Chapter 87.
“Wh-Who are you?” asks Lucas, surprised by this kid’s sudden appearance.
“A kid?” Lucas thought his mind, taken aback by this kid's sudden appearance behind him.
The kid looks the same age as Lucas albeit he doesn’t have his puberty yet so he looks younger than him. But the most attention-grabbing detail about this kid is his eyes, he has bright purple eyes, brimming with knowledge that seems to pierce through anyone that looks into them.
“You still don’t have any idea?” The child scoff, as if Lucas is the most idiotic being he saw in his life.
With a heavy sigh the child asks him once again.
“What was the last thing you remember before you end up here?” The kid asks, amused by the puzzled expression on Lucas face.
“I-I’m only certain that I’m not supposed to be here.” Lucas states with utter confusion on his face.
“I know. And that’s why I’m asking you if remember anything before getting here. But guessing on the way you look it seems not. I guess the pain has reset your brain.” The kid said with a scowl.
“You! Do you think this is funny? I don’t even have clue on what’s going one here I feel like I’m going crazy. Wait, Do you perhaps know why I am here?” Lucas ask with anger evident in his tone while he massages his temple to calm himself.
“I do.” The kid answered shortly.
“You do? Are you also the one that brought me to this place?” Lucas asks once again, this time in a much calmer voice.
The kid looked at him for a moment before answering.
“Finally, you got the gist of it. It is indeed me that brought you into this place. But it seems like the intense pain from the assimilation between you and my cube has caused you to forget some things. But don’t worry I will fill you in.” The kid said as he snapped his fingers and sparks of light flew towards Lucas forehead.
As the light banished into his forehead Lucas immediately remembers everything.
“W-Wait you mean, you are that cube?” Lucas said shocked by this revelation.
“But how?” he stupidly asks as he takes a look around their surroundings.
“I mean you are a cube- how are you alive and where is this place?” Lucas said, confused by what he is seeing in front of him.
“Well, it's difficult to explain, but the cube you just touched is a part of my self-sustaining thinking module. Basically, I'm an artificial sentient being created through the culmination of ancient knowledge. And you are currently inside my consciousness; all the things you see around us are just a simulation of my memories from the distant past.” The kid explains as the scenery around them rapidly changes.
Lucas only found himself standing inside a room full of machinery and magic artifacts. At the center of the room sat a giant metal cube covered in magic runes with glowing blue lights running all over it with wires connected to its body.
“The giant cube in front of you is my original body before it was destroyed.” The kid explains as he suddenly appeared beside him.
“Wait did you just say artificial? You’re an Artificial being? You mean you were made by someone?” Lucas muttered in a low voice but he was still heard by the kid.
Fuming the kid immediately berates him.
“Wow, tell me something I didn’t know. Do you really need to state something so obvious? Where the heck would you see someone like me existing inside a floating cube?” The kid said, annoyed by his remarks.
Lucas flinched at the kid's harsh words, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of his words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just surprised, that's all."
“Hummp.” The kid only gave him a short hum before continuing his narration.
“As I was saying, I am an artificial being created through the culmination of ancient knowledge. My original body, the one you see before you, was destroyed a long time ago, but my consciousness was able to survive and transfer into this small cube you see before you. It allows me to continue existing and gather more knowledge, even after the destruction of my main body ten thousand years ago.” The kid explained, gesturing towards the giant metal cube.
"Ten thousand years ago? That's ancient history. How are you still alive?" Lucas asked, shocked by this revelation.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The kid gave a small sarcastic smile. "As I said, I am an artificial being. My consciousness was inside this small cube and thanks to this I continue to exist, even after the destruction of my main body.”
“But I don’t understand, why are you showing me this thing? And did you just say destruction?” Lucas asks greatly puzzled by the kid’s actions.
The kid nodded at Lucas's questions. "Yes, that's correct. It’s a long and complicated story, but the short version is I need your help, the same way you need my help.”
“Wait, what? I don’t understand. What could I possibly help you with? And why do you say that I will need yours?” Lucas ask flabbergasted by what he heard.
“I think you missed seeing something when you entered my room,” The kid said, waving his hands and changing the scenery back into the secret room inside the ruin.
It’s like a hologram of some sort that the kid was able to project. As Lucas can even see his own body walking toward the room followed by Michael. It’s like watching a recorded video of himself.
“Take a closer Look.” as he gestures to Lucas to observe everything.
Lucas immediately watched it and see nothing different.
“There’s just a cube in the center, basically it’s just you floating in the middle of this room.” Lucas slowly said upon turning his head back to the kid.
