The Cycles of Fate: Glass Society

Chapter 7 " The Hero Part 2 "

The next part start with the sandman reaching the city with the couple, and now we asks will the hero role end? The Nightmare words are still Ringing in his mind "we are immortals and Still more dead than the living" , it doesn't help that he also still thinking of the devil talk as well "you are nothing" , the sandman is starting to feel like he is being pushed to his edge, he need to find his role in this new world, a new meaning to his endless life, the couple of the neo-humans thanks the sandman for his help, the two sees the sandman in different eyes, for them he is not just a strong neo human, he is a creature from a different world, a world that's very different than their world, the sandman asks them if he can stay with them for a while, they agree, the sandman doesn't need a home or place, but maybe and just maybe being more defined, acting a bit more humanely will restore his humanity, he decide to walk in the City, it's not very large place, alot of the buildings are of poor quality, cracking and about to fall, yet these neo human cling to it, live in these dangerous houses that could crush them at any time, life was breathed into them and now they try their best to survive protecting their delicate bodies, while he doesn't understand what it means to survive, he continues walking in the city and something weird caught his eyes, he sees a neo human being harassed by a group of other neo humans who are also a cyborgs, their limbs are all robotic, once again a big change, something that never existed in the world he was in before, he again wonders what happened in his absence, what big event that could've happened, how insignificant he is to this tale that the world would change drastically and leave him behind, he once again decides to play a hero, maybe being a hero is the goal that will save him, he stops the harassers, push them away from the neo human, they look at his weird body that's made from sand and make a comment on what the hell he is, this the first time someone comments on his new form, he himself doesn't have the best explanation on how he exactly became like this, but he may have a general idea, his body was entirely removed from existance by the black death, it doesn't make sense that it will be revived, however it was in the desert when reformed, from ground he up rised, like a dead coming back from hell, taking the sand and making it his form, he is still unsure if this really what exactly happened but he thinks it's a plausible explanation, but to these neo humans, what could he say? He can't say that, they won't understand, whatever explanation he gives he is like a monster in their eyes, something like the nightmare but Maybe little less scary, he replies with "I'm old creature, something that lived for thousands and thousands in the core of the earth, but one day a big event happened, something that caused a big shock across the entire earth, it forced me to wake up from my slumber and I couldn't get back to sleep since then" to him, this was an accurate description of himself without telling the complicated parts, but to them it still sounded like a stupid joke that can't be taken seriously, the cyborgs tell him to step aside but he refuses and tell them to stop harassing the neo human, they tell him "it's not like we want this " "if we don't make him like us he won't be able to fight when the androids come" the sandman was like "androids?" Another detail get added to story and another time he asks how much changed in his disappearance, however by now he got used to the monotony of the process, the cyborgs were like " there a crazy neo human, one that call himself the mechanic, this one is all obsessed with old world, stuck to it's ideals, he created an army of androids, to destroy all remaining neo humans, to replace them with the perfect Androids" for the sandman this felt like trouble but also comforting in some way, since he got back to this world he has never heard someone talks about the perfects and imperfects, let alone someone who is obsessed with bringing back the perfects to the point that he doesn't care if they were not human, it resonated with him on many levels, as if he is back to his home, the cyborgs add " look at him, the neo human, his glass body will shatter at one hit from these droids, he won't be able to withstand it, we need to destroy his limbs and replace with robotic one, we need fighters, the mechanic is coming, we will be purged if we do nothing" the sandman is back at it, once again he is able to play hero, he understands that return of life doesn't only means bringing back love and fear, it's also means that evil is back, for him being human is greatest thing and sin at the same time, yet he want to play the hero again, the sandman say "I will protect your city" "I have no idea when or where he is coming but I will stop the mechanic for you" " stop pushing neo humans to become cyborgs and just you protect the city from the inside while I fight in fronts" the cyborgs are in awe of how he is courageous, but at same time they are not sure if he is stupid or not, the androids have an entire army, will he be able to defeat them?
