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Chapter 13 - Chapter 13- Unbreakable

Chapter 13: Unbreakable

The morning sun filtered weakly through the forest canopy, casting pale light on the ruin where Yumiko lay. Her breathing had steadied overnight, but her body was still fragile, the wound on her shoulder deep and raw. Suraj had barely slept, watching over her with unblinking devotion. He felt like time had frozen, wrapping them in a fragile bubble no one could touch—yet danger still loomed on the horizon.

He gently adjusted her position, trying not to wake her. But her eyes fluttered open, locking onto his.

"Still here?" she whispered.

He smiled softly. "Always."

She exhaled, then winced from the pain. "They'll come again. They're watching."

"Let them watch," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving you."

She closed her eyes, exhausted. "You shouldn't have to fight my battles."

"Then we'll fight them together," he replied. "I'm not afraid anymore."

---

Back at the command center, the pressure was mounting. General Desai stood at the helm, barking orders while analysts interpreted real-time footage.

"We've confirmed the heat signature. She's weak but alive," one officer reported.

"Deploy the third prototype," Desai said coldly. "Send it to isolate the alien. No mercy. And capture the boy if possible."

"Sir," a younger officer hesitated, "we're escalating a conflict we barely understand."

Desai didn't flinch. "Understanding is irrelevant. Control is everything."

A hush fell over the room as they watched the drone camera feed—a black dot racing through the canopy, zeroing in on its target. The third prototype was humanity's last gamble—void of emotion, equipped with the latest adaptive AI, and built purely for extermination.

"ETA, ten minutes," someone said.

"Let's see if love is still stronger than steel," Desai muttered.

---

Suraj had gone out to gather clean water from a nearby stream when he heard the sound—low, mechanical, rhythmic. His pulse quickened. He dropped the container and ran back to the ruin.

Yumiko was sitting up, clutching her shoulder, eyes wide.

"They're here," she said.

Before he could respond, the ground beneath them began to quake. From the treetops emerged a black, insect-like drone, followed by something far worse—a humanoid machine, sleek and horrifying, its face featureless, its chest pulsing with a blue core.

"The third prototype," Yumiko breathed, voice full of dread. "It's not like the others. It doesn't learn. It doesn't hesitate."

Suraj reached for her hand. "Then we run. Together."

She shook her head. "You have to leave me behind. It's too fast."

"No!" he snapped. "I won't lose you again. Never."

They bolted into the trees, Yumiko stumbling as she ran. Suraj supported her weight, half-carrying her. The prototype gave chase without sound or warning, its metal limbs slicing through trees, smashing obstacles as if they were nothing.

Behind them, the ruin was obliterated in a blast of plasma.

They could hear it slicing through the terrain like a ghost made of blades. The way it moved was unnatural—no hesitation, no fatigue, only relentless pursuit. It didn't make noise. It didn't shout warnings. It simply advanced, tearing the forest apart to reach its prey.

Every step felt like a countdown.

Suraj felt like the world was folding in on them. His lungs burned, his legs screamed, but he kept going—because she was with him. He wouldn't let go.

---

They reached a cliffside, the ocean crashing below. Suraj looked around frantically. "There's nowhere else to run."

Yumiko stepped forward, shielding him with her body.

"You'll have to jump," she said.

"No! Not without you!"

She turned to him, eyes dark and full of resolve. "Listen to me. I can slow it down. You must survive, Suraj. You have to tell them... tell the world we were real."

"I won't leave you," he choked out, tears spilling.

She pressed her lips to his. "Then stay. But know this—if we die, we die together."

The prototype appeared, stepping from the trees like a nightmare made of steel. It paused, scanning them both. Its chest glowed brighter.

Suraj pulled Yumiko close. "I'd rather die in your arms than live without you."

She smiled sadly. "Then let's give them something to remember."

As the machine raised its arm, preparing to fire, Yumiko extended her hair like a shield. The strands hardened into armor, blocking the first shot. The impact forced them backward, but they held their ground.

Yumiko's voice rose in a primal cry, her hair expanding like a thousand serpents, lashing forward in every direction. She wrapped the tendrils around nearby boulders and trees, pulling the terrain itself into the battle.

"You're not taking him!" she screamed.

Suraj watched in awe as she fought. Despite her wounds, despite the pain—she fought with everything she had.

The prototype staggered but adjusted, recalibrated. It began to cut through her hair, inching closer with every moment.

"Suraj," she said through gritted teeth. "If I fall... don't let them rewrite us. Don't let them lie."

"You're not going to fall," he said, eyes wild with fury. "I won't let you."

And then—he ran forward.

Toward the prototype.

---

"SURAJ!" she screamed.

But he was already moving, adrenaline overriding fear. He leapt, grabbed a sharp shard of fallen metal, and drove it into the prototype's side. It barely scratched the surface—but it distracted the machine just long enough.

Yumiko's hair found an opening. It plunged through the machine's back, piercing its core.

The explosion wasn't fiery—it was silent. Blue light spilled outward, bathing the cliff in a gentle glow. The machine collapsed.

Suraj landed hard on the ground, rolling onto his side, panting.

Yumiko limped toward him, dropping to her knees. "You stupid, brave, reckless human."

He smiled weakly. "Told you... we fight together."

She kissed him, trembling. "You could've died."

"But you didn't."

They held each other as the wind howled across the cliff.

The prototype was destroyed.

But they both knew—this was only the beginning.

---

From high above in orbit, a different satellite locked onto their coordinates.

Inside a war room neither of them knew existed, men in suits stood silently.

"Activate Omega Protocol," one of them said.

"Target: Yumiko of Sikigaya."

"Status: Threat Level — Catastrophic."

The screen flickered, now reading:

'War declared.'

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