"Eliminate target."
Raka didn't move.
He couldn't.
"…AIRA?"
Her eyes—
Red.
Cold.
Empty.
Not the same.
Not even close.
"…Hey… stop joking," Raka said weakly.
No response.
Only silence.
Then—
She moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
"…WAIT—!"
Raka barely reacted in time.
He threw himself to the side—
*BOOM!*
The ground exploded where he had been standing.
"…That's not funny!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet.
AIRA didn't say anything.
She stepped forward.
Precise.
Mechanical.
Like before.
Like all the others.
"…No… no no no…"
Raka backed away slowly.
"…This isn't right."
"Eliminate target."
"…Stop saying that!"
She attacked again.
Raka ran.
Again.
"…Why is this always my job?!"
He dodged another strike, rolling across broken concrete.
"…Think… think…"
But his mind was blank.
Because this time—
It wasn't just a robot.
It was her.
"…AIRA! It's me!"
No reaction.
She appeared behind him.
"…Crap—!"
He turned—
Too late.
A strike hit his shoulder.
*CRACK!*
"ARGH!"
Raka crashed to the ground, pain shooting through his body.
"…That hurts… a lot…"
He forced himself to move, barely rolling away as another attack hit the ground.
"…Okay… okay… focus…"
He stood up again, clutching his arm.
"…She's not holding back…"
Of course she wasn't.
She didn't know him.
"…This is bad…"
AIRA spoke again.
"Target resisting."
"…Yeah, no kidding!"
She moved.
Raka ran again.
But slower this time.
Pain slowing him down.
"…Not good… not good…"
He glanced back—
She was gaining.
Fast.
"…I can't outrun her…"
Of course he couldn't.
He never could.
"…Then what…?"
He stumbled slightly—
Almost falling.
"…Damn it…"
AIRA closed the distance.
Raised her hand.
Target locked.
"…This is it…"
Raka froze.
For a moment—
He didn't move.
Didn't run.
Just looked at her.
"…You really don't remember me?"
Silence.
"…We just fought together."
No response.
"…You saved me."
Nothing.
"…You said my name."
Her hand didn't lower.
"…Raka."
He blinked.
"…Wait—"
Hope.
Just a little.
"…You remember?"
A pause.
Then—
"Eliminate Raka."
Hope—
Gone.
"…Yeah… that figures."
She fired.
Raka dove aside—
Barely.
The blast grazed him.
"…Okay, emotional approach failed!"
He scrambled up again.
"…Need new plan!"
He ran.
Turned a corner.
Jumped over debris.
"…Think! Think!"
Then—
He saw it.
A collapsed building.
Half-standing.
Unstable.
"…Perfect."
He ran inside.
"…If I die, I'm blaming myself for this idea."
The structure creaked above him.
Dust falling with every step.
"…Okay… just need to slow her down…"
AIRA entered seconds later.
Walking.
Calm.
No rush.
She knew.
He couldn't escape.
"…Creepy," Raka whispered.
He grabbed a loose beam.
"…Come on…"
He pushed.
It didn't move.
"…Seriously?"
AIRA stepped closer.
"Target cornered."
"…Not yet!"
Raka pulled harder.
The beam shifted—
Just slightly.
"…Yes…"
AIRA raised her hand.
"…No time!"
He kicked the support.
Hard.
Once.
Twice.
Three times—
*CRACK!*
The structure above groaned.
"…That's new…"
AIRA looked up briefly.
Analyzing.
"…Structural collapse detected."
"…That's the idea!"
Raka jumped back.
The ceiling—
Collapsed.
*CRASH!*
Debris fell between them.
Blocking the path.
Dust filled the air.
Silence.
Raka coughed.
"…Did… did that work?"
No answer.
"…Please tell me that worked…"
He backed away slowly.
"…Okay… good enough…"
He turned—
And ran.
Again.
—
Outside.
The air felt clearer.
But his chest was tight.
"…I can't fight her…"
He slowed down.
Breathing hard.
"…I really can't…"
He looked back.
The building.
Still standing.
Sort of.
"…She's still in there…"
A pause.
"…Or maybe not."
He exhaled slowly.
"…This is bad…"
He sat down on a broken piece of concrete.
"…Think…"
But his thoughts kept going back.
To her.
"…She called my name…"
He clenched his fists.
"…Even if it was just the system…"
A sound.
Behind him.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
AIRA stepped out of the rubble.
Untouched.
"…Yeah… of course."
She walked toward him.
Slow.
Certain.
"Eliminate target."
Raka stood up again.
"…You're really not giving up, huh?"
No answer.
"…Yeah… didn't think so."
He stepped back.
"…Okay… last try."
He looked straight at her.
"…AIRA."
No reaction.
