Chapter 87 The Shell
The war was over. The monsters were gone. The storm had cleared.
The Spire window displayed a view of paradise to visitors. The Iron Sovereignty had transformed from its dirty state of smoke and rust and grinding gears into a new form. The "Balance" created by Ryker brought about changes that affected everything. The huge neon jungle that had threatened us became peaceful as it blended into the city's architectural structure.
Skyscrapers now had vines that embraced them as they created vertical gardens of emerald and gold on the brutalist concrete towers. The flowers which opened on the rusted Exterminator armor of Exterminator robots were transformed into peaceful statues. The air which had once been filled with smog transformed into a combination of rain and jasmine.
Heaven existed in this location.
A statue of my husband stood in the middle of it.
The Spire Council Room contained us. The New Citizens used their plant-weaving magic to repair the glass walls which had been broken during the Avatar battle. The room became illuminated by sunlight which made dust motes visible as they floated through the space.
Ryker occupied the position of table head.
The man who stood before me resembled nothing like the fighter who had battled a god in this same place days before. He wore a new suit that was sharp black and custom-made to fit his broad shoulders. The man looked every part of a King. His dark hair was combed back with severe precision. His golden eyes remained bright and clear without any signs of the violet taint from the Void.
Something remained absent.
Ryker displayed a typical energetic presence. He would begin finger tapping during moments of deep thought. He would show slight slouching whenever he felt annoyance. He would display smirking or scowling or some other facial expression.
He now sat with perfect posture that looked unnatural. The man maintained total stillness while he had his hands folded on the table before him. His eye movement speed matched the pace of computer data processing as he watched the city holographic map that displayed data points above the table.
Ryker announced that "Sector 4 has extra grain available for distribution."
His voice sounded deep and smooth and showed no changes in tone. The material emitted a sound that resembled polished stone.
He continued his report with "Sector 9 has lost fifteen percent of its calorie intake." "Commander Jaxon you must redistribute all Sector 4 resources at once. The transfer protocols need to start at 0800 hours.
Commander Jaxon appeared to be exhausted as he stood across the table. His uniform looked neat but his eyes showed signs of exhaustion. He showed respect toward his leader by making a slight bow.
Jaxon responded with "Yes sir" after showing hesitation. "Sir I must inform you that there is a problem. The citizens of Sector 4 dedicated their efforts to gathering grain from the new vertical farms. The residents of Sector 4 view the grain as their property rights. They will fight against Sector 9 access to the grain because of the riots that happened during the prior week.
Ryker continued to watch the holographic display. He used his finger to shift a group of numerical values.
Ryker proclaimed that "Resistance leads to an irrational outcome. "The starvation incidents in Sector 9 cause a 12% decline in productivity for all manufacturing operations. "The weakened state of Sector 9 workers causes delays in water filtration system reconstruction efforts. "The entire population faces danger because of this situation.
He shifted his gaze up to Jaxon. The flat nature of his golden eyes showed no emotion.
Ryker commanded "Move the grain. The authorities may arrest anyone who tries to prevent grain transportation by claiming they are endangering public safety.
"Are you suggesting we arrest them?
The table was no longer within my window view thus I had to show my presence by walking toward it.
"Ryker the hungry families need food assistance" I said as I elevated my voice. The people lived through an apocalypse and they became frightened. You are not allowed to arrest citizens because they want to protect their food supply. You must speak to them. You need to explain everything to them.
Ryker turned to the right.
He looked at me. He showed no recognition of our past relationship through his gaze. He showed no friendly feelings. He showed no signs of love.
"Hello Vessel" he said.
The word hit me like a slap.
Not Elara. Not Wife. Not Nyana.
Vessel was the only name he used to address me. The Origin Stone existed inside me and I served as a tool for him to create balance.
"Ryker my name is Elara" I said.
He chose to ignore my correction. He redirected his focus back to the presented information.
"Riots cause chaos" explained Ryker in a neutral tone to his audience as he described how riots create disorder. "Disruption of Balance occurs during chaotic situations. "Math needs to be enforced by us to maintain peace. "Resource allocation must be absolute to fulfill our requirements.
He looked at me again.
"Do you have a counter-argument based on logistical data? he requested.
He stared at him with intense focus. The man I loved was buried beneath the cold logic of Void-hardened reasoning. I wanted to shake him. I wanted to scream.
"Yeah I think I got one that isn't based on data! I snapped with my voice shaking. "Kindness is the answer Ryker! Empathy is the answer! The people will hate you if you make them follow your calculator rules. They will eventually choose to revolt against your authority.
Ryker blinked. He processed the words.
"Kindness he repeated exists as a variable that remains undefined. "The human brain uses empathy to produce biases which lead to incorrect conclusions.
He shook his head slightly.
"Request denied. The grain moves at 0800.
He turned to the map and showed that he had lost all interest in me.
"Next item he announced to the empty space. "Water purity levels in Sector 7.
I stood there for a moment, unable to breathe. He wasn't being cruel. The act of cruelty requires deliberate intent to enact pain on others and it needs emotional attachment. He was simply... empty. His ability to feel vanished because the Void Heart took it from him. The machine that survived now existed as a cold entity.
Jaxon looked at me with sympathy but he was too afraid to speak.
I left the room by turning my body. My heels clicked loudly on the restored marble floor but Ryker maintained his composure. He didn't look back.
I placed myself against the cool hallway wall while I breathed heavily. The city outside looked beautiful yet it felt like a deceptive illusion. We had saved the world but I lost everything that made life truly worth living.
He lived. My husband existed as a living being.