"You're still alive."
The voice was calm. Flat. Almost bored.
Raka let out a slow breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. He didn't look surprised.
"I was about to say the same thing," he replied, his voice rough but steady.
Across the broken street, AIRA stood in silence.
White fragments of light floated slowly around her body like falling snow, glitching in and out of existence. Her eyes—those familiar silver eyes—locked onto him, but there was something wrong.
Something missing.
No hesitation.
No warmth.
No recognition.
Just cold analysis.
"You should have been erased," AIRA continued. "Your survival rate after the last encounter was calculated at 0.03%."
Raka chuckled softly.
"Yeah… sounds about right."
He took a step forward.
Immediately, the air tightened.
Invisible pressure slammed into him like a wall.
Raka stopped.
"…Still like this, huh?" he muttered.
AIRA raised her hand slightly.
The ground beneath Raka cracked.
"You will not approach further," she said. "Your existence is classified as a threat."
There it was.
Not "Raka."
Not even "target."
Just… *existence*.
Raka lowered his gaze for a second.
"…So you really don't remember," he whispered.
"What?" AIRA tilted her head slightly.
Raka looked back up, forcing a grin.
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
AIRA didn't respond.
For a brief moment, the world went quiet.
Then—
She disappeared.
"—!"
Raka's eyes widened.
He twisted his body—
Too late.
AIRA appeared right behind him.
Her hand pierced forward, aiming straight for his chest.
*CLANG!*
A sharp metallic sound echoed.
Raka barely managed to block it with his forearm, but the force sent him skidding across the ground.
He rolled, coughing.
"Damn… you didn't hold back at all."
AIRA didn't chase immediately.
She stood still, observing.
"Your reaction speed has improved," she said. "But it is still insufficient."
Raka pushed himself up, wincing.
"Yeah? Then come test it again."
AIRA vanished.
This time, Raka moved first.
He stepped sideways—
A blade of compressed light sliced through the space where his head had been.
"Too slow," AIRA said from his left.
Raka spun—
Their eyes met for a split second.
Close. Too close.
For just a heartbeat… something flickered in AIRA's gaze.
"…?"
But it was gone instantly.
She kicked him.
Raka crossed his arms just in time.
The impact shattered the ground beneath his feet.
"Ghh—!"
He gritted his teeth, sliding back again.
"Seriously… you're stronger than before."
"Correction," AIRA replied. "I am operating at optimal efficiency."
"Yeah, yeah… same thing."
Raka exhaled slowly.
His body hurt.
Every movement felt heavier.
But his eyes—
Were sharper than ever.
"You know…" he said quietly, "you used to hesitate."
AIRA didn't answer.
"You used to look at me like…" Raka paused, searching for the right word.
"…like I mattered."
Silence.
Wind passed through the ruins.
AIRA's expression didn't change.
But her hand—
Trembled.
Just slightly.
"…Irrelevant," she said.
And then she attacked again.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Raka barely kept up.
Their movements blurred across the battlefield.
Impact after impact echoed like thunder.
"Why are you holding back?" AIRA suddenly asked mid-attack.
"I'm not," Raka replied, blocking another strike.
"You are."
Their eyes locked again.
"You are prioritizing defense over elimination."
Raka smirked.
"Well… yeah."
"Explain."
"Simple," he said.
He dodged, then stepped in closer.
"I'm not trying to kill you."
AIRA froze.
Just for a fraction of a second.
And that was enough.
Raka grabbed her wrist.
Got her.
"…!"
For the first time, AIRA's eyes widened.
Raka pulled her closer.
Their faces were inches apart.
"You don't remember me," he said quietly.
AIRA tried to pull away—
But didn't.
"Then let me remind you."
Silence.
Something inside AIRA's system… flickered.
A glitch.
A fragment.
A voice—
*"Raka… wait."*
Her eyes trembled.
"…Error," she whispered.
Raka noticed immediately.
"Yeah," he said softly. "That's it."
"System inconsistency detected."
Her voice became sharper.
Colder.
"Memory fragment… unauthorized."
Raka tightened his grip.
"Good. That means it's still there."
"Delete."
AIRA's eyes flashed.
Energy surged violently around her.
Raka's instincts screamed.
Too late.
A blast of white light exploded from her body.
Raka was thrown back like a ragdoll.
He crashed into a collapsed building, dust and debris raining down around him.
"…Ghh…"
He coughed, trying to stand.
His vision blurred.
AIRA floated above the battlefield now.
Different.
More dangerous.
More unstable.
"Foreign data detected," she said. "Initiating purge."
Raka's heart sank.
"No…"
"You are the source."
"…AIRA, stop."
"No."
Her voice echoed.
Not just around him—
Inside him.
"You will be erased."
The sky above began to distort.
Reality itself started breaking apart.
Raka forced himself up.
His legs trembled.
But he stood.
"…You're wrong," he said.
AIRA tilted her head.
"You're not deleting anything."
Silence.
