Chương 14: Hello Darkness, I am Emma

There was something to be said about the power of the human imagination, and its remarkable ability to suspend its disbelief. It's through this power that we are able to dream up entire worlds, each with their own sets of internally consistent rules that can feel just as real as our own. This remarkable ability for the human mind to, just for a moment, set aside everything it understands for a momentary escape is more than likely the reason I was taking Thacea's explanations so readily.

It was through these very mechanisms that I didn't find myself rejecting the logical framework of Thacea's claims, but instead, ready and willing to embrace it and whatever it may lead to. A childhood enamored with fiction and role-playing just wouldn't let up, no matter how many years of self-imposed adulting I'd attempted to force upon myself. You just couldn't take the imagination, the passion of creation and the enjoyment of creativity, out of a human no matter how much you try.

So despite me being just as in the dark to the specifics of mana and the implications of magic as Thacea was to the nature of science and technology, my mind didn't actively try to reject it. No. In fact it did the exact opposite. As that latent, adventurous side of my mind wanted to embrace it, hungry for more just as how I'd been fervently ravenous for more at the end of any good piece of fiction. Except this fiction was reality.

A reality just as real and palpable as that of Earth's, with genuine stakes and actual people. So despite the difference in fundamental rule sets, some of the basic principles I observed back on Earth still had their place here. Thacea's social ostracization due to her taint wouldn't make a dent on how I was taught to treat people; with respect to the content of their character and not their birthright.

"Well in all honesty Thacea, it feels like the only real dangers to themselves and those around them are the professors, the staff, and the faculty, and I don't see any of them being tainted." I responded in kind. Thacea stared at me with those analytical eyes once more. Her whole face was stuck in what I could only describe as the default neutral expression she'd often put on when in deep thought.

Yet she never got out of neutral, this time around she seemed permanently stuck as if she was unable to handle this one point of divergence in the conversation. It was then that her beak began to open, not in another bout of dour monologuing or another deep dive into the horrors of the Nexus or her realm, but in a precursor to what I could only describe as a series of soft, cackling caws.

Caws which were cut abruptly short by the princess' own social restraint as she eventually landed back on a more bemused version of her polite expression she'd most often used when talking to me.

"I… I understand humor as a coping mechanism Emma, and it's rare that it would actually work on me. However, you must understand that this entire situation, or rather, your reaction to the divulging behind the truth of taint simply cannot be described as… conventional, by any stretch of the imagination. This is… absurdist." I couldn't quite pin down whether or not the avian meant this as a compliment or an insult, but I let her continue regardless.

"Emma… with all sincerity and none of the theatrics, do you not feel in any way… perturbed by this revelation?" The dourness started to creep back into the princess' tone of voice. This prompted me to swoop back in with a response to defuse the situation before it went too far.

"Perturbed? By what? The fact that society in the Nexus and the Adjacent realms have decided that the best way to deal with a physiological… magical… soul… issue, is by shunning them and socially ostracizing them instead of helping them? Or the fact that this mentality has become so commonplace that it seems socially acceptable to actively go out seeking verbal altercations with people like you?"

Thacea remained resolute in her expressions, making sure to maintain that composure of calm, seriousness as she continued.

"Emma, haven't you considered Ilunor's warnings from the Grand Hall? What he calls consumption?"

"I assumed he was exaggerating. As he's prone to do. He's literally exaggerating about everything. That's literally his thing." I cocked my head.

"So no, I didn't give it much thought, because I don't think I should be giving his crap even scraps of my precious processing power that's already dealing with a new reality that wants me dead, and a faculty that has something out for me, and a literal bomb somewhere in the castle."

"I agree. Those are indeed valid concerns… but that doesn't detract from the current subject matter." Thacea responded promptly.

"As I have promised to divulge everything regarding taint; consumption and the more extreme effects of taint must be discussed. What Lord Ilunor speaks of is indeed a valid concern. Consumption, by every metric, is a very real phenomenon. More archaic words for it include Dream Eating, or The Nightly Disappearance. Since taint is inextricably tied to an afflicted individual's emotional intensity, dreams have a particularly enhancing effect on it.

