Ame took a deep breath.
"In the generation before mine, a mysterious illness began to afflict humans. The disease caused a record numbers of deaths in a very short amount of time. The world was sent into a panic. The leading scientists of each nation came together to come up with a cure, but no matter what they did, there was nothing viable that could contain this plague. In desperation, a few researchers turned to artificial intelligence. They hoped that what humans couldn't figure out, computers can.
They had good intentions. But things somehow always go awry.
One day the AI that was constructed to find a cure for humanity suddenly went rogue. Rather than be humanity's hope, it became our worst nightmare. Rather bring salvation, it brought untold destruction. The machines that you faced on the snowy plains were agents of that rogue AI. All of them are autonomous robots connected to a hivemind of artificial intelligences. They're extremely hostile to humans.
So, a plague with no cure and a legion of killer machines powered by a cluster of supercomputers. That's the world that you've found yourselves in."
Suisei found it hard to breathe. Ame's words had the entire room by the throat. Indeed, it was a world on the brink of death.
"Vesper. Marine. I understand that my explanation might be difficult to understand. Do you need any clarifications?"
"No, I got the gist of it," Marine replied. Vesper was silent.
"Do we know why the AI went rogue?" Suisei asked.
Ame shrugged. "Virus. Corruption. Bug in its logic processor. Or maybe intentional tampering by its creators. No one really knows. It's been almost ten years since the AI went rogue. The ones with the knowledge to stop it are likely all long deceased."
Suisei winced.
"...Then, what about this plague? What exactly is causing people to die?"
Ame stared at her for a moment. Then without warning, she pressed on a button on the keyboard. A hidden door in the wall behind her suddenly opened up, leading to a descending set of stairs.
"Follow me. I'll explain as we go."
The trio obliged.
The hidden staircase was chilly. A sterile scent permeated the area, reminiscent of antiseptics and the pungent air after a lightning strike. Their footsteps echoed sullenly across the tranquil space.
"A random question. When I say salt, what comes to your mind?"
Suisei raised an eye.
"Seasoning for food."
"A mineral used in alchemy."
"The ocean."
Ame nodded. "All valid answers. But in this world, salt has a different connotation. It is despair. It is destruction. For us, salt is a harbinger of death."
She pushed open a metal door at the bottom of the stairway. A dull ultraviolent light inundated the space. The low hum of electronics droned in the background. In the center of the room was a liquid capsule.
Suisei nearly gasped.
Inside of the capsule was a petite girl. White hair. A face that was still childlike. Her eyes were closed. A strange crystalline texture permeated her skin in sporadic patches.
"I called it a plague, but it's probably more accurate to describe it as an affliction. A condition. We call it the Pale Salt Syndrome. When afflicted, the victim's cells will hardened into salt, starting with the skin, all the way to the insides, until the victim loses bodily function. The condition is spread via physical contact. Touching the skin. Breathing in air with salt. The condition's first appearance was from the salt storms. As its name suggests, it's literally a storm where the gusts are carrying concentrated salt. As humanity's numbers have dwindled significantly, the main cause of the spread of the disease is from these occasional salt storms."
YOU ARE READING
A Distant Reverie
Fiksi Penggemar"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?" Vesper Noir wakes up one day in a foreign land with gaps in his memories...and a sharp blade pressed against his throat. His assailant? A beautiful, self-proclaimed female pirate with a sweet voi...
