Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 18 - Redeeming Quality

Chapter 18 – Redeeming Quality

I feel numb, like my body is wrapped in a thick fog. A dull wooziness swirls through me, making it hard to think straight. Was it because of the hug Myrrh gave me just minutes ago, her warmth lingering like a fading ember? Maybe. Or was it the side effects of wielding the power of the Machine God and its Weapons of Mass Destruction? Most likely. It feels like my mind is caught between worlds—between the weight of that overwhelming power and the fragile human shell I'm trying to hold together.

Dwelling on it won't help, though. It's already two in the morning, and sleep has been elusive ever since the attack of the Cosmic Beasts. Neither of us has had a decent night's rest. Myrrh and I dragged ourselves through the earlier battles, our bodies drained of energy, before finally heeding the call to assemble at the university grounds. We're running on fumes, but there's no time to stop.

As I trailed behind Myrrh, she had her phone pressed to her ear, her voice soft but strained. She was talking to her mother, checking in. Her words were muffled, but I caught enough to know she was asking about her mom's condition, reassuring her that we were heading to the university. When Myrrh's voice shifted to a tone of relief, I guessed the news was good. Her mother was safe. Thank the Machine God.

We reached the university gates, and the sight before us was staggering. Frame Units of all kinds were being deployed, their massive forms lifting off the ground like war machines ready to take flight. Aircraft support hummed overhead, escorting the Frame Units toward the frontlines, their engines roaring through the night like distant thunder. The sky was alive with mechanical giants, their glowing cores pulsing like stars on the verge of war.

We made it to the assembly, where hordes of first-year students gathered, standing by with tense faces. I could see the exhaustion etched in their expressions, a reflection of what I felt.

"Myrrh! Over here!" A voice broke through the haze. My vision wavered, but I managed to make out a female student waving us over. Her crimson, wavy hair caught the light, standing out against the dreariness of the scene. She was in our class, but her name eluded me—my mind was a foggy mess, struggling to process anything clearly.

"Cindy!" Myrrh's voice was a bright contrast to the gloom as she hurried over to the girl.

"You guys are late!" Cindy smirked, teasingly. "Did you two spend the night in a love hotel or something?"

"Ew! No!" Myrrh cringed, recoiling slightly. "We had a detour because of the chaos unfolding in the northern part of the city."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Cindy's voice took on a more serious tone. "I heard about a dozen of Cosmic Beasts have been rampaging across the city. They've already sent in the professional WAIFUs to fight, but apparently, even that wasn't enough. They've started deploying interns to the frontlines too."

Myrrh kept chatting with Cindy, but their voices started to blur, fading into the background like distant echoes. My head felt heavy, each word they spoke muffled by the growing dizziness swirling inside me. My vision swam, and I couldn't stand the spinning anymore. Without thinking, I sat down on the cold, hard ground, the chill seeping through my clothes as I tried to steady myself.

"Yo!" A gentle tap landed on my shoulder, snapping me out of the haze. I glanced up, forcing my sluggish eyes to focus. Standing there was my friend Neil, looking half-awake, his brown hair sticking out in all directions. His eyes were tinged red, likely from being rudely woken up from what I imagined was a decent sleep.

"Neil... what's up?" I managed, forcing a smile, though I was sure it came off more like a grimace.

"Sucks to be us first years, huh?" he said with a dry chuckle, flopping down beside me. "Stuck here on standby, waiting for something worse to go down in the city. I guess they can't exactly throw us into combat just yet."