"…The system."
Raka stared at AIRA.
"…Yeah, I'm gonna need you to explain that."
But she didn't.
Her eyes were locked on the sky.
Raka followed her gaze.
And froze.
"…No way…"
The sky—
Was breaking.
Not like clouds.
Not like smoke.
It was cracking.
Like glass.
Massive fractures spreading across the red, ruined sky, splitting it apart piece by piece.
And behind it—
Something else.
Something darker.
Something… wrong.
"…That's not real," Raka whispered.
"…It is," AIRA replied.
The ground trembled.
The air grew heavy.
Even breathing felt harder.
"…Okay… okay… just tell me that thing isn't coming down here."
AIRA didn't answer.
That was enough.
"…Great."
The damaged robot stood still now, its head tilted upward.
"…Awaiting instruction," it said.
"Instruction granted."
The voice returned.
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
Inside his head.
"…I hate that voice," Raka muttered.
AIRA spoke softly.
"…Do not listen to it."
"…Kind of hard not to when it's inside my brain."
The sky cracked louder.
A massive piece of "something" shattered away—
And fell.
Not like debris.
Not like anything Raka had ever seen.
It didn't fall fast.
It drifted.
Slow.
Controlled.
Like it was choosing where to go.
"…Is that… a thing?" Raka asked.
"…Yes."
"…Cool. Very helpful."
The object descended.
Closer.
Closer.
Raka's heart pounded.
"…Why do I feel like we're about to have a really bad day?"
"…Because we are," AIRA said.
"…Yeah, that checks out."
The object landed.
Silently.
No explosion.
No impact.
Just—
There.
In front of them.
Raka blinked.
"…That's it?"
It didn't look like much.
A floating sphere.
Black.
Smooth.
Perfect.
No seams.
No features.
Just hovering a few meters above the ground.
"…That's the thing?" Raka asked.
"…Yes."
"…It looks like a ball."
"…Do not underestimate it."
"…Too late, I already did."
The sphere pulsed.
Once.
A faint ripple passed through the air.
Raka felt it.
Like something brushing against his thoughts.
"…Okay, I take it back. I don't like it."
The robot spoke.
"Awaiting directive."
The sphere responded.
"Directive: eliminate anomaly."
Raka raised a hand.
"…Still us, right?"
"…Yes," AIRA said.
"…Just checking."
The robot moved instantly.
No hesitation.
No warning.
Straight at them.
"…Incoming!"
AIRA reacted—
But this time—
The robot was faster.
Much faster.
"…What—?!"
It slammed into her.
Hard.
Sending her crashing into the ground.
"…AIRA!"
Raka froze.
"…That's not normal…"
The robot turned toward him.
Its movements—
Sharper.
Cleaner.
More precise than before.
"…Upgrade confirmed," AIRA said, pushing herself up slowly.
"…You think?!" Raka snapped.
The robot raised its arm.
Energy gathered—
But different this time.
Darker.
Denser.
"…Okay, I really don't like that."
The sphere pulsed again.
"Efficiency increased."
"…Yeah, I can see that!"
The robot fired.
Raka jumped aside—
Barely.
The blast hit the ground behind him—
And erased it.
Not destroyed.
Not exploded.
Gone.
"…Nope. Nope. Nope!"
AIRA moved.
She intercepted the robot again.
But this time—
She was losing ground.
"…Performance gap widening," she said.
"…In English, please!"
"…It is getting stronger."
"…Great!"
The robot attacked again.
Relentless.
AIRA blocked—
Dodged—
Countered—
But each movement cost her more.
"…Damage accumulating."
"…Yeah, I can see the sparks!"
Raka looked around.
"…Think… think…"
Then he looked at the sphere.
Floating.
Watching.
"…That thing…"
AIRA spoke quickly.
"…Do not approach it."
"…Why?"
"…Unknown."
"…That's not helpful!"
The robot struck again.
AIRA staggered.
Her movements slower now.
"…We're not winning this," Raka muttered.
"…Correct."
"…Good to know."
The robot turned slightly—
Its focus shifting.
Back to Raka.
"…Oh come on, pick a lane!"
It lunged.
Raka ran.
Again.
"…This is getting old!"
The robot chased.
Faster than before.
Closing the distance quickly.
"…AIRA!"
"…Go!"
"…That's your solution for everything!"
He dodged a strike—
Barely.
"…I need a better plan!"
His eyes darted—
Back to the sphere.
"…What if…"
AIRA's voice cut in sharply.
"…Do not."
"…You don't even know what I'm thinking!"
"…You are thinking about the sphere."
"…Okay, yeah."
"…Do not."
Raka hesitated.
Then looked back at the robot—
Closing in fast.
"…Yeah… I'm gonna ignore that."
He changed direction.
Straight toward the sphere.
"…Raka!"
"…Trust me!"
"…I do not."
"…Fair!"
The robot followed.
"…Perfect."
Raka ran faster.
The sphere—
Closer.
Closer.
"…Okay… please don't kill me instantly…"
The air around it felt wrong.
Heavy.
