Reunion

Seeing her son for the first time since the beginning of the catastrophe, Aurélien's mother didn't ask the questions that had been gnawing at her mind for hours. Instead, she stood up and wrapped her arms around her son. He returned the embrace. Saeko turned her attention back to preparing lunch, though a soft smile touched her lips.

"I was really afraid I'd lost you," the woman murmured, holding back tears."I was too, Mom," her son replied. The embrace lasted several minutes before Aurélien's mother took a step back."We have a lot to talk about," she said firmly.

Over the next hour, the two of them discussed what had happened to them since the beginning of the catastrophe. Saeko joined them shortly after, bringing lunch. Aurélien didn't reveal to his mother that his knowledge came from a fusion of his soul with someone from another world—afraid it might trigger a panic attack. Though she had her doubts, she eventually accepted that the droids protecting her were her son's work. However, the inventor decided not to tell her about the loss of one of his limbs.

"I must have been completely exhausted not to hear all that noise last night," said the black-haired woman, finishing her coffee."Don't worry, Mrs. Yamamoto. These past few days haven't been easy for anyone," Saeko replied.

"Thank you, Saeko. But I've already told you to call me by my first name—Koharu," the older woman answered. "Also, I'd like to know why you came out of my son's room this morning," she added with a mischievous smile.

The two young adults looked away, a slight blush on their cheeks. They knew how they felt about each other, though it hadn't gone further than a kiss. Still, it was far too awkward to discuss it with an older woman—especially for Saeko, who had never experienced a motherly bond before. Eventually, Aurélien found a way out and stood from his seat."I just remembered I have work to finish in the workshop."

Saeko looked at her partner as if he had just fed her to the sharks. He quickly smothered the guilt he felt, knowing it was better to leave the two women together while he built the machines essential to their survival.

Entering his workshop, Aurélien immediately began taking inventory of the remaining materials. After finishing, he realized he barely had enough to repair his mechadendrite. Instead, he pulled out the blueprint for the engineer droid—a spider-like machine barely 1.5 meters long and 1 meter high. It could be equipped with various tools that allowed it to weld and cut through metal components as strong as titanium. The more of them there were, the more efficient and faster the work. However, their functionality was limited to construction and dismantling of heavy structures and wasn't precise enough to build other droids.

The technopriest figured this would be the most effective way to obtain new resources. The abandoned cars on his street alone could supply a significant amount of metal—easily recoverable and transformable by his new workforce. As for the minerals necessary for machine operation, like platinum and palladium, they could be retrieved from dismantled electronic and computer equipment. Many homes in the neighborhood hadn't seen their residents return since the crisis began. Aurélien had no qualms about reclaiming abandoned items.

However, his BX droids had reported that several houses in the neighborhood were barricaded—likely harboring survivors, a problem he would deal with later. For now, he sent one of his guards to retrieve abandoned household electronics and bring them back.

After two hours of work, the garage door opened, and a spider-like droid emerged to perform its duties. Instead of using a saw to cut vehicles, the machine used an integrated cutting laser attached to two smaller appendages. The noise attracted the attention of several undead, but they were easily handled by the BX droids before they could group into a horde. A few surviving neighbors peeked out from their windows to witness the spectacle, but none were brave enough to come out and see whether the machines were friendly.

Saeko and Koharu also noticed the commotion, but instead of fear, they felt relief and hope—knowing that some measure of safety might still be possible despite the hell the world had become.

Wanting to stretch her legs, Saeko took the sword Aurélien had recently given her and entered her lover's workshop. But instead of interrupting his work, the young woman found herself captivated by Aurélien's methods. To her, it was as mesmerizing as watching a blacksmith forge a blade. She didn't know how much time had passed—she only snapped out of it when the young man finished his third engineer droid of the day. That's when he noticed her presence."Have you been waiting long?" he asked.

With a charming smile, she replied,"No, I was admiring your work. I just wanted to ask if you'd come with me to clear the area."

Aurélien put down his tools and left his workshop arms in automatic mode to continue processing recovered metal. He stretched his sore muscles."Good idea. I always lose track of time when I'm building a machine," he said, letting down his hair. Aurélien put on his red coat and picked up his sword.

The couple stepped out into the street. They watched the three spider-droids extracting metal from abandoned vehicles and reshaping it into a useful alloy for droid construction. As they moved away from the area, they found no undead within 300 meters of the house—only scattered corpses on the ground. The BX droids had proven their effectiveness. Aurélien was relieved to see that the large hordes seemed concentrated in urban centers, especially downtown. But it was obvious that would change once the last survivors there were consumed.

The couple enjoyed each other's company. Saeko looked at Aurélien, and he looked at her. No words were needed. Then, the thudding of feet and low moans from the undead interrupted the moment. About twenty zombies were approaching in sight. Saeko's hand moved to her new weapon—but she paused. What if she still hesitated?

Sensing her inner turmoil, Aurélien looked at her and said,"If you still doubt yourself, then give yourself a reason to fight."

"And what reason would I fight for?" Saeko asked.

"Me," Aurélien replied."Fight for me, as I will fight for you," he said sincerely.

A slow smile spread across Saeko's lips, and she nodded. Slowly getting into position, she prepared to draw her sword. A sharp click echoed as Saeko unsheathed the blade. With a sharp exhale, the samurai charged forward, drawing her katana and slicing through three undead in one fluid motion. A spray of black blood erupted from the corpses as they fell to the ground, contaminated blood pooling beneath them. A smile of realization and acceptance appeared on Saeko's face as she embraced her inner demons and her reason to fight. Taking down two more, Saeko felt a surge of endorphins flood her veins as she cut through even more undead.

Then the rest of the zombies encircled her, and with a cry of exhilaration, she spun in a wide arc—her sword cleaving through them. And just like that, it was over. The small horde was neutralized. The young man couldn't help but feel slightly aroused by the display of his girlfriend's power.

Saeko then looked at Aurélien and walked toward him, cleaning the blood from her blade before sheathed it. Looking into Aurélien's eyes, she asked,"Do you mean it?"

Aurélien smiled and brushed a strand of indigo hair from Saeko's face."We'll face the horrors of this world together. If I can't trust you—then who else is worthy of it?"

Saeko smiled, cupped Aurélien's face in one hand, and kissed him fiercely.