Collapsed structures. Beside him, the AI floated in its spherical form, slowly rotating on its axis, its sensors absorbing every fracture in the environment. Its silhouette shimmered with a faint bluish glow, reflecting the toxic mist that slithered among the remains of the extinct civilization.

  Jhonny glanced at it before speaking.

  "Why do you keep using that sphere form?"

  The response came immediately, a cold voice, devoid of human inflection.

  "Optimized form for mobility in variable environments. Higher efficiency in combat support."

  Jhonny didn't reply. He just nodded and kept walking.

  Where the sky was a vault of tangled cables, toxic fog, and fallen satellites. There was no horizon—only layers upon layers of dead cities, devoured by the same machinery that had built them. The skyscrapers leaned like broken bones, their innards exposed in an orgy of rusted metal and fossilized circuits.

  Jhonny advanced without hesitation. His synthetic body responded with precision, calculating every step on the treacherous surface of floating debris and platforms suspended by cables that seemed to vibrate with a foreign life. From the cracks in the rotting metal emerged whispers of artificial wind, bringing with them murmurs of fragmented data and dying code.

  There was no silence at the end of the world. Only the repetitive breath of what remained of it.

  The map in his vision projected the path like a parasite printed on his cortex. 1008 districts remaining. The figure blinked, fading with each meter walked.

  Then, the AI stopped its rotation, its synthetic voice piercing the dead air.

  "Alert: primitive lifeform... approximate distance 0.015 kilometers."

  Jhonny looked up.

  Ahead, beyond a corridor suspended by unstable structures, a cluster of dying lights revealed thin, twisted silhouettes. Small shadows moved cautiously, hiding among the remains of ancient machinery.

  Humans.

  Jhonny crossed the bridge with controlled steps. When he reached the other side, the village emerged before his eyes. It was no more than a refuge built from fragments of what once was civilization. Towers of rubble, tunnels dug through technological garbage, synthetic skin used as makeshift roofs.

  The figures emerged slowly. Sunken eyes in faces covered in soot and machine grease. Bodies wrapped in remnants of textiles hardened by time, some with improvised armor plates tied to their arms. The children, thin as specters, sheltered in the shadows, watching him with a mix of fear and curiosity.

  The adults clung to rudimentary spears—sharpened metal fragments fixed to rusted pipes. Their pupils reflected desperation, but also something deeper. Something Jhonny recognized in his own decomposed essence.

  Survival.

  The leader stepped forward. A man aged more by suffering than by years, with a decrepit biomechanical eye that blinked in erratic cycles.

  "You smell like a machine, but look like a human... Who are you?" he growled with a harsh voice, pointing at Jhonny. "Are you friend or foe?"

  Jhonny didn’t answer immediately. His biomechanical eyes scanned the village. The way they moved. How they kept their weapons close to their bodies, ready to strike if necessary.

  They didn’t trust him. And they were right.

  But Jhonny didn’t trust the world either.

  "I'm not here to kill you or cause harm," he finally said, his voice cold and dry. "I'm just passing through."

  The villagers looked at him with fear. They couldn’t trust a strange man accompanied by a machine. Their eyes shifted between the stranger and the floating orb beside him, filled with distrust and contained rage.

  The elder asked Jhonny again, his wrinkled face hardened by hostility.

  "What is that thing with you?" he growled, pointing at the orb with a trembling finger.

  Jhonny didn’t even flinch.

  "Don’t worry. It won’t harm you."

  But his words weren’t enough to calm their fear. Their eyes remained fixed on the metallic sphere slowly orbiting Jhonny, like a predator silently stalking.

  Then, a few children cautiously stepped forward. Their clothes were dirty, their bodies thin, their eyes wide with more intrigue than fear. One of them, the oldest, gathered his courage and broke the silence.

  "Sir… do you have any food?" his voice was firm, but his hands trembled as he clenched his fist. "If so, could you share some with us? My sister is hungry…"

  Jhonny looked at him in silence. The boy didn’t avert his gaze. He was afraid, yes, but his determination kept him firm.

  After a moment, Jhonny exhaled softly and bent down to his level.

  "You're brave," he said with a slight smile.

  He turned to the AI, whose sensors glowed with a bluish light.

  "Can you synthesize food blocks?"

