Nine Lives
As Kou and Hyoue emerged from the underground museum, they received a transmission from Aki.
「Hyoue-san, Kou. The preparations are complete.」
「Thanks. We’re on our way now.」
The two machines moved to the deck of the Astraea. There, Aki, Nyanta, and Voy were already waiting. Jenny’s figure could also be seen. Gathered around Kawakage were other senior members of TAKABA Corporation. Aimer remained on standby at the combat command center.
A massive rocket was prepared there, looming prominently.
The two disembarked from their machines and joined the group.
「So, this is how it ends, huh?」
Hyoue muttered, his voice tinged with emotion.
Inside the rocket was the Kaleidolithos, the stone that was the real body of Castor.
Hyoue opened the hatch and addressed the Kaleidolithos directly. Kou had explained earlier that it could understand human speech.
「We’re about to hurl you into the red dwarf star Nemesis. Burn in the infernal flames of hell. Forever, or however long that lasts—I couldn’t care less.」
The Kaleidolithos blinked slowly, almost rhythmically. It was a cry of agony—a silent scream. It understood what awaited: to be burned, endlessly inside Nemesis, with its consciousness intact.
「I checked with Asia, Castor. Apparently, Nemesis will only last for several trillion years. So, you will not be burned for eternity. Lucky you.」
Kou delivered Castor’s sentence apathetically, his words were, in their own way, crueler than Hyoue’s.
「Haha, that’s just great. A few trillion years, huh? The Sun’s lifespan is about five billion years, so… not even worth calculating how many times over that is. Feels like a punishment fit for you.」
Hyoue placed his hand on the rocket’s hatch, where the Kaleidolithos was secured.
「You’re already dead the moment you’re like this. Keep getting your sermons from Nemesis for all I care.」
He spat the words out and slammed the hatch shut.
Everyone stepped back as Aki handed Hyoue the rocket’s launch switch.
「This is the optimal launch window.」
Hyoue gave a silent nod and pressed the switch without a word.
The rocket roared to life, its exhaust plumes erupting in a fiery cloud as it ascended into the sky.
「It’s over, huh?」
「It’s over, yes.」
The weight of their words hung in the air for a moment.
「You know, Aimer-chan told me something, during your fight with Castor, she apparently entered the OS of Unit 5.」
「I heard a few days ago. It seems he repaired the Fennel OS.」
「Yeah. And she said something strange happened there. She claimed she was saved by Shuuji and Yuzuki.」
「What?」
Kou’s surprise was evident—this was news to him.
「She wasn’t too sure, said it might’ve been a hallucination or something, but she told me in secret. When I asked Asia about it, she confirmed, ‘There was something there.‘ So, I’m pretty sure it was them.」
「That’s… unbelievable.」
「Apparently, the cat living inside Aimer-chan was told something, too. Something like, ‘You old cat! Long time no see!’ Shuuji used to call that gray Russian Blue Familia like that. I still remember it clearly as day.」
Kou didn’t respond, his silence heavy. The idea that the dead had come to his aid left him trembling. It wasn’t fear, but awe. Time and again, he had been supported by so many—living and otherwise.
Aimer and Master had said the same thing. There was no room for doubt.
「Shuuji’s body and Yuzuki’s sword were there at that moment. Normally, such things wouldn’t be inside Unit 5. I think they came to help you.」
「I believe so too.」
Kou resolved to speak with Aimer and Master in detail later. He needed to understand this fully.
「The world that Asia created at the time seems to be one where both 0 and 1 can coexist. This is just my interpretation, but if 0 and 1 can exist simultaneously, then maybe the dead and the living can, too. A bit too much of a Japanese way of thinking, perhaps.」
Hyoue’s words lingered, this was more philosophical or spiritual than scientific, so the truth would likely remain unknown.
「Knowing those two were together, helping you—it makes it easier to accept their deaths. It’s a blessing, really.」
Hyoue added, his voice cracking slightly. It couldn’t be helped that his words were filled with emotion. This was a moment to honor the dead, a brief respite to reflect on their memory.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
After returning from the Defense Dome under reconstruction, the Astraea spent several days in relative quiet. During this time, Asia was busy at the Silhouette Base, accelerating the production of Familias. Manpower was in short supply.
Suddenly, she noticed something unusual.
「Huh?」
Asia noticed an error mark on the newly produced Familias. However, what had been created was not Familias at all. This had never happened before.
「Huh? That’s strange.」
The production serial numbers were not sequential as they should have been. Instead, they displayed older, outdated numbers. Something unusual was happening.
「This is…」
Asia’s face lit up with realization. She quickly took action, summoning specific individuals. The group she gathered was an unusual mix: Kou, Aimer, and Kurt.
