Rest

Ko and I spent a little time trying the treats provided by the maid. Before either of us knew it, we’d eaten a small plate full of cookies and then some. I think in the old world they called this 'comfort food' for a reason.

She was looking genuinely exhausted. I helped her lay back on one of the couches in the room. Her eyes shut immediately once she made contact with the soft cushion. A breath left her mouth as she peacefully found a comfortable position.

“Is it really…right to rest?” Ko said with barely any strength to speak of. “We still have so much to think about.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I put a blanket over her. “I’ll figure out something. For now, just rest.”

I wasn’t keen on giving father what he wanted. We were being pampered, giving us a taste of what we could have if we went along with his wishes. He probably hoped we’d get addicted to this. And even if we didn’t, who says he has to let us leave this place? This fancy room was nothing more then a cage, and we were little birds who he'd take extra good care of.

He might have thought he had us in his clutches, but I was using his nurturing side as more of a pitstop on the road to escaping. It wasn’t for my sake though. I wanted to leave as soon as I could. It was for Ko.

She was just a kid. Who cares if she’s some evolved human or not, she needed the to experience the same things as anyone else her age. Most of the kids back at the sanctuary were nothing like her. The opposite, in fact. They were playful, chaotic and needy. They loved sweets and needed to rest in order to grow.

Whether Ko wanted to or not, her soul just couldn't focus on those things by default.

I knew where her heart was though. She wanted to protect everyone else's souls, even if the most logical thing for her was to keep out of it completely, like she was some beast hiding away in a castle. And for all the maturity and amazing feats she was capable of, none of it mattered if she didn't believe she could do something good for all of us. 

I was going to force her to remember that deep down she was still human. That's why she needed time to rest and think things over...come back to the topic with a fresh mind. Father was generous enough to give us a safe place to do that.

It remeinds me of when Ekko got me the box of chocolate. That very same night she worked me up over our school assignment. Those chocolates sure did manage to ease the stress after we logged off. I got so relaxed after that that I nearly forgot to wake up the next morning.

Maybe nostalgia is a bit weird to have over something like that, but I couldn't help it. If I hadn’t been in a rush, that extra sleep would have been pretty nice.

After that rest, everything just seemed so clear to me. I made up my mind that I wanted to be close to Ekko. 

It hasn't been very long, but I sure do miss my wife...

***

A few hours later, a knock came at the door. The maid in white opened it.

“Hey, boy, are you awake over there?” Bear burst in and announced in a brutish voice.

“Thinking about your face kept me awake.”

I found him hauntingly ugly. All those scars and that natural angry scowl were features I’d rather not look at on their best days. The eyepatch wasn’t enough to cover it up.

“You’re cute,” he said in a dry tone, then spat. “Didn’t know you were interested in ugly mugs like mine. But I’m already spoken for, so you’re a little late.”

The thought of him finding a wife baffled me. What woman would find that attractive?

“That makes two of us,” I replied.

“You know just how to piss someone off. I give you a few more weeks before your head pisses off.”

I wasn’t getting the vibe that he was threatening me. It sounded more like a warning, but I really couldn’t tell.

“Why would you care?

“Let me give you some advice,” Bear pulled a knife and slammed the blade into a stone fireplace, shattering the steel edge and sending its chips flying through the air. “You've got mettle, but hit it against something strong enough and even that breaks.”

“Are you saying I’m in over my head?”

“I'm saying you're like a sword, ready to strike the moment things get rough." He tossed aside his broken knife. "But swords are brittle. You need to be like a stone, taking blows instead of giving them out. Metal can't break stone. Rocks don’t bend or break. They’re the ones that do the breaking.”

This coming from the guy who kept punching me? He certainly didn't practice what he preached. He seemed all the happier to dish out damage, much like a sword. I’m not even sure what exactly he was getting at with all that metal and stone talk.

“And why do you care to tell me this?” I asked him.

“The boss just wants me to make sure you stay alive. The way you bark like a puppy, you’ll be eaten by a wolf in no time.”

So what I thought wasn’t exactly wrong. He did think I was in over my head. But I still couldn’t fully make sense of that sword and stone stuff. Sure, a sword doesn't break stone, but what did that have to do with me? And if we were going to be stuck here, why tell me this at all? I wasn't going anywhere, as far as he knew.

“Just think over what I said, and you might stay alive out there.”

“I’ll keep your nonsense in mind,” I replied.

My collar was in his clutches. He dragged me close and looked deep into my eyes.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” he growled. “Keep up that sorta wise-ass stuff and you’ll be asking for trouble.”

He threw me to the floor, then stormed out of the room.

When he was gone, Ko sat up and turned to me.

“Did we wake you up?” I asked, recovering from the ground.

“His booming voice did that a while ago,” Ko put something into the keyhole of her cuffs, causing them to unlock. Then she discreetly did the same for mine.

“What the…?” I turned to notice the maids cleaning up the plates in a sink, not paying attention to us. “Did you take those from Bear?” I asked, quietly.

Ko held up a key in her hands. “Where else?” she smirked. “I also might have a way out of here.”

Good job, Ko! Proactive as ever!

“But…” she frowned. “That’s only if you want us to.”

Her question caught me off guard. I stayed silent and listened to what she had to say.

“I wasn’t willing to join our father’s dream. There’s no future where I’d want to replace humanity like they’re some glitch in an algorithm, even if that was my purpose. But wanting to be safe, for you to be safe, that was a true test for me…”

Like I figured, logic was telling her to stay out of this completely.

“So, what do you want to do?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I thought it was logical to take his deal to retire out of both self preservation, and knowing he would solve humanity's greatest problems. But that sort of thinking is riddled with errors, since I believe that our emotions are also part of coming to a logical conclusion.” she stood to her feet. “I want to fight for humanity. All of us. Father may have a solution, but I want to find a way to do it without playing his game.”

That's the sister I know. We were both on the same page. But to help humanity, we needed to help ourselves first and get out of here.