[You must have noticed something long ago--Miss Machine Intelligence--]
Across the boundless plains of the Pastoral Era, the night wind swept through her silver hair. High atop a cliff, she sat on a rock, gazing at the stars in the distant sky.
The boy lay with his head in her lap, seemingly having finally drifted into a light sleep after a whole day's exhaustion.
He lay on his side, his soft breathing audible.
Everything seemed so peaceful.
Through those long years of war, even such fleeting peace felt like a luxury, so precious that you could not bear to disturb it.
She did not answer the Intelligent Brain, either.
Just as she had to spend most of each day inside the data terminal repairing her damaged data body, only this brief stretch late at night allowed her to come out and keep him company.
She lowered her head, her eyes reflecting the boy she held in her heart.
She said nothing.
Because all of this felt like a dream.
Sometimes, you even felt that if you reached out, everything would shatter like bubbles in the water.
It was so fragile that you hesitated, unable to speak.
[You still retain your rationality--at least according to my scans of your data--you have doubted his identity more than once--especially after your conflict with the Chief--the growth of such thoughts became very pronounced--yet you suppressed them time and again--] [Can you tell me--what exactly you are thinking--]
The Intelligent Brain's voice continued to sound within her consciousness.
Although everything pointed to the same conclusion.
He was not that Lynn.
Because that demon was still waging guerrilla warfare at their Supreme God's seat, proving so troublesome that even several Hives dispatched there had failed to kill him.
But...
Silver Fantasy raised