"And… there. That should do it."
There was that voice. It's the same one I've heard for months.
"So, how about it? Are you..?"
This person... I can't remember a time where he wasn't here, or when the feeling of static wasn't coursing through my body because of him. I've been unable to move for so long.
"Come on, please… This should have worked, I-I… please."
Whenever I try opening my eyes or moving my mouth, nothing happens. Nothing changes. Then this man becomes distraught and starts talking to himself. My body, I can feel something is wrong. He's been working for months on end, but I don't know why.
"...Dammit. Dammit!"
Something broke, shattered on a wall I didn't even know was there.
"Why can't I do this?! I've done everything I can! I've done everything right! Please, at least open your eyes! Show me all this amounted up to… to something…"
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. My body isn't listening. I tell it to move, but my commands fade into a void of nothingness. It'd be worrisome if I didn't find comfort in it. It's the only other thing I know I have.
…
He's crying again, close to me. I can almost feel cold steel resting on some part of my body.
"I'm not a failure. I'm so close, I can feel it! I can't afford to start over again, but what else can I do?"
Again? He's done this before? Whatever this is?
"This has to work. This has to."
The desperation in his voice... I should be sorry for him.
"H-Hold on… what if…"
And already, he's back to talking to himself. I have to commend him for being able to bounce back so quickly, if I ever get the chance. There's that faint sensation of something sliding down my chest, he's back to work again. He should be on my side, yet I can't bring myself to fully trust him. If I could see what he was doing, ask him what he wants or what he's searching for through me, then maybe…
"Dammit, I thought so. We need more blood. A sliced artery shouldn't have so little pouring out."
...What?
"I don't think I did my calculations properly. But is that all he needs? For now, I'll go ahead with the transfusion."
He cut me open? When? With what? Why?
"Don't worry… it's a grim fortunance, but we have that in excess. Not that I think you can think at all, currently."
I was pricked by something, in my neck, I think. Then my arm and leg.
"Alright, ok, if this works… i-if this works…"
Did the transfusion start yet? I don't recall having one before, I wonder how it feels? He's back to muttering to himself again, pacing around this room as metal creaks and groans. Whenever he passes by me, I can just barely hear snippets of what he's saying.
"...fit, but are they compatible? I never triple checked that, huh? It should be fine, I think. But what's the pro…"
"...sure I can't afford more parts? Entirely sure? I might be gathering them myself but I'm just as likely to miss some…"
"...most important part of life..? Is it not blood? A body? A brain? What am I missing? What do I have that…"
Suddenly, a thick liquid begins pouring on the ground, splattering loudly around me. My body… something was off about it, but I couldn't tell what. It was… bloated?
"Oh no! No no no no!"
I can hear loud splashes approach me, and more tiny pricks along my body. Some buttons are pushed somewhere, but he gets frustrated at something, and soon after I hear someone destroy some… machine.
"...Fuck… I almost lost him, and so much blood. I have excess, but I am not wasteful. I can repair this later, but first…"
He approached me again and sat me up. More liquid splats below me, and as it stops I'm let back down. Something must've spilled.
"If I'm right, and I better be, then I really can't make any mistakes this time. What you need will finally complete you, but it's a resource I can't get back once it's gone. I'll start the process tomorrow, I must rest for now. Being awake months on end was bound to catch up to me eventually."
I wish he wasn't so cryptic.
…
I'm alone.
…
A thick, viscous liquid is all around me. It filled my still, motionless body to the brim despite my mouth remaining shut. I'm about to burst, but it doesn't hurt. All I can do is wait. Wait for the man to come, for him to save me. Please, help me… Somebody… Anybody.
"... I can't sleep…"
With the sound of his voice, I'm back to normal. My body remains still, but I'm fine, I think.
"I got some rest, but it will have to do. I'll finally be able to taste the fruits of my labor. Finally… Finally…"
He approaches me, taking a deep breath. As he exhales, something pierces through my chest. I'm hit with an indescribable surge of pain. My head feels ready to explode. My body feels bloated and heavy. Everything inside me screams. Yet I don't make a sound. A voice shrieks inside my head for this pain to end. He's killing me! Someone! Please!
"N-NGHH..!"
A new voice groaned, someone I don't recognize. Were they in pain too? As they screamed, the pain stopped. My comforting nothingness returned to me. That emptiness I've had for all I can remember, almost brought me to tears.
"...I… I did it…"
I almost don't care what he's going on about. He just tried to kill me, I know it! I can't believe I trusted this man.
"I did it!"
He's overjoyed about this?!
