CHAPTER 113: TOUR
At the entrance to the museum, Aurora glanced at her companions.
“What do you guys want to do?” Aurora asked curiously to her entire group.
“Let’s follow the teacher. She seems quite knowledgeable,” Cithrel replied, and the other students nodded, agreeing.
The other groups also organized among themselves and half of the students went on their own while the other half followed the teacher.
In this museum was the history of the last thirty years of this world, which meant that not only historical moments would be found but also sections of technological, scientific, and magical advances.
Besides the catastrophes that had happened since the Great Cataclysm.
Professor Forde led the group that accompanied her.
They started in the section thirty years ago, the date when the virtual reality machine that revolutionized the world was first sold.
When they entered the room, the first thing they could observe were the newspapers, which narrated the appearance and brilliance of that machine, whose technology surpassed any other.
Some newspapers and magazines were in physical while the news was in video projections in the room.
“Designed by a company so far unknown. The virtual reality machine ‘Terra Nova’ was broadcast without advertising, but in just a few days, it spread worldwide,” detailed a voice on the holographic system and as they approached the magazine, continued. “Promising to travel to another world. This immersive virtual reality machine revolutionized the technology of that time.”
Virtual reality technology at the time was basic compared to the Terra nova machine and mostly lens-centric, which led to users bumping into their surroundings.
The difference was one of the major causes why this machine became so well known in such a short time.
Once the machine was purchased, anyone could use it just by lying down and in that way, they could travel to another real world.
Such was the hype from the beginning.
“Their numbers were scarce from the start, leaving only a few hundred thousand to enter the early days, and then their production increased exponentially. Where were the machines created? Where were the servers? These were questions that made them more popular than ever.”
Questions from news magazines, newspapers, and some famous shows appeared through holographic images.
Bringing in specialists in the video game industry to answer those questions was at the time a good way to gain ‘ratings’.
The theories appeared, attracting even more audiences who wanted to try the machine, making it extremely popular.
It was a machine that took earthlings to another world, where as if that were not enough, they could understand each other in any language and connect anywhere.
What was most impressive was the low value of the machine, which made it affordable for most earthlings who bought it, not realizing that they were traveling to another world.
They were traveling to Terra nova.
“That new world full of possibilities was waiting for the players to step into it, and humanity did. They entered a new world and became addicted to its culture, its people, and its ‘events’. However, while no one knew it, the story was just beginning.”
Tournaments, rankings, and all kinds of international events spread across the Earth.
Consolidating the idea that it was a game... A game designed to please its players, with a market so large, it brought in billions in profit.
When the players went to Terra nova, they had certain panels in their vision, which stressed the idea that it was a game even though it could be turned off.
International tournaments with prizes in the millions, those that were recorded, the guilds that were created around the game, and the famous players started a business.
A business that went to such an extreme that the otherworldly currency had a real value, leading to companies basing their profits on a ‘game’.
“The company just sold the virtual reality machine, and that was it.”
That company that designed the machine was just selling their product to humanity, without so many restrictions, and it was the earthlings themselves who turned it into a business.
Selling millions of dollars for a guild, famous brands hiring powerful players for money, or just internet celebrities doing stories to make money.
This news appeared in the course of their walk through this section.
The multiplicity of businesses and the way the same companies supported the idea of a game led to people not giving as much thought to how realistic it could have been.
“Where was God?”
Someone gave that question to the crowd.
Where was the God of Time and Space at that moment?
“A hard question to answer. Some think he contacted the most influential countries to inform them of what was to come and others think he was just enjoying a vacation on Earth with the money he had earned from his sale...”
These were two completely different theories.
The first one seemed paranoid and the second one gave the impression of being too simple and unrealistic and the Professor, instead of answering that question, continued to let the reasons why those two theories were there.
“First, the virtual reality machine had a creator, and that creator had an account in a famous social network. It was through that place that he sent his messages.”
Messages and comments from the account was shown to the students and from the silence that followed, no one expected that the account of a powerful God would give so many messages.
Some users asked him if the world was real and the answer was always the same; Terra nova was real.
The creator always mentioned that the earthlings were traveling to another world, and that everything was real, even when some users complained about supposed technical problems or difficulty.
Being told that the reality of Terra nova was difficult only caused laughter among users and it all ended up as a marketing campaign to attract the public.
It was difficult to find out what the entity behind the account was thinking, and at first glance, it seemed as if they were having fun.
For students who were not very involved or not very knowledgeable about those times, they did not know how to react.
It all came across as too unreal.
Cithrel’s expression trembled as she recognized the flip side of a powerful existence and...
“Aión is a Primordial God who has no church and does not need to wear a false guise to deceive his believers,” Alice said, opening a fresh bag of chips.
Her words caused some student believers of that deity to give her an icy stare and to the strangeness of some, the theology students nodded.
Professor Santulli had told them stories about gods who created a kind and benevolent appearance, hiding their true face full of malice.
It was possible that some churches would lose authority and the faith of their believers when they discovered that their god was sending messages through a social network.
However, a Primordial did not need ‘faith’, nor believers, nor a church, very different from other gods, who needed ‘faith’ to strengthen themselves and who had to maintain an image.
Aion was the God of Time and Space, an entity from the beginning of time and who, according to Terra nova mythology, could see the time.
