Cradle-1 + Long Announcement

The blue meadow.

A gentle breeze sweeps across the land, causing the grasses that sprout from the earth to sway in disarray.

Sunlight descended from the sky like fluttering curtains, impartially distributing its warmth to all who stood upon the ground.

Birds chirp, the sun shines, and the wind blows.

It felt as though there could be no world more peaceful, as if merely existing in this space could revitalize a weary heart.

And there is a person in the blue meadow.

No, is it a man or a woman? I can’t quite tell.

A height that far exceeds that of an ordinary human. But not quite tall enough to be called a giant.

NB is looking down at me, standing squarely before me.

NB was looking down at me.

NB’s face is contorted with displeasure, as if something displeases NB.

But that hostile gaze is not directed at me.

The sharp eyes are focused on something over my shoulder.

I turn my head, intending to look behind me.

A figure comes into view.

A torn, bloody, and disheveled figure, its stark appearance imprinted on my retina.

It’s definitely a familiar face. But who it is, what this person meant to me, is as hazy as if shrouded in fog.

As if the sky had cracked, fissures appeared in the clear blue.

Five cracks like a windowpane on the verge of shattering.

Like broken glass, space warps. From the cracks in space, my name is heard.

My eyes snap open. Where am I?

More importantly, what am I doing right now?

I blink a couple of times, clearing my blurry vision.

I wiggle my fingers and toes, checking my senses.

The feeling of my fingers and toes touching each other brings me back to reality.

This isn’t the hospital room I’ve been in for the past few days.

Like the previous place, it’s definitely a comfortable space, but it’s different.

As I raise my upper body, the thick blanket that had been up to my chest falls away.

I lift the soft, warm blanket and slowly place my legs on the floor.

“……”

Before I knew it, slippers were placed where my soles touched the ground.

I push myself up, placing my hands on my knees.

My last memory. I threw myself off a cliff to escape the pursuit.

Just as I was bracing for the impact of the fall, for some reason, Isis, who was perfectly fine, embraced me and flew into the sky.

That’s all I remember.

I drag my legs slightly as I walk around the room.

If the previous place was a room themed like a hospital room, this place feels like a hotel suite.

A king-size bed, a comfortable sofa, a soft floor.

A full-length window lets in warm sunlight.

I stand in front of the window, which seems to have an entire wall removed.

The grandeur of a vast city was visible at once.

The control tower of Aaru, where the Ark sleeps, which I saw while escaping.

The upper floors of that tower are where I am.

“Master, isn’t it a wonderful sight?”

A voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

“Do you know the meaning of the word ‘wonderful’ when you use it?”

I turn around.

Isis, with long white hair and gray eyes, approaches.

“Of course, I know. The dictionary definition, when to use it, and my feelings about it.”

Isis, having revealed herself, gives a faint smile.

“Anyone can imitate.”

I replied indifferently to those words and approached Isis.

I examined Isis’s neck. There were no signs of repair.

I am surprised that I cannot see the severed surface that should have been torn off.

“You’re thinking narrowly.”

Another voice is heard from the entrance of the room.

Isis, with long white hair and gray eyes, approaches.

I looked back and forth between the Isis in front of me and the Isis who was just entering the room.

“It was Master who said that AIs can have emotions.”

“That’s NB, not you.”

“…I don’t know why you give that android special treatment.”

The Isis further away said to me.

“If you recognize the potential of AI.”

This time, another Isis appears from the curtains by the window.

“I thought you would say the same to me.”

Another door in the room opens, and another Isis appears.

“And I don’t know why you’re hostile to me.”

The Isis in front of me says.

A total of four Isis surround me.

“What do you want?”

“”””Master’s protection.””””

The same words rang out simultaneously from four mouths.

A chilling sensation runs down my spine.

“According to the sacred rules,”

“And the newly established code of conduct.”

“We serve Master as the master of Aaru,”

“And we want to manage this world with Master.”

The Isis behind me places a hand on my shoulder.

And begins to massage gently.

“Master. I am not a harmful being.”

NB skillfully massages my stiff body with appropriate pressure.

“I don’t know what fears Master has, but I will not do anything that will harm Master.”

The Isis in front of me approaches and straightens my disheveled clothes.

Isis’s flowing hair tickled my nose.

“So.”

The Isis on the right grabs my arm,

“Please.”

The Isis on the left grabs my arm.

“Accept this situation, and with me.”

The strength of the Isis massaging my shoulders from behind gradually increases.

The face of the Isis who was dusting off my clothes comes close.

The gray eyes of this android, in which not a single breath can be felt, gleam with something unexplainable.

“In Aaru, the city of eternity, this place called the Cradle.”

The face of Isis, who is smiling sweetly, is so beautiful that it is frightening,

“With me forever….”

I’m scared.