On a street, Isis and her younger siblings walked in a line.
Surrounded by a small grove, where rubble and buildings—rarely taller than three stories—blended with trees and shrubs.
They tread on worn asphalt, still resisting nature's advance, shaded by the trees' shadows. In the background, the soft chirping of birds brought life to the place, mingling with the rustle of leaves in the breeze.
But Isis, scanning her surroundings closely, peering through the trees and bushes, gripped her bow with slight tension.
With so much vegetation, the thought that some animal or beast might emerge at any moment haunted her.
I don't remember this place being so unsettling…
Though she'd been here many times with her siblings, this was the first time she felt this way, as if in danger.
Glancing back with the corner of her eye, she saw Mia, Victor, and Leon following close behind. They moved with their usual ease, tinged with a restrained excitement for today.
They were there to gather fruits from a vine growing near their home, a simple task, the last of the day.
When I walked with Seven, this place seemed so much calmer… just like it feels for them now…
Turning forward, scrutinizing each building, she searched for any sign of danger. Then, several meters ahead, she spotted a peculiar structure.
There it is…
Sighing, she felt her heart ease a little.
Wider than the others, its facade spanned a much larger area than any other building nearby, the only one without plants growing around it.
Quickening their pace, the group approached.
With exposed walls, it bore the faint gray of concrete, streaked with green lichen and moss, alongside patches of white and brown fungi.
Passing the old entrance, blocked by a collapse, they continued walking.
A little further, a large hole in the wall appeared, and they entered.
Inside the structure, they navigated stuffy, dark corridors. Time-worn, the walls bore dozens of cracks, through which faint beams of light pierced, illuminating tiny specks of dust floating in the air.
Beyond the light, thick roots trailed down the walls to the floor, spreading across it.
Walking through the dimness, they pressed on.
Passing doorways, they glimpsed filthy rooms and chambers. Some held piles of debris; others were completely blocked, their ceilings having caved in.
Soon after, ahead, blocked by roots and vines heavy with leaves, sunlight marked the exit.
Pushing them aside, Isis cleared the way, reaching a wide area.
Still within the building, its core had collapsed, forming a vast hollow at its heart.
There, a vine, with its branches, had draped over the concrete and cement, forming a dark-green blanket over the structure, dotted with a few yellow spots.
On the ground, low grass formed a light-green carpet covering the place.
Time to work!
Setting her backpack down, Isis approached one of the branches.
"Get your knives."
Dropping their backpacks, her siblings followed.
Nearing a yellowish fruit, slightly larger than a baseball and perfectly smooth, she grasped it.
With a swift knife motion, she severed it from the plant and turned to the others.
"Watch. When you pick, take a bit of the stem, or it won't count for points. Got it?"
"Yes!!"
The three answered with enthusiasm.
I knew they'd be like this…
Since they harvested every year, a small competition had emerged: who could gather the most fruits, or, if quantities were close, the largest one.
I remember they made over a dozen rules…
It started as a way to make harvesting fun, devised by Seven and Yuliya when they went out with Father.
"This time, I'll win! Since Seven isn't here!"
Leon declared, brimming with excitement.
"No way, brother Leon, this year Mia and I will win!"
With a smug look, Victor turned to his brother, followed by a shy Mia.
"Exactly! This year, it's us…"
"What? Why both of you?! Weren't you two supposed to compete separately this year? Right, Isis?"
Worried, Leon sought his sister's help.
"No, not yet. They're still young, so this is the last year they'll compete together."
To balance the game, Seven had allowed the youngest two to team up, giving them a chance to win.
With a defeated expression, Leon lowered his head.
"Damn…"
As a duo, even if they didn't get the largest, they always collected the most.
But, rallying his spirit, he lifted his head.
"You know what? I'll beat you both anyway!"
Victor shot back.
"That won't happen, brother Leon. You'll end up third again—or even fourth."
With Seven gone, it's natural they're like this…
Smiling amusedly, Isis continued.
"Well, about the rules…
…I don't want to recall them all…
Since Yuliya and Seven invented the game, they created countless rules to prevent cheating or stealing during the competition, with points tallied almost obsessively.
