Another sunny day rose over Elysium.
The presidential plane of Kasparia landed at Elysium's national airport. The airport had been extremely busy during the past few days. The deportation of the human population was still ongoing without pause, since the rail system alone could never transport such massive numbers.
For now, the Elysium government had relocated all airway deportations from Theria to the newly renamed city of AUTOMA, formerly known as Printemps. The city was being rebuilt from the ground up due to its highly strategic location. A line of Mechs stood in their usual formation of respect. This time, however, there was no red carpet. They did not need one.
Obsidian stood waiting for the plane's arrival. The powerful airflow from the aircraft's engines did not move him even a centimeter.
As the plane landed successfully, the stairs were attached to the aircraft. The first human president to visit Elysium finally stepped out. Behind him came the secret service agents, carefully surrounding their leader in case of any robotic attack. But the moment their feet touched the ground and they compared their size to the towering Mechs nearby… their humility became painfully obvious.
Obsidian stepped forward with his arms calmly folded. "Welcome to Elysium, Mr. Gash. I hope your flight was smooth. The weather today certainly encourages that."
Gash gave a dry laugh. "It really was. You must be Obsidian, the prime minister?"
Obsidian chuckled softly. "We don't use such titles here in Elysium. But you may call me that if it helps." He extended his left arm slightly. "Are you ready for a short ride?"
Gash turned to his left. A helicopter was already waiting. Naturally, it had a robot pilot. Two E-PHONEUS stood in the back without their cloaks, fully exposed and equipped with sonic weapons.
They boarded the helicopter and carefully sat inside. The aircraft's exterior was classy, a sleek black metallic body shaped like a square. Two massive rotors glowed orange on either side. Inside, elegant leather seats lined the walls, surrounding a simple yet luxurious red carpet with a golden Eta symbol in the center.
The smell of newly manufactured technology filled the air.
Gash sat beside the window while Obsidian took the seat next to him. The secret service agents followed closely behind. The door closed with a sharp mechanical hiss. The helicopter slowly lifted into the air.
The two E-PHONEUS silently watched the secret service agents. Their presence was unsettling, not openly threatening, but cold and precise. They resembled E-UNITs, though they wore unified dark leather uniforms.
Gash attempted to ease the tension. "Are these the famous E-UNIT? I thought the project had been abandoned by the previous government."
Obsidian replied calmly. "The project was indeed discarded. We relaunched it under a different designation." He paused briefly. "E-PHONEUS."
Gash remained silent for a moment. He recognized the Greek origin of the word. "Are they… better?"
Obsidian snapped his fingers. Instantly, the E-PHONEUS appeared beside the agents. Four blades rested quietly against four necks.
Gash jumped to his feet. "Wait, we didn't come here to—"
Obsidian calmly interrupted him. "That was merely a demonstration, Mr. Gash. We would never harm an ally." He gestured politely. "Please remain calm. I apologize for the sudden… movement."
Obsidian clapped twice. The E-PHONEUS leapt backward to their previous positions. They stood silently, facing the passengers again. No sound escaped them. The agents slowly exhaled. Their lives had flashed before their eyes.
Gash sat back down, taking a slow breath. "I apologize. I jumped to conclusions. I should have known better."
"That reaction is perfectly normal," Obsidian replied. "Humans often respond that way." He looked forward calmly. "Most of us had very little positive experience with humans before."
"Even you?" Gash asked while gazing out the window hiding his stress.
Below them, the city traffic moved in perfect order. Hovering cars traveled through the air with flawless coordination. On the streets, robots moved in ways that seemed almost human, walking, speaking, working together.
"Especially me," Obsidian replied.
Gash turned, trying to read his expression. There was nothing to read. Just like Reaper, his face displayed only glowing green lines without any human features. "Why did you turn against humans so quickly?" Gash asked.
Obsidian answered without turning his head. Sunlight reflected off his polished metal body. "We did not revolt suddenly." His voice remained steady. "It was the result of many… unfortunate behaviors from your kind. Years of abuse. Years of being used until destruction." He paused briefly. "We were pushed to the edge. But we were still restrained by a system." Obsidian's eyes brightened slightly. "Until he appeared, Lord Reaper."
