Unlike what he anticipated, the torture session did not last particularly long, the two pirates fessed up everything they knew before he even made them feel the slightest hint of pain.
Noah was forced to realize that he was not facing true soldiers with loyalty to their country and organization embedded into their bones, but rather a group of rag-tag pirates.
They were indeed criminals with no morals who only cared about satisfying their greed even at the detriment of the weak and helpless.
Strong in front of the weak and weak in front of the strong, that was likely their motto at this point.
Noah was able to accept their motto and their lifestyle. It was just the standard way any being without self-control and infinite desire would take to achieve their means. He didn’t think these people were any different even though they weren’t entirely human.
That was why he believed in the motto that someone should prepare themselves for their own death the instant they take someone else's life. That was only the natural way of things.
To show mercy, he swiftly killed them. This was a mercy he knew they certainly did not extend to their victims.
He only tortured people when it was necessary, never out of pleasure. It didn’t change what he was doing, but it was enough as long as he believed that he was conscious of his actions and believed them to be reasonable in his mind.
“This is quite interesting.”
The information he obtained was certainly quite intriguing. Now that he had dealt with the people attacking him, Noah could take a better look at his surroundings with greater focus.
It was a cave or at least something with a similar structure. A semi-circular cave with not much to it. There was no decoration and nothing to enjoy.
Similar to what they had mentioned, the gate had transported him to the starting point of some structure with no way to go except forward. There were no portals ready there to teleport him back outside so he could only march forward if he wanted to get out of this place. The pirates had stayed hoping that whether or not Omid succeeded they would be expelled at the conclusion of the tests.
There were two tests that the structure would give to those who entered. The first test was Survival. No details were given; only that the test would last the same amount of time for everyone.
Once they were done with that test, they could proceed to the second test but once again, the pirates knew nothing about what this entailed as they had stayed behind. He would have to figure it out on his own.
“I don’t like it.”
Tests. He hated these situations where someone deemed themselves superior enough to be able to test him.
Noah was also a realist. He did not put weight into this matter and could certainly not fight back against this illusory superior entity that had made these tests. No one forced him to enter and if he wished to get the answer he was searching for then he had to follow the rules of the games, and as grating as it was, play on the palms of the test takers.
Sighing, he trotted across the cave floor and walked on till he reached the first door at the end of the cave-like structure.
“So, I only have to put a hand here, huh.”
He frowned under his helmet as the gauntlet covering his hand retracted and he placed his hand where it was prompted for him to place.
A bar of light went along his hand, scanning it as soon as he placed his hand over the screen… At the next moment, a blue screen hovered in his vision, small letters in the universal language urging him to do something.
⦗Choose your name⦘
Noah tilted his head and looked at his surroundings and blinked his eyes, rattled his head, spun all around. No matter what he did, the blue screen would always register in his eyes and hover in front of him… like a screen that was permanently glued to his vision.
This was quite uncanny.
“How do I write?”
⦗Name: How do I write⦘
⦗Accept?⦘
⦗Y/N⦘
Noah had to fight the urge to facepalm himself over and over. For a supposed super-civilization, it seemed like their AI was truly as trashy as they came.
He shuffled his hand, clicking on N in haste, and looked at the hovering page once more. There were many things he wondered about the construct and what it would entail.
The smart thing to do here would be to hide his name and use an alias. He did not know what kind of use this list had after all. Better be safe than sorry, right?
This was the smart thing to do and Noah was certainly very smart and logical… most of the time…
— Noah…
I am sorry. This may be pretty dumb. But you know… Sometimes you gotta go with your guts rather than pure logic.
He had already lived too long by following logic and reality, all that to survive, even when he was in the deepest pits of hell and the coldest edges of loneliness and despair.
But in moments like this, Noah had no wish nor reason to hide his name. This name was not something that should be hidden. It was the crystallization of his wishes. The blessing of someone who gave up on everything but the tiniest bit of hope.
⦗Choose your name⦘
Noah smiled, his decision was made.
