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805 - Conversation V
🕑 Added 2024-12-11 02:21:45 +0000 UTCSeraphina's lips curved into a wide, triumphant smile, one she made no effort to conceal. She had finally gotten what she wanted—a chance at regaining her freedom.
“You’re finally speaking my language,” she said, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction as she accepted his challenge without hesitation, not even pausing to consider the implications.
However, Aron quickly tempered her enthusiasm. “But not now. There are preparations to be made—measures that will allow both of us to fight at full strength without worrying about outsiders seeing or hearing the aftermath,” he explained.
Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scowl of irritation. The delay was an unwelcome turn of events, as it meant her opportunity to secure freedom would be postponed.
“Are you stalling for time? Do you take me for a fool?” she snapped, her voice sharp with suspicion. “You realize a fight between us will unleash massive amounts of energy, visible from vast distances. How exactly do you intend to keep this hidden? Are you planning to transport me to another star system just to settle this?”
Her tone left no room for evasion, her piercing gaze making it clear she had no patience for unnecessary delays.
"Through this," Aron said, extending his hand as Nova handed him a sleek pair of glasses. Seraphina squinted suspiciously, her expression brimming with skepticism. Ignoring her reaction, Aron casually tossed the glasses toward her. This time, she caught them without incident, having adjusted her strength to handle fragile human objects.
"I’m sure you’ve seen me use something like this before," Aron said, his tone calm and composed. "Just put them on, and you’ll find the answers to your questions." As he spoke, Nova activated a hologram that displayed Aron donning the glasses, illustrating the process.
Seraphina frowned, clearly dissatisfied with not receiving a direct answer. Yet, her curiosity won out. Begrudgingly, she slipped the glasses on, her intrigue overriding her irritation.
"Why is nothing happening? Is he messing with me?" Seraphina muttered under her breath when the glasses seemed to do nothing after she put them on. Her gaze immediately darted to Aron, ready to demand an explanation.
But what she saw wasn’t Aron—or anything remotely expected. Instead, she found herself standing in the middle of an expansive field of glassy greenery, where the grass shimmered with an otherworldly green hue that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Her surroundings didn’t remain static for long. The grass began to shift, morphing and transforming into plants and flowers she recognized from her own star system. Seraphina’s disbelief grew as she realized these were rare flowers—so scarce in her civilization that their worth was equivalent to their weight in pure mana. Now, they covered the entire expanse of her vision, blooming vibrantly as if mocking their scarcity.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she crouched and reached out to touch one of the flowers. At first, the sensation felt off—lacking the tactile authenticity she expected. But, moment by moment, the feedback grew increasingly convincing, blurring the line between illusion and reality. Yet, it was just slow enough for her sharp instincts to detect the deception.
"This is an illusion," she realized, her mind quickly piecing it together. She immediately triggered the defensive protocols her kind used against the Zelvora, a species notorious for their reality-warping powers. However, no matter what countermeasures she deployed or how many times she blinked her eyes open, she found herself back in the same mesmerizing field.
"Looks like I’ve fallen for one of your dirty tactics," Seraphina said with venom in her voice, her fists clenched tightly. "I’m the foolish one for trusting you and thinking of you as an honorable individual." Despite her words, her determination to escape hadn’t faltered.
"I didn’t do anything of the sort," came a calm voice from behind her. Aron materialized out of thin air, his expression unbothered by her accusations. "I was just answering your question."
Seraphina turned sharply to face him, her glare filled with suspicion and anger. Aron continued before she could respond, gesturing to their surroundings.
"This," he said, motioning to the expansive field, "is where our fight will take place—a virtual reality capable of replicating every detail of reality to perfection. Here, we can ensure that no one observes us, and all injuries—even death—will carry no consequences. You can die as many times as you want and still be revived without issue."
He paused, studying her face. Her eyes betrayed her mistrust, and her body language radiated frustration. Aron could see, with the glasses analyzing her mental state, that she still harbored doubts. Her mind churned with the possibility that this was just another elaborate illusion, akin to the deceptions of the Zelvora.
Not wanting to provoke her further, Aron snapped his fingers, and a massive screen appeared in the air before her. The screen displayed a basic detailed explanation of the universal simulation they were in, complete with diagrams and examples to clarify its mechanics.
"This should answer your doubts," Aron said, stepping back slightly to give her space. "Take your time to read it. You'll see that nothing here is fabricated to deceive you—just a neutral, controlled environment where we can settle things without interference."
A few minutes later, Seraphina broke the silence, her voice calm but distant, as though her mind had drifted far from the present moment. "How long do you need?"
Aron glanced at her, noting her change in demeanor before responding. "It would take about a week to fully understand and calibrate the system. This timeframe accounts for ensuring seamless operation for individuals who are not human. We currently have enough foreign specimens and brain data to modify our algorithms to adapt fluidly to the varying brain structures of different civilizations," he explained, intentionally quoting the upper end of the timeframe to account for potential delays in refining the system.
"Fine," she replied tersely before redirecting her attention to the field of flowers around her. There was a noticeable shift in her focus—something was clearly stuck in her mind.
Anyone who knew what had transpired in this virtual space might guess what occupied her thoughts, but they wouldn’t easily discern the direction of her contemplation. Although Seraphina hailed from a race that revered strength above all else, her intelligence and strategic acumen were not to be underestimated.
She had to know the implications of Aron's technology—what it could mean if it truly wielded to its maximum potential.
Comments
Jade
Virtual Reality Time Sped is the crowning achievement of humanity in this series.
