Inside the cockpit, the world was a blur of dim cobalt light.
Karl floated in and out of awareness — not awake enough to move, not unconscious enough to rest.
A heavy fog wrapped around his mind, each heartbeat sluggish, like dragging metal through mud.
He tried to breathe deeper, but even that felt distant.
The cockpit was quiet except for the faint hum of Erevos' nanite systems. Karl's body sagged against the harness, half-conscious, his breaths shallow, uneven. The blue light from the Drive Regulator cast gentle patterns across his face, glinting off sweat-slicked skin, and Agnes hovered near him like a careful guardian.
"Shhh… there we go… that's it…" she murmured, voice soft as silk, weaving through his mind. "Relax, Karl… you did more than anyone could ask today. More than I could've expected… and believe me, I expect a lot."
Karl's eyelids fluttered. He tried to speak but only managed a faint rasp.
"I know, I know… don't try to answer," Agnes whispered, tilting her holographic projection closer, her form flickering slightly with every breath of the nanites. "You don't have to prove anything. You're brilliant… you always were. You think you need to fight every fight alone, carry every burden… but look at you now. Even exhausted, even low on Vythra… you're still amazing. Still the Karl who built wonders."
Agnes' hologram hovered close to his face — unusually close, as if trying to keep him tethered to life with proximity alone.
Her expression wasn't teasing this time.
It was warm.
Focused.
Protective.
"You burned yourself out again… you silly, stubborn genius…"
Karl's eyes parted halfway — just a slit.
A muted blue glow reflected in them as the world swayed around him with Erevos' movement along the rails.
"…Agnes…?"
His voice was barely air.
She immediately brightened, leaning closer.
"Mm~ I'm right here. You're okay… well, mostly okay~"
His eyelids fluttered weakly.
"Where… New York…?"
"We're leaving it behind," Agnes whispered, brushing a holographic hand along the side of his cheek — her touch had no weight, but the gesture carried something real.
"I'm taking us to New Jersey. Quiet, abandoned, less demon noise. You need to rest."
Karl's hand twitched, fingers brushing the side of the cockpit.
"Mmm~ yes, there it is… that little sign that you're still here… still with me. That's enough for now. You don't have to move. You don't have to do anything… just let me… watch over you. That's my job now, remember?"
Karl's head tilted slightly, still fogged.
"Did… did we win…?"
Agnes laughed softly, the sound warm like a lullaby.
"Mmm~ you did, of course. You blew up half the city, Karl~ I told you not to show off when you're low on Vythra, but you never listen…"
Erevos' footsteps echoed rhythmically outside as it followed the growing rails:
KLANG…
KLANG…
KLANG…
The mech was moving slower now, conserving Vythra.
The blueprint rails faded behind them as Erevos stepped onto cracked highways, walking quietly through the abandoned outskirts. Sparse moonlight shone through broken streetlamps.
Karl's breathing steadied a little.
His eyes closed again.
He let out a weak exhale, letting the fog in his mind ease slightly.
"You know," Agnes continued, her tone playful now but gentle, "I don't just admire you for what you build… it's you, Karl. Your mind, your heart… your stubborn, reckless, brilliant soul. You care so much… about people who aren't even here anymore. And yet, even after two centuries of watching everything crumble around you… you're still standing. Still moving. Still trying. That… that's incredible. Truly."
Karl's eyelids lowered halfway, a faint blush reflecting from the visor as her words seeped into him like warmth.
"Even when you don't see it, even when you feel… broken or tired… I see it. Every calculation you make, every nanite you touch… I feel the care you put into it. The way you refuse to let the world fall apart. That's who you are. That's Kurogane Karl… the one who never quits, even when the odds are… hopeless."
The mech shifted softly as it moved along the rails, every footfall deliberate, measured, comforting.
"And don't you dare tell me you're 'just an old inventor,'" she teased lightly, voice brushing against his consciousness like a warm hand. "You are a force. A mind that bends steel. A heart that beats with Vythra… stronger than anyone alive, or anyone who ever lived. Don't let fatigue fool you, Karl… you're magnificent, even now."
He twitched again, fingers curling slightly around the harness.
"You've earned rest, my driver… truly. You've burned yourself raw, you've danced with demons… and yet, here you are. Safe… for now. And I'm not letting anything touch you. Not today, not tomorrow… not ever. You're mine to guard, Karl. And I'll remind you every second you're awake… or half-asleep like this…"
Karl's fingers twitched faintly.
Barely.
But enough that Agnes noticed.
"Easy… easy…" she whispered.
"You don't have to talk. Just stay with me."
Silence for a few seconds.
Then—
"…did… good?" Karl whispered, half-delirious.
Agnes' expression softened completely.
"Yes," she whispered.
"You did good. You did enough. More than enough."
Erevos stepped across the cracked Hudson River bridge, its massive frame silhouetted against the dead city's glow.
"Just rest, Karl… I'll carry you the rest of the way."
Karl mumbled something — quiet, nearly unintelligible.
"…don't… leave…"
Agnes froze.
Her voice, when it came out, was barely a breath.
"Never."
Her voice softened further, intimate now, carrying a warmth and protectiveness that wrapped around his mind like a blanket.
"You're safe… you're brilliant… you're strong… and you're not alone. Not now. Not ever again. I'm right here. I'll keep you steady. I'll keep you warm. I'll keep you breathing… even if you don't know how to yet. Just let me…"
Karl's chest rose and fell slower now, his tension easing fraction by fraction.
"You're perfect like this," she whispered, her tone almost trembling with affection, "messy, tired, stubborn… human… wonderful. Don't you dare forget it, Karl. I'll be there every step… every heartbeat… every nanite pulse… guiding you, holding you, making sure you don't break."
The hum of the rails and the gentle sway of Erevos lulled him further toward sleep.
"Sleep now, my driver…" Agnes murmured, softer than the fog around them, almost a lullaby. "Close your eyes… let your mind rest… and when you wake, I'll still be here. I'll still be amazed by you. Still… entirely yours."
Karl's lips quirked faintly under the visor as he drifted into a lighter, steadier sleep — half-conscious, half-dreaming — cocooned in the warmth of her voice, the safety of Erevos' chassis, and the quiet intimacy of being fully seen.
Erevos continued moving, slow but steady, heading deep into the ruins of New Jersey — to hide, to heal and to breathe.
And through it all, Agnes whispered, almost obsessively, running virtual fingers along his shoulders, his arms, just enough to remind him he was alive, protected, and worthy of every word she gave.