Branches snap. The glow of the Nokko – White Star .57 pulses in Rei's hand, guiding him like a silent companion through the dark.
NOKKO (low in his mind):
"He's shifting. Not quite solid anymore."
A rustle. Something fast. Rei spins.
REI:
"Behind!"
He ducks instinctively—a tree explodes beside him, bark slicing into the air like shrapnel. Mono darts across the mist like a smear of starlight.
NOKKO:
"He's testing your reaction time. Not attacking—yet."
REI:
"I know this tactic. Boss Phase Zero. Pressure until you make a mistake."
Rei vaults behind a log, gun raised. Mono is nowhere. Just the sound of the wind. And then—
MONO (echoing, taunting):
"I saw you play that mech sim in class. What was it called... PZ-Divide?"
Rei's eyes widen.
REI:
"You were watching me?"
MONO:
"Always. Your tactics were sloppy. Tunnel vision. Poor heat management."
REI (gritting teeth):
"Shut UP."
He taps the side of the pistol. It rotates modes—from "Pulse" to "Spread."
NOKKO:
"Scatter rounds loaded. Five-meter cone. Use it when he closes."
A blur. Mono darts forward again, arm outstretched, ready to grab.
REI:
"Now!"
BLAM!
A wave of blue light explodes from the gun, catching Mono across the side. He phases through part of it—but flickers erratically.
MONO (grunting):
"Good. You're learning."
He slides back, landing on all fours like an animal, steam rising from his arms.
REI:
"Yeah? Well I learn fast, and I've got patch notes."
He runs—not away, but around—looping through trees in a tight arc, keeping line of sight. Drawing Mono in.
NOKKO:
"You're adapting his movement style. That's good. But don't forget—he's designed to predict you."
REI:
"I'm counting on it."
Another burst—Mono comes low this time, aiming for a leg sweep. Rei jumps off a tree trunk mid-stride, flipping over him.
NOKKO (impressed):
"Wait. Was that a Moonflash Parry from MythZone Season 4?!"
REI (grinning):
"Damn right it was."
He spins in midair—fires down—hits Mono square in the back. Mono crashes forward, skidding through dirt.
NOKKO:
"His form's destabilizing. A few more clean hits will force reversion."
REI (moving again):
"No. Not clean hits. I want him to talk. We take him alive."
NOKKO:
"He'll only talk if he thinks he's won. Corner him."
THE FINAL STRETCH – CLEARING NEAR THE OLD OBSERVATORY SITE
Fog breaks. A clearing opens—stone remnants, moonlight, the hum of old tech under the soil.
Rei slows. No more shots. No more chasing.
Mono appears again, breathing heavy. Arm glitching like static.
MONO:
"You... really trained for this?"
REI:
"I played games alone for years. You learn stuff."
MONO:
"Then you should know... how this ends."
He lunges.
But Rei doesn't dodge.
He aims low—fires a gravity round—the recoil dragging Mono's legs midair. In the same motion, he flicks his wrist—
A second shot slices through Mono's shoulder.
He hits the ground hard. Struggling. Finally still.
REI (approaching, gun steady):
"It ends with you talking."
MONO (gritting his teeth, half-smiling in pain, eyes glazed over):
"…The stars are pretty, aren't they?"
His voice is hoarse, barely above a whisper, like he's not talking to Rei but to the sky itself. A breeze stirs the air. Fireflies drift near his face, mistaking him for something peaceful.
REI (quietly):
"What nonsense are you talking about now?"
MONO (nodding slowly, voice thin):
"Back where I'm from, we didn't look up. Didn't matter if the sky was burning or blooming—we had a mission. You could pass a thousand stars and never ask what they were called… or who might be waiting under them."
He winces, shifting slightly. His broken armor groans with him.
MONO:
"There was no sky. Just black—no gravity, no light, just protocols. I was bred in the slipstream between collapsed galaxies. A sector without names. A place where mimics like me got deployed, erased, rebuilt. Over and over."
He lifts a trembling hand, fingers twitching like static-laced wires.
MONO:
"We were told not to feel. 'Emotion is corruption,' they said. If you start to feel, you're defective. A pause meant malfunction. A moment of doubt was a death sentence."
A bitter smile flickers on his lips.
MONO:
"But somehow, somewhere in the repetition… I broke pattern. Started noticing things. Like how quiet the silence really was. How it hurt."
He breathes in sharply, then exhales like he's letting go of something he's been holding for years.
MONO:
"You looked like someone breaking too, Rei. That's why I spoke to you. Not because I had to… but because I wasn't supposed to. And that made it feel real."
There's a pause. Long enough for the wind to speak for him. When he finds his voice again, it's quieter. Closer to a confession.
MONO:
"I used to think people were like stars. Beautiful from far away. But up close… they're dying. Collapsing. Burning out quietly, one by one. I thought that's just what we were—pretty tragedies drifting alone."
He swallows hard.
MONO:
"But you… you were different. You glitched. You didn't follow the pattern. You looked at me like I was more than a weapon. Like I had a choice."
Rei stays silent, stunned. Mono's gaze returns to the stars—wet, but steady.
MONO (his voice cracking now):
"I should've purged you. The second I sensed Nokko's pulse in you… I should've erased everything. That was my directive."
A breath.
MONO:
"But I didn't. I hesitated. I chose not to finish the mission."
Another breath—sharp, trembling.
MONO:
"And now I'm here. On a planet I was never meant to touch. Beneath stars I was never meant to name. Dying from a wound I chose to take. Not because I failed… but because, for the first time, I wanted to."
A weak laugh slips from him, barely there.
MONO (voice barely audible now):
"I think… that's what life is. Not survival. Just… choosing what you care about. Even if it kills you."
END OF CHAPTER 9