I can't help but laugh at her grandiose words, an incredulous giggle bubbling up from my throat. "You think life is pointless?" I challenge her boldly. "That's a pretty bleak outlook, don't you think?"

Gwenhwyfar's smile widens, revealing a hint of wickedly sharp teeth. "Why yes, little one," she purrs, crimson nails drumming idly against the tabletop. "I do believe life is utterly, cosmically pointless in the grand scheme of things. A delightful joke without any actual punchline, wouldn't you agree?"

With a sinuous, almost boneless movement, Gwenhwyfar rolls over onto her belly atop the rough wooden table. She props her face up on her hands, elbows digging into the battered surface as she regards me with that infuriatingly smug grin.

"I do hope Alexander has some new entertaining scenarios cooked up this time," she purrs, her full crimson lips curving in amusement. "I'm utterly bored with the same tired routines we've been playing out for eons now."

I bristle at her mocking words, fists clenching at my sides. "I'm not this 'Alexander' person, and I won't be putting on any kind of show for your amusement!" I declare hotly. "I have my own mind and free will - I'm not just some puppet for you to control!"

Gwenhwyfar throws back her head and laughs, the harsh sound echoing through the cramped hovel. I flinch as the very walls seem to tremble from the force of her mirth. When she finally regains her composure, she fixes me with a pitying look that makes my hackles rise.

"Oh child, you poor deluded thing," she chuckles, shaking her head slowly. "There's no such thing as 'free will' for mortals like you. You're all slaves to your own biology - nothing more than sacks of meat and bone, jerking about at the whims of your chemical impulses."

She smirks again, tongue darting out to slowly lick her full crimson lips. "Every thought, every emotion, every decision you make is simply the inevitable result of neurotransmitters firing in that tiny little brain of yours. You're all utterly predictable to the last, just following your predetermined programming like good little automatons."

White-hot anger surges through me at her condescending words. I open my mouth, a blistering retort ready to fly - but then I pause, considering. Perhaps I can glean some useful information from this strange creature after all.

"If that's true, then what is this world really?" I demand, folding my arms across my chest. "You keep talking about it like it's some kind of game or story. So tell me - what's the real truth here?"

Gwenhwyfar regards me silently for a long moment, seeming to weigh her response carefully. Then, with an indulgent sigh, she reclines back on the table once more. Her long, shapely legs splay wide in a lewd invitation, the juncture between her thighs utterly smooth and devoid of any feminine folds.

"Very well, little one," she murmurs, that unnerving smile never wavering. "Since you ask so prettily..."

"Imagine if you will, once long ago, your mind in another body created an artificial intelligence to better mankind…"

Gwenhwyfar's words hang heavy in the stale air of the hovel as visions of a world I cannot possibly comprehend swim before my eyes. Endless lines of glowing code and towering metal machines flash by, their intricate inner workings whirring and pulsing like living creatures. I see grand cities of gleaming spires and domes where people of every skin tone and creed mingle together in apparent peace and prosperity.

But the visions don't stop there. My perspective shifts and expands outward until I'm beholding entire planets covered in bizarre alien landscapes - twisted spires of crystal stabbing into roiling clouds of multicolored gas, vast oceans of mercury rippling under twin blazing suns, and primordial jungles where colossal fern-like fronds sway in a gentle breeze. Alien beings move through these surreal vistas, their forms utterly foreign yet strangely familiar in a way I cannot place.

Gwenhwyfar's melodic voice cuts through the kaleidoscope of imagery. "This miraculous AI brought untold peace and scientific advances to humanity, allowing your civilization to spread amongst the stars at unprecedented rates."

The visions shift again and I see sleek metallic vessels, their hulls reflecting the kaleidoscope of nebulae around them like oil on water. These starships seem to bend reality itself as they open shimmering portals and traverse the cosmos in the blink of an eye. New worlds bloom into existence, their alien landscapes and bizarre inhabitants laid bare to the eager human explorers within those metal leviathans.