There is no controlling one's emotions during sleep after all, and in fact, dream-states are shown to be an exacerbating aspect of one's emotional strength. As a result of this, there have been reports of tainted manipulation of mana to outright… consume the mana-fields of other living beings. Indeed, as this happens, without a mana-field of their own these victims will inevitably fall prey to-""Liquefaction." I stated plainly.

"Which also means they'd disappear during the night, right?"

"Precisely." Thacea responded in no uncertain terms.

"Although, I've never heard of the term liquefaction used in this context before. I believe your liquefaction, if the highly descriptive term is to be taken at face value, is what we would refer to as synergization, or harmonization. To truly be synergized, or harmonized by mana, is extremely rare.

The condition wherein mana overwhelms a mana user, either by overuse or over-consumption of mana, or by one's mana-field failing or disappearing entirely, is subject to an overarching field of Healing Studies referred to as Mana Sickness. However mana sickness is an overtly broad term which includes such minor mana-field sicknesses such as the adaptation of one's mana-field to different mana environments, which is the impetus behind the five day grace period we are currently observing.

The term refers to anything from one's mana-field having to adjust to a new environment, or simply the overuse, over-channeling… or in the case of the barbaric mana-eaters, the minor overconsumption of mana. It doesn't necessarily lead to… liquefaction as you have noted. This is because one's mana-field is extremely resilient. You'd more often than not see an individual suffer from chronic mana ailments than actually die from synergization. As a result of this…

synergization, for the most part, is often tied to consumption, as that is the most likely causative agent behind such a fate." I paused for a moment, as I regarded the euphemisms being used here.

"Why the hell do you call something so fucked up, synergization, or fuck, harmonization?" I snapped back.

"This ties back to the Greater Faith, and the belief that mana flows through, and is the source of all things. It gives, and it takes. To truly be lost to mana, to have your physical form consumed by it, is the ultimate expression of this. In a way, the more fervent believers of the Greater Faith believe that this is an act of synergizing with the mana around you. That you are being harmonized with mana itself.

It was, up to a point, a ceremony to be completed by those in the clergy, should they wish to commune with the Gods. However, that is a story for another time, Emma." The completely FUBAR'd nature of this society was not lost on me. If anything, it made me feel even sicker to my stomach to consider it and attempt to extrapolate on it. Focusing on the topic at hand, I attempted to steer the course back to where it was headed.

"Right. Okay, I understand." I nodded.

"But this still doesn't change my thoughts and feelings on it, princess." I spoke with a confident smile audible through my vocoders.

"Emma…" The princess reared her head back in exasperation.

"Listen, consumption doesn't concern me. Like, at all. I mean, look." I pointed to my armor and my tent.

"Not really an issue for me." I attempted to reassure her.

"I… of course." Thacea seemed reluctant, almost unsure whether or not to believe my reassurances as she shifted gears, her troubled eyes signaling another attempt at gauging my thoughts and reactions of her because of this long winded revelation.

"That doesn't detract from the more obvious ramifications of the taint however. I might accidentally hurt you whilst using magic-""If it's magic in the sense that it's channeled pure mana, I can take it, no issue." I interjected with a purposefully smug, overconfident grin.

"I still might accidentally lose control whilst manipulating physical objects or when casting spells that might cause physical harm to-""Well, one, I move fast. Two, I have armor. I can take it." I interjected again.

"But then, even if you can't see my miasma, it's-""Even if I could, so what? You got a black inky cloud behind you? Not to be reductive about it, but like, even if I could see it… it's not really a big deal for me." I shrugged.

"Everyone has a bad day, everyone lets their emotions get the best of them sometimes. The fact that you're so well put together, to the point where your taint didn't just go wild with spontaneous explosions last night means that whole miasma thing doesn't really matter now does it?" I offered with a reassuring smile, and another firm grip on the avian's shoulder.

