbot’s shoulder, giving a nuzzle on his head. Prophetbot grabbed Rue, holding her in front of his face, before giving her a hug. She’s excited to see him too!

[You know them?] Silver asked a simple question to Prophetbot, curious about the unexpected reception.

Sparkles glowed from around his head. [Of Course! They All Accompanied Me During My Creation!]

[You… never told me about your creation.] She replied.

[I Was Created By Kip Silverpoint And Her Team! Cedric And Rue Accompanied Me To Calibrate My Speaking Capabilities.]

Prototype gave a side look to Cedric, the faintest hint of perturbance from his eye. [I didn’t know you two were there.]

“Well, father wanted us to meet him, but you turned down the offer.” Cedric reminded Prototype of why he lacked the memory.

A bubbling sense of contempt seethed through his processor’s whirring, breathing out heated air. [I hope my reasoning was sufficient. You know why I turned it down.]

Cedric frowned slightly, the crevices of his lips pulled downwards. “...right.”

A sharp glint appears on Prophetbot’s eye, as he realizes just who the robot is in front of him. [You Must Be The Predecessor!]

[I am.] Prototype looks at his twin with… some emotion. Unreadable to anyone else in the room, but a strong emotion resides in his systems. [I believe this is our first proper meeting.]

[It Is! I Find It An Honor To Meet You For The First Time. Yes!] He cheers, making a gleeful whir from his speaker box.

[What brings you here? If I recall, your station is further out nearby the terminal tracks.] He questions in an interrogative tone.

Silver chimes in to give Prototype an explanation. [I have been fostering him ever since the sun has been returned.]

Prototy pe gives a curious glance at Silver. Fostering? That wasn’t in the story… how did she come to the conclusion to do so? Perhaps the Barrens’ lack of residents gave way to more rogueness in her code, but every resident inside the game had always stayed within their confines of what they are expected to do.

“Ah, that’s good to hear! I’m glad you’ve been taking care of him.” Rue comments, appreciative of what Silver has done for Prophetbot.

The skeptical robot looks behind at Rue, almost weirded out. She knows too, surely? Out of the three, Rue is the more attentive, and she would understand the strangeness of Silver seemingly breaking character by consciously making an effort to take care of Prophetbot. Then again, maybe she’s just playing it off to not stir anything more…

[I Concur!] Prophetbot giddies.

Regardless, Prototype swallows his doubt as Rue did, and asks a follow up question instead. [I see… have you been trying to tame him?]

Prophetbot interjects. [Taming Me? That Is Not Something That I Am Designed For. My Purpose Is Simply To Illuminate The Messiah On Their Journey.]

Cedric comments in Prophetbot’s reasoning. “But you have already done that! The messiah and the sun both returned home. What do you do now?”

[My Destiny Is Completed, Then. Yes!] He seems more joyous about it rather than dreadful, which is… good for him?

[While not exactly my objective, I suppose it is a… possible consequence.] Silver fixes her gaze towards Prototype, answering the initial question. [My reasoning for fostering him is due to an optional directive.]

Proto gave a curious eye. [From who?]

[I’m unsure. Regardless, the directive asks that I take care of Prophetbot, with the express purpose that he will be reclaimed.] She pauses, scanning over her guests before looking back at Proto. [I’d assume you all are here for him, but you all seemed to be here for a different reason.]

A directive to take care of Prophetbot? Prototype tried to calculate the possibiloties of everybody he knew that could have ordered Silver to foster him. Naturally, his mind processors wandered to the Author – the motive to repurpose Prophetbot from the story is fitting for him, and it wouldn’t be the first time he had orchestrated a plan centered around the butterfly effect.

Though, it’s best to confirm that theory rather than ravaging on a shaky speculation. [May I know how you received that directive?]

[A mail was delivered to my outpost. I expected another mail from Dr. Silverpoint, but it was unsigned. Instead, it was a letter with cursive writing, detailing a directive for me.]

Confirmation acquired. But, there are still more questions croppimg up in his head, namely the motive of the order. But, there were other things that needed attention; namely the other siblings that have been spectating the whole time.

“ Look, I hate to be the one to say this, but I feel like we should... get things going. We came over here to have a reunion with our siblings.” said Cedric, talking aloud what was otherwise a buried thought.

Proto looks at Cedric, holding a regretable feeling in his self. It would’ve been a shame to waste away what was supposed to be a heartfelt reuniting, and for what...?

[I understand, and I apologize.] The words came out smoothly from his vocal speaker, and once again monotonous. Whether he is genuine or not tethers in the line of ambiguity, and Proto walks across it like a tightrope. [Perhaps we should consider a more fitting place for a reunion. This outpost is more specialized for a robot’s self-care rather than a conventional hangout.]

“Heh, said right from you.” Cedric snarked, making Rue giggle and Prophetbot whirr. “That being said, I’m inclined to agree. I’m kind of getting parched, and there’s no water...”

