The rooftop stretched wide, a platform framed with transparent alloy railings, glowing faintly with embedded neon-blue strips. Above, the night sky of Mechatopia was unlike anything Luna had ever seen. There were stars, yes—but they were often eclipsed by massive orbital structures drifting like floating continents. Thousands of spacecrafts glided in organized streams, their trails glowing crimson, teal, and gold, weaving like veins of light across infinity.
Automobiles buzzed at lower altitudes, neon-coated, some shaped like sleek arrows, others like glass orbs. Giant holograms of idols and advertisements flickered across buildings in the distance, their voices muted at this height.
And then… the music.
A synthwave track pulsed faintly through the city's central broadcast towers. Distant Echoes. The bassline hummed like a heartbeat, soft and lonely, while melancholic synths wrapped around Luna like an invisible embrace. Every vibration in the air seemed to resonate with her chest, amplifying the ache she carried.
She sat on the edge of the platform, legs dangling into open infinity. Her biomechanical skin faintly glowed lilac, reflecting the lights below. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the railing for balance. Her chest rose and fell faster than usual, her heart hammering against the thin artificial layers, as if begging to tear through.
Her purple eyes flickered faintly, almost wet with emotion, as she whispered to herself:
"Why… why does it hurt this much? Why did I lie…? If I said yes… if I told him… would he look at me differently? Or would he walk away forever?"
She hugged her knees close, then pressed her forehead to them. The synthwave melody only deepened the ache, echoing her loneliness in an endless city of machines.
Then… footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate. Steady.
Luna lifted her head quickly, blinking. Valerian stood near the rooftop access door, his storm-blue eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. His expression was unreadable, his posture sharp as always. He didn't walk closer immediately, just studied her for a moment with that unnerving calmness of his.
Finally, his voice broke the silence. Cold. A little cruel.
"It's an S-class mission. And you're stepping back."
The words cut sharper than any blade. Luna's chest tightened as she bit her lip. She turned her gaze back to the skyline, pretending to admire the ships, though her hands clenched into fists.
Valerian's tone carried no softness, only weight.
"We have to become like couples. For that kid. For Flame. It's just acting—nothing more."
The city lights reflected in Luna's glowing eyes. She forced herself to smile faintly, though her lips trembled. Just acting… nothing more. If only you knew how much I wanted it to be real…
Valerian stepped closer, his boots making faint mechanical taps on the alloy floor. His shadow stretched beside hers.
"You already told me you didn't feel anything toward me," he continued, cold as steel. "That you weren't attracted. So why hesitate now? You're S-rank. Stop acting weak."
Her breath caught. The words I don't feel anything echoed in her mind like a cruel joke. She had said it to protect herself. To stop him from hating her, ignoring her, cutting her off completely. But hearing those words from his mouth made her heart twist painfully, like a knife turning inside.
"It was a lie, Valerian… I lied because I'm terrified. Terrified that if I told you the truth, you'd push me away forever. That you'd despise me. I'm weak, aren't I? I can kill monsters, survive hellish training, but I can't even confess one feeling."
Valerian moved again, sitting down beside her. Not too close, but close enough that his presence radiated like a storm contained within a human form. Luna's breath hitched. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she tightened her arms around her legs.
His gaze didn't meet hers. Instead, he stared straight at the city, at the streams of neon traffic and endless skyscrapers. His voice was low, still cold, but steadier now:
"We both are in love. For this mission."
The words pierced her.
She wanted to scream. "Not for the mission. Not for Flame. For me—for us—for real!" But her voice caught in her throat. Tears prickled faintly at the corners of her glowing lilac eyes. She swallowed them down and forced her lips into a trembling smile.
"Y-yeah…" she whispered, her voice almost breaking. "For the mission."
Inside her, two images battled violently.
The diamond reactor Nikhil had described—glowing bright pink with her feelings. And Valerian's octagon—glowing red, rejecting her. The clash of colors played in her mind endlessly, tearing her apart.
Her heart screamed for real affection. Real warmth. Real love. But all she could give was a fake smile under the artificial stars of a machine's world.
The synthwave track echoed again across the city—lonely, melancholic, eternal.
And beside her, Valerian's stormy eyes never turned to see the pain in her trembling smile.