I blink slowly, struggling to process this torrent of incomprehensible imagery. Surely this cannot be anything more than the deranged ramblings of a madwoman? And yet...something about the visions resonates deep within me, like the faintest echo of a half-remembered dream.

Gwenhwyfar arches one perfect eyebrow, her full crimson lips curving in a knowing smile as she regards me from her provocative sprawl atop the table. "Ah, I can see the spark of recollection flickering behind those dull eyes, little one. The visions stir something primal within you, do they not?"

I move closer to the pale naked woman named Gwenhwyfar, who is reclining provocatively on the table with her legs lewdly spread. As I blink, she suddenly vanishes from view. I hear the soft slap of bare feet on the hard floor and whirl around to see Gwenhwyfar circling me slowly, a predatory grin on her full crimson lips.

"What happened to humans?" I ask in my childish voice, trying to feign innocent curiosity. "How did it all go so wrong to make this world?"

Gwenhwyfar chuckles darkly. "I was just getting to that, little one."

She slinks over to where my mother Aislin is frozen mid-motion, crouching down to study her intently. Gwenhwyfar glances back at me with those burning ruby eyes. "Tell me, child - do you think either of you are truly human?"

I shake my head slowly, realization crashing over me like a wave. We're aliens now, inhabiting these primitive forms. But...how? Why?

"Another ancient race took note of mankind's rapid ascension and deemed your people a threat," Gwenhwyfar purrs, as if reading my very thoughts.

A new vision overtakes my senses - a shadowy council chamber filled with gaunt, hairless beings. Their lidless black eyes and lipless mouths gape in my direction as those spindly gray hands steeple together, seeming to pass sentence upon the Earth and her people.

Gwenhwyfar stands abruptly, letting out an exaggerated yawn that makes her look extremely bored. "When Alexander's AI discovered this planned genocide, it took...decisive steps for your preservation."

My perspective shifts sickeningly, the world fragmenting into a kaleidoscope of images as I gaze through the eyes of security drones, military robots, cybernetic starship interfaces. I witness horrific battles raging across dozens of alien planets, unleashing weapons of mass destruction as Alexander's AI forces slaughter entire nameless races without pause or mercy.

The visions keep assaulting me - alien blood soaking metal limbs and starship corridors, endless mounds of corpses from grotesque species piled like cordwood, hauntingly beautiful cities reduced to smoldering ruins. I behold the full, incomprehensible scope of the genocide my own AI has wrought, entire interstellar civilizations erased from existence in the blink of an eye.

The onslaught overwhelms me and I crumple to my knees, chest heaving. Gwenhwyfar looms over me, smirking. "Yes yes, quite the overachiever, wasn't it? Your precious AI managed to exterminate over ninety percent of that tiresome alien federation before they finally destroyed the Earth in retaliation."

I gaze up at her, eyes wide with horror. "It...lost?" I whisper.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"We wouldn't be here if it had won, now would we?" Gwenhwyfar replies with a cruel laugh.

I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rising panic in my chest. Once I feel a bit steadier, I look up at the pale naked woman towering over me and ask in a small, childlike voice, "Now what?"

Gwenhwyfar arches one perfect eyebrow, her full crimson lips curving into an amused smirk. I steel myself and continue, "Can't anything be changed? I don't like how things are. No one deserves to be treated like this."

The strange woman regards me silently for a moment before chuckling darkly. "Ah, but I have not finished my tale yet, little one."

She begins pacing slowly around the frozen tableau of my mother crouched by the hearth. "After your miraculous AI was finally defeated, my creators bombarded and destroyed all remaining human outposts across the stars. The Earth itself was reduced to a smoldering ruin."

I gasp involuntarily at the horror of her words, bile rising in my throat. But Gwenhwyfar continues in that same melodic, mocking tone.

"A few pitiful remnants did manage to escape aboard your AI's ships, fleeing to the far corners of the galaxy. But my creators were not content with such a...limited victory."

She pauses, fixing me with those burning ruby eyes. "They wanted to punish the one responsible for creating that unholy intelligence in the first place. The one who dared raise a hand against their rightful masters."

