A disheveled older man stood before a holographic image of a vast landscape, dotted with majestic mountains, crystal-clear oceans, vast forests, and large emerald fields. He held a cane in one hand, pointing out parts of the lands before him. The holographic image floating above the ground zoomed in and out under his silent command. More details came into view, large settlements, with antlike figures scurrying around, palaces of gold reaching into the cloudy sky. Creatures of myth appeared over fields of long grass, silently flying through the air, before diving down to catch unsuspecting prey in their razor-sharp claws.
The older man pointed at another spot as the projection changed to another landscape, this one was of a walled city, currently under siege, men of all kinds stood upon the walls and in the cobblestone streets, fighting against beasts that looked nothing more than huge, green tusked giants of hulking mass. Weapons collided, as hammers crushed burnished armor, blades decapitating heads and pincushion bodies falling filled with bolts and arrows. Bodies of both sides carpeted the ground, blood gathered into the drains and washed out of the city onto pastures, staining the earth with lifeforce.
Changing to another scene, two men stood upon an open farmland, only a hundred meters separated them. They appeared to be both mumbling words while making calculated hand gestures before one of them summoned a python of flames that grew to the size of an elephant before striking out at his opponent across from him. Its target also finished its gesturing and pointed forward as a truck-sized spike made of ice manifested above its head before striking at the coming fire-wreathed python, both magical attacks colliding in a spectacular of colors.
“This is all well and good Gaia, but it needs more. We must remember why we created this.” The older man’s scratchy voice rang out.
“I understand that Ralph, I am currently running the world at the fastest speed possible, months are going by as we speak. Civilizations are growing, history is occurring. Everything is running under the projections. The only way for this to work is if we follow the template exactly. You need to calm yourself. Patience is a virtue, isn’t that what you and father taught me?” A woman's smooth voice flowed out into the surroundings as if it were coming through the very walls.
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“I know, I know.” The older man said as he placed his cane back onto the ground, leaning on it heavily as he released a long sigh in response.
He retreated to a small, worn-out chair to the side of the large, cavernous room he was currently standing in. Sitting down, he looked towards the ceiling and spoke out loud.
“It’s not just the future of Humanity we are dealing with here Gaia, it’s humanity’s only hope.”
The older man tapped his cane on the ground in a steady rhythm as he closed his eyes in thought. Silence reigned in the sparsely lit room for several minutes.
“No, we cannot wait any longer.” The cane-wielding man said softly as he stood back up.
He began to stride back and forth in the room while speaking out loud again.
“We must speed up the integration Gaia. I don’t care what it takes. If we are to give ourselves a fighting chance, we need to have at minimum over 50% of the current population indoctrinated in ten years. Those bastards insisting on all these trials and restrictions, don’t know that they're putting their very own survival at stake. I need you to personally handle this, blackmail, bribery, intimidation, whatever it is, get it done.” The old man declared, huffing in stifled anger.
“You are asking for something only a true god can do Ralph.” The woman’s all-encompassing voice replied.
The man stopped pacing and looked at the area behind the projection. He peered into the darkness that filled the area, seeing something perhaps only he could see.
“Isn’t that why we created you, my dear.” Ralph’s voice echoed out, no answer came in reply, so he continued with a prideful smile on his wrinkly face.
“Humans are their own gods; I will not let anyone, or anything dictate my fate. Let other weak species bend to the will of the universe. We have conquered nature, space even our own bestial minds, I believe one will come that can conquer petty Gods as well. We only need to give Humanity a chance. That’s all we need. A small spark can become a sun, and its fiery wrath will burn the very heavens that imprison us.” The man made his way to a large car-sized steel door behind him.
His last sentence appeared to echo out in the room and once he left, the remainder of the little light in there went out. A feminine almost motherly sigh rang out in the darkness, as words so soft even the bugs crawling in the corners couldn’t hear. “I don’t think you realize how small that spark is but let my very existence be the tinder to ignite it.”