The robot's mechanical hands rose and pointed towards the circular drop. "This is the remains of the humans who had developed their consciousness."
From the sidelines the girl could be heard saying, "You monsters."
"Human" A cold and mechanical adult voice called out, "you have mistaken with your hypocrisy. I don't understand why, but the lots of you forget the fact that you too kill and consume everyday."
I felt myself unconsciously nodding before stopping myself. Humans were hypocrites that was a fact when we consider how much pain we inflict on our livestock. But even when I knew this, saying it to... my doppelgänger felt complicated. She was a much more naive and idealistic person than me.
"I don't care what you think or what is wrong and right. You are still monsters!"
The robot stayed silent for a moment and stared completely still before beginning to speak."But I must thank you. My comrade has been able to live for several years in this world thanks to you. We didn't expect a very fine awakened to exist like you."
Insight flared up.
"For the time being please cooperate with us as we separate our comrade from you. If you do, we will spare the human who didn't awaken their consciousness."
A cold metal clanged on the floor. It slowly approached where we were standing.
I stared blankly at the robot and the space behind it. Insight became quiet as if there was no more to say and all the things I needed to know were already answered.
What did that mean? According to the robot, the system had been here for several years already and it also implied I had already been an awakened in my past life. There's a connections between those two.
The metal feet continued to fall down, approaching. The hand that grasped mine slowly fell loose and the girl began backing away slowly.
"You're trying to kill me..."
The girl continued to back away.
I turned my head away and closed it, hiding away the flying robots and the white room.
Perhaps the system had been with me since the beginning. That could be the reason why it knows this place so well...
The robot's footsteps continued to echo, pounding, pounding and pounding like a drum beating to a music to come and kill her. They passed by me.
She was going to die...
But that was a matter of course. Death meant nothing to those who were just an illusion.
But a thought passed by my head, what if this world isn't an illusion?
That would be terrifying only for a moment, but I wouldn't care enough about it. Even if I cared, it would be useless to cry and wish for something that wasn't a reality.
She might survive though. If her consciousness has recovered enough and she could activate her ability. Maybe the reason why insight isn't saying anything is because it doesn't know.
A voice screamed several steps away from me, "You said earlier that your comrade had been here for years, what do you mean? I thought he's been here only for a short while."
A feeling as if my stomach was being pierced came over me.
The voice and the expressions she must be making along with what was happening behind my back occurred to me to be extremely unsightly.
A girl pathetically asking for mercy from death.
It reminded me of the past and the who was a coward who knew nothing but to pray.
I hate death, but I hate fearing it more.
It was absurd to dislike her for wanting to live at this moment, but nonetheless dying honorably and without fear was what I had wanted the most. But my other self was so desperate.
Suddenly a hand pulled mine, propelling me forward and a soft blond hair fell into my view.
"Run! Jiji's used his power to stall."
Memory of that time when wind cut the robot's hand flashed in my head. He must've done it.
Behind us the robot ran fast on our heels. Its mechanical voice sounded colder than normal as it asked "Jiji, are you trying to self destruct?"
I wanted to pull my hand away from the hand pulling me forward.
Here she was trying to pull me out of danger even when I didn't try to save her. It felt so absurd to be protected.
My hand clenched hers tightly.
Insight flared.
The world turned into slow motion and I could almost feel the movements of the air particles being pierced by an extending wire.
A voice deep inside me whispered, that choosing to die meant the illusion can also kill me.
In the next instant I jumped to blocked the wire. My stomach was pierced.
Before falling a thought passed by my head that I couldn't make sense of myself. One second caring, then in the next second suddenly hating.
Wind cried in my ears as it passed by to stall the robot again.
Blood painted my cloth red and the girl's clothes red when she held me up to carry me on her back.
The locks of her platinum hair blocked the glaring white room.
My hands hugged her weakly as she ran.
How absurd it is to die for an illusion.
But I am a shallow person obsessed with pride. I can't accept being indebted to someone I had been looking down on moments ago.
I am a weak person. I'm actually very weak.
Truth is, the Yun in this illusion is not weak for wanting to live... I'm the one who's weak because I had already given up on my illness.
Even now, I'm still the same person who gives up before even trying. I gave up when she was about to be killed.
My eyes began closing uncontrollably, I had that feeling from before that I'd never see someone again. I wanted to continue looking at her, even it it's just her hair. But a feeling of relief rushed over me. I closed my eyes.
It was warm, then cold. The constant movement of running and the close contact must be what dancing feels like.
But I don't want to die.
I don't want to give up, not ever again.
A tingling sensation in my brain spread.
Then a distant voice in the back of my head called out. An urgent feeling like there was something I needed to do. A chance to escape from the illusion.
My eyes shot open. I jumped from the girl's back.
My feet felt
I ran quickly towards us even as the wind attempted to stop it. Each of its footsteps rang in the background like a soft tune. My heart beat wildly, drumming against my ears.
My hands stretched and gently took hold of the robot's hand. In sync with the wind the robot twirled as my hand pulled like a dancer.
Consciousness particles that had been scattered inside came to my call and activated.
At that moment the consciousness suddenly twisted and turned into a thin line as it stretched invisibly insight my mind till it left my body. But instead of this illusion world it went somewhere else.
The world around me began to fall apart into mist.
The girl was probably gone too.
When I came back to consciousness a starry sky greeted me.
I stared blankly for a moment before realizing I had turned back into a plant and was floating on top of a mysterious grey liquid.
"System?"
"...we're back" it answered.
The night sky was beautiful and also quiet.
There were many questions to ask but we needed to kill the boss first.
After choosing a direction using insight, a fire ball flew into the sky.
There was a short screech before stillness took hold again.
"You have defeated the 23rd floor boss, Dream demon."