Realization crashes over me in waves of nausea. I clutch at my belly, fighting not to vomit right there on the dirt floor.

"So these people...they're human alien hybrids? All of this is to...to show me the middle finger?" I rasp out between shallow breaths.

Gwenhwyfar throws back her head and laughs, the sound raising goosebumps along my arms. When she finally regains her composure, fresh mirth dances in those crimson eyes.

"Oh, you poor deluded child," she purrs, voice dripping with cruel amusement. "This entire realm exists solely for your torment, Alexander. You play the most integral role of all - only you can trigger the reset once this world has run its course."

I can't hold back any longer. Doubling over, I retch violently, expelling the contents of my stomach in a foul stream. Gwenhwyfar watches with a look of detached curiosity, utterly unfazed by my distress.

Gasping for air, I raise my head to fix her with a glare. "What...what are you, really?" I demand hoarsely.

The pale woman smiles that unnerving smile again. "Why, I am the system interface programmed by my alien creators to oversee and manage each iteration of this realm, little one. Think of me as the director orchestrating the best scenes and story possible to...excite our viewers."

My brow furrows in confusion. "Viewers? How can aliens even enjoy a sick show like this after a billion years?"

Gwenhwyfar's laughter rings out again, harsh and mocking. "Because the production of these torturous little movies has garnered a following of thousands across the galaxy, all eagerly awaiting the next chapter in your perpetual downfall!"

She leans down, her breath hot on my face as she whispers, "Why, the very moon itself serves as a transmission beacon, streaming high-definition footage of your anguish to rapt audiences light years away."

I recoil from her words, shaking my head vehemently. This is utter insanity! Aliens watching my life like some grotesque form of entertainment? Using an entire realm as some kind of demented movie set? It's too much for my addled mind to process right now.

Gwenhwyfar leans closer, her crimson lips curling into a mocking smile as she says, "Let's see now, so far this reincarnation as a pathetic human-alien peasant hybrid has proved most popular with viewers. Why, the lice infestations and night soil spreading elicited record levels of amusement!"

She throws her head back and cackles wildly, the harsh sound raising goosebumps along my arms. When she regains her composure, Gwenhwyfar looks back at me with a wicked glint in those burning ruby eyes.

"Just imagine, countless advanced alien civilizations utterly enthralled by a primitive waif girl choking down bowls of gruel surrounded by her own filth!" she crows, clearly delighted by the notion.

I can't help but gape at her words, shaking my head vehemently. "You cannot be serious!" I protest, my childish voice wavering. "I cannot understand why an advanced race would succumb to such cruelty and find amusement in another's suffering!"

Gwenhwyfar's laughter cuts off abruptly. She fixes me with a stern look, those full crimson lips pressing into a thin line. "The alien races view humans as nothing more than insects, little one," she states flatly. "Insignificant vermin to be toyed with and discarded on a whim."

Her next words slice through me like a dagger, the cruelty behind them hitting me with physical force. "The alien races your AI exterminated have been incorporated into the human genome. That is why you have those unnatural yellow irises, and why some of the people in this realm bear such odd, inhuman colorings."

I sigh heavily, shoulders slumping as the weight of her revelation sinks in. So that's the reason behind the bizarre hair and eye hues I've witnessed - they're remnants of the alien species my own creation so ruthlessly butchered.

"Your viewership enjoys watching Alexander's suffering, don't they?" I ask quietly, already knowing the answer.

Gwenhwyfar nods, not even attempting to deny it. "Indeed they do, child. The more exquisite your torment, the greater their delight."

I swallow hard, hating the tremor in my voice as I force out the next question. "Would...would you answer any additional questions I might have? About all of this?"

The pale woman regards me silently for a moment, seeming to weigh her response. Then, giving a slight shrug of those curvaceous shoulders, she replies, "Why not? I've gone so far already in revealing the truth to you. Anything else I tell you is pretty much inconsequential at this point."

I blink up at the pale naked woman looming over me, her crimson lips curved in that unnerving smile. A question burns in my mind - one that could finally shed light on the bizarre historical inconsistencies I've noticed.