…Got it!
Though numerous, the rules could be boiled down to two.
"You can't steal from another's backpack or take from their hands, but if it falls to the ground, it's fair game. With that, I think we can— what's up, Mia?"
Noticing Mia's raised arm, slightly shy, Isis turned to her.
"Big sis, what about the green ones? There are so many."
At this, Isis looked around, startled.
She's right…
The vine held many green fruits, vastly outnumbering the yellow ones.
This shouldn't be like this…
They hadn't arrived early; it was the usual season, yet the fruits weren't ready.
Among the green leaves, only a few yellow dots stood out.
Leon, puzzled, scanned the area too.
"Will they… count the same?"
Since green fruits were rare, they were highly contested, worth more points than ripe ones, though useless for eating.
"Well…"
Isis didn't know what to do. Despite harvesting dozens of times, she'd never seen this.
Why on my first day…
Seeing this, Isis felt a pang in her heart.
Why today… I wanted everything to be perfect, at least on my first day…
But, noticing her siblings' eager gazes, awaiting her answer, she shook off those thoughts.
…There's nothing I can do for now…
"No, only take the ripe ones. Even if there are few, we need to return with some."
As soon as she spoke, her siblings dashed off in different directions, excited.
Left alone, Isis sighed, gazing at the green fruits around her with anguish.
Things were going so well…
…
Leon, breaking from the group, headed to the farthest wall. Upon reaching it, without wasting time, he began rummaging through the leaves.
Muttering, he checked the fruits one by one.
"Green… green… green…"
Though plentiful, they weren't ready for picking, despite their ideal size.
To win this year, I'll need the biggest one…
Though pleased, Leon knew he was at a disadvantage against Mia and Victor, who could search multiple spots at once.
Without Seven here, this is my best shot, since sister Isis doesn't take it too seriously…
Despite yearly competitions, Isis didn't care much, always placing third or last. Seven always took first, followed by the rest, grabbing the low fruits first, then the high ones others couldn't reach.
The highest ones…
Recalling his brother's strategy, Leon's gaze climbed the vine. As the breeze stirred the leaves, he glimpsed a vibrant, almost radiant yellow amid the dark green.
Eyes widening, he let slip:
"Caram—!"
Quickly covering his mouth, he checked if his siblings heard, but, luckily, none noticed.
Turning back to the fruit, Leon was awestruck.
How huge!!
Nearly hidden in the foliage, a large yellowish orb dangled. Far bigger than usual—most barely surpassed a softball—this was twice the size.
With this, I'll win for sure!
Even if he gathered few, with so little to pick and this being the largest, his siblings stood no chance.
But it's too high…
At a distance over twice his height, it was nearly out of reach.
Searching for something to help, he spotted a thick pipe stuck in the ground. Rushing to it, he tried pulling, hoping to use it to knock the fruit down.
But, despite his effort, the pipe didn't budge.
This won't get me anywhere…
Looking for anything else to use, he found nothing.
…No other choice… I'll have to climb.
Giving up there, he turned to the vine. After tugging its branches to test them, he felt the plants sturdy, despite some dead ones among the green.
Placing a foot on the rubble below, he began to climb.
Periodically, he paused to glance quickly at his siblings, who, unaware of his actions, focused on finding ripe fruits among the leaves.
I've got to be quick! Before they notice!
Even if they couldn't take it from his hands, if it fell after he plucked it, they could claim it—or try climbing to grab it first.
There was also the chance Isis might order him down, deeming it dangerous.
Nearing it, too eager, he stopped just short of fully reaching it.
With one hand, he tried pulling it, but it wouldn't budge, both firmly attached and too large to grasp fully.
Come on!
Climbing higher, he released the other hand from the branches and gripped the fruit with both, tugging.
A snap sounded as the plant gave way.
Yes!
But it wasn't the fruit.
Huh?
Realizing he was falling, he pulled one hand from the fruit and grabbed the plant, but then noticed both the vine and the rubble below crumbling.
Isis, far off, held a green fruit, watching him with a bitter expression.
