Despairing from abandoning hope, turning both eyes from light to gaze at darkness. A heart, ugly under sunlight’s glare, denies its own unbearable self, recognizing lost ideals as unattainable dreams.

  “Dreams are written with ‘person’ and read as ‘fleeting.’” Nameless was struck by the phrase, nodding at its truth. Pursuing ideals called dreams is the tomorrow humans crave. What a fool he was, faintly chasing a dream thought long dead. Mocking those who seek tomorrow, sneering at their struggles for hope—that was him, the being called Nameless.

  Unable to face a radiant heart, he closed his eyes, drifting in a sea of electrons. To deny hope’s burning passion, he posed unanswerable questions, projecting his own doubts and hesitations onto others. Malice cloaked in cruelty… the shame was his, not those unable to answer.

  Lost in thought, exhaling thinly, Nameless stared at Eve and Canaan, his mechanical limbs humming. If these girls embodied the concept of hope, that was surely no mistake. Their young, fragile buds of hope must be protected. If he—the friend reduced to memory’s ashes—were here, he’d choose to guard them with his life.

  “Canaan,” Nameless said.

  “Y-Yes?” she replied.

  “Your answer was enough to satisfy me. Be proud—you’re not inferior to your sister. Straighten your spine, hold your head high, and pursue yourself with unwavering resolve. Do so, and you’ll become a true sage.”

  “Y-Yes…” Canaan stammered.

  “Eve,” he continued.

  “…” Eve remained silent.

  “You’re as stubborn as me. Standing equal to adults at your age is impossible. Learn to lean on others, and don’t see yourself in your mirror-half. You are you, Canaan is Canaan—I think, therefore I am. Either way, it’s too soon to bear fate’s weight. Don’t struggle to become an adult, child.”

  Unlike before, Nameless’s gaze held no hatred or rage, only a gentle warmth. Though faint resignation flickered, he seemed at peace, unlike the man who once denied humanity.

  “…Nameless,” Eve said.

  “What?”

  “What was he like… your friend?”

  “…He might’ve been my sun. You wouldn’t know, but the past’s sky wasn’t gray. A boundless azure canopy, a vast ultramarine sea… He said he loved the blue sky.”

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  The powered-off monitor flickered white, displaying recorded footage. Pointing, Nameless said, “This is the blue sky, the sea, the green trees,” narrowing his eyes as if cherishing the past.

  An endless sky-sea, waves reflecting sunlight, green flora bathed in dappled light—a vibrant world before the war’s devastation. The natural beauty, unknown to girls raised in the ark’s mechanical paradise, captivated their hearts.

  “Project EDEN… that’s the name of the plan your parents and their allies strive for. To reclaim the future from the ark’s rulers, to restore hope for tomorrow’s children. I think they’re fools, idiots even. But… those who sacrifice for tomorrow’s lives over today’s are heroes, I’d say.”

  “Project… EDEN?” Eve asked.

  “Yes. To the rulers, this plan—named for paradise—is the serpent’s temptation, destroying a completed world. The immortal black snake is evil, the Satan cast from heaven. But… viewed differently, Satan might be the savior in scripture.”

  Nameless wasn’t endorsing Satanism. The black snake, giving humanity the fruit of wisdom and God’s knowledge, destroyed paradise and instilled original sin. Unpurgeable sin breeds guilt, tainting and corrupting humans. Yet bearing sin and punishment defines humanity. Humans can’t escape guilt, nor fulfill the destiny to purify original sin. Satan is evil but also the savior who grew God’s clay dolls into humans.

  “Kamishiro… your father and I are Satan to the ark’s rulers. Pretending loyalty while seeking chances to rebel. You, Eve and Canaan, are essential to destroy the old paradise and create a new one.”

  Thus, it wasn’t time yet, not for children to know. Finishing, Nameless sighed, eyeing the trembling girls.

  No wonder—they’d shudder, even adults, learning such a heavy fate. It was meant for later, when Eve and Canaan were ready to accept their mission. But faced with their radiant humanity, the symbol of hope, he couldn’t stay silent.

  “…Nameless,” Eve said.

  “…”

  “If, just if, we complete the plan and reclaim paradise, what will you do? Stay locked in this room, staring at monitors forever?”

  “I haven’t thought about after. I’ve lived too long… let me die.”

  “Nameless-san!” Canaan interjected.

  “…”

  “Um, you know so much, right? Why not become a teacher? Outside the ark, there’s a wide world, isn’t there? There’ll be a shortage of teachers! You could share your knowledge!”

  Knowing their fate, they didn’t despair. More than that, they thought of Nameless’s future. Their eyes burned like bonfires illuminating darkness, guiding lost wanderers.

  He’d never considered what came after the plan. He wanted a satisfying death, to die humanly with fulfillment. Unable to live with a machine’s rationality or as an ordinary human, he longed to end his life humanly.

  “…Fools,” he muttered.

  Praying for death, yet seeing their eyes, he wanted to live. To watch them grow, a desire stirred.

  “But…”

  Maybe that’s not bad. With a soft smile, Nameless dreamed of a hazy future, chuckling quietly.

  “So, Nameless, no more talk of dying or disappearing, got it? If you feel that way, say you want to live. Even if you die, live. Survive, keep living. Then… maybe you’ll see something. A reason to live,” Eve said.

  “…Harsh, Eve. But you might be right,” Nameless replied.

  “Nameless-san, if it’s okay… could you teach us? Like, practice for being a teacher?” Canaan asked.

  “Fine. I’ve been a teacher once. Next time you come, bring notebooks, pens, and a laptop. I’ll prepare too.”

  Waving them off, Nameless watched the girls leave, leaning back in his chair. With a sigh of relief and tension, he murmured, “…Doing everything to protect someone. Is this how you felt, Danan?”

  From the shards of broken memory, he whispered the irreplaceable name of his friend.