"Well, I won’t complain about the food," Alonso said, laying back on the chair with a satisfied stomach and a big smile on his face. He may be facing death around every corner, but right now, he was happy. It was time to be happy, right? After such a meal, one had to celebrate—haha.
Not more than a couple of seconds passed after he finished when he noticed the EM space around him change. The sudden shift tugged at the edges of his sanity, a reminder of the madness lurking just beneath his forced cheerfulness.
"So we’re back here again," he said, as he got up from the chair. His EM waves picked up the new scene… a scene he would prefer to forget. But… it was so different now, much less… frightening. And of course, now that he had the lights on… wait, what lights? He was still sensing everything using his EM waves, so it should be the same as back then. Well, there was the fact he could now sense the bodies too, and not just the weapons. But there was something else. Why did it feel so clear? Has his control improved so much?
He had a hunch there was a significant upgrade after he passed out during the last trial, with all the mystery surrounding the red orb. But even then, that wasn’t it. The thing that made the scene surrounding him so clear was...
“I’m getting good at this,” he smiled silly. He felt his mind waves were more instinctive but controlled at the same time. It was just like his eyes or another limb. It was no longer something uncontrollable and foreign. It was his own to control.
He surveyed the room, picking out the details with ease. The archer was there, along with several creatures holding swords. In a corner stood another one, similar to the rest of the white, eyeless abominations, but holding a dagger instead of a sword.
“Nine sword-wielders, one archer, and one dagger-wielder. It sure looks so simple and easy now,” he muttered, wandering around the room, sensing each of the creatures. His guess was that the one with the dagger would remain still until approached or perhaps until the others were defeated.
He moved around the room, analyzing the positions and stances of the creatures. The archer stood at the far end, but his bowstring was not ready, and he did not seem prepared to strike. The sword-wielders were scattered, each one holding their weapon with a rigid, mechanical grip. Some were in pairs, while others were alone.
“It’s like a blindfolded, twisted game of chess,” he thought, a grim smile forming on his lips. “A game where a blunder means death.”
After that, he directed his senses to his past self. A creature holding a sword was close to it, ready to strike. It was interesting how the entire scene was frozen. It made for a nice 3D display. Now the question was.
“What to do?” What did he have to move here? Everything seemed exactly where it was supposed to be. Nothing was missing. His past self was not absorbing an orb, so there was no need to write an EM prompt either. So what could possibly be his task in this scenario?
“The lights?” Was he supposed to interact with light using his EM waves? No kidding. But if not that, then… was he supposed to tamper with the senses of his past self? That was even more ridiculous. And it was not only the light, but the sound too. How was he supposed to interact with mechanical waves using an electromagnetic field?
“Ok. Let’s start simple. Is there a switch somewhere,” he mused, but he already knew the answer. In any case, he did a thorough check of the room, but as expected, there was none. “Next step, how to make my past self blind.”
He rubbed his temples, feeling the strain of constant problem-solving. “Alright, brain, time to get creative. How do we mess with vision using weak EM waves?”
He focused on generating a weak EM field around his past self’s eyes, attempting to disrupt the transmission of visual information.
The EM waves were weak, barely noticeable. He could sense the faintest disturbance, but it wasn’t enough. “This better start working,” he muttered through gritted teeth, adjusting the frequency and amplitude.
“Maybe if I just tweak the settings a bit,” he said, his voice tinged with frustration. He intensified the waves, focusing them into a tighter beam aimed at the optic nerves. “You know, this would be so much easier with a manual. Or an ‘EM Waves for Dummies’ book.”
The waves shimmered, creating a slight distortion in the space around his past self’s eyes. “There we go, a little progress,” he said, a hint of a smile forming. But the effort was draining, and the results were minimal.
"Time to take out the wand," he muttered, positioning his sword carefully. He visualized the EM waves traveling down the blade, amplifying and converging at a precise point around the eyes. The sword acted as a conduit, guiding the energy with precision.
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He adjusted the frequency, finding the resonance that would strengthen the waves without overwhelming them. The interference pattern needed to be just right to create a tiny field that would distort the light entering his past self’s eyes.
The field around the eyes began to take shape, a subtle distortion that blurred the vision. He needed to push further, to amplify the effect until it completely obstructed vision. He concentrated harder, increasing the amplitude of the waves, adjusting the interference pattern to achieve total visual disruption.