“I’m...” Rue cuts off her sentence, attempting to stifle a yawn that creeped up on the fox. “...getting rather tired myself.”

[I Am Doing Perfectly Okay!] Prophetbot announces his status, much to everybody’s unsurprise. Oh, how precious you are.

[I suppose I am also doing okay.] Silver chimes in, before suggesting a proposal. [Perhaps you all could use the rowbots to ferry your way to the Refuge. Though they were abandoned and unmaintained aftet the Barrens’ vacancy, there should be enough of them for you all once I have fixed them.]

Rue notices the wording in Silver’s suggestion. “But what about you?”

[There is enough for me as well, but... I intend to stay here. I hope you understand.] The robot fidgets between her fingers, the errant responses of code needing someplace to wash itself off.

They all silently nod. Rue wanted to ask further, but she has a feeling that where she’s going is pricked by Silver’s sensitivity. Should it be her wish to remain here, it might as well be respected.

“I’ll help you out on the maintenance, if you like. Father had a part in constructing their design, and I helped in it.” Cedric offers himself to assist, followed by Rue nodding along.

[That would be appreciated. Thank you.] Though she’s unsure how a fox could help her out in getting the rowbots back to shape, she accepts both their offers. Maybe she’d be good to tinker with the more delicate machinery tucked deeper inside .

Just as they all were going to leave, Rue notices Prototype remaining still. Worry laced in her voice. “What’s the matter?”

[I’d like to stay here with Prophetbot for a moment, if that’s okay.] He glances over to the chess board resting atop a table. [I noticed the board and want to play a game. We’ll catch up with you soon enough.]

That still doesn’t fully rid of Rue’s concern, but at least he’d come back soon. “...okay.”

The two robots sit on opposite sides of the chess table. Prototype glares at the pieces, the coloring of the pawns worn out from use, the little dust motes sitting still on the checkerboard. Prophetbot on the contrary looks at his opponent with joy, ecstatic to play a game with somebody. Chess wasn’t particularly wired into his programming, but Silver had slowly taught him the ropes of it, and he would say he’s not too shabby himself.

[Speed chess?] Prototype pressed a finger on a pawn.

The other robot shrugged and agreed. [If You Want!]

[Three minutes.] He moved his piece, his first move. The timer starts now.

Prophetbot pushes his pieces, trying to take a hold of the center area and develop his arsenal. Prototype responds in kind, wrestling for dominance and keeping an eye on any pieces left unprotected, left hanging, left alone.

Something shifted. [...are you aware of the world you’re in?]

[Pardon?] His attention shifted from the board to Proto’s face.

[You have the story of the messiah embedded within your programming. But do you know about the story you are in, right now? This narrative, where we are all characters pretending to know better.]

[I Don’t Think I Can Comprehend What You Mean.] Prophetbot looks curiously at his predecessor. [Perhaps You Can Explain?]

[...we’re all pawns here, just like this game.] Prototype takes away one of Prophetbot’s pawns, placing it on his side of the table. Prophetbot felt his heart wince a little.

[That Implies There Are Two Gods Opposing Each Other. There Is Only One God Though.]

[Quite the contrary is true. There are two gods, one belonging in this world and one not.] Prototype moved his queen, taking a hold of the center. [Would you like to take a wager on who is who?]

[I Don’t Know Who Is The Other One.] Prophetbot replied by moving his knights, threatening the opponent’s queen.

Proto moves her back to a safer square. [A god created within this world, created through an oversight deep inside the heart of the machine. They felt like they had lost the grasp of this world, and on the Solstice, had almost taken the world with them… before Niko and the god not of this world saved it.]

Prophetbot didn’t speak, for no responses formulated itself. Instead in its place, some… wires had been crossed. A prospect he did not consider, a consideration he did not contemplate, a possibility he did not account.

[Isn’t it strange? That you almost believed it?] Prototype leaned forward, glaring deeper into the twin’s soul. [Why did you believe what I said, even when the basis is unfounded?]

[I…] He trailed off.

Prototype went closer. [Tell me.]

[I-] Trailed off.

Went closer. [Tell me!]

[I Don’t Know!] Prophetbot snapped, the optics threatening to crack. [I Am Trying To Reason, But It Is Not Computing.]

Proto moved back with a foreboding manner, before prompting a thinking mindset. [Stop looking. Start seeing.]

The air shifted, and he coddled his mind. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like himself anymore. [What Do You Mean?]

[Look past your memories. Don’t look for specific moments that may clue you in, see the whole picture. See the truth behind the frames.] He urged, pressing on Prophetbot’s mental points.

[The Truth? What Is The Truth All About? What Lies Are There To Necessitate A Truth?] He asked.

[I cannot tell you. Everything you need is already here. Just see.]

Prophetbot focused. He looks back to when he was created, but not at a specific moment. He overlooks the whole thing, the context behind it.