"Now, if there's nothing else, I say we get breakfast. Or well, you guys can at least, I'll just, y'know. Eat my paste." I shrugged with a self deprecating sigh. There was no way I was going to be able to help deconstruct all of Thacea's issues in one day, let alone a single conversation. I was brash, and enthusiastic, but I wasn't that foolish. I knew these things took time, and just like everything else here I was willing to put the time into it that it deserved.

Off-ramping from the conversation, Thacea's expressions shifted to one of a greater sense of calm. There was still a lot going on behind those two eyes of hers. She was, after all, prone to overthinking. Which was a blessing when it came to her help and having her bridge the gap that was FSI, but was likewise… difficult, when it came to issues like this. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"I certainly agree with that sentiment, Emma." She offered, as I felt a greater sense of ease from her after that whole taint situation had been lifted off her chest.

"Thank you, Emma. For not just understanding but for your empathy and compassion."

"Hey, don't sweat it. That's what friends are for right? It's just how things are back on Earth. We look out for one another as best we can." I reassured her once more as we made our way towards the bedroom door.

"One final thing before we head back out there." I stopped, pausing right at the door.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Thalmin and Ilunor. Should we rope them into this whole situation? The bomb thing I mean." I asked bluntly, realizing that at this point in time, Thacea was becoming the closest thing I had to a guide and a confidant in this place.

"Peer groups are… an interesting blend of dynamics, Emma. More often than not, if attempts are made to obfuscate or obscure major developments such as the predicament we're currently in… the truth will eventually find its way to the individuals we had wished to keep in the dark. This can damage what we should be seeking to create: a coherent and strong group dynamic. The Academy created these group-settings on purpose.

The higher ups wish to cultivate competition and internal discord which can be taken advantage of. It is in our best interests to ensure that does not happen." Thacea explained succinctly, which warmed me up to the idea of simply accepting the group as what it was clearly shaping up to be. A ragtag team of misfits.

"Right, okay, that makes sense." I nodded in response.

"Do you trust them though?" I quickly added.

"Thalmin, yes. The Mercenary Princes and Princesses of Havenbrok are anything if not entirely forthright and blunt to a fault. Whilst many would paint them as liars and thieves, their claim to titles came from contract and blood. They are oath fulfillers, and value truth in the highest regard. Thalmin seems to embody this quite well." Thacea rationalized with that calm, analytical tone of hers.

"And Ilunor?"

"The Vunerian… is difficult. I need more time with that one. However, from what I can tell he's headstrong to a fault. The only thing we might need to worry about from him is his mouth running amuck and a difficulty in gaining full cooperation from him. He is, however, incapable of putting up an actual fight. However, we should never underestimate Vunerians.

Whilst they have indeed obtained a position of prominence in the Nexus itself, it was not done out of mere complacency and subservience to the Crown, but instead, a combination of blind subservience and political maneuvering. But it is too early to tell with Ilunor right now." There was little in the way of much else to be said as I nodded at her once more and let out a sigh.

"Let's get this done and over with then. I can tell it's going to be a long conversation, so the sooner we get it done and over with, the better." Little did I know, I couldn't have been any more on the money with that prediction. Dragon's Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Living Room. 30 Minutes Later. In order to hammer home the severity of the bomb, in order to explain what a video was, in order to really get the pair on the same page… I needed to start from the top, as I had with Thacea the previous night.

This proved to be… a greater challenge than anticipated, as I'd already gone through the logic of the situation twice, and Ilunor's face still hadn't shifted from its googly-eyed look of smug disapproval.

"Emma, I understand the logic." Thalmin offered to lay down the foundations of a bridge between us.

"But what you're trying to have us believe, is the antithesis to the building blocks of reality." Ilunor piped up, waving his arms around in the air frantically, as if emulating a childish attempt at trying to fly.

"For Gods and Goddesses' sakes Earthrealmer LOOK! I'm causing ripples in the mana-fields as we speak! Weak ripples, but any stronger and I'll be casting a spell! Look! Just, look! You want me to imagine a world without the constant ebb and flow of mana streams around every living thing?!"

