16:35, February 7, 2295

  Prison 28, 111F, Amber Moon Spire (琥月塔), ZenFusion Taipei branch,

  No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium of Dragons territory

  "Please, keep her safe. Keep Ume safe..." Xin whispered, the word barely escaping his lips as his heart thudded within his chest. Desperation clawed at his gut with icy fingers, each exhale misting the cool air of his dimly lit cell.

  His hands were bound behind him, chafing against the unyielding durasteel cuffs that glinted with an indifferent luster in the sparse light. Above him, ceiling lights flickered intermittently, almost mockingly, across the walls.

  The guards patrolled the corridors with mechanical precision, their boots thumping a relentless rhythm on the hard floor.

  "Bodhisattva, please keep Ume safe —" Xin spoke again, panting.

  "Wu Zhi-Xin," one guard warned as he walked by, the underlying threat in his voice clear. "You keep whimpering like a dog, your dinner today will be forfeit."

  Xin turned silent. The constant hum of surveillance cameras provided an eerie soundtrack, the unblinking eyes recording his every move with cold indifference.

  "Attend to the other cells. Let me handle this," a silky contralto voice suddenly called from the other end of the corridor, distant yet unmistakable. His head snapped up, hope surging for a moment.

  The sound of footsteps approached again, slower this time. He noticed the shadow of a woman standing just outside his cell, the prison guards all bowing deeply to her before scattering away, getting out of sight.

  "I don’t care what drove you to commit your crimes," Dilinur's voice filled the empty, sterile cell as she entered. Her crimson robe rustled as she took a seat across from Xin, her gaze intense as she studied him. "What I do care about is the Moondust Crystal. Now, tell me the master key to the Cluster 6865."

  "What's in it for me?" Xin avoided meeting Dilinur's gaze as he asked.

  "You have no right to negotiate with me," Dilinur reminded, pointing a finger at him. Her long black fingernail, sharp and pristine like an obsidian jewel, emphasized her point. "I can torture you with my spells until you talk."

  An uneasy silence hung between them as Xin bowed his head.

  "Then…why haven't you used them yet?" Xin lifted his head to meet Dilinur's gaze.

  Dilinur sighed and lowered her hand. "You're always like this. I wish I’d never met you."

  "Listen, Dinu," Xin leaned forward and used her nickname. "I did some research in the library the other day. In ancient times, there was a kingdom called the Uyghur Khaganate."

  "Xin, stop," Dilinur's posture faltered and her voice became emotional. "We both know that the Deep Net only hosts fake news and false history."

  "That's exactly what the Imperium wants you to think!" Xin lowered his voice as he continued. "Our world wasn't always like this, Dinu. Centuries ago, your people and mine had their own countries, cultures, and places to call home."

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  "They do not justify what you've done." Dilinur pointed a finger at him, her voice now harsher. "The Imperium has offered you stability and protection. By tampering with U6-M9, you've betrayed not just the Imperium, but also Nakamura, who spent countless hours perfecting the Da-Ji neural network."

  "No, I honor him." Xin straightened. "If Ume can learn and remember just like us, if she's indistinguishable from humans in every way that matters, shouldn't she be treated the same? Doesn't she deserve rights?"

  "Selfish!" Dilinur's voice intensified, though her eyes briefly softened, contradicting her harsh tone. "You have such privilege. You have so much others would envy, and all you can think about is yourself and your...pleasure."

  "What happened to Dinu, the Flower of Class C?" Xin's voice remained measured, even as he invoked her old university title. "The valedictorian who quoted Tang poetry about hopes and dreams? Remember when you told Professor Chang that true advancement comes from questioning, not compliance?"

  Dilinur's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "I chose responsibilities," she said, placing her hand on her chest. "Because unlike you, I have to send every Atomic Dollar I make back to that excuse of a man I call 'father' so he can spend it all on those glorified whores called Leased Lilies, while my mother stays confined in Kashgar Insane Asylum!"

  Xin fell silent. This was the same point that Dilinur always brought up whenever their arguments strayed too close to uncomfortable truths. But today, he saw something different in her eyes—not just anger, but a flicker of the person she had once been.

  "I put my family before myself, always," she challenged, her voice slightly quieter. "Can you say the same?"

  "No," Xin admitted with a bitter half-smile. "But I believe we both deserve better than what the Imperium has offered us. You once believed that too." With what little movement he could muster, he tapped his index finger on the metal table between them.

  Suddenly, a deep and ominous voice echoed from somewhere below them, causing Xin to shiver with fear. It vibrated through the entire space, sending chills down his spine as it spoke in an unknown language. "*Lát mik lausan, ormar! Máttur minn er yer órskiljanlegur*."

  "What was that?" Xin muttered nervously, looking around in his cell.

  "Dilinur here," Dilinur said into a small device implanted in her left ear canal. "Go to the 97th floor and tranquilize Subject S now!"

  "That voice didn't sound human," Xin exclaimed, still trying to process what had just happened. "Do you keep Radi-Mons locked up here too?"

  "None of your concern," Dilinur snapped back. "Just give me the master key and I’ll leave you be. Is that clear?"

  "If I told you the master key, would you ensure Ume's safety?" Xin asked.

  The room grew quiet once again, and Dilinur spoke up as she pulled out a black holopad and started typing on it. "Give me the master key, and I'll tell you about Ume."

  "Jiu-Xing-744840, followed by the English sequence 'o-g-h-u-z'," Xin recited confidently, his eyes lingering on Dilinur.

  Dilinur's device let out a melodic beep as she turned to him, her expression a mix of relief and irritation. "Did you really have to make it so long and complicated?"

  "It's not complicated; it's the name and year of the Khaganate," Xin replied with a hint of pride.

  Dilinur let out another sigh and tucked her pad back into her robe, avoiding Xin's gaze as she said, "Your android companion, Ume, has been sent away. She will be decommissioned."

  "Decommissioned?" Xin's voice rose in realization. "No, you can't do that! It's murder!"

  "We will reset her memory, but keep her exterior intact," Dilinur retorted, turning to face Xin. "No murder is committed."

  "No! You're erasing her soul!" Xin's words were filled with anger. "This is consciousness we're talking about; please tell me where they’re taking her!"

  "Nothing I can do about it!" Dilinur stood up, tears welling in her pearl-like, lustrous eyes.

  "Dilinur, I beg of you! You are the Prefect; people listen to you, you have to do something — " Xin pleaded, bowing his head in desperation.

  "Maa-nikya Su-shup-ti!" Dilinur chanted as she pointed her finger at Xin's head.

  Xin's mind began to drift as the world around him blurred into a crimson haze. His body slumped against the wall, his head hitting it with a sickening thud. Through gritted teeth and fading consciousness, he desperately gasped out one final plea.

  "Save…Ume...please..." The words echoed in the air, haunting and full of despair as Xin succumbed to darkness, his fate uncertain.