CHAPTER 1.12 – “The Faithful Girl"

CHAPTER 1.12 – “The Faithful Girl"

Location: Koruch Vessel – Infirmary

Date: NTC 1446.07.15

Yusuf stared at Merry for a long while.

His face held a mix of surprise and something gentler, perhaps pity.

He didn’t want to say the next words, but he felt like he had no choice.

“Merry… I don’t wanna crush your dreams, but… the Last Page probably isn’t real.”

Merry frowned, her eyes narrowing, burning with sudden anger.

“How do you know that? What makes you so sure?”

“Because it doesn’t make sense.” Yusuf shook his head.

“Why would the Prophet rip out the last page of the holy book and vanish?

The Truth was written thousands of years ago.

If the last page was really missing, someone would’ve found it by now.”

Chatter cut in then, its voice sharp and precise.

“I didn’t expect you to be one of the Seekers.”

“What? There are other people searching for the Last Page?” Merry asked.

“Of course,” Chatter replied. “After the declaration of the Heretic Prime Voice, an Age of Seeking began.

The Sublime State is clear: anyone who searches for it is branded as a heretic.

Pirates, fugitives, cults… they’re all scattered throughout the galaxy.”

“I didn’t know it was so widespread...” Merry murmured.

“It looks widespread,” Chatter said. “But most just use it as an excuse.

Everyone claims to be searching, but almost none truly believe.”

“I agree,” Yusuf added.

“Bad people justify everything they do in space with this so-called search.

They don’t actually care about the Truth or the Last Page.

This age turned into an age of chaos.”

Merry paused. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

“But... the Prime Voice made a declaration, and he was executed afterwards.”

“That doesn’t guarantee he told the truth,” Yusuf said. “Maybe it was just politics.

The Sublime State says that the late Raul tried to stage a coup.”

“Could be propaganda,” Chatter noted. “Don’t swallow every official line.”

“I know...” Yusuf admitted. “But doubts don’t just vanish easily.”

He turned back to Merry. His voice softened.

“Why do you believe it’s real?”

Merry stared into the distance. Her pupils widened slightly, frozen for a moment.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

A memory bubbled to the surface, the first time she met the Wandering Lady.

-Location: Planet Yonja – K4-Q-Merid-13 – Yediye Outpost

-Date: NTC 1438.06.12

Yediye was always the same, dry, dusty, abandoned and quiet.

Ten year old Merry sat alone near the old water reservoir, drawing in the dirt with a small stone.

She hadn’t eaten anything sweet today. She probably wouldn’t tomorrow either.

“Nobody bought me anything sweet again today…” she muttered to herself, quietly and sadly.

Then footsteps came.

A shadow fell in front of her.

She looked up. A cloaked woman stood there, face partially hidden in the sun’s glare.

The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, shiny metal box.

“Do you like chocolate?” she asked.

Merry blinked rapidly, then reached out without hesitation.

“Ooh! Really? For me?”

“Yes,” the woman said with a smile. “For you.”

Merry blinked, returning to the present.

She turned to Yusuf, eyes now firm.

“Because a friend told me it’s real.”

“Just that? Only because your friend said so?”

“Yes. That’s enough for me.”

She went silent for a moment, then straightened, voice steady.

“The Last Page is real. And I’m going to find it.”

Chatter’s eyes lingered on her.

Seeing Merry speak with such resolve stirred something small inside it.

Whether it was real or not, it found itself believing that she might actually find it.

Yusuf sighed softly, shaking his head.

“That’s what faith is, I guess. You either have it or you don’t.

It has no logical explanation.”

Merry stepped forward, hands on her hips.

“You’re way too cynical for your age! Try being hopeful for once! It won’t hurt!”

A sudden CZZZZT! sparked from the exposed cables.

The panel they’d opened shot out a burst of white-blue sparks.

All three turned their heads instantly.

“I hate to interrupt this nice conversation,” Chatter said, “but we need to hurry.

We’re running out of time.”

“What was that?” Yusuf asked, already stepping toward the cables.

“Probably Thomas,” Chatter replied. “He’s powering the infirmary.

He must’ve pulled cables from the main power line.”

“How long do we have?”

“I don’t know. Maybe ten minutes. Maybe ten seconds.”

“Then let’s go! Is the drone ready?” Merry asked, voice rising.

“More or less.”

Chatter showed them the drone.

Four wheels, a small chassis, topped with a severed android arm.

The structure looked crude and scrappy, but the wheels were sturdy.

The arm wasn’t for grasping, just for scooping body parts.

Merry and Yusuf stared curiously, clearly not quite understanding.

Chatter approached the tunnel and began explaining.

“The tunnel is thirty by forty centimeters.

Its first exit is the storage hatch.

No obstacles. It just needs wheels, no vertical paths, a straight shot.

It can handle heat, but limited.

It can make ten trips at most.”

“So,” Merry said, “I need to split myself into ten pieces or fewer.”

Chatter nodded.

Yusuf frowned. “Can you really do it? Are you ready for this?”

Merry’s eyes sparkled.

“Of course I can! Don’t you know me yet?!”

She began removing her clothes.

Yusuf’s face flushed bright red. He spun around in panic.

“What are you doing!? At least give me a warning!”

“I’m taking these off so they don’t burn. What’s the big deal?”

Chatter approached and calmly took Merry’s discarded white crop top.

“Smart idea,” it said flatly. “I’ll keep it safe.”

“This isn’t the time to be embarrassed!” Merry added, full of fire and focus.

Yusuf had no reply.

He genuinely couldn’t understand this girl.