"Just a bit more," he whispered, the strain evident in his voice. The EM field shimmered and pulsed, creating a dense interference around his past self's eyes. The light entering the eyes was scattered entirely, rendering his past self effectively blind.
“And the space is still frozen… but of course, you wouldn’t go that easy on me, would you? It’s not like creating visual cloaking using electromagnetic waves coming from my mind would be hard enough. Damn! I could get this published in Nature! Be damned my previous research papers,” he suddenly started laughing at the idea. It was brilliant. He could become a world-renowned researcher after getting out… out?
“Oh yes… right. There is that too,” he said to himself, his tone lowering and his expression falling. “Well, nothing to that. I gotta eat, and for that, I gotta work. So, lights out. Next step, the sound.”
He took a deep breath, focusing his mind once more. Creating the visual cloaking had been a challenge, but now he had to tackle sound. How could he manipulate his EM waves to interfere with mechanical waves?
"Alright, let's figure this out," he muttered, his thoughts racing. "I don't need to make him completely deaf, just block certain sounds."
He considered the mechanics of sound waves. By creating an EM field that could interfere with specific frequencies, he could selectively block certain sounds from reaching his past self’s auditory system. He adjusted his sword, preparing to use it as a precise waveguide once more.
"Let's see if I can filter out the noise," he said, focusing on generating EM waves at specific frequencies. He imagined the EM waves interacting with the air molecules, creating a field that would selectively scatter or absorb the sound waves.
He visualized the auditory pathways in his past self’s brain, focusing on generating EM waves that would interfere with specific frequencies. He aimed to block out the sounds of the approaching creature while allowing other sounds to pass through.
"Here goes nothing," he said, channeling his energy into the sword. The EM waves resonated through the blade, amplifying and converging at a precise point near the auditory nerves.
He fine-tuned the settings, adjusting the frequency and amplitude to create the desired interference. However, without feedback from his past self, he had to rely on his own judgment. An idea suddenly struck him: he could test it on himself first to find the correct nerves and frequencies.
“Aren’t I a genius? Wait, as of now, I really am, right? I mean, with my current mental capabilities that can remember even the unspeakable surname of my kindergarten teacher, coupled with my physics genius… wait, am I the smartest man alive?” he paused. “No, wait, I’m no longer human… damn again!”
All while his mouth spat random thoughts, his mind was fully focused on reproducing the effect on himself. He adjusted the sword, redirecting the EM waves toward his own auditory nerves.
"Let's hope I don’t become deaf for life. Hehe, that would be fun," he said, as a bead of sweat ran down his brow.
He sent out a pulse of EM waves, aiming to disrupt specific frequencies. A high-pitched hum filled his ears, followed by a moment of silence. He adjusted the settings again, trying to fine-tune the interference.
"This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," he grumbled, but he continued with determination. He dropped the sword on the floor several times and clapped his hands too. The goal was to create a field that disrupted the noise from the sword falling but let the sound of the clapping go through.
Each time the sword hit the ground, he listened carefully, adjusting the EM waves. The claps remained clear, but the sound of the sword was still audible. Frustration built, but he forced himself to stay focused.
Minutes passed, and the task proved harder than he thought. Until…
“Wait… wait, let’s go again,” he picked the sword and dropped it. There was no sound! “YESSS!” but then a sudden frown came to his face. “Hello… hello…” he clapped his hands. No sound. He was deaf. He sighed.
image [https://i.imgur.com/EPU265m.png]
> August 2, 2024 - Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
Stephen's eyes, darkened from lack of sleep, were fixed on the news on his phone. He was waiting for the much-anticipated speech from the United Nations, but he was not optimistic about it.
He went to a popular website where up-to-date news on the climbers was posted. He was anxious. Like everyone else, he had lost track of the climbers after they completed the sixth trial, the Dark Room. No one knew what those who passed were doing now, and none had returned from that trial yet to tell the tale. And… Chiara was among them.
The last time he saw her was in the Dark Room, where she valiantly fought and emerged victorious. Beyond that, he had no idea. No one had any idea.
He gazed at his coffee. It was cold by now. It was his seventh cup today.
He reclined back in his seat. His thoughts had become clearer over time, as he watched her pass one trial after another. And his feelings came to light. He... he liked Chiara. And not in a professional way. No, he was... in love with Chiara.
Suddenly, the door to his office opened.
"Sir, you have to see this."