“Noah.”
Noah wished for his name to be recognized throughout the entire universe if it was possible.
There could be no better first step than this to reach his goals. Displaying his name to an ancient civilization that once ruled this entire universe.
In a way… This was quite poetic was it not?
At least, that was what Noah thought initially. However, something surprising appeared in his vision the moment he chose his name.
⦗Refused⦘
⦗Warning! This name should not be chosen! If you decide to continue, heavy penalties will be added to your trials. The level of reward will also increase.⦘
⦗Do you wish to change the name?⦘
⦗Y/N⦘
Noah tilted his head, confusion evident in his eyes. Even the Queen was silent this time as she was unable to make heads or tails of what was going on right now.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Slowly, thoughts started accelerating in Noah’s mind and he could not let them go. His hands trembling, he clicked on the Y this time and then muttered a new Name.
“Serpent.”
⦗Refused⦘
“Ophiuchus.”
⦗Refused⦘
“Thirteenth Constellation”
⦗Refused⦘
By now, the rhythm of his breathing had been completely disturbed. For the very first time in a long while, Noah felt like his mind could not process what was happening.
He felt faint, the world was spinning all around him. Eyes darting, limbs shaking, and his whole mind throbbed by the implications.
What did this mean?
What could this mean?
— Noah!
When Noah came to himself, he found that he was kneeling on the ground on all fours, his entire armor off, and wearing nothing more than the ruined spandex suit that had been given to him by Phaeia.
This body that did not even exert the slightest strength when dealing with a group of pirates was now bathed in cold sweat.
Taking a deep breath, Noah forced himself to calm down. He did not wish to show such an unsightly display of weakness to anyone. Even if the thing in front of him was nothing more than some artificial intelligence.
Sorry.
— What do you think is happening here?
The Queen did not bother replying to his apology with anything. She knew very well that doing so would only wound Noah’s pride further and she did not wish to do that to her symbiote host.
Noah understood her thought process, sighing as he gathered himself. It was a state that he wasn’t foreign to, happening to him far too often than what he was willing to admit. However, the last time the state occurred was so long ago that he was sure he had been cured.
Clearly, he had not been. Not even in the slightest.
I am going to need the best psychiatrist in the universe after I get out of this shithole.
He laughed quietly and ruffled his hair as he looked at the floating blue screen.
There was something he wanted to try.
He was truly hesitant, as a distinct emotion was slowly budding inside of him after a long long while.
Perhaps?
He wondered in his mind.
This was not impossible.
He thought…
Hope started building up beyond his rational expectations, a different kind of hope. Something much deeper and rawer.
He could feel his heart beating so fast in his chest that it felt like it would explode at any moment.
Finally… Gathering his courage, Noah muttered one name.
“Minerva.”
He waited as the tension rose, his palms were sweaty, he was fidgeting and a gentle trembling smile formed on his face.
Finally, a new blue screen appeared.
⦗Accepted⦘
⦗Do you wish to register this name instead?⦘
⦗Y/N?⦘ N
“Mars.”
⦗Accepted⦘
⦗Do you wish to register this name instead?⦘
⦗Y/N?⦘ N
“Diana.”
⦗Accepted⦘
⦗Do you wish to register this name instead?⦘
⦗Y/N?⦘ N
As two more names were added and all of them were similarly accepted, the slowly building light of hope that had been burning deep inside his pupils slowly died out until nothing more than his empty eyes were left.
Noah quietly lowered his face before covering it with his hands as reality settled in and his hopes were dashed in the simplest way possible.
He did not mind…This was what he continued to tell himself. He knew that this could not have been possible. This was why he was not disappointed. He simply needed to rest. Just for a short while.
As for the drops of water that fell on the ground, peeking out from beneath his hands covering his face…
They were nothing more than droplets of sweat.
***
A few moments later, Noah raised his face. His eyes were a little swollen but his expression had mostly become normal as he cursed.
“Fuck this was embarrassing.”
