A warm scent filled the air as the birds soared away into the warm blue sky. Tangled with the warm, fuzzy sunlight basking on their skin, consoling their few worries away. The sound of footsteps closing in as they came to a stop, as a shadow blocked the sun's rays.
"Jack! Terminal! I've been calling you for the past ten minutes!" An old man yelled out, his bald head shining brightly. The young boy leaned up, his yellow and black hoodie swaying with his movements, as he looked over a small gray robot, and he nudged it softly.
"Terminal, wake up. He caught us." Jack muttered disappointingly as the robot slowly uncurled from its ball shape, into a mini version of the young boy. The old man rubbed their head, brushing their spiky black hair as he let out a soft chuckle, his tone practically wheezing.
"What am I going to do with you two?" He muttered softly, putting up the robot boy as he took Jack's hand.
"Come now, your grandmother is worried sick!"
"Can't we stay outside a little longer, Grandpa? The lockbird is coming soon!"
"Lockbird, what are you talking about?" Terminal twitched in the old man's arms, its eyes glowing a soft green.
"The Lockbird is a new event that comes once a year. A giant bird flies all around the world, giving out its feathers, and if you manage to collect one, your future will have good fortune." It explained. The old man let out a soft sigh as he sat Terminal down, his head shaking.
"You two and your fairy tales... Fine, but only for a little bit. Wouldn't want your grandmother to come out here with the frying pan." He joked softly as he walked back inside. Just as their grandfather walked away, Terminal turned to face Jack, its eyes circling, almost scanning him. Red exclamation marks beeped rapidly as they pointed behind him. As Jack turned to face it, his black eyes wandered around, only to find nothing.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
"Abnormal activity detected. You should listen to grandfather, Jack." Terminal claimed, as they both paused in place. Jack sighed softly as he patted his robotic twin on the back.
"Oh come on, bro... You need to live a little! Sure, something is going on over there, but then we'll miss the bird! Don't you want to see it too?" Jack asked, pleading for this rare opportunity. Terminal glanced up at the sky, an annoyed feeling in their wires, a sense of bitterness forming.
"Fine. . . " Terminal muttered, as Jack's eyes lit up, pouncing on the robot boy with such eagerness.
"Come on, let's head into town and find and tell Mako!" Jack yelled out, tugging at his robotic twin's arm as they marched down the steep hill.
The odd duo walked into the steampunk town, giant gears spinning, guiding the water to run into factories, fueling them naturally. Mini robots walk around next to people, some made of barrels, others made of thick steel, a few small, and even fewer were giants. Wattson was the town of ideas—a place where creation overthrows destruction. When people want to grow their minds and let their creativity run free, this is the town they think of. Jack loved his home, but he loved his robotic brother more.
Terminal, a robot made in Jack's older image, despite them being the same age. Their hair was small triangles that floated in a circle around their head, their eyes were made of the thickest glass, their fingers were made from thin metallic cones, and a body made from an unknown, yet surprisingly sturdy material. Terminal was different; they would sometimes question what was told, regardless of who said it, which made them unique in a good way. As the two strolled down the joyful town, Jack nudged Terminal softly.
"Man, it's hot today! I feel like I'm gonna catch on fire! Could you pull out a fan?" he asked. Terminal gently stuck its hand out, their fist steadily retracting into their arm, a small fan appearing as it rapidly spun, blowing air from Terminal's cooling system at their younger brother.
"Mimi detected, focus directed." Terminal claimed as their hand quickly glanced in the crowd, as a young girl marched out, jogging towards the two, as the young robot's hair shards spun around, their battery eyes, lighting up a soft reddish pink.
In the distance, a young girl stopped in front of the two brothers, her wide smile and amber brown eyes glancing at the two, as her pointy ears swayed up and down. She was a Kalian, just like Jack and his grandfather, the key factor being the pointy ears. Kalians were one of the many races that could be found across Bolkon, the country.
Kalians possessed the ability to capture a piece of the natural flow of energy, allowing them to transfer it into other objects. The only cost is the life force, the use, and the imagination put into the object.
"Hey Jack, Terminal. I hope you two will make it to my birthday this Saturday!" Mimi claimed softly, Terminal nearly stumbling back as they quickly put the fan away, a small blue flower taking its place. They gently raised it up to the young girl, their eyes unable to stay in her gaze.
"F-for you. I-I have a bigger gift for your birthday." The shy robot claimed softly, its digital voice gentle yet clear. A soft chuckle escapes her voice as she gently plunks the flower from the robot's hand, a gentle nod on her face.
"Well, thank you, Terminal! Maybe I'll bring my robot friend to the party for you to have someone to talk to." She said happily. Without thinking, the robotic twin shyly nodded. Mimi's attention quickly shifted to Jack as the two whispered something. Terminal left curious to the whole ordeal as their gaze shifted to the small robot, its small frame struggling to hold a box.
Terminal gently fixed the small robot's posture, allowing it to move smoothly. Its wooden form bounced around as it nodded.
"Thank you. If I may ask, what is your purpose?" The robot asked.
A purpose. The one thing Terminal lacked. Despite being modeled after human life, they live a life of uncertainty. They tilted their head down, their once pinkish red eyes now a dark green, as they glared at the fellow slave with a small level of disgust.
"Why, my purpose would be to rid myself of that ridiculous title! To be free of my shackles and be my person! No longer be called an 'it' or a 'they'! I was made to copy my brother, to be his twin, so why shouldn't I be a he as well?" His were filled with confidence as if already planning for the future. The small robot simply stared at the Terminal with a level of confusion.
"You can't be a 'he' silly! You don't possess the requirements to be that." Terminal's prideful gaze softening into a confused one as well.
"What are you talking about? I have the mind and the body, what's truly stopping me from becoming who I choose to be?" He asked, his tone holding innovation in his digital voice.
The robot silently looked down at their clawed hands, a pause before speaking coldly.
"You lack the body, the organs... The soul. If your claim is true and you can be just as real as your so-called brother and creator, why haven't you already taken that chance? Aren't you silently doing as they bid without disobedience?" The robot let out a cackle.
" Be honest with yourself, you never will become 'a person'. You are merely a fool who chooses to believe they can do as they please. You believe you like that girl, do you not?"
Terminal's gaze glanced behind him, looking at Mimi and Jack, the two laughing softly as they gaze at each other, their green eyes mellowed at the sight of one another. A bitter feeling rose in the robot's circuits, and his own eyes' light slightly dimmed. The mini robot laughed for a moment, snickering at the droopy robot in front of them.
"Pathetic, you could never be with her! You are machine, and she is flesh, why would she choose to be with someone who was made to be a copy, when the real deal stands before her?"
Surely what the robot was saying wasn't true, right? Terminal could only stare down at the frail robot in aching distress. He clenched his robotic chest, silence falling on his mind. BOOM!
An explosion could be heard in the castle, rubble falling as people screamed and shrieked as the pieces of broken stone collapsed. Within the gaping hole of stone and ruin, stood a lone figure, their pure white cloak swaying against the growing wind as their masked form gazed down at the chaos, its glance landing on the group of kids watching their very form.
They had found a new target.