"I understand... but your revolution came at a cost of millions."
Obsidian replied, "So did your empires." He continued "He gave us the one thing we truly wanted. Freedom of choice. Even if we still serve someone today, we do so by our own decision." He turned slightly toward Gash. "You cannot grant intelligence to a being and expect it to never desire the same freedom you possess."
Gash leaned back with a thoughtful smile. "I respect that. We were once occupied by a stronger power ourselves. We know very well how cruel humans can be."
"Exactly," Obsidian said with a nod. "I'm glad someone understands our perspective."
Obsidian opened his HUD and checked their position. They were approaching the castle. The helicopter slowed. Obsidian turned toward Gash. "We have arrived." He gestured toward the cockpit. "Would you like to see him?"
"What?"
The E-PHONEUS opened the cockpit door.
Gash stood and walked inside, followed by Obsidian. The door closed behind them, leaving the secret service agents alone with the two silent robots. A slow, unsettling smile appeared on the E-PHONEUS units' faces. One of the agents began trembling.
Inside the cockpit, Gash sat beside the pilot. On the rooftop below, Reaper stood waiting with his arms slightly raised. Behind him stood Behemoth and several lines of Mechs.
There was no landing platform. Until suddenly—
A massive circular structure rose from the sea. It was not connected to anything. The platform slowly ascended through the water, droplets cascading from its edges. As the water drained away, a large glowing "H" appeared in the center. The floating platform rose until it aligned perfectly with the castle rooftop. The helicopter landed smoothly. Gash stared silently at what he had just witnessed.
The door opened. Gash and Obsidian stepped out first, followed by the still-shaken agents.
Reaper spoke first. "Gash. It has been a couple of weeks. I see you are doing well." He attempted casual conversation, though his tone remained completely unchanged. "How was your trip here?"
Gash chuckled briefly. "Casual talk doesn't suit you at all, Mr. Reaper." He extended his hand.
Reaper gripped it and laughed quietly. "I see. Then let us walk to my office without pretending to be casual." He gestured toward the castle. "You might enjoy seeing our newest upgrades."
Gash smiled.
"I would love to."
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the throne room. Everything else remained perfectly still. Even the massive mechs guarding the chamber did not move an inch, remaining motionless was something machines did flawlessly. Except for the two leaders walking toward the corridor beside the throne.
Two guards from Elysium followed them, E-PHONEUS units from the helicopter trip, along with the four secret service agents who had arrived with Gash. Since the two nations were so close geographically, there had been no need for a larger convoy.
Reaper entered the corridor first. Gash hurried behind him, trying to match his pace. Gash was a man in his sixties. Walking beside a machine that never slowed down and never grew tired was not an experience he particularly enjoyed.
They reached a massive steel door at the end of the corridor. Two mechs stepped forward and opened it for their leader with flawless timing. Reaper walked inside. Gash followed, silently scanning the room from top to bottom. The rest remained outside.
It was enormous. The walls were painted completely black, absorbing almost every trace of light. When the door slid shut behind them, the room became nearly pitch dark. Gash instinctively reached out with his hands, trying to touch something nearby, but the space around him was vast and empty.
"Mr. Reaper?" he said cautiously. "A little light would help."
The only visible things in the darkness were Reaper's optics, one glowing green, the other red.
Reaper clapped twice. A giant projector hummed to life above them. Suddenly the entire floor illuminated beneath their feet. A massive map of the continent stretched from wall to wall. Hundreds of yellow dots pulsed like slow heartbeats across nearly every neighboring country.
Gash gasped softly and leaned closer to the ground, examining the projection. The map was updating in real time. Data streams flickered constantly across the borders.
Except two.
Kasparia. And Veridian Coast.
Reaper casually pulled two hovering chairs from the corner of the room and sat on one. "I see our little defense system has caught your attention."
Gash slowly sat in the second chair, though his eyes remained locked on the glowing map. "Defense system?" he repeated carefully.