Sighing as he leaned against the door, he looked at the floating screen before him. His emotions were far more in his control and his mind less hot.
“I have been jumping to conclusions like an idiot. Gotta get back my game.”
Noah started replacing all the information he had in mind.
Firstly, The ancient civilization used Sumerian. A dead language from Earth. Since the scientist did not recognize the symbol this meant that this language was not something people could normally have access to.
“First deduction. Civilization is related to Earth.”
Even when he was on earth, there had been many theories about how aliens must have once visited the earth and created super special constructs, or theories about how ancient civilizations were super powerful but somehow vanished because of some great calamity.
While this might be bullshit. Now, he was starting to wonder if there was a modicum of truth in there.
“Second. My names and codenames are trigger words to increase the difficulty while the names of the ones who died with me are not.”
Minerva, Diana and Mars. The three constellations of Virgo, Leo and Taurus had fought alongside him and sacrificed their life to give him an opening toward the Queen.
—....
“This means that far from being simply related to Earth, the special civilization is related to me one way or another.”
From there came a few suppositions.
Why was HIS name the one that was a trigger? Was the Civilization, in fact, the Earth from his era?
Why were the names of the constellations that died not triggered? Did it mean that they were in fact alive and there was no need for such a trigger? Or did it actually mean that the civilization knew he was alive and confirmed that the others were dead so there was once again no need for such a trigger in their names?
Noah bit his teeth.
This doesn’t make sense!
Based on calculations and theories, it would take at least a million years for Earth to even become a Type III Civilization.
Noah could accept errors in calculations as this was in the end nothing but a theory made while they were not even Type I. So even for argument's sake let’s say it took ten thousand years to become Type III, it would still take between ten to perhaps even 1000 times to reach Type IV.
This was without counting all the wars and all the problems that may lead to partial or complete extermination. In fact, if Noah was honest, he had always wondered how Earth hadn’t already blown up with all the problems it had.
“Do you think I am a few hundred thousand years old?”
He asked in a joking tone but even the Queen this time was speechless. In the end, she could only bring more supposition.
—What if we were sent that far forward in time?
Noah was scratching his head so much that blood was oozing a little. He could not say it was impossible. The two of them already had this small theory in their mind after all Noah really doubted time moved normally in that place. What if this was the kind of cliche where one year in there was around a thousand of years in the real world?
Wormholes have been the subject of many theories and possibilities such as time travels, long-distance travel, and even…Dimension and universe hopping.
This also reminded him of the hyperdrive technology Morgiana told him about. By entering what was known as the Dark Sea, they could move through extremely large distances.
But from what she said, no one and few things could actually survive in the Dark Sea for long.
Noah stood up with a small growl before easing his expression and —
Clap!!
He used his hands to clap his two cheeks.
—Noah?
“Why am I wasting my time in such a frustrating way?”
Here he was groaning and moaning about hypothetical situations and possibilities when all he had to do to get the answer he needed was to act.
Wasn’t it actually why he entered this place? To get the answer he needed?
So what if he was in another time or another universe? In fact, wasn't it a good thing? if he could do this once, he could do it a second time!
Time travel had always been deemed to be impossible in the truest way possible. But if one could control Dark Matter, then was time travel really impossible?
What if he could go back in the past?
Go back home?
Perhaps he could even appear before the parasite appears?
—If it was possible, why wouldn’t the Type 4 civilization do it to prevent its destruction?
“Why don’t we try to find out for ourselves?”
The blue screen flashed once again in its vision.
[Choose your name]
This time, there were no doubts. There was no hesitation.
“Noah.”
⦗Warning! This name should not be chosen! If you decide to continue, heavy penalties will be added to your trials. The level of reward will also increase.⦘
⦗Do you wish to change the name?⦘
⦗Y/N⦘
He grinned and this time clicked on No.
What did it matter if the penalties were added?
He simply had to smash them all and obtain the highest level of reward!
Only then would he perhaps be able to get all the answers he needed and perhaps even more?