Dennis sat down on the sand, leaning on one of his knees. “It’s probably different for each company, but in my case… I was sent into the simulation when I was eight. I don’t have any memories from Earth before that.”

John took a moment to absorb the information, slightly surprised by the high age Dennis had been put inside the simulation. “So… all your childhood memories are fake, then?”

Dennis nodded, but then he hesitated slightly. “There might be parts from Earth, but those memories are very unclear. It's like they’ve been overwritten.”

John searched his memories, feeling like they were all quite clear. Even his first memories, running from the hen in the coop, seemed perfectly clear, possibly to an unrealistic degree.

“Is it possible I just got put in as a baby? I don’t… That’s what I hope happened, honestly.”

Rain seemed to notice John’s mood was worsening, staring at him as she finished the final piece of her meal. Judging by her reaction to it, it was merely passable compared to the bird meat.

Dennis sighed, looking directly at John. “At your age, I’d say that’s very unlikely. The earliest simulations started about twenty-five years ago, but it took a long time before we started pushing the production of breakers.

The first breaker appeared before the portals did, but not by much. Now people think that was the trigger for the portals appearing, so he’s quite a hated character by many.”

John had several questions he wanted answered, but he needed time to think about the repercussions of his knowledge. “... Okay, I guess I’ll worry about my situation later. How did that first guy break through? By accident?”

“He was very entrenched in simulation games, spending most of his life in them. One game specifically gave him some power that acted quite similarly to essence. Then he was in a life-or-death situation outside the simulation, and pop! The first breaker was born.”

“... And then others started doing the same?”

“Well, he became a celebrity! The company making the game became gigantic since everyone wanted to do the same, but it took a long time before the next breaker appeared. An important factor seems to be that you need conviction and complete faith that the essence will work. So memories of Earth caused people to fail.”

John nodded, starting to understand how the simulations began. “And once the portals appeared, the effort increased substantially? By that time, it was life and death, right?”

“Exactly. Morals and conviction went out the door once survival became the goal. Memory erasing, eugenics, gene manipulation… Everything was on the table. The rules have become stricter, but they’re still fairly open. For example, simulated personalities are required to have untouched minds and personalities.”

Once John heard that, a burst of emotions hit him, and he hoped it meant what he thought it did. “Uhh, like… the people in my world?”

“Yeah, they’re all protected by law. They can’t alter their memories or personalities, ever—at least after their creation.”

John let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He thought back to his home, his mother, and every other person he could think of. The fact that there were rules for people like them, living only in the simulations, put his mind at peace.

‘That’s such a relief! Even if she’s not born in this world, Mom is her own person… Vera is probably the same, right? That’s a relief.’

“John, okay?” Rain asked, leaning over and putting a hand on his shoulder. The worry in her eyes warmed his heart.

He pulled her under his shoulder and smiled. “I’m fine, Rain. Just thinking about home.”

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“Home?” she asked, not recognizing the word.

“Yeah, it’s…” John didn’t quite know how to describe the concept of a home without also explaining other words. “It’s where I… woke up the first time. Where I grew tall. And where my… where some of my family lives.”

Understanding seemed to dawn on her, although she still seemed confused. “Home nice for John?”

“... Yeah, my home is nice. Very nice.”

Instead of replying, Rain looked down at the sand wistfully. John got the impression that her home wasn’t as cozy and warm as his, or at least it didn’t bring many good memories.

John looked at her, feeling like he should say something, or at least ask. But instead he turned back to Dennis.

“I’m not sure the portals appeared due to the first breaker appearing,” John noted, recalling his memories from the Aasvedan planet. In their case, the portals simply appeared one day without any apparent reason.

“Well, it’s just a theory. We would be very lucky if it was a coincidence, though.”

“Yeah… Oh, the alien said Earth was lucky, actually. I think that might have to do with our technology, though.”

“What?” Dennis looked at John with narrowed eyes. “... You think you could tell me more about that? Where do all your secrets come from, anyway?”

John smiled, realizing he had only told Dennis some parts of his journey so far. “I guess I should go into more detail, yeah.”

He told him everything, from the meeting with Sage Full Blue to the mysterious experience with the remnants of the Aasvedans. The only part he left out was the time Rain had used essence, fearing it would make Dennis more suspicious of her.

“... What the hell, John? I’ve just been wandering this fucking desert while you had the most insane… Well, okay.”

He got up and pointed at John firmly. “There’s no way the Lady of Fate isn’t pulling strings for you! And I don’t envy you one bit. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to follow you, but I don’t think I have much choice either…”

“You’re free to do as you please. I have no idea what’s in store for us, but I’m sure it won’t be boring.”

Dennis laughed and looked up at the sky toward their destination. “Eh, what’s a bit of risk? I’m not very important in the grand scheme of things, so… I think I should follow you.”

“Hey now, don’t sell yourself short,” John responded, sensing the exhaustion in Dennis’ voice.

Dennis looked back at him with a light smile. “No, I just think… there’s a reason you’re here. And there’s a purpose for where you’re going. So if I can help you get there, that’s the obvious choice. For humanity.”

“... Fine. But no ‘giving your life to save me’ type of shit, okay?” John reached a hand out for a handshake, hoping it would make a difference if such a situation were to occur.

Dennis took it with a smile, sealing the deal. “I doubt I would be fast enough, either way. But I will prioritize you first, just so you know.”

John sighed, letting go of the handshake. He knew what Dennis was insinuating, and didn’t like it much. But if he were honest, he would likely be the worst loss for humanity if he died.

“Fine, I can’t force your hand. Kerchak is on the bottom, though.”

“Hah! Yeah, that’s for sure,” Dennis replied, looking at the giant monkey behind him. “Well, I guess we should get going soon.”

“Hang on; I want to try using different types of essence with my spheres before we go. They might have different reactions to solid and liquid essence.”

“Oh yeah, you go ahead.”

“... Why don’t you try the same? I haven’t seen you experimenting much with the new forms yet.”

“Ah, sure. It might help Kerchak, at least. Maybe I can strengthen his armor if I use that solid stuff…” He went over to Kerchak, got up in his arms, and sat down to focus.

Rain lay her back on the sand, taking a short rest while John would transmute his essence. She seemed to understand more and more of their conversations, learning the language at a frightening speed.

John closed his eyes and started transmuting his gaseous essence with his image of rain. The process had sped up after he became an aspecter, but compared to his storage, it was about the same speed.

‘I wonder if I can find some image to speed it up even more… But this will have to do for now.’

The liquid essence was purer than before, only containing a quarter of the cloudiness it used to have. John could feel the difference, even as it floated in his core.

After transmuting most of his essence into liquid, he made some of it solid, aiming to test both types in one go.

‘I’d be satisfied if it only gives a stronger version of the same effect, but let’s see!’