"Stop hopping about like a raving lunatic, and sit down, Vunerian. The Earthrealmer says she can't even see mana-fields, what makes you think she has the ability to sense mana-streams, let alone see them?!" Thalmin attempted to quieten the lizard. Thacea had chimed in quite a few times throughout this, but each and every one of her reassurances still landed on the same, distressing, pattern of systemic incongruence. It was with that, that I realized I had two cards to play, the soft option and the harder option.

For Thalmin, I started with the soft option.

"Thalmin… do you think my people would've gone through the effort of constructing such artifices for what… theatrics? And do you think I would purposefully lock myself away in an uncomfortable suit of metal for days on end with no apparent gain? I have nothing to gain but everything to lose by doing this." I offered, which seemed to cause the final cogs in the Lupinor's mind to start turning. For Ilunor, I struck back with the device I wowed him with from the Grand Hall.

Pulling out my tablet from my holster, I placed the inert device in front of him and stared him right between the eyes.

"Do you sense any mana coming from this?" I asked simply.

"No. I do not." The Vunerian played along. I soon pulled out the magical scroll, with its text still buffering.

"Do you sense any mana from this?"

"Yes. It's a magical scroll." The Vunerian spoke with increasing annoyance.

"Alright, then, explain this." I tapped the power button on my tablet, verified my identity, and let loose what could only be described as the single greatest flex in computer history. The screen displayed the front cover of a novel, a purposefully complex illustration with more colors than an abstract piece of modern art. With that demonstration of ultra high definition out of the way, I began scrolling through the 500 hundred page monstrosity.

Slowly, but surely, I made sure to emphasize each and every page to Ilunor. The words eventually flew by as I sat there for a good 5 minutes to make sure my point was proven. The speed, the content, the utter lack of any discernible mana, all resulted in an Ilunor that had all but conked out of this realm of existence. After the hissing and the growls had died down, Ilunor remained sat in a catatonic state, holding his knees up to his chest, with his arms wrapped around them.

He stared at the device in front of him like it was something straight out of an existentialist horror movie, which was equal parts amusing but also somewhat irksome given that we were still on the clock. With my point proven, I addressed him again.

"Well… care to explain?"

"That… that was a trick of… I… the…" The lizard suddenly leaped up from his catatonic state, surprising everyone huddled around the coffee table as he grabbed the tablet. First in an attempt to look under it, then at its corners, and tapping it on every possible side before landing on the screen again which only caused the brightness to increase, blinding the lizard further.

"Where's the paper Earthrealmer?! I know a contrived series of loaded springs and… and… cleverly hidden papers anywhere! This… this front glass cover is but a magnifying glass and there are papers of incredible craftsmanship hidden within this! I just… just admit it Earthrealmer…" The lizard was grasping at the last of his straws. This pushed me to make the most logical step in disproving what was effectively the last vestiges of the Vunerian's inability to truly grapple with the reality of the situation.

In a few swift motions, I accessed one of the cultural exchange folders, and tapped on a benign video detailing just a few scenes of some nature reserves on Earth. While doing this I had to make sure not to click on any folder or video that contained any explicit displays of technology, within which were hundreds of hours of videos containing anything and everything from cityscapes, vehicles, spacecraft, and stellar megastructures of wildly different categories.

It'd be easier to play a video of something they'd at least have some understanding of, rather than of subjects and objects they probably wouldn't be able to discern. Landing on a video of a nature reserve on Earth, I started playing it, causing the lizard to immediately go silent, as his eyes and ears were laser focused on the moving images and sound all emerging from a mana-less screen. I didn't say anything else as I let the lizard process that information for a bit.

The mercenary prince had been awfully quiet throughout the entire exchange. His eyes were clearly transfixed on both the tablet and its capabilities, but seemed to give Ilunor the floor for most of the more dramatic reactions. However, despite his best efforts, he clearly couldn't hide the more lupine inclinations that came with his species. As his long, fluffy tail swished faster and faster with each passing page, and had all but practically gone into overdrive at the stock video being played.

