"Come on, Erik. You can do it." I said as I mixed different paint colors in a palette and placed it next to him. He moved the brush to take more paint and then stroked the canvas I had prepared for him. That was the third painting he had done that afternoon. He sketched blue lines that seemed to be a sky and then stopped.

"I don't understand why I keep doing this. I don't like painting." He said.

"You do like painting, trust me and you are petty good actually! Just have to keep trying." I insisted.

As the years passed, I saw how Erik became less Erik. It was like that fucking implant was devouring him from the inside. No more creative cooking, no more painting, and definitely no more music. His cheerful and creative spirit had faded like a drop of ink in the ocean. But I refused to give up on him. There was no way Erik would let himself be consumed like this. I couldn't allow it to happen. Michael wouldn't forgive me if I did.

Erik had to fight back. So, I made it my mission to be there for him every week, encouraging him to keep doing the things he once loved. Sometimes, I'd catch a glimmer in his eyes, a spark of memory pushing back against the darkness. But despite my reluctance to admit it, each passing year felt more like an uphill battle. Every update the Reg Society rolled out seemed to amplify the effects of the implants on those who wore them. And that meant I was battling an enemy that evolved with every passing minute.

"I'm tired. Can I stop?" He asked, rubbing the back of his implant. It seemed like every time Erik tried to reclaim a piece of himself, that damned thing irritated him.

"Sure man. Let's take a break. You did great." We both collapsed on the sofa, and he dropped his head backward, eyes closed. I studied him closely. Erik was not only mentally changing but also physically. His skin seemed paler, his hair not as messy as it used to be, and some of his particular gestures had changed. His way of tightening his lips when he was up to something or his funny eyebrow movement when he joked, all of that was gone.

"Thanks for always coming, Grace." He said still eyes closed.

"You're my favorite person in the world. Don't thank me for doing what any friend would," I said.

He opened his eyes and looked at me kindly. That was so Erik. My heart fluttered every time I could really see him.

"You know what I mean. I'm sure you might have a lot of cool people to hang out with now that you are... a big fish." He said.

"A big what?" I chuckled. "I'm not even the size of a guppy. Plus, all the cool people you say? Aren't nearly as cool as you are. Michael knew it too, that's why he snagged you." I said.

Erik's eyes flickered uncomfortable and he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's just that... every day it seems harder to remember him," he said, confusion crossing his face. I moved closer and took his hand in mine.

"You'll always remember him. I'll make sure of it." I said.

A tear rolled down his cheek, but he quickly wiped it away. Seeing Erik like this made my heart sink every time, but ever since the Foundation Day's attack, I held onto a glimmer of hope. That Phoenix woman had deactivated my speed sensor with a technology I had never seen before. If I could obtain one of those, maybe Erik would have a chance to regain his old self. I just had to figure out how.

"You told me you saw Michael, right?" He asked.

"I did!" I answered.

"And you already went through the whole story with me, but I can barely remember it..." He said disappointed.

That was true. I had already told him about Michael's encounter at the tunnels a million times. But he kept experiencing those glitches; it was just part of who he was now.

"Hey, I'll go over it as many times as you need, okay? Don't even stress about it." I said.

I would never stop telling him the story, even on the days when he seemed to remember it all already. I didn't want him to lose the anchor to his old self. I didn't want him to forget the most important person he had ever met. Even if that meant reopening that painful wound I carried. 

"He looked taller and definitely stronger. He cried when he explained the day he received our message; his face was shining with happiness. And of course, he asked about you. He cares a lot; I'm sure he thinks of you every day," a big smile spread across Erik's face.

"He... he chose to leave, didn't he?" His smile dimmed. "He ran away, back to the other side." his voice went low as if that thought could shut him off.

I nodded. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. Everything's just so complicated, you know? Michael must have had his reasons, I'm sure. We all are a bit contradictory sometimes."

I was the perfect example of it. I had crossed the border even though my parents were against the Reg Society. I had worked as a Narval Officer, then turned around and betrayed the same system by sending messages to the other side and trying to sneak Michael in. And in the middle of all that chaos, I had deeply fallen for... well... I...Ugh. Let's just say things got messy. I was a bundle of contradictions too; That's what I was trying to say.

Erik's eyes softened. "Thanks, Grace. For real," he said. I wrapped my arms around him, and we both hugged tightly. Over the years, I had grown to understand Erik's pain more than ever before. We shared a loneliness that felt like a heavy cape draped over our shoulders. A feeling that could only be caused by one thing: the void left by someone we loved.

· · ·

Brooke had been stuck in that meeting for what felt like an eternity, which meant I'd been stuck waiting outside for just as long, feeling like a dog left tied up outside a shop. Since the Foundation's Day attack, the meetings had multiplied and Brooke was more occupied than ever. Which also meant I was more bored than ever.

It had taken me quite a lot of time to get used to the layout of the Nexus Court. It felt like wandering through an endless maze of long, spacious corridors that always seemed to gleam a little too brightly. As if they were trying to banish any hint of darkness. Walls, floors, ceilings everything was a blend of white and silver. Were they scared to branch out and add a little color?

At first, it gave me headaches, but eventually, I grew immune to it. In fact, I grew to like it which felt odd and made me sometimes worry about myself. Had I changed too, like Erik?

