ALONLUNA OF 2878
"Elongation becomes a path across the sky. Light ascends in steady steps. Gaia weaves tide and season in unison. History enters fully into rhythm."
Maia became absence.
I waited.
One minute. Ten. Half an hour.
Time dragged—merciless.
Each second twisted my patience tighter, like a rope pulled to its limit.
An eternity.
I walked home, my mind a storm of fractured glimpses.
The previous night throbbed inside me—
like a splinter buried beneath skin,
invisible,
impossible to ignore.
A bitter taste lingered.
The echo of something wrong.
Something interrupted.
A sensation of betrayal.
How dare they do that?
By then, only worst-case scenarios formed.
What if Maia had chosen stillness?
Why was she there in the first place?
What happened before I found her?
And the blood on her hands—
what did it mean?
The answer slipped between my thoughts, always just beyond reach.
Despite everything, curiosity endured.
I wanted to see her again.
Needed to.
To thank her for helping me.
But how?
All I had was her name.
I asked Takashi to search for a Maia matching her appearance.
No resonance.
Nothing.
I let it rest.
Moons passed.
S-2878 • L1 Alonluna • D24 Ritsi
"Alonluna gathers gold from the heights. Ritsi marks the cadence of return. The tide refines step and silence. History prepares the next dawn."
A calm day.
The first results of Project Jaburu were promising.
Participants were excited.
They watched their memories from two lunations ago.
The remaining warmth folded inward;
my body announced the descent before the blood.
Before going home, I decided to gift myself something sweet.
Colorful 24-hour shops glowed along nearly empty streets.
I bought a custard pastry and walked to the bus stop.
The bus would arrive in thirty minutes.
The delay increased due to a robbery at an electronics store.
Police had sealed nearby routes.
Thirty minutes felt endless.
I called a taxi.
What else could I do?
I wandered along the sidewalk.
Time thinned.
In a storefront display, an interview played on a holoscreen.
An android writer—Novella.
"I am here to co-transcend with humans," she said.
CLANG.
Metal colliding in the alley beside me.
I tried to ignore it.
Focused on the holoscreen.
CLANG.
Again.
Something inside me tightened.
Two men burst from the alley.
Hands and faces smeared in blood.
One muttered something I couldn't hear.
They ran past me, heading the opposite direction.
They didn't notice me.
But my pulse exploded.
My skin prickled.
I wanted to look.
My body resisted.
I needed to go.
But what if they were still there?
What if I became the next target?
My instinct screamed retreat.
Leave.
But what if someone was still breathing?
What if it was already too late?
I closed my fists.
Swallowed fear.
I was a doctor.
If someone needed help, I would help.
I forced myself into the alley.
A single aerolamp cast weak amber light.
I walked slowly.
A foot appeared among stacked crates.
My heartbeat slammed against my ribs.
One step.
Another.
A body.
Thrown between boxes.
Head swallowed by shadow.
Hands stained red.
One more step.
The trembling light brushed pale skin.
My throat locked.
The shock struck hard.
Maia.
White strands soaked in blood.
Air compressed inside my lungs.
A strangled cry escaped me.
I knelt.
Fingers at her neck.
Pulse.
Faint.
Alive.
Three deep cuts—
brow and lower lip.
Taxi notification.
I moved without thinking.
Lifted her.
Carried her to the vehicle.
We rushed to the hospital.
Emergency Unit
Maia received priority treatment.
Her condition demanded it.
Nurses noted the absence of a biochip.
Secondary.
Stabilization first.
Life before data.
A doctor from that hospital stood beside her.
Me.
I joined the attending physician.
Maia would remain unconscious for some time.
We began immediate intervention.
Bruising on the neck.
Strangulation marks.
Red skin.
Her sexual integrity intact.
Relief washed through me.
Injuries concentrated in the thorax.
Signs of beating.
One fractured rib.
Multiple contusions.
Maia fought.
She resisted.
We checked her head.
CT scan.
"Place her here," the neurologist instructed.
He prepared the imaging display.
"She remained unconscious since you found her?"
I nodded.
Minutes later—
Results.
No major intracranial damage.
Minor lesions.
Observation required.
I requested a room.
Ordered blood panels as precaution.
Dimmed the lights.
I wanted her awakening to feel gentle.
I stayed beside her.
The entire time.
Eventually—
sleep claimed me.
During the early hours
I woke.
Maia still slept.
Her vital signs had stabilized.
I administered the pain medication and stepped back.
She murmured.
I moved closer.
"W-what…?"
Her lips barely formed the word.
"Maia. It's me. Akiko."
"Akiko…"
She repeated it softly, eyes half-open.
"Yes. You remember me, right?"
She coughed, a sharp sound, and winced as she tried to move her arm.
"Yes. Where am I?"
I touched her shoulders.
"Easy. Moving will hurt.
You're in a hospital."
"Hospital?
Which hospital?
Where am I?"
Pain tightened her face.
"You're safe."
Her eyes scanned the room.
Searching.
Exit routes.
Even injured, she calculated.
"Where?"
"Santa Geordana Hospital.
I work here."
"Zênite?"
"Yes."
She tried to sit up.
Her muscles betrayed her.
Pain seized her entire body.
A broken sound escaped her throat.
"Stop. Don't try."
I held her gently but firmly.
"You're fragile right now."
She fell back, breathing hard.
"Not here."
Her voice trembled.
The control dissolved.
Panic surfaced.
It gained shape.
Claws.
Her hands gripped my arms.
Fingers pressing into my skin.
"Take me out.
P-please. Take me out of here."
Her breath fractured.
She trembled against me.
Head pressed into my chest—
as if hiding from the world itself.
"I—"
The door chimed.
I eased her back.
"Dr. Akiyama.
The blood test results have arrived.
Dr. Daren would like to speak with you.
As soon as possible."
The android nurse emphasized the last words.
I nodded and closed the door.
Why did he want to speak?
I opened the results.
My eyes widened.
"Maia…"
My heart stumbled.
Vision blurred.
The biotablet glowed in my hands.
I read.
Again.
Again.
The data shone like a verdict.
The hospital walls seemed to tilt.
"M-maia… your blood type is O Rh null."
I sat down.
A void opened inside my chest.
The rarest blood type in the world.
So rare that Zênite housed an exclusive center—
monitored by the CMG.
Was that why she wanted to avoid the hospital?
But in her condition, I had to bring her.
I closed the biotablet and returned to her side.
"Please… take me away."
Her voice softened.
"Anywhere.
Take care of me.
You're a doctor… right?"
Her gaze avoided mine.
Something unspoken lingered beneath her composure.
She was stable.
I could monitor her at home.
I had equipment.
I could work remotely for CogniSynth.
I rubbed my temples.
"Are you sure?"
She had the right to leave.
Her condition was serious.
But not terminal.
The Code of Ethics respected autonomy.
She nodded.
"All right. As you wish."
I explained the discharge to the head nurse android.
They reassessed her.
Informed the attending physician.
Confirmed consent.
She was released.
I helped her into the car.
Returned inside.
"Akiyama."
Daren reached me in the corridor.
He must have crossed the hospital at speed.
"Please. Listen."
"Yes?"
I held my composure.
"You saw it.
Why are you doing this?
We need her blood.
We only have one active donor of this type on the continent.
If we secure another, the Council's Blood Commission will decide.
You understand what her blood means."
His eyes gleamed.
"Later.
She needs recovery first.
I'll discuss the research with her."
I already sensed her refusal.
His smile faded.
"Fine. I'll wait.
But this is essential.
Come back to me when you have news."