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868 - UPDATE III
🕑 Added 2025-03-18 05:44:25 +0000 UTC“.......”
Amir and everyone else in the room sat in stunned silence, unable to even clear their throats, let alone speak. What they were witnessing was so shocking, so utterly beyond belief, that it rendered them motionless.
For people who had already experienced the impossible, the creation of new life shouldn't have been this overwhelming. Yet, none of them displayed the composure or understanding one might expect. The sheer scale of what they were seeing, and the completely unfamiliar method by which it had happened, made it feel like an entirely different kind of revelation.
On screen, a time-lapse played, beginning with the capture of Lee Joon Ho and progressing through a surreal sequence of events, leading to the birth of entirely new races from the fruits of enormous trees.
Elves, both normal and dark. Dwarves. Fairies. Giants.
The narrator’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
"Although they may look like something out of a fantasy novel or other forms of media, that is precisely because they are. Each of these races was inspired by the memories of Lee Joon Ho. However, do not mistake their appearances for signs of a different species. Beyond minor variations in size, ear shape, and a few internal and external features, their DNA is a match to ours. Just as an Asian and a Mexican can have children together, we can reproduce with all of them, with no adverse effects whatsoever."
The narrator paused, allowing time for the information to settle.
Still, no one spoke.
"I'm sure some of you are wondering if a giant man reproduces with a normal-sized woman, would there be any side effects? The answer is no. The child will be born like any other and will only begin experiencing rapid growth after puberty," the narrator stated, anticipating a question that was undoubtedly lingering in many minds.
There was an attempt at humor in the explanation, perhaps meant to ease the tension in the room. But instead of laughter, it only added to the awkwardness, as if the joke had been designed to fail in order to force everyone's thoughts away from the sheer enormity of the revelation and into the odd discomfort of the moment.
"Are we being pranked or something?" Ramsey finally spoke, breaking the silence. His voice carried the weight of disbelief, directed at his friends as if seeking reassurance.
"I don’t think so," Amir replied, eyes still locked onto the screen. "There’s no reason for them to mess with us like this, especially not when this briefing is already delaying our reunion with families we haven’t seen in a decade. It would be cruel, and completely out of character for the empire."
The time-lapse continued playing, showing how the empire had raised these newly created people.
At the same time, Researcher Zhou, seated among his colleagues from the same research team, found himself murmuring, "I know I should be one of the easiest to convince, having been in direct contact with the material, but seeing this happen twice, through completely different methods, doesn't feel like a coincidence at all."
He paused for a moment before adding in a low tone, almost as if speaking to himself, "Maybe our understanding of the universe is flawed… constrained by the limited observations we were able to make from within our own star system."
Despite his hushed voice, the heavy silence in the room allowed those nearby to catch his words.
"What do you mean?" Dimitry, the head researcher of his team, asked, his curiosity piqued.
Although momentarily surprised by the question, Zhou took only a brief moment to gather his thoughts before explaining, "Before the empire, we based our entire understanding of life on a single data point—Earth. Given our circumstances at the time, it made sense to assume that life required millions of years to evolve before intelligence could emerge. But now, we’ve witnessed two documented cases of life forming from mere materials, one through a simple touch, creating a fully realized human, and another through inspiration alone, resulting in the birth of five new intelligent races."
He glanced at Dimitry before concluding, "With a two-to-one ratio contradicting our initial assumptions, who’s to say that we, too, didn’t come into existence in a similar way?"
Following Zhou’s explanation, another round of contemplative silence filled the room. But it didn’t last long before another researcher spoke up.
"But we have extensive evidence of evolution, detailed records of how life on Earth developed. While there are some gaps, the available information should be more than enough to validate the theory."
Zhou didn’t hesitate. "That’s not an argument against my theory," he replied, his confidence unwavering. "If anything, evolution actually strengthens my point."
It was clear that Zhou had been pondering this for quite some time, and the recent revelations about the newly formed races had only solidified his thoughts, filling in the gaps he knew still existed in the evolutionary record.
"What part exactly?" the researcher asked, intrigued by how his own counterpoint could support Zhou’s hypothesis.
Zhou leaned forward slightly. "The initial catalyst of life," he said, pausing for emphasis before continuing. "Evolution explains how life diversified and adapted over time, but it doesn’t fully account for how the first single-celled organisms emerged. Yes, we have theories suggesting they formed under specific conditions, but despite our best efforts, we’ve never been able to replicate those conditions in a way that produces actual life. The furthest we’ve gotten is creating amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) but not life itself. And since then, no further progress has been made."
He let that thought settle before posing a question that reframed the discussion.
"Now, what if, during Earth’s early history, there was a material similar to the one found in the TRAPPIST-1 system or around Proxima? What if someone or something triggered the conversion of that material into a single-celled organism… and then simply left it to take its course?"
“...........”
Instead of receiving a response, he was met with silence. However, no one nearby questioned whether it was due to deep contemplation or simply a lack of a plausible counter-argument, not even Researcher Zhou himself.
His attention, like everyone else's, was now locked onto the screen. The display showed the castle where the emperor was meeting with the five Proxima elders. Thick roots coiled around the structure, forming a cocoon-like barrier. Then, without warning, an explosion erupted.
Comments
Sol_Invictus
Then with Conclave
Jade
Oh I am excited to see their reactions to the super powerful Emperor fighting the Proxima folk
Sol_Invictus
TYFTC!!
Jade
FIRST!
Jade
TYFTC!!
