Babel's Ledger: Zero Point

Episode 22 — The Last Dance Before Cerberus

'Cerberus.'

A protocol bearing the name of the legendary gatekeeper of hell. It had become reality, painting all screens in the bunker with blood-red warnings. Kai's last words, "Now, Lilith… it's a matter of life or death…" now pierced their hearts like an ice pick, pressing down on the suffocating silence with even greater weight. The triumphant satisfaction they had savored just moments before, from etching bloody tears onto the 'Babel Empire's' balance sheet, had vanished without a trace.

Perhaps minutes, or even hours, had passed. In a space where even the sense of time seemed paralyzed, only the cold analysis of Lilith's AI, Cassandra, whirred on, ceaselessly projecting Cerberus's unpredictable attack patterns and its destructive power onto the screens. But before this overwhelming threat, all human strategies and calculations felt as insignificant as grains of sand. All they could do now, perhaps, was wait for the gates of hell to open and for all its demons to pour out.

Just then, Lilith, who had been staring solely at the crimson-flashing warning screens, slowly rose from her seat. She gently placed a hand on Kai's firmly set shoulder. His eyes were still fixed beyond the screens, steely as if locked in a struggle with an unseen enemy, but she didn't miss the faintest shadow of despair flickering within that strong gaze. That shadow, perhaps, was a reflection of the despair in her own eyes.

Lilith: (Struggling to feign her usual composure, though the edge of her voice trembled slightly) "Kai. For a moment… just for a moment, let's forget those blood-red warning lights. Let's just remember what we accomplished today, or rather, until dawn yesterday. We wiped away at least some of the tears of Lael and Grandma Asha, tears stolen from them by those people. Maybe… maybe this really is the last toast we're allowed."

She walked over to a small personal refrigerator and took out a small bottle from a corner, one she might have even forgotten was there. After dusting it off, she revealed not an elegant label, but a handwritten inscription: 'Non-alcoholic Organic Fruit Champagne – For Eden's Last Supper.' Returning to Kai with two glasses, she offered a faint yet more beautiful smile than ever, as if trying to dispel the suffocating atmosphere from moments before.

Lilith: "Guess what this is?"

Kai: (Slowly, very slowly, he turned his gaze to her. His pupils flickered slightly. Like a man listening to a sound from a very distant place, or a long-forgotten whisper of peace.) "…What is it? Discovered another financial derivative? Or… a new algorithm to trick 'Cerberus'?"

His voice was so low and hoarse, it surprised even himself. The battles of the past few days and the despair of this very moment seemed to be crushing everything out of him.

Lilith: (Holding up the sparkling bottle, mustering a bit more strength to sound playful) "Ta-da! Nothing so grim! This is… non-alcoholic fruit champagne for a victory toast. I prepared it a long, long time ago, maybe even before all this began, thinking a day like this might come. Tonight, I just wanted to unwind and celebrate, even if just a little, like this. We… we really did something incredible, didn't we? We made the first crack in that colossal Tower of Babel."

Only then did Kai completely avert his gaze from the screens and look solely at Lilith. Her face no longer held the cool, intellectual demeanor of the usual aristocratic lady, but a forced brightness, a deep anxiety hidden beneath it, and yet, despite it all, a kind of desperate longing in her eyes as she looked at him. In that moment, she was strangely fragile, yet dazzlingly beautiful. At that sight, a human, warm, and gentle smile—one not seen in a very long time—touched Kai's frozen lips.

Kai: "Pfft~ You look just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, offering the forbidden fruit. Where did the cold-headed strategist Lilith Rothschild, who was shaking the world just moments ago, go? And why this innocent face?"

Lilith: (Narrowing her eyes slightly, pausing as she was about to uncork the champagne) "What's this? Are you trying to kick me out of Eden, Mr. Adam? Or… is this a subtle proposal to taste this fruit of knowledge together, so we too can become gods like them?"

Her voice held a playful tone, yet a shadow of dangerous temptation lurked within it.

Kai: (Waving his hand) "Hahahaha~ Don't misunderstand, my Eve. I wasn't suggesting we become gods, but rather that… you are fatally captivating right now. Perhaps more so than any disaster in this world."

