CHAPTER 14: NEVER FADE AWAY

“DAMN IT!! NOW’S NOT THE TIME TO SLEEP!!”

A loud shout jolted Kira awake. She blinked, disoriented—bullets whizzed overhead, screams of agony piercing the air. Peeking over a trench, she saw a squad of white-clad Androids, faces emotionless, charging forward. Neo Paris, once a radiant city of lights, now lay in ruins—rubble and ash all that remained of war’s toll.

September 13, 2120, Battlefield No. 4.

“Stupid Homunculus, what are you doing!?” A stinging slap struck Kira’s face—she still couldn’t grasp what was happening. A man bearing a Phoenix emblem glared at her, eyes dry from smoke and fire. “Fight, or I’ll rip your core out now!” he barked. Fear and panic gripped Kira’s mind. Trembling, she thrust her hands forward to attack, but no power came. The white machines unleashed a barrage; Kira ducked in terror. A whisper brushed her ear:

“Scary, isn’t it?”

Everything froze. The charging Androids and Eastern coalition forces stood still, arms limp, eyes vacant. Sleeping Beauty—in Poppy’s form—stared at Kira with milky-white eyes, smiling as it spoke:

“Allow me to introduce myself. They call me Sleeping Beauty. Welcome to my world.” The Beast pressed a hand to its chest, bowing to Kira.

“What… Why am I here? What did you do to Poppy!?” Kira roared, her voice a mix of rage and dread.

“Poor Homunculus, thrown into war just a month after creation. It’s no wonder you’re clueless. This is my realm, built from your prey’s memories,” it said, conjuring a teacup from thin air, sipping before continuing. “Here, I’m a god, and I want to play a game with you. Win, and there’s a reward. Lose, and you’ll stay forever—until your life force drains dry.”

“What…” Kira’s lips quivered, sweat beading on her brow.

“The rules are simple. My true name’s hidden in this battlefield. Call it correctly, and you win,” the Beast explained. “But to spice things up, you’ll have no powers. In other words, you’re just walking meat.” It giggled. “Begin!”

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Reality resumed. The Androids closed in, screams echoing endlessly. Kira curled up, clutching her head, shouting:

“SLEEPING BEAUTY!!”

“Wrong,” the Beast replied. “That’s a nickname, not my real name.”

“POPPY!!”

“Wrong. That’s your friend’s name—the one I’ve possessed.”

“DAMN IT!! DAMN IT!!”

“Are you answering or cursing?”

Poppy’s voice reverberated through the air. Terrified, Kira crawled toward a wall to flee, ignoring the cries and curses behind her. Before becoming the Reaper, Kira had borne traumas too deep to fade. She stumbled into a building—beams of light pierced the walls, shaking it. She fell, narrowly dodging. The Androids breached the trench, slaughtering all around. She fled outside, running and yelling every name she could muster:

“LILY!!”

“Wrong.”

“JOHN!!”

“WRONG.”

“KIRA!!”

“…Are you so scared you’re babbling nonsense?”

The sounds of carnage faded into the distance. Kira slumped in a ruined church, hiding. Sleeping Beauty reappeared, chuckling gleefully:

“Here’s a hint—my true name’s from an old human tale.”

“But you’ll never find it—your mind’s filled only with war memories!” The Beast laughed heartily. Poppy’s gentle face now twisted into something grotesque. It vanished into nothingness, its wild cackle lingering.

Sleeping Beauty was right. Since her creation, Kira had known only combat. She understood nothing of the world beyond killing. She tilted her head skyward, ready to accept her cruel fate, when a cry rang out. A white raven perched on the church’s collapsed roof, turning its head as if beckoning her. Something clicked—Kira bolted outside. The Androids reappeared, hunting her. Ignoring bullets at her back, she sprinted after the raven. It led her to a library’s entrance, then vanished. She rushed in, barricading the door with anything she could find, then ransacked the shelves. She flipped through books frantically as pounding echoed outside. Finding no fitting name, despair crept in. A blast tore the door apart; shadows advanced. As hope dwindled, the white raven returned, clawing at a book on a shelf. Kira grabbed it, flipping pages as the Androids caught up, guns raised. She screamed:

“AURORA!!”

Silence fell. Suddenly, fireworks burst over Neo Paris’s sky. The Androids lowered their weapons, clapping in unison. Sleeping Beauty emerged, exhilarated:

“Congratulations! You finally got my name. Here’s a secret as your reward: Poppy nearly won this game too, but died before she could call my name. Want to know how she went?” The Beast bared its teeth in a savage grin.

“BASTARD!! LET ME OUT NOW!!” Kira roared in fury.

“I said there’d be a reward for winning—not that I’d free you.”

Kira collapsed, her eyes dulling. Her last sparks of hope faded.

“Target locked… 100%... awaiting firing command.”

A beam of light blasted into the Beast and Androids. Kira recognized it—a guiding light for her destiny.

“I won’t say it again. LET MY FRIEND GO!!” Snow bellowed, W4RDOG trembling on her shoulder with her rage.