"I brought him to life! I did it! I brought him to life!"
…
"I need more equipment. His biometrics, I have to make sure they're stable! I can't let him go! Not when I've come so far!"
Metal clanks against stone, echoing out the room. I'm alone.
…
I can hear wheels rolling, coming closer and closer and stopping right beside me. The man is laughing to himself as he moves around me. I hear a click, and the dull hum of machinery coming to life.
"...What? No, he- you… I think I need to try that again, yeah. I can't- no! Just do it, it worked! It worked…"
A moment later, and that pain returns. Everything. Everything hurts. I can't take it.
"AAHHGGGGHHA!"
There's that voice again. The machine near me suddenly emits a high-pitched tone, hurting my ears on top of everything inside me being torn to shreds. It breaks, and the pain ends.
"...You spoke."
Metal rests on my body. It's… cold.
"Oh god… you spoke."
His voice is sorrowful, sympathetic. The metal strokes my chest, brushing against fur I didn't know I had.
"I'm sorry…"
Something cold and wet drips onto my body as the man starts sobbing again.
"I'm so sorry…"
Metallic arms attempt to wrap around my torso and lift me up slightly. It's him. I can feel him. His body is cold, just like the air around me. I can feel air flowing gently around my body as well.
"But, I'm overjoyed. You're alive."
I want to return the hug, but my arms are still motionless. They're… more stiff than I remember. Not metallic, but not something that would go with a furred creature.
"Can you speak again? Or move? Anything?"
I try, but all I can do is make my jaw twitch. It's… longer than I thought. Everything about me… I knew something was wrong but…
The man lets me back down. I can feel something holding my face, gently.
"Try opening your eyes? Please?"
The strangeness of my body was starting to wear off. I focused as hard as I could, trying to see for the first time. I feel my eyelids twitch, but they don't budge. Even that, however, seemed to bring the man to tears again.
"I can't believe it…"
More tears fall on my cheek, then my head is pulled up and rests against a cold piece of metal. Ragged breaths flow over my face.
"You're alive. You're actually alive."
A pleasant warmness rises in my chest, as I notice it start to rise and fall.
"Y-You're breathing? I mean, of course you are, but…"
My body starts to… do something. I can't tell what it is, but everything is, well, doing something. I can feel every inch of myself, this time without overwhelming pain. My body takes in air, but my mouth doesn't open. It fills my chest, then is let out. Something starts flowing inside me, all throughout my body. My chest, or something in it, starts beating gently. What's happening to me?
The man sits me up, the cold air brushing against my back. Sticky things were placed on my neck, arms, and legs, and the machine from earlier started back up again.
"You're… alive. Truly, alive. Your vitals are stable. Your blood pressure is normal, for a creature of your stature."
I don't know what any of that meant, but the relief in his voice meant it was good.
"Your eyes. Try opening them again?"
When he asked that, my body didn't do anything. It still wasn't listening to what I said, it kept doing whatever it was doing. It was strange, unnatural. My body was moving on it's own, yet it didn't listen to a single command I gave it. So many noises inside me, echoing in my head.
Adding to that headache was some... thing. Whenever air went in me, it brought this thing with it. I didn't like it, it made my face itch. I should know what it's called, right?
The man let out a sigh.
"...Perhaps you still need time to adjust. Here, I'll lay you back down. I can't tell if you can really hear me, but try and rest. You'll be fine. I promise."
Rest. Yes. I need that. I need rest. I need quiet. I need… my emptiness. All this noise, all these feelings… I was better without them. That dull, vacant emptiness I was accustomed to was all I knew, and keeping it that way was fine by me. It was still there, but the mess of noise and sensations inside me made it hard to hold on to that.
…
I didn't feel anything for a while. It was nice, not having my head on the brink of exploding. The man didn't say anything, but I don't think he's gone. I'm safe.
…
"...spoke! I'm still in shock, honestly."
I don't know how long he was gone, but his voice is back.
"I know. I know you-... No, I mean, yes? I know what he needs but…"
It's hard to hear clearly, but there's another voice. I can't tell where it's coming from, but I know it's another person. The strangeness of my body is slowly coming back to me, like it's coming to life again.
"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. You keep a watch on your cherished student and his 'beloved.' Last I heard they were both coming your way, and that means trouble."
Trouble? Strange, seeing how he worded it.
"...My way? No, no that can't be… Of course no one is ready! I spoke to Orion hardly a week ago, and if they're already past that mountain range…"
His voice… I don't like what it's saying.
