EX//MACHINA: EXORDIUM

Chapter III - In the name of the Father

Just like patience, charity is a virtue. They were probably the most prominent virtues in the young man who had been sitting by the bedside for ten straight hours, waiting. When he wasn't changing bandages or soothing the woman, he would sit in silence until the next task, and it had always been that way. To save the life of the person before him — whom he knew was of great importance — or for anything else, he believed that patience and charity were the most important virtues.

And his belief had never failed him, nor had he failed his belief. So when Leah finally opened her mouth and said something coherent for a change, he smiled, certain that it was God's way of rewarding him for his virtues.

— W-where am I? — Leah asked.

— Verily, in safety. — the young man answered the question in a way he thought was sufficient, but upon realizing her silence, he elaborated further. — I chanced upon thee, bleeding and near death amidst the heart of yon forest, miles removed from the town. Thine indomitable spirit hath stirred even the Almighty.

— W-wait, away from town? Hold on, hold on. — her reaction seemed to be an exact replica of the previous times she woke up, but it was probably- her way of coping, which was understandable. — And... and the others? Jacob? Carlos? Elena?

Knowing that this was the point she usually reached before panicking and blacking out, he simply shook his head negatively, giving Leah the only answer that mattered. He waited for her to speak or do something, and he was surprised when he heard her crying softly. Good, it was a good sign; he just needed to be patient.

— I doth understand the difficulty that besets thee. Yet thou art here, and in thy continued existence, thou canst honor the memories of those who art lost.

Hearing those words and taking a moment to process them, she didn't take long to switch back into survival mode. She took a good look at him: average height, also average weight, not too strong but not thin either. Shiny, curly blond hair that reached his neck, clear and flawless skin except for several scars. These scars didn't seem to result from a struggle for survival or anything like that but rather seemed like words, an illegible text to her. This "detail," along with the black and gold blindfold and his formal black suit was enough to put her on alert. And as a last detail, the words he used were absolutely weird, no sane person talked like that.

After all, even if he didn't want to kill her, he could certainly do something worse. It was the apocalypse; no one would come to rescue her here.

— Who are you? — she asked as she slowly reached for something to hold onto, noticing that she was in a rustic wooden cabin with only her bed and his chair. Furthermore, another detail came to her mind. — And how do you know my name?

— Thou mayst refer to me as Dantalian, and I am pleased to make thy acquaintance. As for thy second query, thou didst reveal it thyself.

— I don't remember talking to you.

— Indeed, in one of thine episodes, thou didst awaken, managing to respond to one or two inquiries before fainting once more. — he provided more details, feeling that the situation required them. — The past ten hours hath unfolded in such a manner.

Ten hours. She had been alone with him for ten hours, and he had only treated her wounds and waited for her to calm down. Moreover, Dantalian was likely blind, considering his blindfold. That was enough to set hostility aside, but the past few days had also prevented her from letting her guard down completely.

And just as she had time to breathe, the memories came flooding back. The blurs were clearing, and everything was returning, the flashes of the past few days becoming a single sequence. And with the memories came the pain. They were all dead, all of them. She didn't want to run away at any point, even knocking down some of the robot-like soldiers who were annihilating the population, but it wasn't enough. Some of her friends and protectees died right in front of her, their blood splattering on her face. Not just them, but children and the elderly were completely obliterated by bullets and explosions.