The sandman goes back to the couple, the two neo humans once again thank him for his help, the express the gratitude, an another great bliss of humanity, a sign appreciation for the good individuals in society, but he still isn't a one even if he is trying to be. The couple are one of the rare cases where this world doesn't push him aggressively to the edge and he likes it, he says to them he is leaving to protect the city but once he is done, he will return.
Now during night, we see the nightmare talking to a mysterious figure, a person with his entire body covered by clothes, the nightmare tell the mysterious figure about the sandman, how potentially dangerous he is, how he could Ruin everything, and at same time we see the devil looking at everything as an observer, looking forward whatever gonna happen next to sandman, feeling as if something bad going to happen to him, "Soon he is going to be hurt, he will understand how what he is doing is meaningless"
We cut back to the sandman, at city borders, using his sand Diving form, moving like a worm in the sand, he is being a protector, his life may start to have a meaning once again, he feels good that maybe the nightmare is wrong about him, that he is alive as much as other neo humans, and then it happens, a group of armored Android is coming to city, to purge the neo humans, about 300 one, a very large number, his hopes get crushed, how would stop that large number, he is strong but at same time he won't be able to destroy all of these, he moves under the army, and splashes, emerging from the grounds like a bomb, most of androids are pushed back and fall on the ground like a group of dominos, they stand up and group at him, their bodies are mechanical and complex and their faces have a meancing look, they start running toward him then jump into him, like a group of ants fighting for food, they try to rip and tear him as if they are plucking a chicken,however due to his sandy nature they can't get a grip on him so he then spreads his body and slips through them, after repositioning himself a bit far from them he reforms then come with idea, he start entering their bodies and return to his normal form within them, but he discovers that their metallic body parts are too heavy and strong and he isn't strong enough to push it to the out, he is outnumbered, some of them Start leaving to city but he is outnumbered and can't something for them, he depends on the fact that maybe the cyborgs will able to do the ones that slips and enter the city, he thinks what to do but at same time the androids start charging at him once again, they hit him but they are unable to do anything to his sand body, he come with another idea, he runs and the androids follow him, until he reaches a site where there is group of scattered boulders, he once again enter his worm form and dive beneath the boulders, the androids doesn't know where he is currently now so he emerges again from the ground pushing the boulders in their direction, crushing alot of them in the process, the rest become more aggressive and charge again toward him,so he streches his body very far which because of his sand nature he is able to do it, then aims for the legs or head to immobilize them, he successfully incapacitated most of the androids with this process but he is bit worried about the ones that gone into the city so he decide to return, in the way a neo human appears with entirely cyborg body and only a glass head, sandman at first thinks he is from the cyborgs, he maybe wants to tell him that they successfully terminated the rest of the androids, but the cyborg say "Interesting fella aren't you" "a body of sand that can't be destroyed and can be reformed in any shape" "you are alot more perfect than any of my droids will ever be" the sandman realize who is that after the last sentence, he is the mechanic, the leader of the androids, a group of tentacles emerges from his back, then another group of magnetic shields come out of the ground and it's click on the tentacles, he unsheathes a sword, one that is starting to glow red, he says "It's a shame, back in old days, we prefects didn't fight, we didn't need to, life was too meaningless to fight for, nothing was worth it" his sowrd starts to become more red, as if it going to melt, "And yet you imperfects, came on and Ruined it, you just have to be too attached to this world, even if your actions are futile, nothing matter, we gonna fight, I or you will win, but in the end the cycle may return, everything will reset and everything happened here will be forgotten", the sword starts to emit fire and sandman come forward, he focus the sand in his hand to form a strong fist, he tries to hit the mechanic but when the hit land we hear a clang sound, the shield clicking with fist, protect ing the mechanic, the sandman says " Shame? Do you see the world around? Are you that maniacal and delusional to think the imperfects appeared from