"I'll be… Can you see if he'll buy us some time? Even if I get Requiem to wake up and move around, I'll need more time to- no don't. You stay there, where it's safe. If anything, get ready to move."
The urgency in his voice suddenly vanished, he's calm again. For some reason, something in my chest started pounding. I want to move, to get up, to do… something.
"A week? I can't ask that much of you. How will you even..? Oh, well, they're both power junkies, a large fight would be more than enough of a distraction. I'll be able to get the village and my lab evacuated, as well as Zen and Requiem. Don't you worry a hair on that comically large moustache you have."
That word, Requiem, is that… me? Then, who's "Zen," or "Orion?" Another set of questions to my neverending list I suppose. If only I was able to-
"Z-en…"
Another voice? The same as before I went to rest, I think, the one that screamed when I was in pain.
"...You're awake? You're awake! Max, I'll call you back, he's waking!"
Max? The man he was talking to?
"M-Ma...x…"
There's that voice again…
"Thank god I didn't hallucinate you talking. But, please, open your eyes for me. I have to know you're stable. I have to know… you'll be fine. Please…"
Cold arms wrapped around my… hand? Feeling it now, it wasn't really "hand"y. If I could just see it, if I could see all of me, then I could make sense of it. None of "me" feels right.
"H-Hah… Mnngghhh…"
Something's happening. My body, something's wrong again. I can't- what's happening? I'm not in pain but, I don't get it, wh-what's happening? M-My chest, it's-
"Mnnnyaaaahhhh…"
...What? W-Was that, me? I did that? My mouth opened, the buildup in my chest was gone… it must've been me, then.
"Oh my god you actually are waking up…"
He sounds surprised, still. I wouldn't blame him. I don't know what to do now, my body isn't doing things again. Well, it is, but not anything like… whatever noise I just made.
I try something out, to clench my fingers. Sure enough… they move. Scaley, long, slender fingers, that might not be actual fingers. I try moving my leg, and almost all of me moves with it. I think I knocked something off of where I am. The man even lets out a surprised gasp. A moment later, I feel his gentle, cool hands on my face.
"You're awake, right? Awake and a-alive?"
I… I am. I think I am.
"Y-Ye...s."
I did that thing again, let out a noise. This time, on purpose.
"A-Are you scared?"
…
"Ye-s"
I feel him caress my face, and that pleasant warmness returns to my chest.
"I understand. I'm… sorry. All I can do is be here for you. You can trust me, I promise. I'm, I-I'm…"
His breath grows ragged and strained, like he's holding something back. Eventually, he relaxes and exhales.
"I'm here for you. Always."
It was like something clicked. Something inside me. All of a sudden, I don't feel… scared. I move my head to press my forehead against his, like before.
"Th-ank… y-yo… yo-u."
My voice is… new to me. Is that normal?
Suddenly, I can feel his arms wrap snugly around my neck. The warmness spread throughout my body as a result, bringing up a weird hum from inside my chest.
"Whenever you're ready, you can open your eyes, ok?"
I felt his patience was strange, seeing how he sounded when he spoke to that "Max" earlier. I told myself I was ready. I told myself it was time to open my eyes, to see the world around me, to see this man. What I would do after was uncertain, but I tried not to let that get to me.
Slowly, I felt my eyelids move. A twitch at first, but ever so gently did they open. The first beams of light were blinding and painful, I had to shut my eyes or risk losing them, it felt. I tried again, slowly, but surely.
"It's ok, you can do it."
With his encouragement, I finally… I finally opened my eyes.
Like before, a maelstrom of sensations slammed into me, this time much more controlled and focused on one area instead of all of me. My head hurt, my eyes burned, everything was a blur… until a figure obstructed my view of the lights above me. It was him, it had to be. He shielded my eyes from the light, holding my head below his so the light couldn't touch me.
"There we go, there are those eyes I've been waiting to see. Those perfectly white eyes."
The blur of red and black above me rested his forehead on mine.
"You just made me the happiest creature on this earth."
"R-Rea-lly..?"
"Yes, Requiem. I'm so glad you're alright."
Requiem. That was my name afterall.
"R-Req...we em…"
The man chuckled, raising his head up.
"Apologies for the difficult name, but it is most fitting for you, right? I hope you like it. I might've spent a weekend or two thinking it up, hehe."
"Ha...ha…"
The reds and blacks started to take a form, a form I knew but couldn't name. He was shiny, covered in metal, with a broken blade on his head. His face was small in comparison to the metal he wore, I could just barely see a pair of eyes and a mouth, smiling at me. His eyes were red and puffy, and faint streaks traveled down his cheeks.
