Forgotten Prayers
I always wished the weather would stay sunny forever. How happy would that be? But in this world, winter lasts far longer than spring. By the time we left the city, the clear blue sky had filled with dark clouds. The wind turned razor-sharp, and snow began to fall. Driving any further would be impossible. While scanning the empty road for shelter from the brutal gusts, an old building caught my eye.
Shhhh─! Looking out at the raging snowstorm, I felt a wave of relief. Without this place, we'd have had to build an igloo or something.
"Promise? What promise did I make?"
The chat exploded like the blizzard outside. A promise? I don't remember any such thing. Did Hope say something behind my back?
Ah, that's what they meant. I said we'd go somewhere new, and they got all hyped thinking I had fresh content lined up. But I clearly told them to lower expectations. I never promised any special spots. Why are they blaming me for their wild hopes?
This feels off. Can't just let it slide. I grabbed the drone with both hands and shoved my face right up to the lens.
Mocking the sudden silence in chat, I raised both arms high—then shook the drone like crazy for about 30 seconds straight. When I checked the chat after...
From their view, the screen must've been a total mess. Gotta do this more often. Gotta set boundaries early, or they cross lines.
"I get you're bored, but what do you want me to do? Just wait out the snow."
"Got some coffee powder left, but saving it. Not hungry right now anyway." They want me eating in this moody atmosphere. Can't afford that. Wasting precious rations just to entertain chat? No way.
A quick glance around showed debris everywhere: splintered pews, shattered stained glass... Looked suspicious from outside—this must've been a church. Hmm. Nothing jumps out. Digging through every corner might turn something up, though.
But.
"Do I have to wander? I wanna sit and rest... Just enjoy watching me chill. You love my face anyway."
Talk all you want. I'm not budging. Driving all day is exhausting. Drive, scout, drive, scout... Rest when you can.
...Huh? Ignoring their gripes, I was about to nap when I spotted Hope poking around.
"Hope, whatcha doing?"
"Maybe there's canned food. Come help, sis."
"True. Coming all this way empty-handed would be dumb."
I got up and strode over.
Brushing off the protests, I joined Hope's search. Nothing—not even wrappers. Just dust. Telling her to head back and rest... then.
"Found something, sis."
Hope stared at a filthy wall. Wiping off the grime revealed a door. How much dust hid it?
Petty much? No lock. Opening it unleashed dust and revealed a dim passage—too long to gauge visually.
Hope and I nodded at each other and stepped inside. The drone's flash lit the way.
The passage wasn't as endless as it seemed. We reached the end quicker than expected—and I flinched on entering.
Whoa. Not a person... statues. Why so many here?
The spacious room brimmed with statues, all in prayer poses despite slight variations.
I get chat's vibe. Even knowing they're just statues, surrounded by them chills my spine. Good thing it's not a horror game.
"So cool~."
While Hope curiously scanned around, chat praised her boldness from that tiny frame.
"They're all in the same pose."
"Praying."
"Prayer... like when I ask for yummy food while scavenging?"
"Kinda, but... a bit different."
"Eh? How?"
"Hmm... mindset maybe."
"Mindset?"
"Hope just wishes for it, but these statues are asking some absent being."
"Asking? Who?"
"Someone's out there..."
Hope's face scrunched in confusion. God, religion—too complex for her. No need.
"Did their prayers come true?"
"Dunno."
Human prayers probably never reached. What would humanity pray for at world's end? Peace, happiness, survival, future... hope, like Hope. Maybe these pray-ers too. But ruins remain.
No need to bum her out.
At the end: a prayer altar with a worn book and candlestick. Nothing else.
"Let's go."
"Wait, sis."
Hope knelt before it, mimicking the statues perfectly. Hands clasped tight, whatever her wish.
Why me? Who dumped me in this hell? Pray to whoever made me pretty and stuck me here? If God exists, he'd have bailed on this wasteland. Stubborn no, but chat nagged—so I knelt beside Hope and faked it. Eyes closed, quiet... memories flashed: fights, cold, hunger, loneliness, destruction. Now just us in empty world. We survived, so we go on. Not the end. But how long? Tragedy strikes sudden. Delaying it best we can, but inevitable.
Prayer. Hating God yet begging hope—ironic me.
"What'd you wish, Hope?"
"Lotsa fun stuff ahead! You?"
"Secret."
"Eh, no fair. I told you."
"When you're grown."
"No way. Tell now."
Exiting, snow had stopped. Warm sun poured down. Perfect travel weather.
Dust-covered forgotten statues made the praying figures look precarious and lonely. But with a lovely beauty and cute kid praying, it held sanctity too. Like a painting, no one in chat could look away—even knowing it was AI-scripted roleplay live stream.
Viewers hoped their journey lasted forever.
That scene spread across sites, inspiring artists with its nobility. Fanworks poured out: Last Saintess of the Apocalypse and such.