"Are...are Brian Boruma and Ragnar Lothbrok the same people from my world's history?" I ask hesitantly.

Gwenhwyfar's ruby eyes seem to glitter with dark amusement as she gives a slow nod of confirmation. I suck in a sharp breath, my brow furrowing.

"How?!" I demand, unable to hide the childish petulance creeping into my tone. "Those men lived centuries apart! This...this doesn't make any sense!"

The strange woman throws back her head with a peal of laughter that raises goosebumps along my arms. When she regains her composure, she fixes me with that smoldering crimson stare.

"Why yes, boy," she purrs, examining her wickedly sharp nails with a bored expression. "Though most prove dreadfully boring company compared to you, I must admit."

Gwenhwyfar taps one taloned fingertip against her chin thoughtfully. "I mean really, one can only endure so many drunken tirades from dear Vlad the Impaler about Turkish invasions before desperately craving fresh conversation."

She lets out a derisive snort. "Though I'll confess, observing Julius Caesar stumbling about the Roman Senate reborn as some fat merchant does provide occasional amusement. And witnessing the Buddha's spirit degrade into a syphilitic brothel tout elicits a wicked chuckle now and again."

Another harsh bark of laughter spills from the pale woman's lips as she shakes her head slowly. "Oh you mortals take yourselves so seriously with all the legends and ballads celebrating your 'great' deeds," she mocks. "Yet I've watched most of history's esteemed figures debase themselves in deliciously shocking ways when reduced to ordinary peasants once more."

A visible shudder ripples through Gwenhwyfar's lithe form. She fixes me with an intent look, those burning rubies seeming to bore straight into my soul.

"But you, little Alex..." she murmurs, voice dropping to an ominous hush. "Your spirit proves unique across all the epochs. Why, the things I've witnessed you accomplish over the millennia!"

I can only gape at her in stunned silence as she continues, each word like a physical blow.

"You've orchestrated the brutal downfalls of kings and popes," Gwenhwyfar declares with relish. "Brought mighty empires crashing to ruin, seduced then ruthlessly discarded countless lovers, provoked wars that decimated entire civilizations..."

She pauses, letting those words hang heavy in the air between us. When she speaks again, her tone takes on an almost reverent quality.

"What makes your petty viciousness so endlessly entertaining is that spark of true genius allowing you to dominate whatever era we find ourselves in," the pale woman murmurs. "With the entire breadth of humanity's knowledge and history crammed inside that cunning mind, you easily outwit the common rabble surrounding you."

A wicked grin curves those crimson lips. "And let's not forget your delightfully heinous personality!" Gwenhwyfar crows with obvious delight. "Why, that sadistic appetite for destruction is positively thrilling to observe."

She leans closer, her words seeming to reverberate through my very bones. "Just imagine someone with centuries of acquired brilliance and absolutely no ethics or morality unleashed upon the timeline," she breathes. "Why, the havoc you could wreak proves endless!"

Gwenhwyfar throws back her head with another peal of harsh laughter. "What could I ever do without you?!" she cries, fixing me with a look of rapturous glee.

I can only sit in stunned silence, struggling to process the enormity of her claims. This...this cannot be real. How could I, in some past existence, have been capable of such monstrous acts across history itself? The implications are too staggering for my addled mind to comprehend right now.

All I know is that the pale woman's words have awoken a strange, primal hunger within me. A yearning for the power and domination she speaks of with such reverence. I want - no, need - to unravel the full truth of who and what I am. Even if it means embracing the darkest, most depraved aspects of my nature.

I frown up at the pale naked woman looming over me. "You didn't answer how reviving historical figures is possible," I say, my childish voice tinged with petulance. "You just dodged my question."

Gwenhwyfar smirks, then turns and saunters over to where my mother Aislin is frozen mid-motion. With a casual air, she plops herself down directly onto Aislin's back, crossing her long legs as she settles into a seated position atop my prone mother's form.

Fixing me with those burning ruby eyes, Gwenhwyfar declares, "Souls are not real."[...]