Re-In-Creation

Chapter 7 - Path of Lower Caste

"Wow, you’ve really improved."

Laksita puffed up her chest with a wide, proud smile, one hand planted confidently on her waist.

"Usually, your food packs a heavy punch to the guts."

At that, she hung her head in shame, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction.

“You always do this, Jaka—praise me just to knock me down a second later. Can’t you give me a real compliment for once, without the extra insult?”

"Hahaha, come on, you know that’s my specialty."

She pouted, crossing her arms and looking away while I finished the last bite.

"Thanks for the food... Laksita. It was great."

"Hehehe, you’re welcome."

"Then," I said, eyeing her. "What are you really doing here? I doubt you came all this way just to bring me food and water. You've got something on your mind, don’t you, Laksita?"

She fall silent after widening her eyes, before looking at me, with eyes that mix with sadness and curiosity.

"Why have you been training so relentlessly these past three months? You’re not just making your parents worry—you’ve got me worried too. Look at your hands… they're bruised and swollen. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

I hadn’t realized how many people I’d made worry—my parents, for one. They understood why I was doing this, but that didn’t mean they wanted to see me destroy myself chasing it.

And then there was Laksita… She didn’t know the reason. But seeing me like this—exhausted, battered—it clearly got to her.

If she wasn’t worried, she wouldn’t have brought me food and water in the first place.

With a low sigh, I look up to the sky...

"That’s—stop doing that!" Laksita snapped, her voice just a bit louder than usual. "You’re always looking up at the sky or off toward the horizon when we talk… like you're about to disappear somewhere far away."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, as if holding back a dam threatening to break.

“Laksita…” I said softly. “I want to see everything—what lies at the end of the world. I want to witness the journey I can make, the people I’ll meet, and the things I’ll carve with my own hands.”

Because I want to understand this world—what it's become without me as its creator. That thought is terrifying… but I have to admit, it’s also exhilarating.

"This..." I looked at her. "It’s all just preparation."

She lowered her head, but I could still see the tears falling—quiet, steady drops—and hear the soft sobs slipping through her lips.

Maybe it was because, in the end, I was just her friend. And she, a Sudra, would be the one left behind.

But I didn't mean to do that...

That's why...

"What about you, Laksita?" I asked, my voice firm and steady. "What is it that you want?"

"I... I..." Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

She looked down, as if searching for the answer on the ground beneath her feet. Her hands clutched the fabric of her skirt, knuckles turning white. For a moment, all she could do was breathe—shaky, uneven, and  uncertain.

She was trying—trying to calm the storm inside, trying to understand the weight of the question.

And I waited, silently, patiently... because I knew this answer mattered more than any she had ever given.

"I don't know..." she said softly. "I was quietly happy. I had my parents... and I had you."

She paused, her voice catching slightly. "I don’t know if I should want more than that. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to."

Figured. She always carried that quiet hesitation, like her dreams needed permission to exist.

Maybe it was the Sudra caste. Maybe it was because she was just an NPC. Or maybe... it was both.

But I knew one thing for sure— I couldn’t let her keep thinking like that.

I took a slow breath. Then, I looked her in the eye.

"I think you should," I said gently. "You’re smart, a quick learner, and observant."

I gave a small smile. "You even figured out that I wanted to chase something beyond all this... before I ever said it out loud."

She blinked, her lips parting slightly, unsure whether to believe me.

"You notice things others don’t. You care in ways that matter. So yeah—" I nodded, firm now. "You should carve your own path, Laksita."

I don't mind if she go beyond the codes.

I literally built the AI character to go against my own codes—so their motivations would be richer, more layered, more real than the standard ones.

I still remember how panicked I was the first time it happened—when she hijacked a cutscene, assassinated another NPC off-screen, and did things I never even imagined were possible.

The dev team was furious.

They said I created a monster. That I broken the system and the game. That I was the reason the debugger team was overworked and overpaid—just trying to clean up the chaos I left behind.

But still... I love that character.

And now...

I wanted to do same with Laksita.