Tales From The Kronos

The leader cleared her throat, ready to explain dramatically the reason why they couldn't leave this world. Sepide and Remiel stayed silent on the other side of the call, waiting patiently for the explanation.

*Worlds are separated, doomed never to meet each other. But there is a way to connect to another world, passing through the center of the universe. A single place, a world in the center of the universe, links all worlds. The moon, a link between worlds! Every time we travel through dimensions, we travel via the moon.*

"So... The moon is the entrance and exit of every world?" Sepide thought aloud.

*Yes, but it sounds less dramatic when you say it like that.*

"Is the moon of this world no longer?" Remiel asked with her robotic voice.

*I heard the moon was destroyed by Silv. But not only she could leave, but we also could enter. Entering a world is easier than leaving it but if the moon was fully destroyed, we couldn't even come in the first place. I think we should be able to leave at night when what is left of the moon is high in the air.*

"So we could get your book and we all leave at night. Even from your cell, you should be able to leave, right?"

*I'm not so sure Sepide. Depending on how bad the state of the moon is, a roof made of stone could be enough to still interfere with the watches. As long as the core of the moon is in a good state it should be enough but I don't want to take any risk. Forget the book for now and get me out of here!*

"Alright leader, we will." The call stopped, leaving Sepide and Remiel alone together once more "I follow you Remiel."

The robot nodded her head and walked toward the direction of the castle she saw earlier. Both were still worried about the state of the moon but trusted their leader, they knew she'd find a solution to get them out of here.

The pair decided to avoid the town since Sepide was probably still wanted. They advanced at a decent speed while not rushing, getting closer to the castle where their leader lay. The two stayed silent for most of the way until Remiel spoke in the middle of nowhere.

"We are halfway there, yay."

"Yay?" Sepide looked at the robot, confused by her robotic voice "Why are you trying to act human?"

"Emely made me that way. Furthermore, I do enjoy socializing with other humans."

"You don't have to pretend to be one, you should be glad you don't have to think."

"Is thinking a burden? My data do indicate that some humans think so but no scientific evidence is there to support it. In reality, people with lower IQ are generally more prone to depression than those with high IQ."

"Are you calling me dumb?" Sepide was visibly offended, prompting Remiel to apologize.

"That was not my intention. People with high IQs can still experience depression. Furthermore, your situation is not one of a typical human being. If you do feel like you have mental health issues, do not hesitate to share your concern with me or Gwyn."

"I'm just saying you should do your job without asking questions, that's how you feel happy... I felt happier when I didn't worry about the future..."

Remiel couldn't help but feel a bit sad for Sepide and searched in her database for all the ways she could help her friend. Once she found a satisfying answer, she hurried to share it with Sepide.

"It seems that you struggle with yourself. Emely told me to find something I wanted to do besides my duties as a member of the Kronos. I could join you in your quest and help you with my knowledge, as a nice change of pace."

"How? By doing videos on internet like me?"

"If it would help I would not mind. I could easily create an internet persona and learn all the required skills."

"You think you can do my job better than me?"

Sepide was clearly mad at Remiel, not even looking at her. The robot thought for a moment before smiling at Sepide, misinterpreting the sentence.

"This is sarcasm, right? Silva and Emely do it sometimes. It means that you don't actually are mad at me but pretend to for the sake of humor."

"Do whatever you want, I'll still be better than a robot in the end."

Sepide was too tired to interact with Remiel further. She wasn't sure why she felt such hostility toward the new member of the ship, it felt unfair to treat her so harshly but she couldn't help but have a bad feeling for Remiel.

Polyetta sat on the ground, closing her eyes and waiting for the other members to come save her. She went out of her rest when she heard the sound of someone approaching. It was the nun, bringing her food and water.

"Sorry, the kitchen was busy. I just managed to get bread and a flask of water for you."

Polyetta took the food while grimacing at the sight of her meal. She stared at the bread for a moment before eating it with reticence. The nun stayed there, watching her with curious eyes. It wasn't long before the prisoner noticed her insisting gaze and confronted her about it.

"What is it? You want to ask something?"

"Yes... You're like Ada, right? I mean, you're not from here."

"It doesn't really matter, I just-"

"Is there a God?"

The nun quickly interrupted Polyetta's words, who stared at her with a deep gaze.

"How could I know? You're the person of faith here."

"It's true but... There's something that concerns me. I think that something isn't right, the Pope is hiding something..."

"And what is it?" The voice of the man in a pope outfit took the nun by surprise. The two stayed silent, staring at each other in the eyes "Evelyn, go back to work."

"Y-Yes Father."

The nun hurried and went back to her task. The man was about to leave as well but was stopped by Polyetta's voice.

"Was she right?"

The man slowly turned toward her, a blank expression on his face.

"Do not trouble yourself with that, this doesn't concern you." The man analyzed Polyetta with an insisting gaze, putting her in a slight discomfort. Once he judged it was enough, the man asked, "Are you that nun that was with God?"

"I'm afraid not, but it's not the first time I hear it. I think I know your God. We call her Silv, she's just playing with you."

"So you know that she is no deity..."

"You know but still obey her?" Polyetta asked with disgust "What would say your God if He knew you were worshiping an impostor?"

The man chuckled and looked around, making sure they were alone. He talked softly, almost whispering to Polyetta.

"There is no God, so he won't do anything."

"You seem quite sure, why's that?"

The man hesitated slightly before revealing everything to the prisoner.

"Because I made it up. I created a God to make everyone listen to me. No more hate, no more jealousy, only peace. Everyone is afraid of death, so it's comforting to think that someone will take care of us once it happens. All they have to do is obey and nothing wrong will happen."

"So you're using people's fear to manipulate them?"

"You could say that. But does it really matter? In the end, everyone is happy."

Polyetta thought deeply. If everyone was happy, was it so wrong? She kept fighting for the universe and saw the loss of her comrades, of her friends. Everyone was affected by it even if they didn't show it. If instead of struggling they just left for a happy world, away from all worries, would they be happier? She shook her head at this idea and instead answered the man before she would stress more about it.

"Why are you admitting all of that? It could ruin everything."

"I am not sure myself. Maybe the burden was becoming too much for me... And also, I feel like you could understand."

The two stayed silently together, lost in their thought until they heard the footsteps of someone in a hurry approaching. It was another nun, an expression of fear on her face.

"Father, there are intruders in the castle. What should we do?"

"It's not my duty to deal with that, go ask the king."

"The royal family is away, you're the one with the most authority here."

The man let out a frustrated sigh and turned toward Polyetta.

"We'll discuss your fate later, prisoner."

The two left Polyetta alone, who only hoped it was her friends coming to save her. She looked at the small opening on the wall to see the darkness of the evening. The moon was almost in the sky, they had to act quickly.