Alex sat on the couch, reflecting on his eting with the Outer God who had co to him rely for candy. Leaning back, he rubbed his eyes, trying to relax a little. In the end, the eting had given him so valuable information that helped him piece together the events unfolding around him.
He confird that his arrival in this world was due to Nyan-Nyan's interference and understood that the chanical Man was sohow involved in David's death and Valerie's sale to slavers. But the main question remained — why eliminate those who sustain the tiline?
The only reason he could think of was that the chanical Man aid to turn this universe into sothing dark, consud by negativity, and then use its power to amplify himself. But then ca a new question: what was driving this avatar?
The more Alex tried to understand these motives, the more questions arose. Everything pointed to the chanical Man attempting to follow a path similar to Ultron's, seeking a body and interacting with people to fuel conflicts, perhaps just as he once did in corporate wars.
Thinking on this, Alex heard a tapping on the barrier he'd placed around the girls for their safety. He opened his eyes and t Rebecca's impatient gaze as she tapped the barrier. Sighing, he snapped his fingers, removing the protection, knowing he'd now have to answer questions he'd rather not address himself.
Rebecca rushed to him first, checking on him worriedly, even though she had seen the entire conversation. The other girls approached as well, but seeing Rebecca, they preferred to observe Alex from a distance. Lucy and Gloria's eyes were filled with concern, and Alex attempted to smile, though his face remained serious.
Lucy seed ready to say sothing, but Alex raised a hand, indicating there was sothing he needed to do first. He gently stopped Rebecca as she reached for 'sensitive' areas. She realized he was fine, if only a bit ntally drained, and settled onto his lap, ready to ask her questions. The girls exchanged glances, noticing that Alex didn't seem eager to start talking just yet, and decided to wait.
Alex glanced over at GIR, who was watching Bear with a spear thoughtfully. With a sigh, he addressed GIR:
«GIR, gather everything you can on Arasaka's upper ranks: who they talk to, where they go, where they live, down to their schedules. I need it as soon as possible.»
GIR imdiately began searching through the data downloaded from Arasaka's servers. Alex turned his gaze back to the girls seated across from him, noticing the tension in Gloria's eyes. She'd clearly picked up on key details in his conversation with the guest, especially the parts concerning David and Valerie. Alex remained silent, but she sensed that there was more beneath the surface than t the eye.
«If you have questions, ask,» Alex said, starting to massage Rebecca's cheeks, trying to relax a bit.
The girls exchanged looks, choosing who would begin. Alex waited patiently, continuing to massage Rebecca's cheeks, though she soon resisted, batting his hands away. Turning to face him, Rebecca finally asked the first, primary question:
«Who was that little girl who called you the Destroyer?»
Alex sighed, reaching for a cigarette from his pocket. Placing it in his mouth, he glanced at Gloria, ensuring she had no objections to him smoking in the apartnt, lit the cigarette, and answered their questions.
«That girl is a very powerful being, one that's existed since the beginning of everything,» he said, exhaling smoke upward.
The girls flinched at his words, especially Gloria, who had spent considerable ti around the guest. Alex noticed their reaction and shook his head slightly: the truth about such a being was indeed more terrifying than they could imagine. Gathering her thoughts, Lucy decided to find out more.
«But who is she, really? I understand that she's an ancient being, but who exactly is she?» she asked, looking at Alex.
Alex ran a hand over his forehead, trying to collect his thoughts. Talking about beings of primordial chaos was difficult; his knowledge was limited to what he'd read. After eting the Creator, he realized that if Gods existed, then so might the Outer Gods, especially after his encounter with Nyan-Nyan's first avatar and the horror he discovered in the dungeon.
«To put it simply, that girl is an Outer God. They're born of chaos and exist beyond anything you can imagine. Beyond life and death, ti and space, reality and dreams,» Alex replied in a weary tone.
The girls exchanged glances, processing what they'd heard. Although they understood that this being was far more powerful than it seed, Alex saw in their faces that they didn't fully grasp the scale of her power. He continued, deciding to clarify:
«Her na is Yog, and that's all you need to know. She's Nyan-Nyan's sister, with whom I made a deal. Who's older or younger between them is hard to say — things are too tangled up there.»
Lucy sighed, realizing this information wouldn't be much help if Alex ever faced such a foe. Rebecca, too, couldn't fully comprehend everything she'd heard, but she shared Lucy's thoughts: in a battle with such a being, they wouldn't be able to help him. Gloria felt especially shaken, having spent half the day with Yog. But thinking that if Yog had wanted to harm her, she would have already done so, she felt a bit more at ease. She rembered the girl's quiet behavior and her strange way of speaking. Calming herself, Gloria asked the question that intrigued her.
«Why did this Yog speak so strangely?»
Alex thought about how to explain it without confusing them further.
