Daneel raised behind the steward, who was somehow even faster now than he had been on the surface when they had been running away from those demons who had returned to hound them, now. They barrelled through caverns all empty, all dead, all bereft of the vibrant life that had filled them on his first visit here, and finally, after a minute during which he noticed that the explosive sounds from outside were coming with a much higher frequency than before, they emerged into a small cavern on one end of which various patterns had been etched into the wall.
Three dwarves who looked almost as old as him were in front of them, studying the lines intently while they crumbled in front of his eyes, each seemingly representing each layer of protection above the city. They didn't even glance around when Daneel and the steward appeared; instead, they kept mopping their brows which were filled with sweat, and as with each second that passed, their faces were getting paler and paler.
Daneel looked to his left and right, where there were piles of crystal blocks, so many that he couldn't imagine how the king had managed to smuggle them away from the Courtyard. They were also placed on patterns on the floor which were glowing and eating away at the reserves of energy above them, and as the crystals kept disappearing, it quickly became clear that they represented the amount of time that the city could still hold on.
Daneel did the calculations, and the answer was a startling one. If he was looking at it correctly… they were going to last for ten more minutes, and from somewhere in his mind, the thought that it synced with the timeline he had given to the children appeared, making him shudder and imagine a horrific sight.
He could almost see that man clothed in crimson, whose sharp features had been filled with such glee when he had talked about death. Behind him stood the master with an equally cruel twist to his lips, and both of them were at the doorway of the library.
He could imagine the children being played with, and killed for sport. He could see them all being herded into the Pit and forced to grow up so that they could slave their lives away in service, and he could see a few taken up and tortured for the heck of it, before their bodies were mutilated in the worst way possible so that the master's enforcers could continue their 'research'.
He saw their precious innocence leaving the world, never having been given the chance to grow into something beautiful, something precious, something to be cherished amidst the cruel universe. He saw them all searching, then crying for their father, and then for him… and at that moment, where would he be?
"Go. Get the fuck out of here! In all the chaos, one man should be able to get away. Go to the surface and hide somewhere, and if you're lucky…"
With a sigh, the steward turned back to the three in the cavern. It was obvious that he didn't think much of his plan, but he didn't know that Daneel could just use the system to change his face and come out of this safely.
The man had spoken at the perfect time to stop him from answering that question, but without shirking away from it again, he chose to double down and think.
There was a very clear choice ahead of him, one that was going to shape his entire life from here on.
On one side were the dwarves he would leave behind, and the king who had called him 'brother'. The images he had just seen were still fresh, and he knew that their fate might even be much worse than what he had imagined. But if he did choose this option, what would it lead to? A futile death standing in front of them, trying to oppose the unstoppable onslaught of the master's forces?
'That is easily just the best case scenario. When he finds arrives, he will relish the idea of taking out all his anger on me… and even though I can try to make it end with me standing for all those who believe in me, what will it amount to? Nothing but a forgotten body, and a past that I'll never find out…'
His thoughts directly lead him to the other option. In the room was also a small crystal formation, exactly like the one he had stepped into in the Courtyard to get to the city. It was clear that the steward had brought him here to give him the chance to leave; all it would require was picking up one of the crystals, and using them to teleport away.
If he did that, he would be able to calmly finish the missions of the system, and find out who he was. He even had no doubt, whatsoever, that after that happened, he would feel glad to remember all those who mattered to him…but what about everyone he knew he would be leaving behind here?
'They'll all be memories… from a time when I didn't have any. Maybe, with time, I'll forget them… after all, who would be dumb enough to want to choose an avenue that leads to death? There isn't even the slightest chance that I'll survive! Even if there was a tiny, infinitesimal probability of surviving… it would make sense! But there isn't! I should walk away! I really should! That's the best thing to do!'
He didn't know why, but he kept getting angrier and angrier as his thoughts progressed. It was with anger that he took a step towards the crystal formation, and it was with the same anger that he picked up the crystal and touched it to the spiky formation, resulting in it glowing, then standing ready to take him away.
"Farewell. It was good knowing you."
He heard the steward behind him, his tone holding a faint sense of something he couldn't really pinpoint. Was it disappointment? Or was it just the acceptance of one who had known what was going to happen?
Daneel lingered right in front of the crystals, just one step away from freedom. Behind him, the three dwarves were moving quicker than ever, muttering under their breath with more and more urgency. Then, suddenly, he heard the sounds of hands slapping on skin, and as he turned around with curiosity, he saw that all three had fallen to the ground, holding their shaking hands and holding back floods of tears.
The wall with all those etchings was now empty. A few crystals still remained, but the glow below them was gone. There were no longer being consumed… which meant that there was nothing consuming them, in the first place.
"It's over…" The steward whispered, barely audible above the earth-shattering sounds emanating into the cave from somewhere inside the city, now.
He ran out, then, along with the other three who began to scream wordlessly, insanity taking control of their frayed minds.
In front of him, the crystals glowed, calling to him to go through with his decision.
Behind him, screams began to echo, heralding the arrival of death and ruin.
In his mind, the past, present and future fought, embroiled in a way where he felt like he was being pulled in a million directions.
Damning it all to hell, he raised his leg, prepared to run forward and leave it all behind.
Bending, he moved…
…and whirled around, hands raised to cover his face, eyes closed to let the tears flow, mind empty except for one thought that had emerged, supreme, from the rubble.
'I will not…no, I CANNOT choose something I don't even know about and leave behind those that have trusted me, and stood by my side. Whoever is waiting for me…I'm sorry. But I just can't do it. If I did…I would never be able to live with myself. I'm…sorry.'
As he ran out of the room, a loud explosion made him loose balance and hit his head on the wall, causing a ringing sound to fill it that drowned out all other noise.
He vaguely heard the system say something, but another explosion made him force himself up and run, as the pathway looked like it would soon collapse.
Behind him, the cavern crumbled into a mass of rock.
And somewhere beyond…the ball of light inside the large crystal formation pulsed, then throbbed in rhythm with his heart.
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