“The transaction went through.”

“... What?”

“Ah, sorry, you’re not supposed to hear that,” Anton said, heading further away from Kayla. He typed in a reply, asking Rebecca what she meant. 

‘Apparently, there’s already some dealings behind the scenes. I disregard them as rumors, but they turned out to be true,’ the message came. 

‘When would the game be closed, then?’ Anton replied. He glanced at Kayla, who watched her surroundings from the window. 

‘No news about that. I started paying attention to the rumors after that… but everyone’s talking about their own fate, no one has enough time to care about the game itself.’

‘Keep me updated,’ Anton then closed his virtual screen and went back to Kayla. Kayla turned around and stepped closer to him. Realizing that he had far less time than he expected he had, he decided to push his plans forward. No more side quests. 

“We’re camping at Marrow Peaks,” Anton said. 

“Hooray!” Kayla chirped. They went down to the ground floor and into the Five-Seven. Kayla took the driver’s seat while Anton took the gunner’s turret. He touched the turret’s control stick. 

“...”

The LAV then moved forward. They traveled through the streets of Marrow City, still as dark as when they first arrived here. Anton got up from his chair and sat down behind the driver’s seat. Kayla then opened the driver’s hatch, allowing cold air to blow into the LAV.

“It sure feels nice.”

“Yeah…”

“It’s unfortunate pacifist mode is no longer here.”

“You dislike fighting that much?” 

Anton shook his head, despite knowing that Kayla couldn’t see him. 

“Everyone plays games for different reasons.”

For some, it was for the thrill. Others for the challenge, while some played so they can play with their friends. Every single player in this world had their own reason for being here. For Anton, it was her. A world without her was a world not worth playing. As he sat there, behind Kayla, feeling the bumps on the road, he thought about their past together. 

The quest they went through, the fights they won, the arguments they had between themselves. In the midst of his thoughts, it appeared. That one painful past, and those two painful words that probably haunt him now more than Louis’ bullying ever did. 

Delete me…

He didn’t want to remember, he wanted to delete his own memories, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t delete hers, either. No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t, rather, he refused to. He refused to treat Kayla as an AI program, no more than lines of code. She was more than that. He let out a sigh, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t do anything. This version of Kayla would soon be deleted. He would only be able to speak with her shell, a shell without a home, a shell that floated in his endless wave of data without being able to do anything. 

The thought hurt him. 

Here, he could still send her out on quests and missions when he went offline. He could even give her allowance and told her to spend it however she wished. He was a programmer. What he could do alone was no match for this project, for this game. Whatever he made for her would never be enough. 

He received a notification, coming from Mana. 

‘Where are you working now?’ she asked through the chat. 

‘I’m jobless.’

‘Would you like to join me, then? It will be just like the old times.’

Anton didn’t spend that long under Mana’s wing, but he did have some memories with her. 

‘Sorry, I can’t. Not now, at least.’

He still has some funds to keep himself alive for the next few months. He didn’t know when this journey with Kayla would reach its end. He didn’t want to waste his time chasing after something that meant nothing to him. 

‘Why? Oh, if you’re worried about the boss, then I can give you his contact information. I was told you met him before.’

‘Who’s him?’

‘Barnum,’ Anton closed his virtual screen and looked up at the LAV’s ceiling. He rested his head on the back of the driver’s seat and let out a sigh, before opening his virtual screen again. The name written there didn’t change. 

‘Actually, he wants to meet you, just the two of you.’

Anton remembered that the transaction had gone through, meaning that Barnum may be able to access the game’s files. He did his best to hide his code underneath the game’s code, and Kayla’s data transfer went without a hitch. He even checked it earlier this morning before he logged on, and everything went as usual. 

‘I’ll tell you when we can talk.’

‘Okie dokie.’

Anton let out another sigh. 

“Is everything alright?”

“I really wish I can tell you.”

“I’m here for you, regardless of whether you can tell me or not.”

“Thanks, I mean it.”

The drive up to Marrow Peaks took them on a long winding road. The peaks were located north of the city, their destination being the campsite located on the foot of one of the mountains. It took them fifteen minutes to reach the spot. What was great about this spot in particular was that despite being that far out, it was still in the peace zone, allowing Anton to relax a bit. No one attacked them on their way, and they soon arrived at the camping spot. 

A flat patch of land surrounded by pine trees with a cliff to its south, the city on one side, the magnificent mountains on the other. 

“Brrr…” Anton shivered as he got off the armored vehicle. It wasn’t freezing cold, but cold enough to give him chills. Kayla, meanwhile, started setting up their camp. Campsites register as buildings in the peace zone. This meant that while their vehicle could be destroyed, their tents and outdoor furniture couldn’t. Anton didn’t understand the logic behind it, but he decided against questioning it. 

“Where should I place the tent… no, where should I place everything?” Kayla asked, despite already starting on her own. The LAV parked parallel to a cliff. Kayla set up their tent right beside the LAV, facing toward the cliff. 

“I’ll go get some firewood, then.”

“Okay.”

Anton stepped toward a small house near the entrance. On the side of the house that faced the entrance was a garage-like room. Display cabinets filled the room, showcasing various different items. Firewood, ax, tents, even some instant noodles, all things that could be used for camping. 

