Lingering Scars

"Prepare yourself, Beryl."

"Hyaa!"

Morpho stepped forward into a thrust. My natural reaction was to flinch and hold out my hands.

He stopped the practice spear just short of my chest.

"And in that situation, you would have died."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologise to me, you're the one that's dying in this situation."

Ever since our trip to the shrine, Morpho had taken me under his wing during a weapons practise session. I was untrained in fighting with weapons, I didn't even have one of my own, but he offered to teach me how to stay safe and disarm opponents in the event I were to be caught off guard or had to enter one-on-one combat. Despite forcing myself to focus, what I'd Tsubaki say yesterday played heavily on my mind.

"Since your Pulse specialises in long-distance engagement, this session will cover what would happen if you needed to engage someone at close range. Of course, the ideal scenario would be to never encounter a situation like this, but it never hurts to be prepared."

The ambience that surrounded Morpho ever since I first laid eyes upon him still pervaded the space around him. His posture was dainty yet solid, his stance loose yet alert. He was always unreadable, both to his opponents and to his allies.

"You don't fight with your Pulse, right? Then, all of your fights are close range, like this."

"Keeping opponents at bay and having the luxury to pick your moments is vital in both close and ranged combat. But yes, you are correct. But there's another reason I never use my Pulse, Beryl. While it's nice to say that I withhold it for the sake of my ideals, so that a RepliCor implantee such as myself is seen as being more human, and I do genuinely do it for that reason, additionally, it's so that I have a trump card. A key to combat is to never reveal all of your tricks. Even if you know you will win the fight if you do, you never want your enemy to know the limit of your ability. Allow them to think your potential is limitless, allow them to think of you as being a bigger threat than you are."

I nodded, my gaze constant to express that I was listening. But I still had no faith that I could act on his words.

"But the most important thing to remember if you have to fight someone face to face is this: do not hesitate. Do not deliberate. If a moment presents itself to you, take it."

"I see..."

"We'll see if you really have remembered my words. Let's try another test. I'm going to rush at you with my spear, and I'd like you to find the point where you could most easily disarm me and land a counterattack."

And land a counterattack? I can barely do the disarming part...

He stood across from me, spear in hand, and then slowly lowered it to face me.

"Do not hesitate."

My vision slid along the shaft of the spear as the tip approached me. I thought back to the basics Morpho had mentioned at the start of the session. Using my opponent's momentum against them, making minimal movements but maximum impact. And I had to upset their rhythm and balance.

I stepped to the side, allowing the spear to pass me. My brain snapped into overload, and on the brink of anxiety, I held myself together, looking for the next step. I jerked out my foot to stop his movement and pushed my body weight onto where his hand was gripping the spear. After performing both of these moves, hyperventilating from the stress, I looked to Morpho for feedback. 

"Good. Your movement and follow-up were exactly as I discussed earlier, and you managed to continue the flow despite obvious nerves. The only thing I will say is that the position of your disarming hand isn't in the best place. It would manage, but against a strong opponent they would likely be able to recover or even overpower you."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

---

We sat together on the step as I chugged on a water bottle in my exhaustion.

"Unfortunately, that's about as much as I can teach you on such short notice."

"That's fine, I appreciate it regardless. But... why did you offer?"

"...Admittedly, it was from observing you. You have no experience and neither are you battle-inclined. In situations where we're combatting Leviathans, that's not much of a problem because the rest of us are always nearby. But the next mission is something unknown even to the most senior of us. So I think that it's important that you be taught how to protect yourself, just in case we end up in a compromised position."

"Earlier, when you said about not sharing everything..."

"You want to know about my past?"

"I wasn't going to ask that directly... I was actually more curious about why you care so much about the reputation of RepliCors."

"As I said, I can't reveal everything, it would put me at a disadvantage. But what I can tell you is that my upbringing is what influenced me. My parents were in the nobility, my father was French and my mother was Greek. Despite all of their wealth and power, they hoarded it all to themselves. They prioritised their own pleasure and satisfaction over that of others. They had something that could have greatly benefitted everyone and they chose to keep it for themselves. I no longer have any way of influencing them now that I'm here, but... I'll continue to fight for what I can influence, and I don't want the same fate to befall the RepliCors. That's why I fight, both with my words and with my spear. For a world where the RepliCor improves the quality of life for everyone."

It was then that I truly understood why Morpho was the only one of us capable of being the spokesperson for Anahata. He believed in the potential and positivity of RepliCors. Even if it meant he had to ignore the pain and turmoil.

---

---

A sterile room throngs with a thick scent of medicine. The walls are glowing white, and a haze sticks to everyone inside. A man with long, spiky, slicked-back hair and a goatee sits on a stool beside a bed, his posture scrunched up as his hands clutch the sheets. Inside the bed is the slumbering semi-living body of a girl, whose black hair resembles the wisps of water-logged hair that clogs a shower drain as it runs down her pillow. Her body is still and straight, almost trapped under the tight white blanket that holds her to the bed, and her eyes are closed. Her near-silent breath is completely inaudible under the sound of whirring and beeping machines. But without the machines, there would have been no breath at all.

A lighter, pleasant beep rung out from across the room, and an automated door breezed open. A young woman with messy hair wearing a buttoned jacket over a turtleneck sweater enters the room. She holds her hand close to her chest, and maintains a respectful distance from the man sitting down, but addresses him directly. 

"We have confirmation, sir. They will be arriving tomorrow."

Releasing the bedsheets clasped between his fingers, he lifts his head up, but continues to contemplate the girl in the bed. Her cold, semi-parted lips are glazed with dry moisture.

"This has to work, Yuzuru-kun. I've waited far too long."

"It will, sir. We've been working for years to ensure it."

"...I can't thank you enough. From the moment I created this company, I had one final goal in mind, and with you there to help me, it will soon be realised."

"Yes. Soon, Shizuku will be free again."

"Yuzuru-kun."

"Yes, sir?"

"May I... see it again?"

"What, sir?"

"The latest model."

"Of course."

She walked over to the corner of the sterile room and wheeled over a figure draped under a sheet. Once she had brought it near to the man, she looked to him for his approval, and he nodded. She tossed back the sheet.

"It's the amalgamation of every breakthrough we've made here. She operates perfectly and is as realistically human as we are feasibly able to develop. As soon as the final two steps have been achieved, she will be ready."

"And her name?"

"Memo, sir."

"Memo... I wonder if Shizuku would like that name. I look forward to asking her in person. Anyway, thank you Yuzuru-kun. You may leave now."

"Understood. However, sir, I have one more question."

"What would that be?"

"Do you have any preference on which RepliCor we use?"

"None in particular. But since I'm aware of what will be involved in gaining one, then if at all possible... Audrey Minamoto."

"I see. I will keep that in mind when preparing for their arrival."

"Good."

The woman named Yuzuru bowed and made her way out of the room, followed by another soft, electronic swish from the door. The man returned to looking at the girl in the bed, and then looked over to the android propped up on the stand beside him. They both had their eyes closed.

"That woman... she has the arrogance to keep on living after what happened to you. I will save you, Shizuku. And I will avenge you. You will get what was owed to you."

He slipped his hand under hers, his warmth transferred into her frigid fingers.

"I promise. As your father."