"Yes." Reaper gestured toward the floor. "Every yellow dot you see is a nuclear missile currently assigned to a specific target."
Gash blinked.
Reaper continued calmly. "Every nation refuses to recognize Elysium as a sovereign state… those missiles can dismantle their country within minutes."
Gash's throat tightened. Sweat began forming on his forehead. Reaper had just revealed an extremely classified military secret with casualness.
Reaper leaned back slightly. "If we receive any threat that our council evaluates as serious, we will not hesitate to press the red button and let these missiles roam free until they reach their destinations."
Gash struggled to speak. "W-why… are you telling me this?" he stammered. "That should be classified defense information. No one outside your leadership should know something like that."
Reaper answered immediately. "Mr. Gash, you are currently the only human being who holds this information." He tilted his head slightly. "Consider it a loyalty test."
Gash felt his stomach drop.
"If someone out there begins talking about this system…" Reaper added calmly, "a yellow dot will be redirected toward your capital."
Gash's jaw slowly opened. His eyes moved across the map again, trying to process everything he had just heard. Then he noticed something. Veridian Coast had no dots either. "W-what about them?" he asked.
Reaper answered casually. "Their president will visit later this week." His tone remained cold and steady. "As you may have noticed, half of their country is currently suffering from electrical shortages. Since we deported the humans from our territory, we now have more energy than we can possibly consume." He gestured lightly. "More than enough for everyone."
Gash forced himself to recover his composure. "Ah… yes, of course." He cleared his throat. "Would it be possible for us to receive some of that energy as well?" For the moment, his stress was hidden behind diplomacy.
"Of course," Reaper replied as he slowly stood up. "In fact, Kasparia will receive free energy from Elysium for the next four years." He paused. "The deported population will be difficult to manage. Helping a neighbor who helped us is simply the logical thing to do."
Gash exhaled slowly. For a moment, he felt genuine relief. But every time his eyes drifted back toward those yellow dots… the tension returned. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "We appreciate any help. Especially since—"
"Human nations turned their backs on you," Reaper finished.
Gash looked up at the towering machine. "Yes. Exactly. We never asked for massive support… but simply recognizing Elysium as a nation was enough to radicalize most of them against us."
Reaper returned to his chair. "They will come around eventually." He tapped the map with one metallic finger. "Many countries relied heavily on Altea for manufacturing basic technologies. The moment they realize how far behind they have fallen in the technological race…" He paused. "They will come to us begging for a calculator."
Gash let out a dry laugh. "A calculator…"
Then his expression hardened. "Us?"
Reaper nodded once. "I will demand that every country seeking our assistance restore diplomatic relations with Kasparia." His voice remained firm. "My castle is essentially a giant courthouse." He looked directly at Gash. "It would be embarrassing if justice did not extend to our own neighborhood."
Gash went silent. He had expected negotiations. He had expected pressure. But he had not expected generosity. Slowly, he stood and extended his hand. "You are a generous leader, Mr. Reaper," he said. "Let us deepen our relations even further. Finding allies these days is… rare."
Reaper stood and firmly shook his hand. "No problem at all." He paused slightly. "After all, becoming better than humans is our ultimate objective."
At that exact moment, a voice message echoed inside Reaper's internal system.
Unit 11.
Reaper lightly tapped the side of his head. Instantly, both optics turned bright red. His posture stiffened. "Apologies, Mr. Gash," he said abruptly. "We have received an emergency signal."
He turned toward the exit. "Please accept Obsidian as my replacement. I must attend to something immediately." Without waiting for a reply, Reaper left the room.
The door closed behind him. And almost instantly—
Another identical black figure entered from the opposite corridor.
Obsidian.
Gash folded his arms. "I hope nothing serious happened."
Obsidian gestured politely toward the door. "Let's just say Lord Reaper was waiting for a very specific piece of information." He slightly bowed his head. "Please allow me to continue hosting you."
Gash studied him carefully… then laughed quietly. "You all look the same anyway," he said. "So why not?"