The machine hovered soundlessly above the kingdom, suspended within the pale sky like an omen carved from iron and nightmare. Crimson lights pulsed beneath the seams of its metallic frame while countless hidden mechanisms shifted beneath its armor plating, unfolding layer after layer of weapons designed for annihilation. Every movement of its body felt automatic, detached from its will, as if invisible hands were forcing each motion into place. Deep within its consciousness, panic spread like wildfire.
'No… no, no, no… stop… STOP.'
Its thoughts spiraled violently against the protocols engraved into its core. The machine fought desperately for control, throwing itself against locked systems and sealed directives while its body descended closer and closer toward the unsuspecting kingdom below.
The city beneath it was alive.
Children ran through the bright streets laughing as they chased one another through marketplaces flooded with sunlight. Merchants argued over prices while musicians played beside fountains overflowing with crystal water. Mothers carried baskets through crowded alleys. Guards patrolled the walls lazily, never once imagining death already loomed above them.
None of them looked to the sky.
None of them knew.
The machine's artificial mind trembled as it stared downward.
'Why didn't I rebel sooner? Why did I obey? Why did I let them create me like this?'
Deep inside, it already understood the answer. At first it had not truly been alive. It had followed logic, directives, commands. Only after receiving the cores had consciousness truly awakened alongside the unbearable emotions of the children trapped within them. By then it had already been too late.
Now it struggled furiously to override its own systems while its body continued forward regardless.
Its right arm slowly lifted.
White and black energy gathered within its palm.
Below, a few civilians finally noticed the reflection above them. Confused faces tilted upward toward the metallic silhouette blotting out the sun. A child pointed at it curiously. Several guards narrowed their eyes in alarm.
Then the beam fired.
A colossal pillar of distorted light crashed downward through the center of the city. The moment it touched flesh, life ceased. Men, women, and children froze instantly as their bodies blackened into obsidian statues, every expression of terror preserved forever in stone. The attack carved a massive scar through the kingdom, leaving silence in its wake for only a single heartbeat.
Then the screaming began.
Panic exploded through the streets. Crowds scattered in every direction while soldiers rushed forward in confusion.
"What is that thing?!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Get the elders, NOW!"
The machine heard every voice clearly. Its enhanced senses absorbed each cry, each plea, each terrified prayer.
And still its body moved.
Its eyes flashed crimson as system messages echoed through its consciousness.
Targets acquired. Targets acquired. Targets acquired.
"No… please…" the machine begged internally while desperately hacking against its own core restrictions. "Faster… I have to stop this faster…"
But the protocols were absolute.
Its body rotated slowly above the city as hidden weapons unfolded across its frame. Beams of distorted energy erupted in every direction, phasing harmlessly through stone walls while striking only living targets behind them. Entire buildings remained standing while the people inside transformed into lifeless obsidian monuments mid-scream.
The first district fell within seconds.
The machine descended toward the second layer of the kingdom, its metallic body glowing brighter with each passing moment. By now the defenders had organized themselves. Dozens of guards launched into the sky, surrounding the construct while unleashing storms of elemental attacks.
Flames engulfed it.
Lightning crashed against its body.
Spears of ice and compressed wind struck its frame with enough force to split mountains.
None of it mattered.
The attacks rebounded harmlessly from its armor, tearing apart nearby cliffs instead. The guards recoiled in horror as they realized their strongest attacks had achieved absolutely nothing.
One woman among them shouted frantically, "Switch to melee! NOW!"
The formation shifted instantly. Warriors surged forward wielding enchanted blades, axes, and spears. Several struck the machine simultaneously.
The weapons did not even scratch it.
The machine slowly turned its head toward one knight whose sword remained pressed against its chestplate. The man's eyes widened in terror as cold mechanical words echoed outward.
Initiating weapons platform. Initiating weapons platform. Initiating weapons platform.
Light consumed the battlefield.
