Chapter 16: Creator’s mark? [2]
Pale crimson light pulsed across the display, each flicker revealing new streams of text in an endless cascade. The repetition became so frequent that Estelle lost count—or perhaps she was too captivated to track the iterations. The cryptic language flowing before her was a visual symphony, beautiful in its incomprehensibility, drawing her deeper into its strangeness.
Her eyes traced each sequence mindlessly, reminiscent of those old hacker movies from her world, where their stylized user interfaces were designed more for dramatic effect than realism. A wry grin tugged at her lips as her thoughts wandered. ‘First comes phase one, then the second means phase two… Really breaking new ground there, genius.’
'Phase one: Pattern Synchronization,' she mused. 'Whatever that means—though I suppose it makes sense... makes sense.' She nodded, as if to convince herself.
As she continued reading, something unexpected caught her eye—a golden mote of light hovering between her face and the display, glowing radiantly before fading into nothing. Estelle's breath caught in confusion as another appeared behind the monitor, barely visible through the sharp borders of the holographic screen.
She whipped her head around, straining to catch any new details emerging in the shifting scene. Her eyes widened in surprise as the world around her transformed. Beyond the integrated station, where the Map of Astris had been displayed on the floor, now stretched a void filled with golden motes of light—like familiar stars scattered across the depths of space.
“Woah,” Estelle exhaled sharply, suddenly aware of the cold air she had forgotten to breathe. “Damn… I have no idea what’s happening, but it looks so cool—so holy and majestic—” her words trailed into a silent plea: ‘so please continue,’ as her eyes sparked with artistic inspiration.
Rising onto her toes, Estelle tried to peer over the high walls that blocked her view. But everywhere she looked, she saw the same vista—an endless void populated only by drifting golden motes. She wasn't sure what she had expected to find, but her searching gaze and grinning lips betrayed her curiosity. Without warning, the surrounding brightness dimmed, drawing her eyes instinctively upward.
The Nous Crux Pattern Sphere dominated the view above, massive and overwhelming;. Its sheer presence was overwhelming, yet Estelle couldn’t shake the unsettling realization that she had entirely forgotten it until this moment.
Another gasp escaped her as she noticed the changes—while its basic form remained as she remembered, the massive sphere now pulsated in a steady rhythm, expanding before contracting for a brief rest, only to begin the cycle anew. But the most striking transformation was its color: the once-bright blue had shifted to brilliant gold, and where green and white had been, now shone varying shades of golden yellow and pure white.
'Woah—damn,' the words tumbled from her mouth. She knew it was just a change in color, yet there was something captivating about seeing it in this new light—the stark difference from its usual appearance lending it an unexpected beauty. 'What does that mean?' she pondered.
A flicker of movement caught her peripheral vision, drawing her attention back to the holographic display. As she studied it, searching for changes, she slowly realized the frantic flickering had ceased, settling into a clear, readable list of text.
[---]
PHASE 1: PATTERN SYNCHRONIZATION
* PS-requirement [1]: Alignment of Core Consciousness
* Status: Established
* PS-requirement [2]: Temporal Imprint Integration
* Status: Aligned
* PS-requirement [3]: Dimensional Disparities Resolution
* Status: Partial Resolution
Detailed report available: Access Code #PS001
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PHASE 2: AUTHORITY MATRIX INTEGRATION
* BC-requirement [1]: Reactivation of Dormant Privileges
* Status: Activated
* BC-requirement [2]: Directive Subsystem Mapping
* Status: Linked (Partial Success)
* BC-requirement [3]: Original Pattern Reimprint
* Status: Confirmed
Detailed report available: Access Code #AM002
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PHASE 3: SYSTEM RESTORATION AND UPDATE
* NCS.TSP requirement [1]: Dimensional Matrices Synchronization
* Primary Dimension: 97% Stabilized
* Secondary Dimensions: Under 40% Stability
* Tertiary Dimensions: Under 7% Stability
* BC01.TSP requirement [2]: Gate Network Assessment
* Main Gate of Realm Sarfasis: Operational
* Bridges [0/21]: Offline
* Gata to another world: Offline (Partial Destruction)
* Tertiary Gate: Destroyed (Inaccessible)
* Sub-SAS bridges [0/181]: Offline
* PS01.TSP requirement [3]: Administrative Command Activation
* Status: Enabled
Detailed report available: Access Code #SR003
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
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REVALIDATION COMPLETE
FINAL DIRECTIVE: The system remains partially destabilized. Recommend immediate intervention to resolve flagged misalignments and ensure full dimensional restoration.
Please oversee the following major alerts:
Engage with the Astral Reintegration Node for manual adjustments. Conduct diagnostic sweeps of flagged Creation Sub-Matrix elements. Revisit dormant Architect systems to finalize stabilization.
[---]
Her eyes traced the text, skipping past the barely readable characters—ones she had created but never used—and glossing over unfamiliar terminology that hadn't been part of her worldbuilding. The gates, however, she recognized instantly. She continued reading until she reached the final line: 'WELCOME BACK, ARCHITECT ESTELLE NYTELLES. YOUR CREATION AWAITS YOUR COMMAND.'