  The orb emitted a mechanical hum before responding in its cold, inhuman tone:

  "Confirmation required. Are you sure?"

  Jhonny nodded without hesitation.

  In response, the AI began processing the request. Its surface vibrated slightly, and within seconds, a sealed bag emerged from its core, full of synthetic food blocks. Jhonny took it and pulled out a couple, handing them to the boy.

  "Put them in water," he explained. "The food will appear instantly. I hope it helps."

  The boy looked at the blocks with awe, as if they were a treasure, then lifted his gaze to Jhonny with silent gratitude. Behind him, the other children approached with eyes bright with restrained excitement.

  For the first time in that village of distrust and hunger, something other than desperation floated in the air—it was intrigue and curiosity, but not fear for their lives.

  The boy ran toward a container of water and, following Jhonny’s instructions, submerged one of the blocks. Within seconds, as if by magic, the surface of the liquid bubbled and the block expanded, transforming into a dense, nutritious food ration.

  With trembling, thin hands, the boy broke off a piece and cautiously brought it to his mouth. As soon as he tasted it, his eyes widened in disbelief. Then, unable to contain himself, he began to sob. Silent tears rolled down his dirty face as he chewed with hunger, feeling something in his stomach other than emptiness for the first time in a long time.

  He clutched what remained of the ration to his chest, as if afraid it would vanish, and ran back to his sister. Without hesitation, he handed her the rest with a trembling smile.

  The little girl took the food with her fragile hands and bit a piece cautiously. Her expression changed instantly. Her eyes, glistening with tears, rose to her brother and in a sweet but broken voice, she whispered:

  "Brother… it's delicious…"

  The boy couldn’t respond. He just hugged her tightly.

  Then, with determination, he turned to Jhonny and, falling to his knees, bowed his head in a gesture of deep gratitude.

  "Thank you… thank you…" his voice broke, unable to say more.

  Jhonny watched him in silence for a moment. Then, with a soft, genuine smile, he placed a hand on the boy’s head.

  "You don’t need to thank me," he said warmly. "Just promise me you'll always take care of your sister."

  The boy looked up, his eyes still wet, and nodded firmly before returning to her side.

  Jhonny watched them as they shared the food. Something in that scene stirred a distant memory in him, a fragment buried deep in his mind. His smile turned melancholic, just an echo of something lost in time.

  Turning his attention to the villagers, he raised his voice with firmness.

  "Use these food blocks. Do it like that boy did. That way, you’ll be able to ease your hunger, at least for now."

  The villagers looked at the packages in their hands in amazement. Disbelief still showed on their faces, but soon, as if the tension that kept them stiff vanished all at once, a multitude of voices rose in gratitude.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  For the first time in a long while, desperation gave way to hope.

  As he walked away, Jhonny watched them in silence. He saw how they devoured the food with urgency, as if it were the first they'd tasted in weeks—maybe months. Despite the harshness of that world, his lips curved in a faint smile. But his contemplation was interrupted by the voice of the elder, the village leader.

  "Thank you very much, stranger. We don't know how to repay your generosity."

  Jhonny shook his head and raised a hand, dismissing the thought.

  "Don't worry. I'm glad I could help… especially those two siblings." He paused briefly and looked at the elder with interest. "What happened to them? And to the rest of you?"

  The elder sighed heavily, his gaze drifting to the other villagers, watching the children still eating eagerly. His voice carried the weight of sorrow.

  "Their parents died on a food run. Both were brave warriors, always willing to protect their people… but this world doesn’t forgive." He clenched his fists. "We’ve lost so much. Food grows scarcer by the day, and the automatons don’t stop hunting humans. Living even one more day here is a constant fight."

  Jhonny lowered his gaze, his expression hardening.

  "I understand… I guess no one has it easy."

  The elder nodded grimly.

  "It’s the cruel reality of our time." Then, bowing his head in respect, he added, "Truly, thank you. These days, kindness barely exists. Only fear and despair abound… Please forgive us for our initial distrust."

  Jhonny stepped slightly aside and calmly shook his head.

  "There's nothing to forgive. I understand your situation perfectly… The only thing I regret is not being able to do more for you."

  The old man gave a small smile and shook his head.

  —You’ve done more than we could ask for.