“Whatcha need, boy?” the clerk asked. Anton strolled up to her. 

“Firewood.”

“How many?”

“...”

Anton looked back at the bundle on display. They didn’t have any need for them outside camping, but considering the price, it wouldn’t hurt to get extras.

“Three.”

“Gotcha,” the clerk went through a door at the rear of the shop. After a while, she brought back three bundles of firewood. Anton opened his virtual screen to pay, then stored the three bundles in his inventory. 

“Come again,” Anton left the store and headed back to Kayla. 

Back in their camping spot, Kayla had set up everything. The tent, two sets of folding chairs and a folding table in front of it, even two cups of hot chocolate. 

“Ah, you’re back. Want some?” she took one of the cups and handed it over to him. 

“Thanks,” he took a quick sip before returning it back to the folding table. 

“It’s great.”

The words put a gentle smile on Kayla’s lips. Anton then sat down on the chair and materialized the bundle of firewood he just bought. Kayla sat down on the chair right of him. 

“I think it’s better if we make the fire here,” Anton pointed toward his left, left of the folding table. 

“Alright,” Kayla stood up and moved her chair. Anton then handed the first bundle to her. She pulled out her dagger and started cutting it into smaller pieces. A calm breeze went past the campsite, the grass swaying in unison. Kayla started stacking the wood she just cut. 

“Is it enough?”

“I think one more bundle would be good.”

Anton materialized another bundle and handed it over. As Kayla continued working, Anton took the hot chocolate and took another sip. Kayla then stood up, picked up some pinecones scattered not far from them, and returned with some on hand. She materialized a fire ring in front of them and started arranging the materials, starting from the pinecone. 

“Phew. That should do it,” Kayla said. Anton pulled out his staff. 

“Fire Tip!” the staff’s tip lit up, a method he preferred over one named after campfires itself. That one appeared on top of his palm, so it would be hard for him if he needed to let the flames lick the wood. Anton handed the staff over to Kayla, who used it to light up the firewood. It didn’t take long for the fire to spread and consume the wood. 

Anton and Kayla moved further to the left, getting themselves closer to the heat of the fire. Anton then pulled lightly on the table and took the full cup of chocolate, handing it over to Kayla. Kayla took it into her hands and drank it. 

“Phew, this is great,” she smiled. Beyond them stood the city that never sleeps, all in its glory. Cars paint the streets in a red-white light, buildings tower into the sky, streetlights forming wide lines interconnected to each other like cobwebs. The flames that danced before him, the girl that sat next to him, the cool and freshness of the air that he smelled, the sight of magnificent mountains reaching to the skies behind him. 

A beautiful painting, its elements weaved together to make one single picture. 

This couldn’t last forever, he didn’t even want to think about what waited for him. Like a car coming up to the intersection, he wouldn’t be able to see unless he turned, and he didn’t want to. He wished this could last for an eternity. 

“Kayla, thank you,” he whispered. Kayla turned her head toward him. 

“As your AI companion… is what I like to say…” she stopped then turned toward the view before them. 

“But… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel that way anymore,” she said with a chuckle. 

“Like, you just decided to let my programming do whatever it wants.”

“Yeah.”

She felt far too human for him to do anything to her. She was as precious as the people he knew in his life. One that supported him, willing to stand by his side in the toughest of times. His companion, his other side. 

The idea felt weird, sometimes. He found himself constantly reminding himself that she was just lines of codes, a bunch of ones and zeroes. Yet she felt more human. She was willing to stand by his side when no other will. When people left him, she was there, ready to bring him into her embrace. Ready to protect him from the real world. To him, she was someone worth fighting for. 

He opened his virtual screen and opened Mana’s chat. 

‘Can Barnum meet me tomorrow?’

The reply didn’t take long. 

‘What hour?’

‘9 AM.’

This one took a bit longer to reply, but still relatively quick. 

‘He can. Where?’

Anton typed in an address to a cafe on the outskirts of Marrow City. 

‘I’ll ask him real quick.’

He then closed his virtual screen. Kayla kneeled in front of the table, pouring hot water into a pair of cup noodles. 

“Shouldn’t those go before the chocolate?”

“Huh? They should?”

“Well, not really.”

Kayla took a cup and handed it over to Anton. 

“Should we make some more hot chocolate after this? Or coffee, maybe?”

“I’ll make whatever you want.”

“I’m in the mood for some coffee.”

“Okay.”

Anton then took a bite from the instant noodles. It tasted great, rivaling the ones in the real world. Anton saw a notification come in from Mana. 

‘See you tomorrow, he said.’

‘Alright, thanks.’

‘No problem. Hope it goes well.’

‘Yeah,’ Anton closed his virtual screen again. 

“What’s wrong?” Kayla asked, leaning a bit toward him. 

“Mana says Barnum wanted to meet me. Some real-world business, I think.”

Had I been caught?

That question filled his head. He didn’t want to think about it, though, so he looked for other topics. Hearing him, Kayla pulled closer and put her hand on his shoulder. 

“You’ll be fine,” she said with a reassuring smile. 

“Thanks.”