Lost Library of Absolute Fucking Horror (Whumptober 2024)

DAY 24: Preservation

THEME: Radiation poisoning
PROMPTS: Collapsed Building/ Equipment failure/ "I never knew daylight could be so violent"
PROMPTS USED: Collapsed Building/ "I never knew daylight could be so violent"
SUMMARY: At the world's end, Rui finds himself desperate to take his own creation with him. However, Tsukasa's limp body only seems to be slowing him down. The two come to a quick compromise as the buildings around them shake and crumble to their demise.

WARNINGS: N/A

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"Tsukasa, Tsukasa, please-"

Rui gritted his teeth as he dragged the bulky robot across the concrete. The metal screeched as it made contact against the floor, causing Rui to wince in pain at the dissonant noise.

"I can't.. move." Tsukasa's voice came out as distorted and glitched. Something was messing with his systems, and he didn't know what. "Ju-just leave me, Rui."

Rui shook his head, desperate to take Tsukasa with him. "I can't do that," He hissed, "I can't leave you!"

"I'm not real." Tsukasa argued gently. "I am only your creation."

"That's why I can't leave you!" Rui cried out. "I can't just leave you here to die!"

He felt Tsukasa's arm twitch. It was getting hotter. Distant screams and and cries echoed through the burning earth, people running desperately to catch up to the ship that was bound to leave at any moment. Officers and military members shot their flare guns, calling out for the civilians to hurry, go faster, quick, before the stars destroy us all-

The stars.

The stars.

When Rui first created Tsukasa, it was all because of a question Mizuki had asked him one day.

"What if the stars were real people?" They had offered to the inventor. "What do you think they'd look like? Act like?"

And thus, from that harmless suggestion, the boy Tsukasa was born. Originally, Rui would have named him something star related, but after taking a good look at the blueprints for his design, he decided that 'a name like 'Tsukasa' would fit him far more. And it did, it fit perfectly.

Tsukasa was one of Rui's best inventions. He was so real- so sentient and human for a being made from scraps of metal, for a being whose brain was made from copper wires, circuit boards, and endless lines of code.

Rui had created Tsukasa's personality. At first, he thought the stars- or, the sun, would be boastful, loud, egotistical- yet still caring and kind. But as Tsukasa grew, he learned from the experiences around him. He changed, he became more empathetic, more understanding. His hardships and struggles were so.. authentic. Rui had no idea how Tsukasa was able to grow this much, but he had.

Sometimes, even Rui forgot that Tsukasa was simply a measly robot, rather than a real human being. Everything about him was just that genuine.

And now...

The world was at its end. Maybe not the universe as a whole, but.. the earth.

Humans had to leave. For every second they stayed, the ground trembled and shifted, the tectonic plates below breaking and crumbling and melting. The oceans would rise, flood the lands and engulf the earth in a deep, endless sea. The heat would slowly kill the plants, leaving the land dry and barren in its last moments before being submerged underneath the violent, crashing waves.

Rui looked around him. Buildings were collapsing, cracking and rumbling as debris and cement crashed onto the ground. It was a miracle that Rui and Tsukasa had managed to stay safe for so long.