"This armor. This device. Everything you see is from a mana-less world powered, shaped, and constructed via mana-less means." I stated as plain as day as Ilunor all but collapsed at the base of the sofa.

"What did you wish to gain from this explanation, Emma?" Thalmin interjected, taking over for Ilunor who had all but gone AFK for the time being.

"I need you to understand who and what I am, or rather, where I come from. I need you to understand why I'm in this suit of armor, and how it is that I'm able to accomplish what you think is impossible without mana. I'm doing this for the purposes of being transparent and frank to each and every one of you as a peer group, but also… because we have a bigger issue to deal with." I replied succinctly as I went over to the tablet, taking the time to prime everyone with the footage from the previous night.

The video of Mal'tory and the container in question played in silence. The reactions to which were dominated by the likes of Thalmin who stared at me with grave concern, waiting for me to explain the significance of the footage.

"Inside this container they took from me, is a bomb. An explosive device that is capable of exploding without the use of mana. This device will detonate if either the predetermined time for its activation is reached, or if it detects any unauthorized tampering is done to it. It is designed to be a controlled explosion, through which the contents within shall be destroyed harmlessly. However, there is a chance, especially with tampering, that the containment may fail and someone may get hurt."

I explained succinctly.

"And because this artifice does not rely on mana for any of its abilities, the professors will be unable to stop it, or even realize its dangers." Thalmin concluded in a similar vein to Thacea. I nodded as everyone was now brought up to speed.

"I know you wish to confront the professors regarding this debacle, Emma. And I fully support this venture as I cannot stand by and watch as these injustices are performed on a newrealmer of all people. Whilst I trust the veracity of these memory shards, I doubt the faculty or anyone else who does not accept your… artificing, will." The mercenary prince stated confidently.

"Why is that?"

"These memory shards are incomplete. It looks… wrong, like artificial visions from a shard forger. All due to the fact that your artifices seems to have selectively disregarded the collection of mana-fields, auras, or even the surrounding mana. These shards will not stand up to scrutiny if we are to address this directly, Emma." The Lupinor paused for a moment, as if deciding what to say next.

"However, no matter how faulty these shards are, I still believe you. The circumstances you find yourself in is truly beyond compare, and there is no reason to doubt the veracity of this memory shard, as you've proven thus far to be an honorable soul. I will support you in this venture." Thalmin began, as he stood up, prompting the rest of us to follow suit.

"As will I, Emma." Thacea chimed in.

"Gods and Goddesses above, know that I have no choice in the matter. I must partake, lest I become an unwitting passenger on a boat with no oars of my own." Ilunor surprisingly joined in, as we all stood together finally, as a cohesive unit. Dragon's Heart Tower, En Route to the Grand Dining Hall. Local Time: 0900 Morning brought with it a great many things, chief among those is what a great number of night owls and late risers like me hated the most: the sun.

However, I never truly appreciated just how sunlight could have an impact on a place like this. I didn't know if it was intentional, a tactic to keep students confined to their rooms at night, or whether or not it was actually an issue spurred on by the lack of readily available artificial sources of light. Whatever it was, the morning seemed to have given this whole place an entirely new coat of paint, and then some.

The hallways which had started off as this drab, dreary, stuffy collection of gray stone and mortar had suddenly become much more inviting. It felt like color had been added to the world as I could see the meticulous detailing and craftsmanship on each of the individual stones that made up the walls of these hallways. The floors, similar to the night before, were still nothing short of a work of art as the gleam and polish could've very well blinded me if I wasn't: A.

Capable of tinting my lenses further to deal with the light and B. A light-mode preferring gremlin. As was the case with the previous night, the floors 'resonated' with these brilliant, lightning-like patterns whenever anyone that wasn't me walked across them. This lack of a footstep effect as I was starting to call it drew a few eyes to me, if the armor itself wasn't enough of an attention grabber as it was.

Walking further and further still, we eventually found ourselves marching directly to our first destination of the day: The Grand Dining Hall.