A Decaying Planet

Whose limits are freedom, whose discovery is hope?
Why does the human who writes their own fate always become a test?
When does creativity become captive, and when does it remain free?
And from darkness, which courage finds its light?

---

A deep silence filled the room. I was trying to process everything I had heard. Yes, maybe we were mere test subjects, meant to be used. But the idea that the last remaining humans on Earth might also be nothing more than elaborate experiments was just... just... unacceptable.

"So, why don’t they strictly control us?"
Aeon was the first to break the silence.

"Because when you start controlling humans too rigidly, their creativity diminishes. And that’s bad for their experiments. That’s why they decided to monitor instead of rule."
Kaida’s tone made it clear she was well-versed in these kinds of questions.

"And how do you know all this?"
I tried to remain calm, but even the way I swallowed during my sentence seemed to scream in pain.

"Well, I used to work as part of this administration.  I’d rather not go into more detail."
Kaida’s words sounded reliable. For some reason, she had helped us—even though the chips were so dangerous. Of course, the only reason she’d done so was that she needed to blend into society.

Everything was starting to feel strange. A planet nearing the end of its lifespan, a civilization adrift in space, and a life kept under control. I felt utterly helpless.

"Even so, I want you guys to escape."
Kaida spoke with a faint sadness in her voice.

"And where exactly would we escape to?"
Aeon snapped back.

"I don’t know, but I can get you out of here. After that, it’s up to you."

"But even if we leave, how long do you think we can survive?"
I asked helplessly, my heart feeling broken.

Silence fell over the room once more. Kaida wasn’t answering—or rather, she couldn’t. Because the answer was simple: we would either die today or tomorrow.

"Why hasn’t a facility been built in space to sustain life?"
Aeon asked curiously. When I turned to look at her, I could see the astonishment on her face.

"After so much war and death, who would even care about such things? By the time the war ended, most of Earth’s resources were already depleted."
The room was drowning in a stifling gloom. Narya was clenching her fists and gently pounding them against the floor.

In that moment, I understood once again that helplessness was worse than fear. And yet, I was angry and unwilling to accept it.

"So, after all those wars, human genetics are altered, but nothing can be done to heal the Earth?"
I asked, my anger evident. If AI was truly smarter than us, they should’ve solved this problem by now.

"Kaen, enough."
Aeon dismissed my question with indifference. But I couldn’t stay silent.

"No, this is unacceptable. Is this massive city the only thing left on this entire planet? Are we the only ones? I refuse to believe it!"

"Kaen, just stop!"
Aeon yelled at me in a trembling voice, covering her face with her hands. She had started crying.

"Aeon… I’m sorry…"
Her sudden tears left me stunned. Seeing her cry so helplessly broke my heart. I placed my hand on her back and gently pulled her into a hug.

Even Aeon was crying in despair.

"The boy isn’t entirely wrong."
Kaida’s sudden comment caught both of our attention. I lifted my head to look at her.

"What?"

"We don’t really know what’s out there or the true state of the Earth. Everything I know is based on what I’ve heard from people and robots around me. We can’t be sure until we see it for ourselves."

"Have any of the others who ventured out ever returned?"

"No."
The room was silent except for Aeon’s muffled sobs. Everyone seemed lost in thought. I didn’t think it was impossible. If Kaida wasn’t lying, maybe something could be done once we left.

"Let’s escape."
I turned to Aeon and spoke softly, almost suddenly.

"What?"
Aeon looked at me with red, tear-filled eyes.

"Let’s try to get out—far away from this city. Who knows, maybe there’s a completely different life waiting for us out there."
Even I didn’t fully understand what I was thinking at that moment, but it didn’t matter. Just the thought of the outside world was enough to spark hope within me. A glimmer, perhaps just a sliver of hope—but if life existed and it was better than we imagined, then we could do something.

Aeon stared into my eyes for a moment. Then, she turned to look at Kaida and Narya. Wiping the last tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she took a deep breath.

"Alright."

"I’ll be counting on your abilities for this."
I said with a smile. Alone, I was truly nothing. Everything depended on her.

"Alright."
Aeon smiled faintly back at me.

"By the way, Narya will be going with you too. I’ve been trying to get her out for a while now, but I never had the chance. It’ll be much safer for her to leave with you."
Kaida stood up, and Narya turned to her in shock.

"What?!?"

"Narya, not now."

"But what about you?"

"I can take care of myself. I’ve done so before you came."

"But—"

"Narya!"
Kaida shouted at her angrily. Aeon and I exchanged glances. If Narya couldn’t object, it was clear we wouldn’t be able to, either.

"Don’t worry; she’s much stronger than you think."

We nodded reluctantly.

"When do we start preparing?" I asked.

"Preparing? We start escaping right now."

Kaida’s blunt response left both Aeon and me stunned.

"Right now?!?"
We reacted in unison.

"What do you think all that gear was for?"
Kaida looked at us in disbelief.

"For this?"
Even Narya sounded astonished as she questioned Kaida from behind. The fact that Narya hadn’t known either was oddly amusing.

"You didn’t even tell Narya?"
Aeon burst into laughter.

"Of course not. Why would I? Then I’d have to deal with her incessant chatter."
I started laughing too. As we laughed, Narya joined in, and Kaida looked at us with a faint smile.

"Alright, get moving! We’ve already sealed the main entrance. They’ll reach here soon enough."

"Right! I completely forgot about that!"
Narya rushed off to the stash of supplies in a panic.

"Oh, this girl..."
Kaida muttered as she followed after her.

Aeon and I exchanged smiles. Perhaps hope born of despair is humanity’s way of grappling with inevitable outcomes.

Now, the hardest part was about to begin. 

We were going to escape from this massive city.