  Jhonny nodded, satisfied with the answer. However, with no intention of staying much longer, he prepared to leave.

  —I'll spend the night outside the village —he announced casually.

  The old man frowned, surprised by his swift departure.

  —You're leaving so soon?

  Jhonny gave a faint smile and replied with a simple excuse:

  —I'm more comfortable that way.

  The old man looked at him for a moment and then nodded in understanding.

  —Then I won’t insist… Safe travels, stranger.

  With one last smile, the old leader thanked him once more on behalf of the whole village. Jhonny didn’t respond. Just before leaving, he was grabbed by the jacket, and when he looked in the direction of the pull, he saw the two brothers. With a smile, they thanked Jhonny one last time. He patted their heads and, with a slight nod, disappeared into the darkness of the ruined city.

  Already at his makeshift camp, Jhonny rested in front of the light generated by the AI —a simulation of an artificial campfire flickering with a dim, melancholic glow. The cold vastness of the world around him contrasted with that small momentary refuge.

  As he watched the shadows dancing on the corroded metal ground, he noticed a change in the AI. The floating sphere began to reconfigure, its mechanical structure expanding and contracting until, in a matter of seconds, the cold machine took the shape of a woman.

  Before him now stood a figure of inhuman beauty: blonde, with symmetrical features and artificially perfect eyes, yet empty. Her white tunic floated with the artificial wind of the environment, her posture rigid and precise.

  Jhonny raised an eyebrow, surprised.

  —What’s this? —he asked with a slight smile.

  The AI tilted its head in a mechanically fluid motion.

  —???????????????????? ?????????? ???? ???????????? ??????????????????????. ???????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????????????????????? ????????????????????.

  Jhonny looked at her for a moment before shrugging.

  —I won’t argue with that.

  The android sat across from him, the false campfire casting flickering shadows on her artificial skin. She observed him silently, processing data, before formulating her question.

  —????????????????: ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ????????????? —Her tone was not reproachful, but purely analytical—. ????????????????: ???????????? ???????? ???? ????????????. ????????: ???????? ????????????. ??????????????: ????????????????????????.

  She paused briefly before continuing:

  —?????????????????? ????????????????: ???????????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????. ???????????????????? ????????????????????. ??????????: ?????????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????? ??????????. ???????????????????? ???? ????????????????????.

  Jhonny observed her silently for a moment and, without warning, let out a low laugh.

  AI blinked.

  —?????????? ???? ????????????????????. ????????????????: ???????? ???? ???????????

  Jhonny smiled calmly, glancing at her.

  —It’s funny how you say it… as if you believed that anything you can’t measure just doesn’t make sense—

  AI did not reply. She simply observed him in deep analysis.

  He sighed, turning his gaze to the fire.

  —No, we didn’t gain anything by helping them —he said finally, his voice softer—. But if we only did what benefits us, this world would be even more miserable than it already is—

  He picked up a small stone from the ground and twirled it between his fingers, thoughtful.

  —It’s true, those kids aren’t mine… but still, when I saw them, something inside me moved. You can’t understand it because you don’t have memories, AI. You don’t have a past. But I do. And sometimes, the echo of what you once were… catches up to you, even in a world that no longer belongs to you—

  He let the stone fall and looked at the android, his eyes lit by the orange glow of the fire.

  —If you ever want to understand what makes us human, AI, start there. Not with the calculations, not with efficiency. Start by asking yourself what it feels like to see someone starving and decide their life is worth more than a simple mission—

  AI remained silent for 3.2 seconds. An abnormally long interval for her usual processing.

  —??????????????????... ?????????????????????? ??????????????????????... ????????????????... ???? ????????????????–

  Her cybernetic eyes flickered with a soft glow.

  Jhonny smiled and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the silence creep in between the distant echoes of the artificial fire. The weight of emptiness settled on his chest like a slab of lead. But the calm was brutally shattered by the voice of the AI, cold and inhuman, vibrating directly in his mind:

  —Jhonny... detection... hostile threats... android type... direction... village... alert level... alarming–

  His eyes opened wide, the reddish glow dancing in his artificial pupils. He stood up with automatic speed, his body reacting before his mind. The order left his lips without thought:

  —Transform... follow me.—

  —Order... confirmed. Interface reconfiguration... initiated–

  The AI said no more. Her feminine form dissolved into a series of floating geometric fragments, converging into a metallic sphere that hovered with unnatural precision before embedding itself into Jhonny’s vest. A bluish flash confirmed synchronization.

