Late that night, Simni sat alone again in her room, surrounded by scattered mechanical parts and glowing tools.
Her cyan hair, now slightly tangled from the humidity, brushed against her cheek as she worked. The glow of her amber eyes flickered to blue for a brief moment then back again.
A low hum came from her chest as her systems began to overheat.
"Temperature… rising. Core synchronization failing," she whispered, trying to keep her voice low. Steam hissed faintly from the vents hidden beneath her skin. "Not now… please not now…"
She grabbed a cooling rod from the table and pressed it against her neck, releasing a faint mist.
Her voice crackled through static. "Command… Basei… this is Simni reporting…"
The line connected with a buzz.
"Simni?" Basei's deep voice answered. "You're overheating again, aren't you?"
She frowned slightly, still forcing a professional tone. "Negative. This is merely… system adjustment."
"Adjustment doesn't cause you to melt your desk."
She looked down - indeed, a small section of the metal desk was beginning to warp from the heat of her hand. She pulled back quickly, cheeks glowing faintly red from embarrassment even though she was alone.
"Fine… minor error. Will fix shortly."
"Simni." Basei's voice softened. "You don't have to push that hard. You're supposed to monitor, not destroy yourself doing it."
She paused, then smiled faintly, her tone lighter. "You worry too much. Besides, you programmed me to be efficient."
Basei chuckled quietly. "I didn't program that attitude into you."
Before she could reply, her system beeped. "Warning" mana interference detected. Nearby source: Class F dormitory."
Her eyes widened. "Milly…" she whispered.
The connection cut off as she instantly stood, her movement smooth and fast despite the flickering static in her arms. She grabbed her coat and dashed into the hallway.
Across the academy, Milly sat up in bed, clutching her chest as golden sparks flickered briefly around her eyes. She looked at her hands - glowing faintly in the dark.
"What's happening to me…" she muttered, her voice trembling.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm her aura, but the glow wouldn't stop.
Then- a knock.
"Miss Mila?" came a gentle voice.
Milly turned, startled. Standing at the doorway was Celeste, her cyan hair dimly glowing under the hall light, eyes calm and kind - but for a flicker of blue hidden behind the amber.
Milly relaxed slightly. "Celeste…? Why are you here this late?"
Celeste tilted her head. "I sensed unstable energy. Are you alright?"
Milly hesitated, then gave a tired smile. "You… really remind me of someone I used to know."
Celeste blinked once, her voice almost catching. "Do I now…?"
Milly nodded faintly, lying back down. "Yeah… she used to fix machines too."
Celeste smiled, soft and bittersweet. "Then she must have been reliable."
The two shared a quiet silence before Celeste stood and bowed slightly. "Rest well, Miss Mila."
As she turned to leave, her eyes glowed blue again for a second reflecting in the dark window.
Milly stared quietly after her.
"…Simni?" she whispered faintly.
Celeste paused at the door but didn't turn around.
Then she walked away, her expression unreadable, sparks still flickering faintly beneath her sleeve.