[Re:write] Episode 39: The First Battlefield and Each of Their Weapons

—Rewrite despair.

[For first-time readers] If you want to grasp the world setting first,
here is the link to the beginning of the story, Episode 1
👉　Episode 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
Click here for work information and synopsis
👉　For first-time readers | Please start Re:write from Episode 1

The bustle of the royal capital fades away. A forest in the suburbs.
A small lakeside surrounded by trees. The water surface reflects the sky like a mirror, and only the faint sound of fish jumping occasionally echoes.
Undine's first stage.

“—From here on, we begin the live-action test of the artificial spirit Undine!”

Elara's voice physically tears through the silence. She holds a crystal board in her hand. The pen tip, scribbling formulas with intense speed, makes a nervous, scratching sound.
The brilliance in her fully dilated pupils.

“Testing, evaluation... what a pain.”
Drake sits down on a tree stump.
His old leather boots kick the damp soil.

“Why don't you just let it do its thing already?”
“Drake-san, your language is crude!”
Aria chides him. Her hands are unconsciously clasped at her chest. Expectation, and anxiety about the unknown.

“You don't get it. Trouble is delicious. It increases the data.”
“What's wrong with your sense of taste?”
“Both of you, your voices are echoing through the forest.”

Silence. The scratching sound.

“Item one, state change. Kai, give the order!”
Elara's command. Kai stares at the lake surface. Grid lines run across his retinas.

The voice of a cold-blooded commander.
“Undine. Freeze a 5-meter radius centered on the target coordinates in an instant. —‘Freeze’.”

Without a sound, heat dies from the world. A sudden change in air pressure. Wind swirls. The lake surface turns cloudy white.
A series of hard, cracking sounds echoes, and it transforms into a beautiful stage of ice. Water vapor freezes and dances as diamond dust.

“Whoa!”
Drake leans forward.
“That's amazing! And it's not even winter.”

“Item two, mass attack!”
Elara shouts. Her pen's movement accelerates.

“Undine. Generate three ice blades. Target the oak tree in front and launch them.”
Synchronizing with Kai's thoughts, the icicles crystallize.
The sharpness of the tips. The density. Physical acceleration. The sound of a gunshot without gunpowder.

Whoosh! Thwack-thwack-thwack!
They pierce deep into the hard trunk. The impact shakes the ground.
Wood chips scatter, and the scent of gouged bark drifts through the air. Leaves flutter down.

“...This is one hell of a piece of equipment.”
Drake groans.

“Amazing! That's amazing, Kai! With this, you could pierce through the armor and shields of heavy infantry!”
Elara jumps for joy.
Kai's expression does not change. The next instruction.

“Undine. Create a thick fog to act as a blindfold within a 10-meter radius.”
Diffusion of water vapor. The field of vision is painted white. Milky white fog envelops the forest, clinging coldly to the skin. Damp air.

Kai's thoughts race.

(Firepower, mobility, stealth. A passing grade. But...)

Images flash back in his mind.
Leon's final moments.
The fallen angel's strike. A sword bent like candy. The violence of overwhelming mass.

(Undine is powerful. But it is a single system. Insufficient resources, out of range... risks remain.)
(The possibility that someone might die in a place I cannot reach.)

The fog begins to clear.
Kai makes a decision.

"...I will create another one."
"Huh?"
Drake's bewildered voice.

"Undine is specialized for attack and suppression. Aria, you need a spirit of the same type to serve as your master. The individual name will be 'Mist'."

Kai looks at the two of them.

"This is a rational judgment to maximize survival probability. I propose developing dedicated artificial spirits for both of you as well."
"Drake, a fire spirit for you. Ellara, for you..."

"--I refuse."
Drake interrupts. He taps the handle of his warhammer casually.
"This guy is enough of a partner for me. I'm not about to trust my back to some unknown thing like water or fire at this point."

"I'll pass as well."
Ellara smiles mischievously.
Her eyes narrow behind her glasses.

"I wouldn't want someone hogging all the interesting toys! I want to unravel the truth with these hands. If I rely too much on convenient tools, my brain will rot."

Kai looks at Aria. He has already calculated the probability that she would refuse.
She does not wish to be someone who is only protected.

But the resolve to stand on the battlefield is a different matter.

"--I accept."
A clear voice. It shakes the air. The sound of the pen tip stops.

Kai's eyes widen slightly, and the fingertips of his crossed arms unconsciously dig deeply into the flesh of his upper arms.

Aria stares back at Kai. Emerald eyes. There is no wavering.
"Kai-san. I am not becoming that child's master just to be unilaterally protected by you."

She places a hand on her chest. A rhythm of quiet determination.
"When you fight alongside Undine-chan, I and Mist-chan will protect your back, and your heart."
"As an equal partner, to fight by your side... please give me that power."
Aria's hand does not leave her chest. A few seconds of silence. Quietly, she nods slightly.

The sunlight filtering through the forest trees tilts. The shadows of the four stretch long and intersect. A small family.

The wind blows through. Ripples on the lake surface. The edge of the ice rings faintly.
The sound cracks thinly--and vanishes.

To read more/background

Link to the beginning of the story, Chapter 1, is here
👉　Chapter 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
Work information and synopsis are here
👉　For first-time readers | Please start 'Re:write' from Chapter 1

👉 Click here for a summary of the story of the novel 'Re:write' so far.