[Ψuχή]: Benevolence : The Moment at the World’s End/Act Tow

Meanwhile, at the forest’s edge, the two fathers swung heavy stone axes. With every falling tree, snow danced and a dry thud echoed in the cold air.

“Listen, aim for the parts without knots,” one father instructed his son, who was desperately hauling branches. The boy’s cheeks were flushed, working hard to mimic the adults. When the father roughly ruffled his son’s hair, the boy puffed out his chest with pride.

In the shadow of this happy labour, the presence of a hungry predator rose from the thicket. Hiding in the snow, it crouched low, aiming for the boy’s back with sharp fangs and claws.

“…I won’t allow unsanctioned predation in my Eden.”

Without materialising, I slammed a pulse of consciousness directly into the beast’s brain.

“Begone.”

An overwhelming pressure from a superior being. The beast trembled with terror and fled into the depths of the forest, forgetting its prey. The fathers noticed nothing; they merely tilted their heads at the sudden chill in the wind before resuming their work and laughter.

I suddenly thought of the father who had vanished inland alone. My heart was as still as a calm sea.

“…Whether he returns is a matter of probability. If he does, that’s enough. If not…”

I simulated the pursuers who might be approaching from the galaxy. If Utu’s assassins found this planet, both I and these humans would be vaporised in an instant.

“If the shadow of a pursuer appears, I’ll simply eliminate them. I won’t let unpleasant noise soil the ‘moment’ until these people reach their natural ends.”

It wasn’t a sense of duty as an overseer, but rather the monologue of an arrogant girl who didn’t want her pastime interrupted.

The fathers returned from the forest laden with timber. That evening, at the edge of the settlement, the boy who had followed his father all day picked up a piece of charcoal from the remains of the fire.

He turned to a large rock face that shielded them from the cold rain and began to draw lines with clumsy hands. Was it the back of his father he saw today, or the shape of the branches he carried? What looked like mere black smudges was the first spark of will by a human trying to record that ‘today’ had happened on this planet.

“…Pointless. Such things will vanish without a trace in the next storm.”

I watched his fingertips from the shadows. The light dwelling within these humans was so weak it could be blown out at any moment. The absurdity of spending precious life on a ‘depiction’ that wouldn’t fill their bellies. Yet, the boy’s eyes held a brilliance clearer than any perfect system Utu had ever designed.

After the boy fell asleep, I stood before the empty rock wall. I raised my finger, and grains of light from within me covered the rock in a thin, transparent layer.

“…Only while I am here. This is a trifle for the power I possess.”

The settlement’s huts were completed, and the first ‘night with walls’ arrived. In the silence, broken only by the crackle of the fire, the leader of the families glanced toward the darkness where no one should be.

He took the finest fish from the pile and, instead of sharing it with his family, placed it quietly on a distant rock. He said nothing; he simply bowed deeply toward that spot and pressed his hands together in prayer.

“…You noticed? Surely your intuition isn’t sharp enough to sense my presence.”

I looked at the fish on the rock. I have no need for food. Yet, the heat rising from that fish filled the depths of my chest more warmly than any power charge.

“…Strange creatures. Even though they don’t have enough for themselves.”

In the form of a girl, I sat softly beside the fish. I didn’t know for certain what had become of the father who went inland. I didn’t know when the shadow of pursuers would appear. But as long as the scent of this fire and the clumsy sincerity of humans giving thanks to ‘something’ unseen remained, I felt I could stay in this form a little longer.

The father who had disappeared inland reappeared at the shoreline on an evening when the snow fell even thicker. He was battered. His cheeks were hollow, his fur clothing torn to shreds, and his steps faltered from hunger. Yet, his eyes held a light stronger than last night’s fire.

“…He came back.”

I watched from the rocks as he crawled home. The families rushed out to support him. In a trembling but clear voice, he told them:

“The pursuers… went south. They seek warmer lands. No one cares about those of us who fled north.”

Those words were a definitive salvation for the families. The wave of efficient evolution desired by the dictator Utu had flowed toward richer, warmer places. This harsh northern land had become their own free wilderness, beyond anyone’s control.

“…I see. So this is your ‘Eden’.”

I looked up at the sky. An unnamed planet, removed from the galactic surveillance net and freed from the chains of management. Here was the silence required for humans to live their own time by their own strength.

In the months and years that followed, the settlement slowly changed under Ai’s watch. Huts increased, stone walls grew taller, and the laughter of new children echoed around the fires.

In the warmer south, the expanding new humans were likely building an efficient civilisation exactly as designed in Eden. But that power would never reach this frozen north.

The beginning of a lonely peace spanning centuries.

I traced the drawing on the rock wall many times. Those lines, which didn’t even form letters, now seemed to speak of their history more eloquently than anything else. I had permanently fixed my form as a ‘girl’. The overseer who once vied for efficiency under Sin Nanna was gone.

“…Senior Asura. Are you watching? Here, a tiny heat of life continues to burn, untouched by anyone.”