«Simply put, she's the Gate and the Key to chaos. Yog exists simultaneously in the past, present, and future, throughout all space; she sees and knows everything. Because of her nature, she might even be stronger than Nyan-Nyan. So when you spoke with her, it hadn't happened yet, had already happened, and was happening all at once,» Alex said thoughtfully.
Gloria frowned, even more confused. Rebecca gave Alex's arm a little smack, signaling she didn't understand either and was asking for a simpler explanation. Alex sighed and tried to explain again:
«In other words, Yog sees all tilines at once and interacts with them. If this mont is 'now' for you, then for her, it's simultaneously the past, present, and future. She sees everything at once. Hopefully, that's clearer.»
«You an this girl lives and sees everything at once?» Kiwi asked, just to be sure.
Alex nodded. This ability reminded him of the magic used by a certain crazed vampire obsessed with magical girls, and he hoped he wouldn't have to face them. Knowing himself, he would likely end up killing Gaia and Alaya, who kept the eternal war going.
«Any other questions? If not, I need to start healing Kiwi and prepare for my eting with the Arasaka higher-ups to ask a few questions,» Alex said, gently patting Rebecca on the head.
Gloria pulled her thoughts away from the nature of Yog and decided to ask a question that had been troubling her regarding her son, David. In their conversation, she had caught that sohow David was supposed to beco a «pillar,» just like Valeri, and Alex seed to have taken that place, replacing them.
«What did Yog an when you talked about the 'pillar of the universe'?» Gloria asked in a tense tone.
Alex looked at her, considering how best to explain that she was ant to die in that accident and that David would have faced death in the future regardless. He saw the worry in her eyes and understood that his explanation wouldn't bring her any relief. Gathering his thoughts, Gloria nodded, signaling that she was ready to listen.
«A pillar is soone who supports the developnt of the universe. Imagine it like in movies or books: there's a main character, and their choices influence the course of events. Once their story ends, the plot continues, but without their involvent,» Alex explained in a calm tone.
Lucy and Rebecca nodded, reflecting on his words, while Gloria fell into deep thought, trying to understand why her son was ant to beco this pillar. Kiwi listened attentively, not interrupting. Valeri, sitting next to Gloria, also paid close attention, knowing that this was about her fate as well.
«But why was it David who was supposed to beco the pillar?» Gloria asked heavily.
Alex sighed and decided to tell the truth.
«Actually, it was supposed to be you who died in that accident, not David. Valeri shouldn't have had to go through the horrors she faced. Since my arrival, I've taken on all the events that were ant to happen to them,» he said, his voice heavy.
Gloria flinched, realizing that she was ant to die in the accident, leaving David alone. Her heart ached at the thought of how much suffering he would have endured if Alex hadn't intervened. Looking at Valeri, she understood that the girl was also ant to go through this nightmare. Noticing how hard it was for Gloria, Alex approached her and hugged her, trying to alleviate her pain even just a little.
The other girls watched Gloria with sympathy, aware of what she had gone through and the future that awaited her family.
«But why did David still die in that accident?» Gloria asked, looking up at Alex.
Not wanting to cause her any more pain, Alex understood that she still wanted to know the whole truth.
«Most likely, it was planned. David's death and Valeri's fate — it was all part of so sche,» he said, stroking her back in an attempt to soften the harsh reality. «When there's no one to support the developnt of the universe, it starts to warp, becoming a 'Dark Universe' destined for destruction so as not to infect the entire tiline.»
Gloria understood that her son's death was not random but part of soone else's cruel plan. Lucy contemplated Alex's words, starting to piece together what was happening, but questions about the ultimate goal remained in her mind.
«But why do this if the destruction of the universe leads to its annihilation?» Lucy asked.
Alex looked at her and realized she was close to the answer.
«It's much simpler than that,» he said. «The destruction of the universe triggers a 'Big Bang' from which a new universe is born. Can you imagine the amount of pure energy generated at the mont of the Big Bang? It's literally an explosion of energy from which a universe with its own laws and order erges.»
Lucy, hearing Alex's explanation, fell deep into thought and, mimicking him, began to stroke her chin. Rebecca, who had long lost track of the conversation, tilted her head slightly, not understanding the details being discussed. All she gathered was that the strange girl turned out to be an ancient powerful being, and in that fateful accident, Gloria was supposed to die instead of David. Everything else, including the motives and consequences, seed confusing to her. Kiwi also imrsed herself in thought, trying to comprehend the aning of Alex's words and finally began to piece together the bigger picture.
After a mont of contemplation, Lucy finally decided to clarify her understanding to dispel her doubts. «So, this was all done so that the universe could be destroyed, and eventually, all the energy would gather in one place for this… so-called chanical Man to absorb it? Am I understanding this correctly?» she asked with a hint of uncertainty, looking at Alex.
