╰┈➤ " 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚... "
-A nation that fell centuries ago. One that had the most advanced mechanisms and man made technology humans have seen. One even which the gods themselves felt threatened by.
They say any and all living being...
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Colourful tropical birds began singing into the humid air as morning began rising through the Sumeru rainforest. The morning dew sparkled in the colours of the rainbow from the young sunlight. Animals began roaming the earth, scavenging food for the day. Two blue butterflies fluttered pass by, twirling and dancing in the air.
The wanderer observed his rather familiar surroundings. Evergreen grass, endlessly tall trees. All kinds of wildflowers bloomed on the ground. He sighed and placed a hand on the golden rim of his hat.
He walked through trees and bushes, past ponds and small streams. Serenity had fallen in both his mind and body, for the first time in a while.
It had been only a few months since the Traveler's leave to the nation of justice, yet Sumeru seemed rather dull without him. The two had admittedly become good friends, whether he admitted or not. Regardless of their past together. Nahida was occasionally accompanying him, but she had her duties as the archon of a nation. Not that he minded the lack of company, of course. It was in fact welcoming. Controlling his facial expressions to people's liking was tiring.
Why had she made him patrol through the forest... He didn't know, but didn't have the energy to question. A stroll through an area void of people sounded nice anyway. Although, the look on Nahida's face was somewhat suspicious.
He paused and stared at two baby tigers roll and play with each other in a distance. Their mother was watching close by, her tail swaying from side to side. The cubs played without a care for danger, for their mother was up and ready to pounce on enemy from above. The wanderer continued on his way.
"W/n. Are you occupied at the moment?" The familiar voice of a certain archon spoke in his mind. She sounded rather excited. "No. What do I need to do now?"
"Come back to the sanctuary of Surasthana as soon as you can! I have something very exciting to show you." With the sentence, his mind became silent again. W/n stared ahead of his direction before turning on his heels, towards the city once more.
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"You're here. How was the patrolling?" Nahida approached the blue haired male with a smile. He didn't reflect the expression, but made the effort to acknowledge her at least. They were by the entrance of the sanctuary, Nahida was waiting for him. A few akademiya students in green and white uniforms walked pass by. "The same trees and same grass as yesterday. What do you need me for?"
The archon placed a hand on her chest as her expression softened. It was obvious to her that he was trying to keep his tone in check, his body language relaxed. She made a motion to follow her, before walking through the entrance. W/n followed silently.
They were greeted by the sight of a familiar... Cage. It was left empty after the goddess of wisdom was long ago freed. But this time, both could see a figure. Two green branches came from above and below, a green bubble like material surrounding a human silhouette. This time, the bubble was too thick to be able to clearly see whoever was inside.
Nahida walked over to the bubble and watched as it occasionally sent small vibrations through the surface. The wanderer only looked at the archon and the rebuilt cage back and forth. "...Who is that."
The female turned to him with an unreadable expression, then back to the cage. "I actually found them a while back, well, technically a group of researchers did." She placed a hand on the bottom of her chin in thought. "They were apparently in the back chambers of the ruin golem by the forest... But they still haven't waken up to date."
W/n stared at the glowing green material, successfully acting as a barrier between them. His companion continued. "But once I checked on them, I found no heart beat nor brain waves emitting from their body. And yet, they show no signs of death. The most surprising part, is that even Irminsul did not have any record of this individual."
His brow perked up in interest at the last part. "Irminsul? So that's what you've been up to nowadays. But the topic has caught my attention. Go on."
"...I will let you take a look at them." Nahida let her palm out towards the green bubble, a faint light of dendro emitting from her hand. The barrier soon glowed brightly before becoming nearly translucent.
W/n stared at the figure before him. Their eyes were shut tight, no emotion portrayed on their sleeping expression. They had the features of any normal human female would. "Looks like a human to me. What do you mean by they have no heartbeat? Does that suggest they are of a mechanism?" Nahida crossed her arms as she stared. "To be honest, that's the only reasonable conclusion I've been able to come up with. And.. Pay close attention to their forehead." He followed the instructions, his eyes squinting slightly in focus.
Between their brows, just above the area, was a golden four cornered star symbol.
"....Khaenri'ah."
"Correct. My theory is that they are a creation with origins from the said nation, hence the reason they possess no records even in Irminsul itself. They may have survived the cataclysm by somehow ending up in the ruin golem.. But that brings up even more questions." The two continued to observe the third figure present in the room. They remained unmoving, their chest a void of any movement. Like a certain someone else. "If they're truly a machine of some sort, it is highly possible they are out of fuel. If so, then what do they require as nourishment?"
The wanderer looked at the creation in front of him in disbelief. Their- or perhaps, "her" hair did not even move a single blade out of place. She was almost like a plant in a dormant state over the cold winter. A white top with various patterns covered her upper torso, a black coat overtop. The coat had a single star shaped button by the top, which was buttoned closed. A pair of simple boots was placed on her feet, reaching halfway through her calves. Purple accented her fit. No visions were present anywhere on the figure.
"Well, what do you plan on doing with them? Surely an empty husk without even the minimum conciousness is no use to you." Nahida turned to him. "I'll be rather straightforward. I want you to try and find a way to wake them up from their coma state."
The wanderer turned to her with an annoyed expression. She sheepishly smiled in responce. "Hey, if anyone knows artificial humans best, it's probably you. Plus, I'll be helping as much as I can." With a softened expression, she placed a hand on the barrier. "..I want to know her. What, or who she is. You would be lying if you said you weren't the least bit curious, wouldn't you?" He tsked and looked away at her streak of questions.
"Fine. But only because of my indebtedness to you. Nothing more, nothing less." She smiled in responce. "Thank you." Suddenly, the bubble glowed brightly. A small vibration followed.
"Look! It's almost as if she's saying thank you too." W/n watched the figure, who kept her motionless state still.
The last thing he saw before leaving was the glowing symbol on her forehead.
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If anyone noticed, I changed titles
:) This was more of a prologue than an actual chap, real chapters will contain at least + 2k words
Please point out any spelling errors or grammar mistakes you discover in the story, they are very appreciated