The chamber wasn't large, but every inch of it radiated precision. Transparent walls pulsed faintly with embedded data streams, glowing symbols running like veins of neon through the alloy. Two rectangular beds lay in the center, framed by skeletal mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling like chrome serpents. Two android assistants stood by the walls, their faces blank, their eyes glowing white as they processed protocols.
The atmosphere was thick with sterilized ozone, faint machine oil, and the low hum of energy coils preparing to engage. The synthwave in the city beyond was muffled here—like the outside world was fading, leaving only the weight of what was about to happen.
Nikhil, in his lab coat streaked with faint grease stains, clapped his hands once. "Chalo, let's begin," he said in Hindi. "Both of you—lie down. Face up. Don't resist."
Luna's heart slammed painfully in her chest. She nodded quickly, her lilac hair shimmering faintly in the chamber's glow. Her body trembled, though she tried to keep her posture straight. Valerian, by contrast, moved with absolute composure, lying on the bed as if he were simply preparing for another mission simulation.
He looks so calm. Why is it so easy for him? For me… it feels like my entire soul is about to be exposed…
Luna lowered herself onto the cold alloy bed, shivering at the touch against her bare biomechanical skin. Her glowing lilac suit flickered softly, registering the chamber's energy. She clenched her fists against the sides of the bed, chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Relax," Nikhil muttered in Hindi, waving to the androids. "It won't hurt. But it will show truth."
Two mechanical arms descended toward Luna, each tipped with glowing micro-surgical needles and scanning prisms. A low whirring sound filled the chamber as the prisms aligned with the center of her chest.
Her breath caught. This is it. No more hiding. If my life reactor turns pink, everyone will know. Even him.
The arms steadied above her. A sharp hiss of compressed air. Then the first needle sank delicately into her chest—piercing not flesh, but the biomechanical layers. She gasped softly as a surge of warmth rippled through her, like her heartbeat had suddenly tripled.
A diamond-shaped cavity shimmered open on her chest plate, glowing faintly with white light. Microfilaments slid into place, weaving intricate lattices as a small crystal core lowered into the opening. The reactor.
It pulsed once—white. Twice—flickering. Then…
Pink.
Bright. Undeniable. A glowing rose hue that radiated like a confession carved into her very soul.
Luna's eyes widened, tears pricking at the corners. Her cheeks flushed deep crimson. Her heartbeat thundered, loud enough she swore the machines could hear it.
It's true. I can't hide it anymore. Even if I never say the words, the reactor has betrayed me. It's him. Only him.
Valerian turned his head slightly from his own bed, his storm-blue eyes catching the pink glow in the corner of his vision. For a fraction of a second, his lips twitched, but his face quickly settled back into its usual mask of cold indifference.
The machines moved to him next. His chest plate parted with a faint metallic sigh, revealing the octagonal cavity prepared for his reactor. The androids inserted the crystal core with equal precision.
It pulsed—white. Then red. Then green.
Then… it settled into a strange mixture. The dominant glow was green, flickering steadily, but faint bands of red streaked the edges like cracks.
Nikhil adjusted his goggles, muttering in Hindi, "Hmm. Green means acceptance. Red means resistance. Strange… it's like he's suppressing."
Luna turned her head toward Valerian, her glowing eyes wide, her lips parting faintly. Suppressing…? Does that mean…?
Valerian stared at the ceiling, expression blank, as if the entire process were beneath him. But his stormy eyes flickered briefly—betraying a ripple of conflict that Luna, even in her spiraling emotions, caught.
The mechanical arms withdrew with a hiss. The reactors sealed into place. The glow softened, though still faintly visible under the thin biomechanical layers.
Nikhil straightened, brushing his hands together. "Bas. Done. Diamond pink for her. Octagon… mixed, but green dominant for him. That means—mission compatibility achieved." He gave a small smirk. "Congratulations, lovebirds."
Luna's face went crimson, and she curled slightly on the bed, covering her chest with trembling arms even though the reactor had already sealed beneath her suit.
Her thoughts spiraled, rapid and breathless:
He knows now. He knows it's pink. He knows I love him. But his… his is green… with red. Does he hate me? Is he rejecting me but pretending otherwise? Or… is there something he doesn't want to admit?
Her lips parted, but no words came. Instead, she laughed faintly—a nervous, broken little laugh that echoed against the sterile walls. She pressed her forehead against her palms, cheeks burning.
Valerian finally turned his head toward her. His gaze was cold, unreadable. But for a second, barely noticeable, his eyes softened.
Only for a second.
Then he looked away.