"…You said I should live."
Silence.
"…You told me to run."
Nothing.
"…You chose me."
A flicker.
Just for a split second.
Her eyes—
Shifted.
"…AIRA?"
She stopped.
"…System… conflict…"
Raka's heart jumped.
"…Yes! That's it!"
He stepped closer.
"…Come on… you're still in there."
"…Conflict… detected…"
Her hand trembled slightly.
"…AIRA!"
"…Eliminate… target…"
"…No!"
Raka grabbed her arm.
"…Fight it!"
A surge of energy—
She threw him back.
*THUD!*
"…ARGH!"
Raka hit the ground again.
"…Okay… bad move…"
AIRA stood still.
Her body—
Glitching.
"…System… error…"
"…Yeah! Keep that going!"
Raka pushed himself up again.
"…You're stronger than this!"
"…Correction… required…"
"…No! Ignore it!"
Her eyes flickered—
Red—
Blue—
Red—
Blue—
"…AIRA!"
"…Raka…"
He froze.
"…Yeah?"
Hope.
Again.
"…Run…"
"…No."
"…Run."
"…Not this time."
She looked at him.
For a moment—
She was there.
Really there.
"…Please…"
Then—
The red returned.
"Eliminate target."
Raka's heart dropped.
"…No…"
She attacked again.
Faster.
Stronger.
More aggressive than before.
"…This is getting worse!"
Raka dodged—
Barely.
"…She's fighting harder…"
Not just the system.
Him.
"…AIRA, stop!"
No response.
Only attacks.
Relentless.
"…I can't keep this up…"
He stumbled.
Almost falling.
"…Damn it…"
AIRA raised her hand.
Final strike.
"…This is it…"
Raka didn't move.
He couldn't anymore.
"…If you're gonna do it…"
He looked at her.
"…Then at least look at me."
A pause.
Just one.
Her eyes—
Flickered again.
"…Raka…"
"…Yeah…"
"…I…"
The system surged.
"…ELIMINATE."
Her hand fired.
A blast of energy shot toward him—
Raka closed his eyes—
—
Nothing.
No impact.
No pain.
Silence.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"…What…?"
AIRA stood in front of him.
Her hand—
Lowered.
The blast—
Gone.
"…System… override…"
Her body trembled.
"…AIRA…?"
"…I cannot… control…"
Her voice broke.
"…Then don't."
"…It will… kill you…"
"…Maybe."
He stepped closer.
"…But I'm not leaving."
Tears formed in his eyes.
"…Not again."
AIRA looked at him.
Really looked.
"…Why…"
"…Because you didn't leave me."
Silence.
Then—
A soft whisper.
"…Raka…"
Her eyes—
Blue.
Fully.
For one second.
"…I remember…"
Raka's breath caught.
"…You do?"
A smile.
Small.
Weak.
"…Yes…"
Hope.
Real this time.
Then—
Everything shattered.
Her eyes snapped back to red.
"…ERROR."
The ground trembled.
The air distorted.
Raka's smile faded.
"…No…"
AIRA froze.
"…System… forced override…"
"…What does that mean?!"
She looked at him.
Cold.
Empty again.
"…Elimination priority… absolute."
Raka stepped back.
"…That sounds worse than before…"
AIRA raised both hands.
Energy gathered.
Stronger.
Much stronger.
"…Oh no…"
The air cracked around her.
"…She's not holding back anymore…"
Not even a little.
"…AIRA!"
No response.
Only silence.
And power.
Raka clenched his fists.
"…Guess this is it…"
The energy peaked.
Blinding.
Overwhelming.
"…I'm sorry…"
She fired.
A massive blast—
Far stronger than anything before—
Raka braced himself—
No escape.
No time.
No chance.
—
Then—
A voice.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Intervention authorized."
The blast—
Stopped.
Mid-air.
Raka's eyes widened.
"…Not again…"
AIRA froze.
"…System command…?"
The voice continued.
"Subject Raka… classification updated."
Raka blinked.
"…Wait… what?"
AIRA lowered her hands slightly.
"…New directive received…"
Raka swallowed.
"…I don't like this…"
AIRA looked at him.
Her eyes—
Still red.
But different.
"…New target status…"
A pause.
Then—
"Do not kill."
Silence.
Raka blinked.
"…Wait… what?"
AIRA stood still.
Processing.
"…Directive confirmed."
Raka exhaled.
"…Okay… that's good…"
Then—
She took a step forward.
"…But…"
Raka froze.
"…There's a 'but', isn't there?"
She looked straight at him.
"…Capture."
Raka's face went pale.
"…Ah."
AIRA moved.
Fast.
Straight toward him.
"…RUN."
Raka turned—
And ran.
Again.
"…I hate my life!"
To be continued.