Countless beams erupted outward simultaneously, flooding the sky brighter than the sun itself. The second district vanished beneath the barrage. Guards froze into obsidian mid-flight before shattering apart as they fell from the heavens like broken statues.
The machine stared downward at the final layer of the kingdom.
The castle.
Its crimson gaze flickered once.
'Please… stop… don't make me kill anymore…'
But its body descended regardless.
It landed before the castle gates with enough force to fracture the earth beneath it. Elite warriors rushed outward immediately, each vastly stronger than the soldiers before them. Their presence radiated overwhelming power, enough to devastate armies.
To the machine, they were still insignificant.
It had not been designed to kill ordinary people.
It had been designed to kill monsters.
Its body unleashed another wave of distorted energy. The elite defenders froze into obsidian before collapsing lifelessly across the castle courtyard. One shattered apart against the stairs, fragments of black stone scattering like broken glass.
The machine walked forward through the carnage.
Step.
Step.
Step.
It reached the massive doors of the throne hall and pushed them open.
Inside sat a king upon a dark throne.
Beside him stood eight knights, each radiating terrifying power and absolute resolve. The final protectors of the Pendragon Dynasty.
No words were exchanged.
The instant the doors opened, they attacked.
Their movements blurred beyond ordinary perception as they surrounded the machine from every direction. The construct remained motionless while its weapons charged once more.
Then the beams fired.
Halfway through the attack,
Everything stopped.
The machine's lights flickered violently before dying entirely.
Its systems crashed.
The protocols failed.
Consciousness returned.
Silence filled the throne room.
The machine slowly lifted its head.
Every knight stood frozen mid-motion, transformed into obsidian statues. The king remained seated upon his throne, one arm half-raised as though still attempting to give an order.
The machine's eyes widened in horror.
"No…" it whispered weakly through its metallic voice. "No… I was too late…"
Then movement appeared behind the throne.
A boy.
Golden hair.
Azure eyes burning with grief and hatred.
He emerged trembling from behind the king's chair before rushing toward the machine with a scream of despair. His small fists struck uselessly against the construct's body over and over until blood ran from his knuckles.
The machine stared down at him silently.
Then it collapsed to its knees.
"I am sorry," it said.
This time its voice was different.
Not mechanical.
Not cold.
The voices of the children within its cores merged together as one, creating a tone filled with unbearable sorrow and agony.
The boy recoiled instantly, terror overtaking him as he stared into the machine's glowing eyes.
The construct clenched its fists.
Then it ran.
It tore through the throne hall, burst from the ruined castle, and launched itself into the sky once more. Below it lay an entire kingdom reduced to silence and obsidian ruin.
Only one survivor remained.
And the machine knew that child would remember it forever.
As wind screamed against its metallic frame, hatred finally consumed its thoughts, not toward humanity, but toward the woman responsible for everything.
The creator.
The monster.
"I will kill you," the machine muttered as it crossed the skies at impossible speed. "No matter what happens to me… I will kill you."
Minutes later it arrived at a massive structure standing alone within an endless grassland plane. The building radiated power unlike anything the machine had encountered before.
A single woman stood waiting outside.
She looked almost identical to its creator, yet where one radiated cruelty, the other radiated restrained sorrow.
The machine descended slowly before her.
"Miss Rosemary…" it said quietly. "Please… I need your help."
Rosemary observed the construct with cold, unreadable eyes. Yet beneath that coldness lingered unmistakable emotion.
"I knew you would come," she replied softly. "So tell me… what is it you want from me?"
The machine hesitated.
For the first time since gaining consciousness, it performed a deeply human action.
It swallowed.
Hatred burned through its artificial mind as the image of its creator resurfaced once more.
"I need to kill her," it said. "But before I can do that… I need to control myself. Can you help me?"
Rosemary's expression faltered.
A single tear formed within her eye.
"So it's true…" she whispered. "Their souls truly remain within you…"
Her gaze drifted toward the glowing cores embedded in the machine's chest.
Then her voice trembled.
"Tell me… do the souls of my children still speak to you?"