「What’s going on, Asia? This is quite a rare combination of people.」
「And you called us to the deepest level of the sealed section, no less. This is my first time here.」
「I don’t come here often either, I’ve heard this is where the Familias are produced, though.」
Asia was already waiting for them, having materialized in physical form.
「Thank you all for coming, there’s someone I want Aimer and Kurt to meet.」
「Someone you want us to meet?」
「Everyone, come here.」
From behind the doors, Familias began to pour in, one after another. Seeing them Kurt collapsed to his knees, his strength leaving him. Aimer covered her face with both hands, making no effort to wipe away her streaming tears.
「Chick-kun! Tuck-kun! Everyone!」
These were the Familias who had burned their spirits through Spirit Link and perished, their bodies rendered immobile.
「Carla! Lotti! And the others… so many others…」
Kurt murmured, tears rolling freely down his face.
The dog-shaped and rabbit-shaped Familias who had sacrificed their lives to save him were there. Behind them were others who had fallen in the D516 Fortress Area.
One by one, they rushed toward Kurt and Aimer. Without hesitation, the two embraced as many as they could, holding them tightly, as if afraid they might vanish again.
「You’re back! Everyone’s alive again!」
Kurt said, his voice thick with emotion.
「That’s not exactly true. We’re no longer Familias. We can’t board MCS anymore. We’re just helper animal robots now…」
Lotti muttered sadly.
「This is the price Prometheus demanded. We have returned to you, but we’ll never return to the front lines. We’re Limited Familias now… L-Familias is our new model name.」
Asia looked at the former Familias with sympathetic eyes. Losing the ability to do what they once could was a bitter reality. While Aimer and Kurt might not care, the L-Familias themselves clearly did.
「I’m sorry, Aimer-chan. We might not be of any use anymore.」
A penguin-shaped L-Familiar apologized, its voice filled with regret.
No longer able to board the MCS, the former Familias now faced questions about their very purpose.
「That doesn’t matter! None of that matters!」
「Exactly! You’ve come back to us, and you’re here with me. That alone is more than enough!」
Together, Aimer and Kurt rejected the notion that the L-Familias were any less important now, their words a wholehearted denial of the Familias’ feelings of inadequacy.
「Thank you… thank you, God… and Prometheus…」
Aimer whispered, her voice full of gratitude.
「A miracle wrought by Prometheus! My deepest thanks as well.」
Kurt murmured softly and outstretched his arms as far as they could reach, embracing all the L-Familias within his grasp.
Asia leaned toward Kou and whispered.
「Prometheus… He’s the true architect. Not just of the Familias, but of the Therianthropes and even the Nereids.」
「What?」
「As always it’s patterned after Greek mythology. In myth, Okeanus commanded Prometheus to create. The story goes that Prometheus crafted all the animals, and Zeus granted them life.」
「That’s… quite the power.」
「Isn’t it? I’ve done something similar once, but it was nowhere near this scale. It’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? A miracle purely for those who waited to be reunited with someone.」
「I think I misunderstood Prometheus. I owe him an apology. But, well… we’re friends, right?」
His statement ended in a question, but the intent was clear. Prometheus likely desired acknowledgment, and Kou, with a small nod, revised his words as if to solidify that connection—an apology and recognition in one.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Elsewhere.
A place that was not here.
A dimension that was not this one.
In the rift of time, a lone man drifted aimlessly.
He was a strikingly beautiful young man, but his flawless body was intermittently marred by black stains, only to revert back to its original, pristine state. This was the work of a data destruction program, relentlessly eroding him. Yet he was restoring himself faster than the corruption could spread.
This was the punishment inflicted upon him: to endure eternal suffering.
Even so, whispers from a distant dimension reached his ears. He was an observer, attuned to such faint echoes.
「That’s right, Kou. I would never do anything to sadden a friend. The fire of Prometheus… its essence is a gift to humanity. It transforms heartfelt wishes into technology, forging a path to the future.」
The man—Prometheus—murmured into the void where no one could hear him. He spoke to himself, his voice calm and resolute, in a space of utter silence.
「Nine Lives… the universal legend from Earth. It’s said that cats reincarnate nine times to return to their beloved owner. Dogs and cats, they shed their old fur and return to those they love. 」
Watching Aimer and Kurt’s heartfelt reunion brought a genuine smile to his lips. The gratitude they expressed reached Prometheus, warming his core despite the pain.
「The creations of my design, the Familias who fell into stillness—or death—through Spirit Link… My Familias’ souls, you need not remain here. Don’t let yourselves drift into this place, Tartarus. Return to your original world.」
The souls of those Familias who had ceased functioning through Spirit Link had flowed into this abyssal plane.
「I can see it—a new battle that will unfold for your sake. But for now, savor this fleeting moment of peace, my friends.」
Prometheus uttered his prophecy of the coming turmoil.
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