"A-re y-you… ok?"
"Me? Hmph, hardly a day awake and I already have you worried. Sorry."
"Are yo-u ok?"
"Yes, I'm fine. It's been a long few years, but I'm fine."
"Ye-ears?"
"You have so many questions, I bet. We have all the time in the world to answer them, but first…"
I wanted to say we didn't, but he was gone. The lights hampered my vision again, but a moment later, he returned. There were a bunch of blue spheres in his arms. He offered one up to me.
"Here, eat."
"E-eet?"
Instinctively, I brought my face close to it, realizing now how long it was. I took in a deep breath, a sweet air filling my chest. Strangely, my mouth was very wet. Without telling it to, my mouth opened and took the sphere from the man. I bit down on it, breaking it into juicy, sweet chunks. Before I knew it, I was taking all the spheres the man had, not leaving a single one for him
"Sorr-y."
The man gave me a smile, placing his metal covered hand on my head. "It's fine. You're much hungrier than I am. Trust me."
I tried to smile, but it was harder to do than it looked. Whatever I did made the man laugh, so it's fine, I guess.
"Ha.. ha.." Guess that's my laugh… still just as strange as my voice.
Just then, I remembered. I wanted to see my body, but my eyes weren't fully working yet. Almost everything was a blur, but more clear than before. The room was full of machines, some I thought I knew the name of, others I didn't have the slightest clue of what they even did, and others still smashed beyond recognition. Lights hung from the ceiling, shining a cream colored light on me. Stone made up the floors and walls, and black vine-like things lined the ground from machine to machine.
What was the most worrying was the deep red that stained the floor, and the thing I rested on… and myself.
"Bl-ood..?"
The man rested a hand on my chest, its cool touch a comfort. "A mistake I made when making sure you had enough in you. I never got around to cleaning since, well, you were close to waking up."
I looked him in the eye, bringing one of my "hands" up to rest on his. That's when I noticed I was right earlier, my fingers weren't fingers.
"U-Uh?"
"Hm? Your talons? Is something wrong with them?"
"Tal-on..?"
The man looked at me again. "I was aware you lost your memory, but your database should have been fine."
Database? I tilted my head, thinking about the word but not coming up with anything.
"... I see. So it was damaged. Tell me, do you know what I am?"
"..." I couldn't bring myself to answer.
"This is unfortunate, but not problematic. I get to teach you everything I can, again, is all."
"T-each, me..?"
The man nodded. "First, I'll teach you about yourself. Look, don't be shy. It is you after all."
I nodded, turning my head to, well, the rest of me. White feathers dressed my head, but my torso had black fur. My talons were green, my hindpaws had visible scales, my tailfin was… on me. I felt my, er, beak and some of my head crest. I was on my back, my legs hanging to either side. In comparison to the man, I was a giant.
"Wha-t am… I?"
"You are Requiem."
The man held my talon, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"R-Req-uiem. Requiem"
He nodded. "Requiem. You are also my… well, one of my, um...
"..?"
"It's… complicated. I will inform you on it some other time. Try standing up, if you can?"
I wasn't sure how to get up, but I might as well try something. I swayed my body from side to side, picking up momentum before falling off the thing I was on and onto my belly. The man chuckled to himself, then extended a hand to me.
"I'm right here."
"Th-ank, you."
He lifted me up with ease, but I was only able to stand for a few seconds before my legs gave out and I was back on the floor.
"It's difficult, right? Being asleep for so long will do that to you. Your strength will come back to you in time, for now, you can rest if you want."
Why were we taking things so slow? I appreciated it, but…
"M-Max. O-ri-on."
The man looked at me, his warm face fading away into worry. "So you were awake longer than I thought. You heard my chat earlier…"
"S-Sorry."
He patted me on the cheek, stroking my feathers. "Don't apologize. I know we're short on time, but… I can't afford to push you too far again. I can't… I won't. You can leave all that stress and worry on me, you focus on being you. Ok?"
We stared into each other's eyes. I found comfort in his. Safety too. I wonder what he saw in mine? I unknowingly reached out to him, and he wrapped his arms around me. His gentle sobs shook my body. I didn't know what to do or to say so I just… stayed there, in his arms.
"I'll keep you safe. I swear on my life"
My eyes went blurry again, and something wet rolled down my cheek. My arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. I didn't want to let go. It felt like I'd lose him, like I'd never see him again. Like I'd close my eyes and they'd never open. His embrace gave me warmth despite his cold exterior. His words granted comfort greater than I could comprehend.
"Th… Thank you…"
