"Here we are." Hikaru gestured discreetly and looked at Kiara. The upload was at 12%.
I bit my lips, unsure what to do with that information. Intertwined threads, intricate weaves, and knots beneath heavy veils. The threads were there. I could see them clearly now. Yet the harder I tried to understand, the more their meaning blurred.
When the first knot revealed itself, I recognized the point of no return. This was bigger than Maia. Bigger than Kiara. The entire world was stitched into this coweaving. Somehow, I was entwined in it. Whatever it cost, I would piece together the puzzle of Maia's world.
I uncrossed my legs. Fought the part of me that wanted to overwhelm him with questions.
"It's late. You should sleep. I have things to take care of. Tanu can show you to your room." He turned toward the holoscreens, signaling that our conversation was over. Once they fell silent, they never continued.
I held back a yawn. "O-of course." Little I could do. I wanted to follow Kiara's progress, but sleepiness weighed on me.
I followed Tanu, admiring the chaotic library. We climbed to the first floor and reached a corridor of transparent doors among more shelves. When Tanu opened a cabin, it revealed a small room with a bed and dresser.
"He's a terrible host." The raccoon dog planted his hands on his little waist. "Then again, who'd wanna visit an idiot like him? Unless it's that…" He tensed. "Forget it."
Curious as I was about what he might have said, I thanked him.
"Need anything, press that button. I'll be right here." He closed the door, leaving me alone.
I removed the mask and lay on the bed beneath a ceiling gleaming in metallic cobalt blue. Turned my thoughts over.
Kiara. So good to have her by my side. So strange to be away from her presence. Did she see me as a friend, the way I saw her? I bit back a smile. What would she do when all this ended? Whatever happened, she would be okay.
And me? What would I do?
I fell asleep.
During the next two days
Hikaru focused on work throughout the day. Actually, he worked late into the night and woke incredibly early to begin again. So intense.
I kept my distance. Tanu kept me company, but returned whenever Hikaru called. I spent most of the time with myself.
Sometimes, I saw Hikaru reflected in mirrors, talking to mercenaries. Hearing the conversations was difficult. Artifacts in the other rooms distracted me. The place seemed more like a personal collection than anything else.
Most files were official, from various militias. Nanoencrypted, so I could read none of them. Still, I peeked. They seemed to contain irrelevant data. Perhaps Hikaru kept the most important information somewhere safer.
What information could he have?
23/11/2879 • Sintoli of Irraluna • S-2879
"Irraluna radiates the echoes of infinity. Sintoli tunes the night's secrets. The tide gathers stars within its silence. And Gaia keeps what has yet to bloom."
Kiara woke, and her presence eased the tension, as though I had been waiting for that moment to breathe again. Tanu called me when the upload finished. I arrived in time to see the opening in her forehead close. Hikaru removed the cable.
Kiara blinked, slow to react. "Hate this shit," she complained.
I smiled at having her back.
"Did you manage to manipulate the quantum particles' spin?" Hikaru asked apathetically.
Kiara stood and stretched. "Duh. Obviously. Cheers. And you… you okay?" she asked me.
I beamed and nodded.
"Great. Let's go. Got work to do." She thanked Hikaru again.
He waved a hand.
Kiara crouched to scratch Tanu's head. He let out an adorable little raccoon-dog sound.
I held myself back from grabbing him.
We left.
Walked along Solterra's nanotechnological streets toward Tentro.
"Hikaru told me…" I whispered, smiling foolishly.
We walked along an almost empty street. I had no idea where we were.
Kiara slowed down. "Told you it was an interesting story." She gave a mischievous chuckle.
We crossed a street beneath a drizzle. Muddy earth spread beneath our feet while aged neon signs blinked on the walls. An abandoned part of Tentro.
Apprehension stirred in me.
Electronic signs glittered with the words: Eternal life for Zenithians!
Others bore different inscriptions: Down with the Aether Network and Nanoverse! We'll keep speaking out!
Were these signs from the 2795 uprisings? It made sense.
Back then, Nanoverse, the leading company in LI and nanotechnology, collapsed under sanctions from the Global Network Alliance (GNA), the GMC, and ARGOS. They had imposed severe restrictions on advanced nanotechnologies, destabilizing the sector.
The words blinked like open wounds in the concrete, clustered around us. An echo of a past still resonating in the present. A warning that this war continued.
"We're here." Kiara pulled me from my thoughts.
A bluish lamp illuminated the gloomy alley and a solitary metal door between brick walls. Old Brazilian architecture.
Kiara pushed hard against the door. It opened onto a narrow corridor.
The map drew itself in the air. Lines and code forming a luminous maze.
My heart fluttered. Every line, every corridor led to something waiting to be discovered. The bubbling in my stomach grew. I climbed the stairs into an open space. Smiled with excitement, anxiety, nostalgia. Longing. The place matched Hikaru's description perfectly.
Lights came on as we stepped inside.
Kiara sat on the elevated sofa.
My jaw dropped. Maia had been here. I could almost breathe in her woody scent.
The android patted the cushion for me to sit. "C'mere. Got a lot to do." She displayed the holomap: Parliament's architectural nanoblueprint.
Something bubbled in my stomach.
My Enchantress smiled.