nowhere? As if they weren't all originally perfect? " the mechanic pushes further forward, he swing his fire sword towards the sandman, cutting his body In two halves, a carbon smell starts to feel the place,the sandman reforms and then pulls back, he realizes his strength and abilities alone won't be enough this time, something needs to happen, the mechanic says "It hurts isn't it?" "The thing is imperfects are delusional, they think they've found a greater purpose In their lives, something greater than the monotony of the peaceful perfects, for the imperfects wars are act of self expression, they don't mind doing terrible things for sake of having reason to exist, what purpose you can have when the world is about to end? What purpose you can have when nothing matters? Life has been meaningles with us for too long yet once it got it's meaning the world decides to end" The sandman enters the ground using his worm form, trying to push the mechanic from below, yet when he emerges the mechanic forms a shell using his magentic shields, the ground splash doesn't do anything to him, the sandman gets more frustrated, he starts doubting his decision of becoming a hero, if he can't take down someone like the mechanic what would he be able to do In the face of the nightmare, he pushes forward once again, Concentrating the sand in both of his fists, he punches the shields of the mechanic like a crazy, hoping to destroy it, it doesn't work, the shields open forward pushing the sandman, the mechanic double hit the sandman with his blade, the carbon emissions starts to get stronger in the area, the sandman actually feels pain, he question what is he doing, he question if having a purpose, something to fight for is worth it, worth the pain, he reforms and enters his worm form again, the mechanic "Losing hope aren't you, Even though you are immortal, even though you can't die, I still have the upper hand here, it's funny, an immortal, a being that should understand better than anyone else, of futility of this world, of how it's a Lost cause, when will you live forever will you question how no one will cares about you, no one will remember who are or what did, you may get stuck in your little bubble that you matter but even you don't " after emerging from the ground the sandman once again is pushed to the edge, he clutches, he feels frustrated and angry, the world want him back to his old self so much, it's as if everything in it is fighting his ideals, no one believes in him, even he himself is doubting the meaning of all of this but now it ends, he no longer cares, no one can understand what he does, what is he searching for ,he is alone in his journey "I don't care what you assholes thinks, but I'm going to be human, I will have a purpose, yes everything will fades, a point will come where I'm alone, a time where no one remember, my actions or who I'm, but I don't care, it's not glory what I'm after, if I make a small change In the world, Even if it's very simple, then it's enough, even if no remember it, if no one cares, i will be there for myself, in the end my ideals are my own" the sandman body thickens, his new found determination affected his body, changing his form to a thicker body that is made of small rocks, his initial theory of being awakened in sand and losing his glass body maybe not fully correct, there is something that he might not understand, and yet he pushes forward, against the mechanic, mechanic swing back but his fire sword leaves only small scratches on the sandman, the sandman who now became the rockman hold the scorching blade with his fists and breaks it, the mechanic starts throwing his shields one after other at the rockman, but he fails as rockman deflect every one by throwing rocks at it, the rockman pushes the mechanic toward the ground, the mechanic says to rockman " do you really believe that bullshit? What purpose when your life is this long? When our lives all of neo humans is this long? How person can sustain living with head straight for this long without being meaningless and succumbing into nothingness? Do you really believe in purpose?" The rockman directs his hand toward face of the mechanic and says " yes I have a purpose, Even if it small, I will protect the people of the city, from you and the likes of you".
But in twist of fate the mechanic starts laughing"Protect? Your biggest mistakes is how you don't realize how futile our actions can be even when we try our hardest" suddenly every androids blow up destroying different parts of city and making already weak houses collapse on neo humans, the rockman remembers the couple he saved from the nightmare and suddenly becoming angry, his decision of becoming the hero end here, in the end he lost his purpose once again but before he kills the mechanic, a figure prevent him which is revealed to be an old character, it's Torn but now he is cyborg like the mechanic with only his head being the glass part.