Humans die. No matter who they are, no living being escapes the reality of death. Seeking immortality, abandoning a dead earth for an ark, humans rejected the remaining paradise, yearning for a new one. The rotten earth stands as proof of their sins, its surface a garden of evil teeming with death-bringing creatures. But to Nameless, such matters were trivial. Humanity, a malignant neoplasm that killed the planet, would perish in time—a just outcome of atonement and punishment, the nameless man declared.

  Even if they wished for tomorrow, the point of return had long passed. The desire to live is a primal urge, the original wish of intelligent beings. Occult-like thoughts twist established theories, poisoning the crystalline logic of wisdom. Technicians in science or engineering may entertain some mysticism, but they must prioritize emotionless theory, logic, and practical proof. A true technician is a machine, tirelessly conducting experiments to reach the truth of phenomena.

  Machines are ideal. They don’t waver, hesitate, or let emotions sway them.

  Nameless wanted to be a machine, devoid of humanity—no pointless dreams of hope, no feelings when faced with despair.

  If he existed only for others’ greed, knowing he’d take countless lives and kill the earth, he’d choose death without hesitation. If living was futile, if his end would prove a better future, he’d die gladly. For a world that didn’t need the calamity of Nameless, this death-sowing nameless one must vanish from a peaceful existence. Unnecessary beings… have no value.

  If being human were allowed, if he could live as a human, he might have known ordinary happiness. He’d embrace anger, hatred, joy, sorrow—all emotions—and live humanly, trembling at the thought of dying as one. Not viewing the world with cold eyes, nor seeing individuals as pawns to lose… Nameless wished to be like the girl before him, Eve, wielding emotions as a blade for another’s sake.

  Her prismatic eyes burned with rage, her fury for her kin a thing of beauty.

  In the girl who dared speak against him, the linchpin of the plan, Nameless saw a human heart.

  Her love for her sister Canaan, her effort to guide her, was worthy of praise. Even kin are ultimately others, yet showing love and wrestling with conflict is a feat only a blood-filled human can achieve. Those who act for others… must live. Those who seize tomorrow and seek hope deserve blessing.

  Gently tapping Eve’s hand gripping his collar, Nameless offered a resigned smile tinged with surrender. “I apologize for my rudeness,” he said, deftly manipulating his mechanical limbs to hoist Eve into the air.

  “Let me go! We’re not done—” Eve protested.

  “Eve, I have one question for you,” Nameless interrupted.

  “What?”

  “What makes a person human? Memories etched in the brain? A formed ego? The intelligence shaping individuality, or the environment shaping it? Or… words born from past memories? Answer me, Eve. Give me a satisfying answer. Show me what humanity is.”

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  His obsidian eyes locked onto Eve, his dry nails tapping the armrest. Once, twice, thrice… like a clock’s second hand, or sand falling in an hourglass.

  “…” Could the girl provide an answer? It was an impossible task. “…” For young Eve, yet to age, Nameless’s question probed the essence of humanity and the species itself. “…It’s…” No clear answer could exist for such a philosophical query.

  What shapes a human—memory and ego, or intelligence and environment forming individuality? Even proclaiming “I am human,” the question “What is human?” yields countless, colorless answers. Facing philosophical dilemmas, only those who establish themselves while accepting others can respond. Eve bit her lip, hesitating in silence.

  “I think, therefore I am”—a simplistic resolution, but Nameless would reject it, asking who “I” is and whether a differing “thou” is human. Claiming sole supremacy would mean one person defining humanity, paving a path of carnage—a Shura’s way, he’d argue, dismissing such words. An endless cycle of futile denial, a meaningless loop. Eve groaned, clenching her teeth, as Nameless snorted triumphantly, resting his fist on his chin.

  “You can’t know. You can’t understand. Humans, knowing mutual understanding yet fighting on, are the pinnacle and flaw of life. Conflict breeds conflict, dyeing hearts with sorrow, hurting each other—humans are defective, Eve. Supreme wisdom, piled memories, records of the past—all are but hollow facades. Proclaiming individuality and ego, valuing uniqueness, is humanity’s virtue and a deceit to hide its malice. Hypocrisy, the word I loathe most.”

  That’s why he hated humans, why they were detestable. Ignoring his own humanity, he couldn’t help but scorn a species fighting to near extinction. Denying humanity, rejecting individuality, Nameless coughed and laughed.

  To overturn his logic required deeper thought. Eve, challenging his rigid theories to prove humanity, raced her mind, stringing words together—only to realize each was adorned with cold emotion. No, she couldn’t help but notice.

  How could she break Nameless’s cruel logic? How could she propose a different theory to convince him? As Eve fell silent and Nameless laughed, their opposing reactions clashed. Then, in a faint, fading voice, Canaan murmured, “There are all kinds of people with different thoughts… isn’t that what makes us human?”

  “Because everyone’s different, because no one thinks the same, we’re human, right? If—if everyone thought the same, you, me, Sister, Nameless-san… we wouldn’t be here, would we?”

  Nameless’s smile vanished, his obsidian eyes turning to Canaan. She gasped, fear gripping her heart under his despair-filled gaze.

  “Canaan, I’m asking what makes a person human. The ontology of individuality is a different matter,” Nameless said.

  “Ontology, the complicated stuff you and Sister talk about—I don’t get it… But I think you want to be accepted, Nameless-san,” Canaan said.

  “Accepted? Me? You think you can understand me? Speaking of sympathy, claiming everyone’s different—deep down, all thoughts are the same. Refusing understanding leads to conflict; rejecting acceptance breeds hostility. Humans are identical… products of parallel processing in the subconscious.”

  “…Um, sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying at all,” Canaan admitted.

  Stunned, Nameless furrowed his brow, clicking his tongue in irritation. Calling her foolish, he bristled as Canaan, overwhelmed by his imposing presence, shrank back.

  “…”

  How could identical twin sisters be so different? One, sharp and outspoken; the other, timid and weak-willed, overshadowed by her sister’s inferiority. Despite genetic similarity, Eve and Canaan’s distinct personalities held the answer Nameless sought.

  “Nameless-san,” Canaan said.

  “What?”

  “It’s normal to dislike someone, just as it’s normal to like someone. I think that comes from the heart, beyond logic or reason, because we’re emotional beings. To me… what makes a person human is the heart, no matter how much you deny or reject it. You’re talking to us as a human because you seek someone, right?”

  At Canaan’s words, Nameless twitched an eyebrow, exhaling a breath caught in his throat.