Lilith: (Her face flushing slightly, yet she met his gaze directly) "…'Fatal' is about right. Everything we do is. Perhaps we ourselves are the most fatal beings to each other. Anyway, enough talk, let's just make a toast! Before this night is over."

Kai: (Receiving the glass filled with the clear, golden liquid Lilith poured) "Tsk~ Impatient, are we... Alright. To our fatal Eve, and to the Adam who willingly bit into this dangerous yet sweet fruit of knowledge with her. And… to this fleeting night's peace, which may never come to us again."

Lilith: (Raising her glass high, her eyes sparkling like stars) "And… to the slightly better world we still haven't given up on!"

Their glasses clinked with a clear, bright sound. The sweet and refreshing aroma of fruit seemed to gently envelop and melt away the heavy, tense air within the bunker, a space otherwise dominated by steel and code.

It was at that very moment.

Before they could even tilt their glasses for the first sip, all the tactical holographic screens in the bunker silently, yet with an overwhelming gentleness, shifted to a deep-sea blue. Slow, peaceful particles of light, as if swimming amidst mystical coral reefs deep underwater, softly filled the entire space. Then, even the barely audible mechanical hum of the air purification system magically subsided, and from hidden speakers, an incredibly sweet and captivating cello melody began to flow at a very low volume, yet it seemed to caress the deepest chambers of the heart. It was Lilith's AI, Cassandra. A selection so delicate and human, it was utterly incongruous with her usual cold, calculating capabilities—something one could never have imagined. It was as if Cassandra had been watching and sensing the precarious emotional shifts between the two for a very long time, and had specially prepared this as a final gift for this very moment.

Lilith: (Her eyes wide with surprise, enveloped by the blue light and music) "Oh my… Cassandra? What are you… what is all this…? And, are you sure this is really non-alcoholic?" Her voice was a little husky.

Kai: (Smiling, gesturing to Lilith's glass) "Are the effects kicking in too soon? Or perhaps… it's this cello melody and Cassandra's special consideration."

Lilith: (Cupping her flushed cheeks) "I don't know… Suddenly my face is hot, and my heart… it feels just like the flush from a very strong wine is setting in…"

Kai chuckled softly and stepped closer to Lilith. His voice, like the cello melody, was low and gentle, seeping into her ear and deep into her heart.

Kai: "That's just how it is, Lilith. What truly intoxicates a person isn't alcohol or dazzling music. It's the person breathing beside you, the moments spent crossing the threshold of death together, and… the intensity of this fleeting present, born from the desperation that this might be the last time. Perhaps we've already become… far too deeply intoxicated with each other, amidst all this turmoil and despair."

He caressed Lilith's flushed cheek, as gently as if handling a fragile jewel.

Kai: "But admitting and showing that too easily… well, it kind of hurts one's pride, you know. That's probably why people look for excuses like alcohol or atmosphere. They could just say they're intoxicated by you, by your very being, but they hesitate due to a lack of courage, or fear of being misunderstood. But Lilith, I think it's alright now. Before you… I can be a little more honest..."

His eyes burned deep and hot. They held not the former cold strategist or the enraged avenger, but only the sincerity of a man yearning for one woman.

"Actually, for a very long time now, I've been… towards you…"

Lilith hesitated no longer. Before Kai could even finish his last words, she gently, yet irresistibly, silenced his confession with her own trembling lips.

"You really… talk too much, Kairo."

The burning desire for each other, suppressed amidst suffocating battles, cold calculations, and steel-like resolve, finally cast off all pride and fear, and began to dance with the beautiful cello melody played by Cassandra. Just like that… they gave their all to each other, allowing themselves to become deeply intoxicated…

(Narration) But they couldn't have known. How many different seeds of pain and despair this short, sweet night's solace held within the harsh destiny that lay before them. Perhaps, a survivor, far in the future, might desperately think that it would have hurt less if, on this night, they had protected their pride and taken a step back. But in that moment, they were too deeply intoxicated with each other to want to know the weight of the coming future. No, even if they had known everything, their choice would never have changed. Just… like that… a night, dangerously beautiful and strangely, sorrowfully radiant, was silently deepening.