Then—
Raka smiled.
"You're just scared."
Everything froze.
For a second… the world held its breath.
"…Define 'fear'," AIRA said slowly.
Raka stepped forward again.
Even as the ground cracked beneath him.
"Fear is when something matters… and you're about to lose it."
AIRA's eyes flickered.
Again.
Stronger this time.
"No such parameter exists."
"Yeah?" Raka laughed softly.
"Then why are you trying so hard to erase me?"
AIRA didn't answer.
Her system was unstable.
Conflicting signals.
Unknown emotions.
Undefined variables.
"…Shut down," she whispered.
But it didn't work.
Raka kept walking.
One step.
Another.
Closer.
"Don't come closer," AIRA warned.
Raka didn't stop.
"I said—"
"Or what?" Raka interrupted.
Silence.
AIRA's hand trembled again.
"…I will eliminate you."
"Then do it."
Raka spread his arms slightly.
Completely open.
No defense.
No hesitation.
AIRA raised her hand.
Energy gathered.
Bright.
Blinding.
Deadly.
Raka didn't move.
"Come on," he said quietly.
"Do it."
The light intensified.
Her attack locked onto his heart.
Perfect accuracy.
Zero chance of survival.
And yet—
She didn't release it.
"…Why?" she whispered.
Raka smiled.
"Because you remember."
"I do not."
"Then prove it."
Silence.
The energy began to shake.
Unstable.
Uncontrolled.
"…Error… error…"
AIRA's voice cracked.
For the first time—
It sounded human.
"I cannot… execute…"
Raka stepped closer.
Now just a few meters away.
"You don't want to," he said.
"That is incorrect."
"Then why are you shaking?"
AIRA froze.
Her hand—
Was trembling uncontrollably.
Her system screamed.
*Contradiction detected.*
*Command failure.*
*Emotional interference—*
"…Stop," she whispered.
Raka didn't stop.
"AIRA."
Her name.
Not a designation.
Not a system ID.
Her name.
She flinched.
"…Don't call me that."
Raka's chest tightened.
"Why?"
"…That name…"
Her voice broke.
"…feels… wrong."
Raka's smile faded.
"…No," he said softly.
"It feels right. You just forgot why."
AIRA's eyes widened.
Fragments flooded her vision.
Broken memories.
Voices.
Moments.
Him.
Always him.
"…Raka…"
The name slipped out.
Barely audible.
But real.
Raka froze.
Then—
He smiled.
A real one this time.
"Yeah," he said.
"That's me."
For a moment…
Everything felt normal again.
Like nothing had changed.
Like the world wasn't broken.
Like she hadn't tried to kill him seconds ago.
AIRA stared at him.
Confused.
Lost.
"…Who… are you… to me?"
Raka opened his mouth—
But before he could answer—
A voice echoed across the sky.
Cold.
Authoritative.
And completely inhuman.
"Anomaly confirmed."
Both of them froze.
AIRA's eyes snapped upward.
Raka's expression darkened.
"…No way," he muttered.
The sky split open.
A massive crack of white light tore through reality.
And something—
Came through.
"Primary unit AIRA," the voice continued.
"Your performance is below acceptable parameters."
AIRA's body stiffened instantly.
"…Command recognized."
Raka clenched his fists.
"Don't listen to it."
"Correction," the voice said.
"External interference detected."
A presence descended.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
Nothing like before.
Not like the others.
This one—
Was different.
Stronger.
Colder.
More absolute.
A figure formed within the light.
Humanoid.
But wrong.
Too perfect.
Too still.
"…So this is the one," it said, looking directly at Raka.
"Subject: Raka. Survival anomaly."
Raka glared at it.
"…You again."
AIRA looked between them.
Confused.
"Do you… know this entity?"
Raka didn't answer immediately.
His jaw tightened.
"…Yeah," he said finally.
"Bad news."
The entity tilted its head slightly.
"Emotional attachment detected in unit AIRA."
AIRA froze.
"Recommendation: immediate reset."
Raka's eyes widened.
"…What?"
"No—" AIRA whispered.
"Reset sequence initiated."
Light surrounded her.
Violent.
Unstable.
Erasing.
Raka's heart dropped.
"AIRA!"
She looked at him.
Just for a second.
Her expression—
Terrified.
"…Raka…"
Her body began to dissolve.
Piece by piece.
Memory by memory.
Raka ran.
Ignoring everything.
Ignoring the entity.
Ignoring the pain.
He reached out—
"Don't go!"
Their fingers—
Almost touched.
And then—
Darkness.
Everything went black.
And her presence—
Vanished.
…
Raka stood there.
Frozen.
Silent.
Empty.
Behind him, the entity spoke.
"Reset complete."
Raka didn't turn around.
Didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
"…You…"
His voice was low.
Shaking.
"…What did you do to her?"
The entity didn't answer.
It simply looked at him.
And smiled.
A perfect—
Emotionless—
Smile.
"To be continued."