“Can you please take a look at the wall behind me?” The kid simply barks out of boredom.
Lucas immediately follow his advice and saw the destroyed wall of the cave.
“Is that a hole?” as he turns his head to look at the kid.
“Bingo! It is indeed a hole in the metal wall of this room.”
“But how did that happen?” Lucas asks greatly puzzled by it.
As the walls in this room are covered in thick metal plates that even their sword covered in aura can’t penetrate.
“Because of me. I literally drilled my way to get inside this ruin. Since this is the closest place that I could go, to recharge my energy after escaping from that creature.” The kid said as he show a scene where a giant worm-like creature covered in black miasma was pursuing a floating cube through a dark and desolate landscape alongside with millions of other demonic creatures.
“Is that a demonic creature? Fuck! How did it get so big? And then this place, is this the northern continent? You went over here from the northern continent?” Lucas asks in utter shock.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it the northern continent anymore. It's more like a demon-infested wasteland now. But yes, I came here from there. But you have nothing to worry about, they can’t cross the northern mountains the powerful mana field around that place would keep them away from us.”
“But you still haven’t explained to me the reason why a being like you need my help, and why would I need yours.” Lucas said after recovering from his shocked state.
“I want you to help me bring back the magic technology to its former glory of course you would do that with my assistance. Because you will need that to survive what was about to come.” The kid says in a mysterious way.
Confused by his words Lucas ask him again. “To survive, what?”
“To be short, demonic creatures aren’t supposed to exist on this planet. If you can still remember the scene I show you earlier, where there are many spaceships sailing in the sky. Well, this planet is the destination of those ships. I was the one that sent them into this world, to escape a catastrophe brought by the higher class of demonic civilization.” He revealed it to Lucas.
“You mean you are not from this world?”
“So are you, and as well as for every race in this world” the kid added.
“Ha? What do you mean?” Lucas asks with great shock in his heart as he already has an idea in his mind.
The kid sighed deeply.
“Those ships are arks, created by each race to continue their legacy into this world. The reason why you didn’t see anyone around is that they are busy defending that world from the invasion of this demonic civilization, I was also the last one that evacuated the planet leaving them all behind and not making any contact with us to avoid our discovery. But everything seems futile as their pets have now entered this world.” The kid laments.
“Wait, wait there are so many things that don’t add up.”
“Are you saying that we are not the aborigines of this world? That we are merely the surviving population of a far more advanced civilization?” Lucas asks to confirm.
“You accept this truth more easily than I expected. But yes, what you have said is correct. Whether it’s the elves, humans, dwarves, and even the dragons all have not originated in this world.”
“Wait, that’s just so messed up. I have so many questions but why didn’t anyone know about this information? I find it hard to believe that an important thing like this would be forgotten by us. ” Lucas asks in wonder.
“Well, sadly you all did. Because of time. The long passage of time can destroy everything. Just take this ruin you found in this cave as an example. The Dwarves built this place to last for a long time but even they have forgotten about its existence with the passage of time.” The kid explains in a sad voice.
Internally Lucas was shocked by what he just discovered from the mouth of this kid many things he didn’t expect and this only creates more questions in his mind.
“And where are you during that time? What are you doing when they started to destroy their selves? When the elves banished in this land?” Lucas asks with great intrigue.
“I was asleep. When the original passengers of those arks started dying they decided to put me in a long sleep in fear that I would rule their descendant.” The kid explains sadly.
“Why would they do that?” Lucas inquire, as he fined it weird for those people to put a being like this into a long sleep.
“Because they fear me. I was after all the very first of my kind. The first artificial sentient race created from their old world with the hands of every known race. They don’t know what I’m capable of nor the things I can do.” The kid explains as he turns his body to face him.
To see Lucas kneeling on the ground while grabbing a handful of his hair as if he was in pain.
“Unfortunately, we need to end our meeting for now, you've been in my consciousness for quite some time I'm surprised you've managed to last this long. You must have a lot of mental strength to deal with the stress of staying in this world as time goes by 12 times faster in this place." The kid explains as the world around them starts to disintegrate into dust.
"Wait, don't go yet I still have many questions for you." as he tries to grab the kid.
"Don't worry, I won't escape. You've already integrated with the cube, so you can just call me in your mind" The kid simply said as his body starts to become transparent.
"Then what should I call you?"
"Call me Milo and I will answer you." The kid said before finally disappearing in his sight, and it didn't take him that long before Lucas woke up from his trance. Coming back to reality.