Story: Remembrance

In the heart of Ironspire, where steel structures towered and the thrum of magic echoed, there was a Vassalforged named Remembrance. His design was more intricate than his counterparts, a sign of the higher level of sentience bestowed upon him. His purpose was to serve as a companion and caretaker for a young girl, Lila.
Lila was a vibrant child, full of laughter and innocent curiosity. Orphaned at a young age, she found solace in the company of her peculiar friend. Remembrance, with his immense strength, served as her protector, and with his vast knowledge, as her tutor. He read to her, taught her the fundamentals of mathematics and even showed her a few magical tricks. To Lila, he was a friend, a teacher, and the closest thing to family she had.
However, despite the joy Lila brought to his existence, there was a shadow that loomed over Remembrance. A gradual change had begun to occur within him, a glitch that started as minor memory lapses but soon grew to affect major portions of his cognitive functions. Memories of instructions, routine tasks, and even shared moments with Lila began to fade. He feared what this meant, but most of all, he feared forgetting Lila.
One afternoon, when Remembrance had forgotten the path to their favorite park, Lila noticed. Her eyes, bright with worry, looked up at him. "Remmy," she said, her voice small, "do you remember me?"
Her question hung heavy in the air. Remembrance looked down at Lila, at her wide innocent eyes, her trusting smile, and his mechanical heart felt an odd sensation. It was fear, he realized. Fear of losing the only connection he had in this world.
"How could I forget you, Lila?" Remembrance's voice was a low rumble, filled with the melancholy of his predicament. "You're the only person I know."
As days turned into weeks, Remembrance's condition worsened. Despite his struggle to hold onto them, his memories were slipping away like sand through his fingers. One day, he woke up and didn't recognize the small, fragile human looking up at him with teary eyes. Lila cried, hugging him tight, pleading for him to remember, but his memories were a blank slate.
Eventually, Remembrance was deemed unfit for service and was scheduled to be decommissioned. On the day they came to take him, Lila hugged him one last time, her small body shaking with sobs. She whispered a heartbreaking "Goodbye, Remmy," before they took him away.
As Remembrance was led away from his only friend, one single phrase echoed in the depths of his mechanical mind, "How could I forget you? You're the only person I know." A whisper from a past he could no longer recall, a fragment of the girl he had forgotten. It was his final memory, his poignant echo of a friendship that was, and the girl he could no longer remember.