The most curious thing was that, despite many people living there, you hardly ever bumped into anyone. It was as if everyone had their established circuit. Where to walk, which corner to turn at, and at what time. Everything seemed perfectly designed to avoid any unnecessary human interaction. And it made me realize just how different it was from the Narval House. There, you could bump into anyone at every moment. The floor was always marked by the dirt of our boots. And shouts laughs, and spaceship buzzes made an unmistakable composition that filled the entire space. Sometimes, I missed it.

The doors of the meeting opened and Brooke came out like a captain from the helm. She looked firm and decided.

"Come." She said as she passed next to me, without even stopping. I hurried to reach her and we both came to the elevator.

"Is everything ok?" I asked.

"It's time for you to see something." Brooke placed her Reg Bracelet on the elevator's sensor and we both ascended. To my surprise, we passed the highest floor I had ever been and kept ascending.

"Where are we going?" I asked confused since I had never been on the top floor. All I knew was that zone was extremely restricted.

"You'll see," She said without looking at me. I rolled my eyes, because seriously, why did she always had to talk in such an enigmatic way? A "beep" sound signaled that we had arrived and when the doors opened, bathed in a bluish light, stood a hefty door.

"What's in there?" I asked.

"Today you'll meet The Orb." She said.

Whoa, hold up. The Orb? Did I catch that right? They were the ones pulling the strings behind the Reg Society, the cream of the crop in that whole system. They were so cloak-and-dagger that nobody had a clue what they even looked like. All their communication went through Brooke, Norman, and Gabriel. And now, I was about to come face-to-face with them? Me?

"Uh, okay, I guess. Maybe I should've worn something else." I mumbled, still trying to make sense of the whole situation.

"I don't think they care much about your clothes." She replied.

"Wait, what are their names? I don't want to look dumb." I said. 

Brooke smiled at me as If I were a child. "No names. Relax." Then she used her bracelet to swing the door open and came in.

The turret was made of glass panels woven around us like a fine and delicate spiderweb. I felt like I was floating above the city, and vertigo stirred my stomach a little. From up there, the city looked like a perfect puzzle of buildings and streets, snug and symmetrical but beautiful in its own way.

The illumination there was dim which felt odd but soon, I could make out a single light shining like a gleam. Then a trenchant vibration tickled under my skin. I followed it and realized there was a giant transparent capsule that stood in the middle of the room. A bluish aura emanated from within. What on Earth could be inside that thing? Brooke stayed by the door and gestured for me to come closer.

"What the hell is this?" I stretched out my arm to touch the capsule but my fingers passed through it.

"You can go in to meet them." She said.

"Go in?" I turned at her confused. "And meet who?"

"You'll understand once you're there." She replied.

I stepped forward and the energy surrounding that capsule passed through me. The vibration I had felt, grew stronger, seeped into my veins, and coursed through my entire body. Then, the room disappeared, replaced by billions of data that floated around me. Letters, numbers, and symbols moved in all directions, bathed in changing colorful lights. What kind of technology was this?

Suddenly, the data began to come together as if attracted by a magnet. In the blink of an eye, nothingness surrounded me. Just a single letter remained visible, right in front of me. It was an "H". My heart raced. I moved closer and It quickly multiplied in other letters, forming a "Hello". Was I losing my mind, or was this thing trying to communicate with me? I didn't answer, because what was the point of that?

A moment later, the letters changed now forming "Cat got your tongue?".

"Very funny." I mumbled.

The letters rapidly transformed. "There you are."

Alright, so that thing could hear me. Interesting.

"Who am talking to?" I asked.

The letters changed to "You know who we are."

"The Orb?" I replied.

"Bingo." Came the response.

"What are you? Are you human?" I asked.

"Does this really matter?" The letters spelled out.

"It does to me." I answered.

"Then no, I'm not." It said.

"You're a machine then." I affirmed.

"A machine needs a human to function. This is the other way around. You humans need us." The letters moved fast and changed at every moment.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You survive thanks to all the information we can predict and share with you. We know you more than you know yourselves and with that information, we provide the best for you."

"So, you're essentially data collectors?" I said.

"We are your guardians."

Guardians. The word echoed in my mind.

"Why has Brooke brought me here?" I asked.

"Good question. Time's up by now." And the letters disappeared. Then gradually my surroundings came back.

I emerged from the capsule with my head spinning and a sensation as if a claw was squeezing my chest. Brooke was waiting for me, peering through the glass, her gaze lost in the landscape.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"How is any of this possible?" I blurted out.

"What you should be asking is how humanity would survive without this," she replied. "The truth is, it wouldn't."

"There are no humans behind this entire system," I affirmed, and saying it out loud felt wild.

"Humans have proven themselves to be the worst rulers of the world," Brooke stated matter-of-factly. "The Orb was designed with one goal in mind: to protect humanity," She added. "And it succeeded on that front."

"Protect?" I said.

Brooke nodded and turned to face me. "And now, it's our turn to protect them in return."

Author's note: 

Hey wonderful readers! Thank you for taking the time to read! The years haven't been kind to Erik, but luckily, Grace is there to help him. How do you think you would feel if you were in his shoes, slowly fading away? I'd like your know your thoughts! 

Love you all! 

Ava 💫