NULL [inanimate Insanity Fanfic]

Ark 0.5, Chapter 2: Duty, and Hope.

———

It is your duty?

For you to act like this?

How can you look me in my eyes...

And tell me...

We cannot change for the better!

Have you no soul?!

You are not the person I knew before!

Why can't that you come back to me?

Do you really hate me so?

———

The sky overhead was turning a deep shade of purple fading into orange where the sun was setting below the horizon. The world was beginning to grow quiet, and many were sitting in the dining room of the academy for dinner.

Lightbulb was covered in a few cuts, and bruises. Along with her sweat from the training she was doing with Paintbrush. She wiped the sweat from her face and ducked out of the way from another sword blow. She jabbed Paintbrush with the blunt end to knock them over, but Paintbrush quickly swept her legs. Lightbulb yelped as she full to the ground with a thud, and Paintbrush jumped up and placed their sword next to her neck area, symbolizing they won.

Lightbulb pouted as she sat up. "Again...? What is that... 2–6?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Hahah, yeah... You keep hesitating. You gotta actually fight me." Paintbrush placed their free hand on their hip.

"I don't want to hurt ya!" Lightbulb clutched her spear closer to herself.

"Lightbulb... You can't expect an enemy to treat a fight like sparring." Paintbrush huffed towards Lightbulb.

"I—... I know that! I just...— I'm being trained to protect! How come we can't just... Lock up the enemy?" Lightbulb shrugged.

"You keep bring that up... They aren't realistic Lightbulb... This whole place proves that." Paintbrush pushed.

"No! No! You'll see! I'll do it! I'll get the magic— I'll  set everyone free! Once I'm deemed worthy, we will leave together! Kids only have to train until someone two of us gets powers and become this world's guardians right? I'll do it!" Lightbulb shouted.

Paintbrush felt fear slowly shift into their face. They felt horrible amounts of pity for her desperate grasp to keep her naivety intact. But Paintbrush could tell behind her eyes, there was something telling her she'd fail.

"Even if you did get the powers... Who's to say you won't fail as the same as the last guardians—?"

"THAT WON'T HAPPEN!" She clenched her fists. Her knuckles turned white and the emblem on her hand seemed to be mesmerizing Paintbrush in that moment... Like something about it was drawing their eyes towards it like a magnet.

"O-okay... Okay. Believe what you want... If you're really that dead set, I won't stop you." They reassured putting their hands up defensively in front of them.