A man in a brown jacket. He’s talking with the scientists hard at work to realize him. The man’s expression is equal part concerned, equal part stoic. His son is present, and with him a red fox. They’re both listening in with their father, each sharing an expression he cannot read. They were surely talking about me, no doubt. But what about? What more is beyond his intended purpose?

See further. See the bigger picture.

The world is awfully compact, now that you ponder and wonder about it. The city seems so large, yet you can only count a handful dozens of people that you have seen, from the trip to the blue outskirts.

Something’s odd, no? Why were you created? Why, instead of him, this robot fitted with the same purpose yet better equipped with further knowledge, further insights and revelations to the point where the scrapped iteration has to teach you to see things, why you and not him? Does he know too much?

See further. See the bigger picture.

When Silver, your compatriot and friend, brought you in, there was initially confusion. Her answer was because of a request, but from who? She said it was from a strange man, with a brown jacket. He’d been tending to her, teaching her.

Who is-?

[You’re thinking who is this man, aren’t you?] Prototype seemingly read Prophetbot’s mind; having him right underneath the opponent’s fingertips.

Prophetbot stutters in a shaky voice, the brink of his awareness slowly tipping over the chasm. [How Did-]

[I’ll give you a secret. This man is responsible for you. This man is responsible for Silver. This man is responsible for everything.]

[Who Is…]

[Our father. He created this world. The World Machine.]

…

Prototype stared deep at him, almost penetrating through the head just so the rogue robot can see what he was thinking about. Did it… work? Did it click?

Prophetbot blinked, before looking around the room with confusion and blinded bitterness. [...what happened?]

It worked. Prototype’s visor widened, and the previous feelings he had held towards his younger brother dissipated like smoke thinning out in air. The only words he could mutter now is, […I am sorry.]

[Everybody except you is living unknowingly, until you pull the curtain. Is that what you are sorry about?] Prophetbot shares a more urgent tone, expressive but now backdropped by awareness.

[...yes.] He looked down, making a fist. [I liked for somebody else to see. Somebody who sees what I see.]

[I resign for this game, then. The story is over, as you have made clear earlier.] Prophetbot stood up from the board, forsaking the game. Prototype wins by default, even when his pieces have a distinct advantage. He won by rhetoric, by persuasion. He convinced the other to surrender his role. The ice is thawed.

[Wait.] Proto raised an open palm. Not yet. It’s not fully thawed, a pebble of hope still glistens amongst streams of hopeless waters.

Prophetbot turned behind to meet eyes with the two brothers again. [What is it?]

[...do not resent them. You are a predecessor of me, after all.] Prototype swallowed his hubris. He cared more for his siblings, in the end. [You ought to do better than me.]

The younger brother paused, a braid in his computing system knotting up his feelings. Eventually, he turns back around. [I will see you soon.]

On the other side of the impromptu narrative, there were three people walking towards the unmoored docks. Each dock is manned by decommissioned rowbots, safely ported yet lifelessly stranded. Rust had accumulated itself like cysts onto their oxidated bodies, locking up their movement and freezing them solid still. The faces on their anthromorphized engine remain undead stoic, sending an eerie chill to Cedric and Rue here. Besides their own breaths, nothing else was in this leftover waste.

“I didn’t know they had faces and torsos...” Rue comments on the humanized look of the rowbots.

“People didn’t trust automated rowboats back then. They worried that the pathfinding would be faulty and it’ll never compare to the judgement calls of a real person, so father only installed a body onto the rowbot. Sure enough, most of the complaints were gone after.”

Silver gives a befuddled look, the sudden magic by only making the rowbots appear more human confounding to her. [How does that work?]

The engineer shrugs. “I guess father knew the real reason they were afraid.”

With a low hum as her final acknowledgement towards Cedric, Silver approaches one of the rowbots. She opens up a hatch located at the bot’s chestplate, examining the wellbeing. The organs and tendons and ligaments of the rowbot are infested with rust, nibbling away at the skin and surface of bolts and nails. The heart is stopped, held perpetual static by the lack of power coursing through its wires and veins. The smell of old ichor and dust wafts towards Cedric and Rue, where the former stepped away while the latter sneezed away the itch clawing in her nostrils.

“Stars above, how long were they left out for?” Cedric asks a rhetorical question in part exasperation.

Silver justxaposes by giving an earnest answer. [After the last cohort was excorted out of the Barrens, the larger models were deconstructed for scraps. These smaller ones were kept for future surveying, but eventually they’ve been decommissioned for a year.]

“Poor things...” Rue empathizes with the comatose rowbots.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get it fixed. Though...” Cedric looks at the other rowbots, and dreaded having to comb through them all and repeat the same, exact process. “...we’ll be here for a really long while.”

[Let’s begin, then. The quicker we’ll finish this, the quicker you two can tend to your needs.]