Alex nodded, confirming her deduction. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized she was right. But a new question arose in her mind: why did the chanical Man need this energy? She glanced at Kiwi, who was also pondering the question. Kiwi shrugged, indicating that she too saw no obvious answer.
«But why does he need so much energy?» Lucy murmured aloud, continuing to reflect.
Alex was about to answer when Rebecca, who had been listening intently, blurted out the first thing that ca to her mind: «Maybe he wants to beco stronger than that woman?» she suggested doubtfully.
Alex turned to her and gave a thumbs-up, indicating that her guess could be correct. However, even he did not know the true reason why the avatars of Nyan-Nyan had risen against her. She was rely amused by watching them futilely strive to take her place, knowing that one of her movents would be enough to crush them. In a world where Nyan-Nyan was only second in power to Azathoth, her authority was absolute.
«That's quite possible. The previous avatar was aiming for just that but ended up becoming an empty shell when Nyan-Nyan appeared,» Alex said, shaking his head slightly.
The girls understood that no matter how hard the avatars tried, they could not escape the control of the original body. This only confird how powerful the original Nyan-Nyan was. Nevertheless, they still had another question: what to do and how to find the chanical Man responsible for all the events that had transpired.
«If the chanical Man is to bla for what happened to David and Valeri, could he also be the reason for what's happening in this world?» Kiwi asked, looking intently at Alex.
Alex paused for a mont. If the chanical Man was an artificial intelligence playing the role of a god, it wouldn't be difficult for him to accelerate humanity's technological progress.
The more people depended on technology, the easier it would be to control them. Corporate wars were likely a tool for enhancing control over cyberspace. As a digital being, the chanical Man could easily pit people against each other, pushing them toward wars for resources and knowledge, since wars drive progress.
«Everything is interconnected. Literally everything: from corporate wars to industrial progress. War is not just chaos and death; it's also a ans to accelerate technological evolution. All these events are directed toward one goal. This chaos and destruction are rely byproducts, for its true aims lie beyond re control and destruction,» Alex said thoughtfully.
The girls realized that all the disorder and chaos in the world were rely the result of a powerful being's boredom. They felt their insignificance in the face of this omnipotent plan. And if it weren't for Alex's intervention, the world could have dood itself to destruction. But the question arose: how could they now deal with this adversary, as no one besides Alex possessed sufficient power.
«And what's your plan for all this?» Kiwi asked, looking hopefully at Alex.
Alex stroked his chin, contemplating how to proceed. The options were limited: they needed to locate those who were helping create the chanical Man's body and his accomplices, serving as his loyal attack dogs. He already knew that the Maelstrom gang was working for him—what's more, they worshipped him and served unconditionally.
Once unleashed, these fanatics would instantly plunge the city into chaos. It was possible that the initial manifestations of cyberpsychosis affecting ordinary people were also part of the impending disaster that was about to unfold. After all, if you have the ability to induce cyberpsychosis, you can create real havoc. It was likely that Maelstrom wasn't the only one involved—there were probably other pawns hidden in the shadows.
«Our options are limited. First, we need to identify everyone who is assisting him in creating the body. Then, we gradually eliminate his allies to restrict his maneuvering options. In any case, he will get his body, and the battle is inevitable, whether we like it or not. When I et him, his minions will make a scene, and it won't just be Maelstrom; perhaps even innocent civilians will get involved. So, we need to act quickly,» Alex sketched out a plan on the fly.
The girls nodded heavily, realizing that everything could ignite at any mont, with Alex at the center of the flas. The forthcoming «fire» would likely be stronger than any catastrophe they had seen before. The thought of the impending chaos lingered in their minds, forcing them to remain alert and prepare for the situation to spiral out of control in the blink of an eye.
«And what should we do in this plan?» Lucy asked, looking intently at Alex.
«You'll need to protect G.I.R. while he removes the remnants of the chanical Man's consciousness. anwhile, I will deal with his main body and try to finish the device for controlling the crowd of cyber-zombies who may attack you. And try to act naturally, as if this conversation never happened. One careless word, and you'll be marked as targets,» Alex said, scanning the girls carefully.
They nodded, understanding that in this situation, silence was their best weapon. His gaze lingered on Kiwi, who had just faced all this chaos today and was now trying to hold on to her sanity. Alex felt sympathy for her; she had no idea her life would change so dramatically that in one day, she would learn more than she could ever imagine.
It all began when she discovered his true identity and the existence of so god in this world. Later, she was confronted with an ancient cosmic entity in the guise of a little girl, associated with the suffering of the entire world due to the interference of these beings.
Shaking off these thoughts, Alex decided to fulfill his promise and heal Kiwi, then set out to «invite» the representatives of Arasaka for tea to discuss matters in a friendly setting.
To be continued...
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