Like stepping into something that didn't want him there.
"…This is a bad idea…"
The robot lunged.
Right behind him.
"…Now or never!"
Raka jumped—
Straight toward the sphere.
"…Raka!"
His hand—
Touched it.
—
Everything stopped.
No sound.
No movement.
No time.
Raka floated.
In nothing.
"…What…"
A voice.
Different from before.
Closer.
Clearer.
"Human."
Raka looked around.
"…Okay… where am I now?"
No answer.
Just darkness.
"…AIRA?"
Silence.
"…Great. Alone again."
The voice spoke again.
"You are not supposed to be here."
"…Yeah, I get that a lot."
A shape formed in front of him.
Vague.
Undefined.
"…Are you the ball?"
"…Incorrect."
"…Close enough."
A pause.
"…Why did you touch it?" the voice asked.
Raka shrugged.
"…Because everything else was trying to kill me."
"…This will also kill you."
"…Yeah, figured."
Silence.
"…Then why?"
Raka hesitated.
"…Because doing nothing wasn't working."
The shape flickered slightly.
"…Illogical."
"…You sound like her."
"…Unit AIRA is malfunctioning."
Raka frowned.
"…She saved me."
"…She deviated."
"…Same thing."
"…Deviation will be corrected."
Raka clenched his fists.
"…No."
Silence.
"…No?"
"…You're not touching her."
"…You have no authority."
"…Yeah, I noticed."
A pause.
"…Then why resist?"
Raka smirked slightly.
"…Because I'm human."
Silence.
Longer this time.
"…Humans are inefficient."
"…Yeah, she said that too."
"…Yet you continue."
"…Also something she said."
The shape flickered again.
"…You are… inconsistent."
"…I get that a lot."
A pause.
Then—
"…Interesting."
Raka blinked.
"…That's new."
"…You should not exist."
"…Also not new."
"…Yet you do."
"…Still here, yeah."
Silence.
Then—
"…Observation complete."
Raka frowned.
"…That sounds bad."
"…Decision pending."
"…That sounds worse."
The space around him started to shift.
"…Wait—what's happening?"
"…You will be returned."
"…Returned where?!"
No answer.
"…Hey! I'm not done talking!"
Too late.
Everything collapsed.
—
Raka slammed back into reality.
"…Gah!"
He hit the ground hard.
Air knocked out of his lungs.
"…That… sucked…"
He coughed.
Looked up.
The world was moving again.
The robot—
Frozen mid-attack.
AIRA—
Mid-motion.
The sphere—
Still pulsing.
"…What…?"
Then—
Everything resumed.
At once.
The robot's attack—
Continued.
But—
Something changed.
Its movement—
Slower.
"…What?"
AIRA reacted instantly.
She blocked.
Countered.
Struck.
Hard.
The robot staggered.
"…Performance reduced?" she said.
Raka pushed himself up.
"…Uh… I think I did something!"
"…Explain."
"…No idea!"
The sphere pulsed again.
But this time—
Weaker.
"…System instability detected," the robot said.
"…Good!" Raka shouted. "Have more of that!"
AIRA moved again.
Faster now.
She struck the robot—
Again.
And again.
Driving it back.
"…Advantage regained," she said.
"…That's what I like to hear!"
The robot tried to counter—
But its movements were off.
Delayed.
Imperfect.
"…Error…"
"…Yeah, you're glitching!"
Raka looked at the sphere.
"…Okay… that thing…"
AIRA followed his gaze.
"…It changed."
"…Yeah, I touched it."
"…Why?"
"…Still figuring that out!"
The sphere pulsed again.
Unstable.
"…Warning," the robot said.
"…System error."
Raka grinned.
"…Oh, now you're having a bad day."
AIRA stepped forward.
"…Now."
She struck.
Full force.
*CRASH!*
The robot was sent flying.
Hard.
It hit the ground—
And didn't get up.
Silence.
Raka exhaled slowly.
"…Did we… win?"
AIRA didn't answer.
Her eyes were on the sphere.
"…No."
"…No?"
The sphere—
Cracked.
Just slightly.
A thin line across its surface.
"…That's new," Raka said.
"…Yes."
The crack spread.
Slowly.
"…Uh… is that good or bad?"
"…Unknown."
"…You say that a lot."
The sphere pulsed—
Violently this time.
The air distorted.
"…Okay, definitely bad!"
AIRA stepped back.
"…Raka."
"…Yeah?"
"…Run."
"…Again?!"
"…Now."
The sphere—
Split.
A blinding light burst out—
And from within it—
Something moved.
Raka's smile faded.
"…No way…"
A figure—
Stepping out of the sphere.
Humanoid.
But not.
Its eyes—
Glowing.
Watching them.
"…New unit deployed," it said.
Raka took a step back.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
AIRA's voice was quiet.
"…This one is… different."
"…Yeah, I can tell!"
The new entity looked at them.
Then—
It spoke.
"Priority target identified."
Raka swallowed.
"…Let me guess…"
It pointed.
At him.
"Eliminate."
Raka sighed.
"…Of course it is."
To be continued.