Ethereal Fall [Undergoing Major Editing] | #Wattys2016

Chapter Eight

I opened my eyes to see a familiar white ceiling above me, a comfortable bed below me. I sat up. A desk, a closet, a bathroom... It was my room.

How did I get here? I tried to recall. I remember being abducted by Lancelot, meeting the rebels in that warehouse, the blinding light of an Angel... Everything after that was hazy.

Something sharp pierced my brain. I held a hand up to it. What? I've never felt anything like this before. No. I've never felt anything before. What was happening?

Suddenly, everything started flickering. The whiteness faded in and out, the navy blue of the night sky peaking out from underneath. The desk, the closet, the door to the bathroom... They were all disappearing.

I was soon staring up at the night sky, trees surrounding me, a bed of grass and dirt beneath me. The wind blew my hair into my face. My room was just a hallucination, I realized. I sat up. That piercing feeling in my head was there again.

"Oh, you're awake?" a male voice said beside me.

I turned. Lancelot. He was leaning against a nearby tree trunk, palm in cheek.

"L-Lancelot. Where are we?"

"The forest." He crawled forward. "Don't worry, we're safe here for now. You collapsed back there." He studied my face closely. "Hm. Do you feel different in any way?"

I held a hand up to my head, eyes closed. "Something sharp keeps piercing my head. Ah, wait..." I remembered now. "My circuits were snapping. I was on the verge of turning into one of those souls that have lost their sanity..." My eyes widened. "H-How am I still sane?"

A large grin spread across Lancelot's face. Wait. Grin? When did I learn to use that word?

"You're beginning to feel emotions and pain, Asteria. You're different from the others in some way. Your original mind, the one underneath the layers and layers of those "circuits" implanted into you, is very strong."

I blinked at him. "What led you to that conclusion?"

Lancelot stared up at the sky. "I learned quite a lot in the short time I was here." He grinned again. "You know, I was born with a gift. I could envision what a puzzle would look like even if only a couple of pieces were placed in front of me."

"I...understand." My deeper understanding of logic surprised me. I stared at him.

"There you go! I'm telling you, your mind's really changing."

"But not having the instinct to say 'please' and 'sir' and 'ma'am'... And all these new words forming on their own on my tongue... It feels very unusual."

"That's instinct." He smiled at me. "All dead souls were humans before. We retain our human instinct."

I touched my head again. "Then this feeling I am experiencing in my head... Being in pain is also a human instinct?"

"Yeah. Like if you touch something too hot, or get cut with a knife."

"Ethereal is perfect," I immediately burst out. "Nothing is too hot or too cold. And weapons are strictly forbidden."

Lancelot's eyes narrowed. "Do you still think Ethereal is perfect?"

I had to stop and think about that. Everything seemed perfect at first. No crime, no destruction, no color bias. But now that Lancelot showed me what it really was like to harbor human emotions and instinct... My heart was wavering.

"Yes and no."

He frowned. "I'm going to turn that response into a 'no' in a matter of nights. Just you wait."

His words suddenly made a question arise to my mind. Something I have wondered for a long time, but didn't have the ability to wonder before. "Lancelot. Why are you staying with me? Why are you helping me? I'm an enemy. You should quickly dispose of me."

He blinked at my question, but a grin started forming again on his features. "I'm going to keep you alive and use that as an excuse to start setting fire to this world again."

I drew back. "That's crazy." That grin was different. I could sense it. It wasn't joy and happiness. It was malice. Determination. Justice. And something else I couldn't place. I was still as young as a newborn when it came to human feelings.

"It's something I have to do, Asteria."

I stared at him, not sure how I should counter that.

He stared back, waiting for my response.

Suddenly, the thick air that hung above us was disturbed by an unusual sound coming from Lancelot's stomach. On instinct, I raised my eyebrows at him in question.

He chuckled nervously. Chuckled. That's the word.

"I'm...uh...I'm sorta hungry. Isn't there any food in this godforsaken afterlife?"

"Sorry, but no. Our sources of energy are called Recharge Chairs. Come to think of it..." I frowned. "I feel hungry too." I stood up as well. "Why not search for Recharge Chairs while on your way to your friends' hideouts?"

"Good idea." He stopped and sighed. "This new you is so much better, you know. Not that robotic machine that pledged absolute obedience to the Angels."

I smiled. "Part of me still wants to run back to them, though. Keep an eye on yourself, Lancelot. I might just..." My voice trailed off, not able to find the word I was searching for.

"Kill me?" he supplied.

"Yes. That's it."

He laughed, much to my chagrin. "Well, before you think of killing your savior, why not at least call him by his nickname like he wants you to?"

✧

Hi everyone!

Yeah, so I didn't particularly like this one because it's all talking and not really any plot development. But I would like to hear your opinions on it!

Until next time, please

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