"Huh?" Estelle drew a sharp breath, confusion mixing with surprise. Her eyes narrowed as she muttered, "That's it? No special effects or anything?"
She straightened, scanning the display for additional details. But the text had indeed ended there, concluding with nothing more than a simple greeting about her administrative role. It felt underwhelming, especially given how animated most Architect creations were—surely her revalidation deserved something grander.
A wry grin crossed her features. 'Well, this is odd. I expected music, or pattern wave signals, or cryptic poetry, or even holographic messages from another Architect giving a proper welcome. It's so lackluster—for the Architects to not care about someone ascending to their role in their society, something that happens maybe once in thousands of years. Well, not exactly an ascension since I'm already admin-class, but still. Revalidation, you know? Shouldn't there be some ceremony? Some celebration of resuming duties? No? Just me? So many ways this scene could have been elevated to match its significance.'
A grumble vibrated in Estelle's throat. As it did, something changed against her bare hands—like plastic film adhering to her skin, then peeling away. Cold air rushed to meet her exposed flesh as the invisible force slid from her arms to her elbows before vanishing from her fingertips. Though she watched the slow transition, nothing changed visually except for the golden oblates disappearing in time with the retreating sensation.
"Huh..." Another dumbfounded noise escaped her as she examined her hand.
No matter how she turned it, nothing had changed. The sight before her matched exactly what she remembered. Another wave of disappointment washed over her, though she wasn't certain what she had expected. Some strange upgrade perhaps, or new markings—something cool, at least in her imagination. But thinking back to the Architects' lore, such additions wouldn't fit; they would be foreign elements if anything.
The Creator's mark, however, remained prominent on her skin—lines, circles, and various shapes interweaving across her hands. Estelle pondered, 'How do I use this? Just chant? These marks are like magic circles—quick-cast buttons, if I remember right. So chanting their names works like activation keys for magic... Damn... Now that I think about it, magic actually exists here—I mean, of course it does. I created a world of floating islands; how could I forget that detail?'
Estelle stretched her hands forward, fingers splayed and palms open. 'The first one... What was it again? It's supposed to be... uh, fouiel?' Her head snapped back as she realized how badly she had mangled the Architect's language. 'What in the world? Veroy and Architect—that was horrible. Anyway—' She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. 'The first one is supposed to be...'
Her thoughts stalled, but her mouth moved of its own accord: "Foundation."
The word echoed into the void, met only with silence. Nothing appeared, nothing changed despite her command. Estelle cringed, teeth grinding as she clenched her hands. 'Fuck—I guess that wasn't it? Wonder what the correct one is then?'
Still clutching her hands, she turned them over, checking for any changes—though she felt certain there were none, she couldn't help but verify twice. Movement caught her eye—the red display at her desk had dissolved, replaced by the previous screens that had vanished earlier. Among them, the maintenance countdown timer demanded the most attention.
"Hmm," she pondered, her gaze shifting between her bare hands and the numerous displays lining the flat desk.
She grumbled—both options were equally amazing, and the urge to explore each was just as strong. But the terminal, the displays... they held more immediate importance to her situation.
'Since I can't remember the words for the Creator's mark, I should focus on the terminal,' she reasoned. 'Need to check if there's food, or power issues, or anything else wrong. Check the cameras too. And I want to create a medium so I can finally visit the realm of mortals. There should be a portal terminal somewhere—there has to be if I want to work remotely and send pictures. So many things I don't know how to do yet, but need to figure out somehow...'
Though her mind had settled on a course of action, her heart lingered on her hands. There was a distinct difference between operating machines to do amazing things and wielding powers that could make a person fly or conjure fire from nothing.
Countless possibilities lay within these marks—or at least, that's what Estelle wanted to believe. Even if each mark held different powers, much different from the worldly magic—which she knew instinctively they did—she should be capable of wielding magic.
She grasped for the lore—the reason she should be able to use magic—but the specific details slipped away as always. Something about gods and magic, and the body of man, but beyond that, uncertainty clouded her memory. She clenched her hand tight, then released it as if casting away her heart's desires. Finally, she pulled on her gloves, physically stashing those thoughts away completely.
Estelle's gaze swept over the flat desk, the glowing shapes within the black panels revealing nothing new. Her eyes darted between holographic monitors until she spotted a familiar one glowing pale blue. She pivoted on her heel, eager to close the distance—but a memory suddenly flashed before her eyes. Past declarations and proposals surfaced unbidden, causing her steps to slow as she tried to grasp this emerging thought, to give it solid form.
'Ah—right, now I remember. It all makes sense now,' Estelle remarked, snapping her fingers as soft footfalls echoed rarely through the space. 'I have only updated the terminal on the Integrated Stations—that's why the sub-terminal interfaces near the gates and the filaments are so different... No wonder I was so confused... I simply misremembered.'
She came to a stop before the blue holographic terminal, her mind still racing with understanding. 'It's all coming back now. Last month, I was inspired by a game mod to create concept art of the Architects—alive and thriving, interacting with their technology in these very bases. I never finished that piece, though... it was so long ago. And this week—' she paused, collecting her thoughts, 'I wanted to design a creature and place it in the Architects' main realm. After all, I was planning to make the Architects the focus of my new world... something completely separate from Astris.'