1 Vivian Evergreen

• • • • • •

"Aw." A girl mumbled under her breath as she attempted to sit up, but failed miserably. She rolled around on the cold metal floors for a while, holding her head.

She was able to sit up after a few minutes of feeling constant head pain. The pain was still present, but it was somewhat bearable. The young lady focused her attention on her surroundings.

She was in a room she was very familiar with, but to say it was a in a disarray would be an understatement. She looked around and saw that all of her belongings were in scattered around her room.

The light flickered above her, sometimes sending the room into complete darkness. When it did, the only light she saw came from outside of her room, peeking through the open door.

"W-What the hell happened? I-I can't remember." She stumbled. "Where is P-Papa? He probably knows what went on."

«Good morning, Vivian, it's good to see you awake»

When Vivian heard the feminine voice, she couldn't help but smile. It sounded like music to her ears.

The voice, however, did not to come from a person, but rather from all around her.

"Nora! How are you, are you okay?!" She shouted, looked at the small camera in the corner of the room.

Although Vivian still had no idea what was going on, or where her father was, at least she still had her best friend with her.

«I'm fine, Vivian, but I would like you to go to the control room. On the way, I will bring you up to speed on what has occurred»

"Alright." Vivian nodded, standing up. "I can do that... wait, which control room?"

«The main one, Dear Vivian. There's only one»

"R-Right." Vivian blushed, feeling stupid and embarrassed by Nora's remark. Nora normally speaks in a very robotic manner, using Vivian's last name and the like, but she seemed different.

Almost more alive than before. It was almost as if she were a real person rather than an AI created by her father to run the station.

Vivian didn't mind though, now it was like talking to her friend felt like a real conversation.

It was definitely a good change than how she has been for almost sixteen years.

Vivian walked around her room, checking to see if there was anything she needed to take with her. She didn't have any weapons in her room because her father forbade it.

But she didn't see anything worth taking with her. Just clothes, books, pens, and a few other things.

Vivian had no idea what she was expecting to discover.

«Vivian, your room is completely useless. You should go to the control room right away; it shouldn't be too difficult to get there»

"I know, just give me a second." Vivian said as she was going through the ruble. "I got it!"

She stood up and dusted her clothes with two necklaces in her hand. The first was a gold chain with a pink gemstone, and the second was silver with a dark purple gemstone.

Vivian smiled and wrapped them around her neck.

«Vivian»

Vivian scrambled when she heard Nora's voice and become a bit irritated. She doesn't have any memories on Nora displaying any emotions. So although it was good, it was also a bit odd.

The girl ran around the room one last time, making sure she didn't leave anything behind.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

Vivian dashed out the door into a corridor with more flickering lights. She gulped as she noticed the outside of her room wasn't much better.

Some of the metal panels on the walls and on the ceiling were hanging by a screw or two.

Most of the rooms' doors were lucked, and those that were open appeared to be ordinary bedrooms. None of them, however, were even half the size of Viviana's.

"Where is everyone, Nora?" Vivian said walking down the hall towards the control room. "How about Papa? Is he okay?"

«Would you prefer the short or long version?»

"Short, I'll talk it over with you when I get to the control room." Vivian became much more serious after taking a good look at the situation.

It was never like this during her years at the station. It is usually clean and well maintained. The halls are always packed with her father's employees.

They worked all hours of the day and night for Viviana and Nora's sake, but a lot more for Nora due to her predicament.

«Your father had a minor... disagreement with a few demons...»

"I thought demons vanished a thousand years ago!" Vivian was taken aback by the information. She'd read many history and fantasy books from various planets.

One thing they all had in common was that demons and angels had been at odds for thousands of years.

Then they mysteriously vanished a thousand years before Vivian's birth.

Only a few people knew where they went. Of course, there were a few subspecies to them still roaming around, but they were nothing like the real thing.

«Yes, but your father was successful in meeting one. I'm not sure what happened, but something happened and more demons appeared to kill him.

He sent the station away but stayed behind; unfortunately, the demons were able to significantly damage the station. The majority of my functions are unavailable.

Everyone else in the station is also dead, but I was able to use the backup runes to seal off your room before the entire thing happened. If not fit that, you would of most likely of died»

Vivian paused for a few seconds before continuing. She clutched her shirt tightly, trying to keep the tears at bay.

The girl despised crying. Especially since she knew Nora could see her, and Nora could see almost everyone else in the station. So she couldn't just go into a corner and start crying.

"D-Do you know if he's okay?"

«He is»

Those words were the best thing she could have heard, bringing her much relief.

"But how do you know?"

«If he was dead, you would have inherited his Legacy»

Vivian hummed with a little more vigour. Legacies were things that people would leave for their successors after they died, retired, or simply to pass down their knowledge.

Nobody wants to leave their Legacy to just anyone. They were usually in the form of a crest that the owner bestows onto their successor.

When activated, it transforms into a small space where all of their knowledge, or whatever they choose to give, is stored.

They will be activated automatically if they are not activated prior to the owner's death.

Vivian looked at the red Rose-shaped markings on her forearm.

She began to jog before full of sprinting. She sent mana to her legs, which increased her speed significantly.

Vivian had no training in fighting, martial arts, or even magic. The majority of what she knew was self-taught. It was simple to send mana to various parts of her body.

Her father had stated numerous times that she possessed unnatural mana control and a bigger mana pool compared to others her age.

"How long will the station's air last, or were the runes not damaged?"

«The runes that supply air to the station were not damaged, and I was able to seal all the doors in time, so that is not an issue»

Vivian couldn't stop sighing. "Thank the Gods. Thank you too, Nora!" She waved cheerfully at the passing cameras.

«It was no issue»

To Nora's request, Vivian did not visit any of the rooms on her way to the control room. Vivian's headache was subsiding, but it remained painful throughout her run.

She surprisingly had no major injuries, only a few scratches here and there. Things that only required a bit of disinfectant and a bandage.

When Vivian began to notice dead bodies in the corridors, she became quite disheartened. The girl had never seen a dead body in real life before.

Vivian didn't know any of them that well since none of them really spoke to her.

It got worse when she had to take a much longer route because Nora had lost access to some of the station.

She persisted, however. The desire to see Nora and learn more helped her get through everything, and Nora said there were pills for her headache in the control room.

So that also helped a lot.

• • •

"I-Im... finally... here! Gods, I'm exhausted." Vivian panted as she stood in front of two massive metal doors. It was a long run, lasting over an hour.

Vivian wasn't in great shape, but she had some muscle from doing light exercise since she was ten. Mostly, she just runs around the station with her father.

She shook her head, pushing the memories aside. She promised herself she'd find her father... after she and Nora finished fixing the station that is.

"Okay. Open up now, Nora! Give it to me, I'm ready!" Vivian yelled, as if she were about to go to war all on her own.

«...»

«Uhm, there's no need to be so dramatic, Dear Vivian. You've been in this room almost every day since you were four»

Vivian felt her face heat up as she tried to think of a good comeback. It was in the heat of the moment, even if the moment wasn't particularly memorable... in the least.

Nora was simply opening a door. Not particularly exciting.

The metal doors slid open for a few seconds, giving Vivian a full view of the control room. That, however, did not hold her attention for long.

A small purple-gray metal orb floated in front of her face.

«Nice to see you, Vivian; now I can give you some pain killers and tell you how messed up the station is»

• • • • • •