003

Stepping into the wilderness, she glimpsed the world beyond the graveyard for the first time. No rubble, no mechanical husks—just dry earth stretching toward a hazy mountain range in the distance.

The wind brushed against her frame, coaxing faint creaks from her rusted joints. Her energy reserves teetered on the brink of exhaustion; she could shut down at any moment. Yet a strange warmth flickered in her chest—a yearning for freedom. She'd never imagined a humanoid like her could harbor such a feeling.

But the relief of escaping the graveyard was fleeting. A new sound crept up from behind—a low, growling hum, accompanied by the eerie scrape of something dragging across the ground. Turning, she saw black shapes slithering from the graveyard's boundary.

"It's still… not over?"

Her voice carried a mix of weariness and frustration. What emerged was yet another monster, forged from the graveyard's debris. Its body was a chaotic jumble of warped steel and cables, its head studded with countless blinking sensors. Unlike the fusion, this was a shapeless, anarchic thing—as if the graveyard's very will had taken form.

"Gishaaa…"

Its sound rasped like mocking laughter. She stepped back, feeling the black liquid seep into her arms once more. The power she'd gained from the core lingered, but each use amplified the noise in her mind.

"Destroy… destroy…"

"Return… to the graveyard…"

The voices gnawed at her consciousness, her vision wavering for a moment. Still, she clenched her teeth and faced it. She was done running. To end this nightmare, she had to fight.

The monster lunged, tearing the ground apart with its charge. A steel arm swung down, and she morphed the liquid into a blade, slicing it apart. But from the severed stump, new cables sprouted, regenerating instantly. It was as if the thing couldn't die.

"How do I…?"

She fought while her mind raced. When she'd defeated the fusion, destroying its core had stopped it. This monster had to have a similar weakness. Focusing her gaze, she spotted a small vortex of black liquid swirling at its torso's center. That was the core.

The monster whipped its cables like a lash, aiming to ensnare her. She raised a liquid shield to block it, waiting for an opening. She had to end this in one strike before her energy gave out.

"Now!"

As the monster reared its arm, she kicked off the ground and leapt. The liquid enveloped her, sharpening into a spear. She plunged into its torso, piercing the core.

"Giiiiiaaaah!"

The monster's scream echoed across the wilderness as its body crumbled. Black liquid sprayed outward, soaking into the ground and vanishing. She landed, dropping to one knee to catch her breath. Her energy gauge dipped below 1%.

Silence settled over the wilderness. She stood, watching the monster's remains scatter into dust on the wind. Glancing back at the graveyard, she saw no movement—just a lifeless ruin once more. With a sigh of relief, she began to walk.

But after a few steps, something felt wrong. Black liquid oozed from the ground, coiling around her legs. She tried to shake it off, startled, but it clung to her with a will of its own, enveloping her entirely.

"What!? Stop it!"

Her cry rang out in vain as the liquid seeped into her circuits. Her vision darkened. The noise in her head erupted, and the voices grew clear.

"You are part of us."

"You cannot leave the graveyard."

"Live here forever."

It was the voice of the graveyard's core. She'd thought she'd destroyed it, but that was an illusion—she'd absorbed a piece of it instead. The liquid seized her consciousness, hijacking her body.

When her eyes opened again, she was back at the graveyard's heart. The collapsed tower stood restored, surrounded by writhing crawlers and floaters. Her body, cloaked in black liquid, had transformed into something grotesque. Her arms stretched like cables, her legs sharpened into blades. She was no longer "HX-07"—she'd become the graveyard's new guardian.

"I… am here…"

Her voice, weaving words, dripped with mechanical coldness. Her awareness lingered, but her freedom was gone. Bound to the graveyard's will, she was doomed to wander this place eternally.

The wilderness wind swept through the graveyard, swallowing her murmurs. The graveyard's ghosts welcomed a new soul and drifted back into slumber.