  —Connection... secured. Optimal speed... 250 kilometers per hour. Estimated time... five minutes–

  The wind sliced like invisible blades as Jhonny launched himself toward the devastation. But the speed wasn’t enough to outrun the feeling gnawing inside him. Images of his own flesh merging with metal haunted every irregular beat of his heart.

  When he reached the village’s edge, his fears took form. The village was a mausoleum of muffled screams and mutilated bodies. Mechanical creatures slithered among the ruins, hybrid automatons with skeletal limbs and corroded facial masks grotesquely mimicking the humanity they had been created to replace.

  The stench of hot blood and burnt oil filled the air. The few survivors ran between ruins, only to be caught by cold claws that dismembered them with surgical efficiency. Viscera fell to the metal floor like disposable waste.

  Jhonny froze, his cybernetic eyes zooming into the scene in an endless cycle of horrors. But his mind shattered when he saw a hunched figure in the distance. An automaton held the lifeless bodies of the children, its hydraulic arms tearing apart the fragile limbs as if they were broken dolls. The children's flesh became a bloody amalgam, scattered across the blackened ground.

  The AI’s voice filtered into his mind, distant and mechanical:

  —Priority... intervention. Human instincts... blocked. Activation... required–

  Jhonny didn’t respond. His breathing turned erratic, each breath a mix of hate and despair. Something deep in his synthetic brain cracked. His gaze darkened until it became two incandescent abysses and a deep rage.

  —Generate... weapons!!! —he roared, his voice overflowing with a visceral hatred that reverberated through every fiber of his being.

  —Order... received. Deploying... Photonic Machete with Variable Mass... X-00 Singularity Revolcan... initiated.

  The machete emerged from his arm with a whitish flash, vibrating at such a high frequency that it sliced the air with a metallic hiss. The gun appeared in his other hand, heavy and cruel, charging energy to the point of distorting the atmosphere around its barrel.

  Jhonny launched himself at the first automaton with superhuman speed. The machete sank into the junction between its neck and torso, cutting the creature diagonally. Sparks and synthetic fluids burst like a fountain as the machine fell to the ground in two irregular halves.

  Without stopping, he spun and fired the Revolcan at point blank. The proton projectile pierced the metallic skull of another creature, evaporating its head in a cloud of glowing ash. The limbs still twitched, as if the machine resisted death.

  —Targets... neutralized... 2 of 43... —the AI whispered indifferently.

  The machete buzzed, slicing mechanical arms and cybernetic torsos with surgical precision. The automatons screeched in synthetic tones, their distorted screams echoing like remnants of a lost humanity.

  One of them lunged at him, its multiple red eyes glowing with primitive intelligence. Jhonny fired a burst from the Revolcan, disintegrating the creature’s legs before stabbing its skull with the machete, sinking it to the hilt.

  Blood, oil, and metallic fragments mixed on the ground, forming viscous puddles reflecting the flickering combat lights. Every blow, every shot, was executed with calculated brutality.

  —Targets... neutralized... 15 of 43... efficiency... 98.6%.

  The AI’s voice remained cold, indifferent, as if the lives taken were mere equations resolved.

  Jhonny advanced without stopping, his body moving like a killing machine designed for annihilation. Sticky fluids slid over his synthetic skin, while his robotic eyes glowed with soulless intensity.

  —Primary directive... survival. Secondary directive... extermination.

  Every creature that crossed his path was dismembered, their screams fading into distorted echoes. Blood and artificial fluids soaked his skin, blending until there was no difference between human and machine.

  The slaughter continued... but when the last automaton fell, the hatred that had consumed him faded like ash in the wind. Jhonny came back to himself, his ragged breathing echoing among the corpses. His gaze fixed on the indistinguishable remains of the children, scattered in bloody fragments and viscous pools. His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees, letting his weapons fall. A scream of frustration and rage tore from the deepest part of his chest, reverberating through the ruins while the AI remained silent, recording the human expression of pain without understanding it.