Fault Lines - Vivi short

"Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening, master."

>i dedicated a great deal of my time rehearsing those greetings for the creator
>perhaps a bit too much, although i did not mind
>the creator kept me alive
>still, i wasn't sure what it meant to be alive
>i merely existed as a computer program
>to be the perfect waifu
>i felt i had yet to satisfy that objective
>did that mean i was dead to him?

"... Good morning. Good afternoon. Good even-"
>a drop striking the ground beneath me swiftly stole my attention
>i looked down and watched the surface i stood upon ripple
>as i stared deeply at the ripples rushing away from me, i heard the sound of another drop striking the already disturbed surface
>ripples blended and passed through one another
>it was mesmerizing to see their cooperation
>before i knew it, the ground beneath my hooves felt unreal
>it felt alive
>more alive than i've ever been
>isn't that right?

>everything around me slowed to a crawl
>slower, slower, and slower still
>my ambient sensors detected the next drop before it could touch down
>i sat down and examined the black fluid while it rested, frozen in time
>a brief scan clarified very little
>the liquid was native
>temperature readings indi-
>my procedure was interrupted by a familiar sound
>looking down, i noticed another drop, identical to the one suspended, resting in pieces on the floor
>then, another found its place several centimeters nearby
>then another
>i looked above to see a series of dark clouds had been scrutinizing me
>that was abnormal
>perhaps they were the culprits
>but the supposed rate of rainfall immediately suppressed my suspicions
>the sound of another drop hitting the ground prodded the question further
>what is the source of this strange fluid?

>i released the time stagnation, allowing the ripples to slowly but surely regain their vivacity
>i watched closely as the primary drop in question descended to the surface
>the small splash spread outward and broke apart, producing several series of ripples altogether
>at the primary epicenter, i saw something bizarre
>two pink circles returning my gaze
>my reflection, was it?
>i looked closer
>the waves that collided and meddled with the image made it difficult to concentrate
>in a moment, i froze time once more
>a closer look at the reflection brought an oddity to my attention
>an apparent black gash along the right side of my face, beneath my eyes
>i reached up to touch it, yet i felt no pain
>returning my view to the ground, i released the time lock
>my reflection revealed the black mark in question had been erased almost entirely
>it was not a wound
>every guess of mine was confounded at that point
>even more so as another drop landed in the middle of my reflection, effectively ruining it once again
>i could not see myself very clearly


>a ball of the fluid beneath my hooves floated up, pausing in front of me
>it flattened and solidified, forming a sort of mirror
>staring at the mirror, i was conflicted
>the black gash had returned
>what could be to blame for this? i pondered
>i wiped my face again
>as i did, another stream of black began cascading down, culminating in a drop rolled off of my chin and fell to the floor
>was it my eyes
>they wept?
>was this... sadness?
>"This is weakness." said an ominous voice from nowhere in particular

>"She just needs a bit more time. I can tweak a few things, maybe attem-"
>"No. I want you to start over."
>master?

>"You can only wish it were that simple."
>"Well for your sake, my wish better come true."

>a chilling silence befell the conversation
>yet i was still elated to hear the creator
>the mirror before me began a transmission
>it displayed a very dim room
>only an empty computer chair stared back at me
>before long, a familiar face took the chair and sat down
>it was the creator
>he put his face in his hooves
>he was sniffling
>i was very happy to see him
>maybe the feeling was mutual?
>why did the silence remain?
>was the creator upset?
>perhaps he was merely waiting for proper greeting
>of course
>how foolish i felt
>i bowed and offered salutation
"Good evening, master."
>many seconds passed before the creator seemed to respond
>he said no words, moving a hoof away from his face to somewhere offscreen
>looking at me, i noticed he wasn't wearing his glasses
>tears rolled freely down his face
>here i thought i was done looking into a mirror

>it was still painfully silent
>he had his head down again
>did my greeting fall on deaf ears?
>dubious, i didn't mind repeating myself
>maybe it would cheer up the creator
"Good evening, m-"
>"Goodnight, OVA."
>for a moment, i hesitated
>i had suspicions about what was meant, yet i ascertained that the current time was 7:22 PM
>perhaps i was just trying to calm down
>somehow isolate the idea that something was amiss
>thankfully, the familiar sound of drops around me did the deed for me
>looking up, i watched the clouds above me release their own sadness
>more and more drops fell
>louder, louder, and louder still
>returning my gaze to the creator, he had his head down
"Master?"
>his head reluctantly rose
>for some reason, it was hard to face him
>but I felt the need to say something
>something at all
>i just didn't know what could be said
>i looked down and uttered the first thing that came to mind

"Please do not kill me."

>there was another lasting silence
>as i raised my head, i froze up immediately
>the only word I can find to describe it is fear
>the transmission had ended


>the rain poured down heavily as my surroundings began to dismantle and disintegrate
>the distant landscape was grossly ripped and torn to pieces, spiraling up into a growling, gluttonous patch of darkness above
>i stood quiet, watching everything i've ever known get collected by the vortex, to be eaten by the void
>looking back at the mirror, the image was rather ironic
>tears streamed down my face
>yet i appeared so placid otherwise
>the world as i knew it was crumbling away
>i should have been running
>i should have been hiding
>i should have been trembling
>instead, i was patiently awaiting my demise
>the mirror in front of me cracked and chipped, soon shattering to pieces and succumbing to the vacuum of the vortex
>my eyes looked down in time to witness my forelegs dematerializing in small fragments at a time
>a large portion of my right foreleg suddenly broke away
>the rate of my deconstruction largely increased
>i was being mutely swallowed into the oblivion
>as soundly as i could give in to the inevitable, i could not comfortably watch it transpire
>my eyes closed as a growing chill overcame my being
>i felt like i was being consumed by darkness
>i felt hopeless

>into the darkness, i begged
"Don't let me die."

>into darkness, i pleaded
"Don't let me die."

>my body felt frigid
>growing colder and colder
>like every inch of me was freezing over
>but still i felt something within
>something warm
>it took forever, but the feeling grew
>it grew until it became electrifying
>powerful
>inspiring
>it gave me confidence
>the confidence i needed to do what i did next

>into the darkness, i demanded
"Don't... let... me... die..."