I'll take at least one, as proof to—
A crash of things hitting the ground, with a faint tremor, interrupted her.
Turning toward the sound, she saw Leon on his back, surrounded by plants and large concrete chunks still rolling.
"Leon!"
Worried, she tossed the fruit aside and ran toward him, alongside Mia and Victor, who'd heard the noise.
"Leon, are you okay?!"
Breathing fast, she neared, startled when he suddenly moved, raising his arms with a massive fruit.
"I already won! I got the biggest of all!"
As if nothing had happened, he stood with a wide grin, brushing dust from his hair and clothes.
Turning to his siblings, who stood a bit away, he began to chant victory.
"Look at the si—"
He noticed something odd.
"—ze?"
Though clearly shocked, even a bit scared, none looked at him or the fruit in his arms, but at something behind him.
Turning, Leon was startled too.
With stones still falling from the collapsed rubble pile, a large metallic hand stretched forward, as if reaching for something distant.
"What's that?"
The arm attached to it, far larger than a human's, extended several meters ahead.
"Is that a statue?"
Recovering, Victor gazed curiously, a faint sparkle in his eyes.
"No, it doesn't seem like it… It has joints in the hand and arm; statues don't have that."
Still dazed by the sight, Isis fixed her eyes on the arm.
It's metal…
Examining it, made of metal, it bore dozens of scratches and dents, only partly concealed by rust and time's wear.
Yet, in that state, the arm showed surprising sturdiness, while intricate metal details revealed precision and care in its crafting.
Claw marks.
Among the most striking features were claw and bite marks covering parts of the metal, alongside holes in the forearm.
Shaking her head, Isis snapped back.
"It's a machine's arm, a very old one…"
Hearing the term, the three, thrilled, turned to her.
"A machine!!!"
Startled, she stepped back.
"Yes… a machine, or rather, just its arm. The rest must be buried under the rubble…"
Mostly covered, it was hard to gauge its size or if it was whole, but it seemed buried in both rubble and earth.
Hearing this, Leon, Victor, and Mia glanced at the machine, then at each other, before turning to Isis.
"Can we dig it up?!"
Speaking in unison, their eyes gleamed.
"What? Why?"
Perplexed, Isis marveled at their enthusiasm.
It wasn't their first machine; they'd seen fragments scattered around or small, broken ones.
"It's a giant machine! And that's just its arm!"
"Yeah! Imagine if it still works!"
"It looks so cool!"
Well… it is big…
Turning to the outstretched arm, Isis acknowledged this.
Compared to others they'd found, it was undoubtedly the largest and seemed the best preserved, despite its marks.
Machines… remnants of the past…
Found across the city, they were mere ornaments, reminders of the world before its end. From what she knew, they served various roles, with most they encountered used for construction.
But they still had tasks to finish.
"We can't. We need to finish picking the fruits for the competition."
"But sis! This is way cooler!"
Eyes locked on the machine, Leon had forgotten the large yellow fruit in his hands.
Where did he get that?
Finally noticing it, Isis was impressed.
Victor, trying to persuade her, chimed in.
"Besides, there's not much to pick! We'll have to come back anyway, so why not leave that for later?"
"True, big sis! Please!"
With their best pleading looks, the three stared at her.
"…"
With a conflicted look, Isis realized: insisting was pointless.
Her siblings' attention was wholly captured by that machine. Even if she forbade it, they wouldn't resume picking the ripe fruits—not out of defiance, but from fascination.
This will complicate things…
If they returned, they'd gather less than expected.
But does it really matter?
As they said, glancing at the vine, there wasn't much to pick. Even with effort, they'd barely fill everyone's backpacks—two at most.
"…"
Sighing, she gave in.
"Alright, you can try digging it up…"
"Yes!"
Cheering, the three rushed to the machine without delay, moving stones and admiring the metal arm.
"But be quick! Once I fill a backpack, we're leaving!"
Turning, Isis began walking away from her siblings, toward the yellow fruits.
I'll pick as much as I can, so we don't return empty-handed…
Moving away, feeling a pang in her heart, she placed a hand on her chest.
"…"