Powerful enough that some believed he was capable of time travel, though no one could prove it.
“As for those who thought that God had spoken to the most powerful authorities on Earth. It was because of the cases and complaints against him.”
The most incredible thing about Terra nova was that the players could do anything... That was something no game could allow, and in most countries, it was totally illegal.
News came their way.
Murder, rape, robbery, torture... All kinds of crimes happened in Terra nova because of the players.
World organizations, parents, and all kinds of people got together to ban or limit that game and always got the same result.
“All the legal suits against it could never stop it and the machine continued its sale.”
It didn’t matter if it was a major organization, an influential group or millions of people, the lawsuits against the game and the virtual machine never came to fruition.
Whether it was the freest country in terms of laws or the most restricted of all, no one could ban it, eliminate it or limit it, not even change it or censor it.
Such facts made it clear that there were greater influences, maintaining order and preventing the situation from getting out of hand, which led some people today to assume that governments knew the truth.
“The lack of restraints brought pain,” the voiceover continued with new scenes.
The players could disconnect from the machine once some lunatic tried to do something to their person, but the Terranovians had no such possibility.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The new scenes showed diaries and news about thousands of crimes and atrocities, which the players did in that world without rules.
Such scenes led some students to look sympathetically at Cithrel and Venali.
If such atrocities happened on earth, it was likely that earthlings would feel deep hatred and have a desire for revenge.
The natives of Terra nova were treated as artificial intelligence, lifeless beings that were created for the enjoyment of the earthlings.
Yet...
“Some thousands of years ago, the humanity of Terra nova was under the yoke of demons. Other thousands of years before that they were under the control of elves and other thousands before that, it was under the power of a Primordial Goddess who wished to conquer planes together with races that years before were enemies,” Cithrel narrated and with an indifferent expression, commented. “What happened did not differ from other events in the past and, as always, the strong are the only ones who survive.”
It sounded cold and unfeeling, however, that was the reality of Terra nova.
In a world where to become strong, one had to murder another living being, to gain experience and thus level up.
In the history of Terra nova, there were a greater number of catastrophic events in a shorter time than the Earth had, and for long-lived races, such events were common.
In that magical world, the only ones who survived were the strong, and Cithrel was not just referring to physical strength or power, but to another kind of ‘strength’ as well.
“Kingdoms, churches and empires moved alongside players seeking to stop evil players, imprisoning those players who committed criminal and illegal acts, preventing them from re-entering their character.”
News of famous internet individuals who played as a ‘villain’ and had lost their ‘characters’, at the same time making it impossible for them to enter the game, appeared.
No matter how many virtual machines a person bought or how hard they tried to bypass the security system, they could only have one account and one character.
The ‘character’ was immortal and respawned, even if a dragon’s breath burned it, but that didn’t mean there was no way to stop it.
The great empires that had high-ranking individuals under their command whose power was unshakable, moved against the players, whose strength was pathetic compared to what an empire could handle.
As if that were not enough, those same empires employed the players, leading them to constrain and hold each other back.
Such a force was what Cithrel was referring to, a force that came from the empire she was part of and a force she could use to protect herself as well as others.
And if some players learned how to stop evil players by locking them in prisons where they could not escape, the latter learned how to hide better.
Still, the effort of those players to stop wrongdoing was the only light in that darkness.
“That the trials failed led some people to ask more questions and demand reasons from the nations. Reasons that never came.”
News that a president or supreme court justices had to leave office because of their ‘poor performance’ in restraining that machine, only to have the next one do nothing, caused citizens to rise up in outrage.
Some spoke of corruption or bribery and others surmised that something bigger was going on and it was at that moment that some rumors about the virtual reality machine began.
That the players remembered what they learned with the help of the machine’s ‘system’ was one reason they doubted.
While mages or those related to magical energy could not show their abilities, fighters and swordsmen could mimic the techniques on the ground.
In some rare cases, they did so professionally.
People who trained hard within that ‘game’ were the ones who showed that effect the most.
Former players who were fighters in ‘Terra nova’, once outside, could match up to professionals in combat.
It took time for the effects to be revealed and although it was superficial at first, it slowly built until it was clear.
“Before the definitive answer was revealed, everything got worse. The ‘Enemy of humanity’, a famous player and known as a great ‘Sage’ among the natives, moved.”
Aurora could tell how Cithrel’s eyes sparkled as she heard that part of the story.
“He took control of the Falion Empire and put his apprentice, Princess Rodwen Falion, in command of the mighty empire and started a war against another mighty empire. Everyone thought it was just another way to ‘play’ and make a conquest. However, not only was the rival empire defeated, but the Goddess of War ended up dying during this event.”
If before there was doubt that Terra nova could be real when a ‘Goddess’ of unimaginable power ended up being killed, everyone changed the direction of thought.
From assuming that the world was real, people thought that it was a virtual reality machine created by governments to train soldiers, and other theories spoke of the machine preparing earthlings for an alien invasion.
A few glances turned to Cithrel, and she gave a soft smile, as...
“Without stopping his movements, that player became a vampire, giving up his humanity and the empire. He gained control of a vampire empire and a vampire bloodline, beginning an era where ‘Chaos’ clashed with ‘Order’ and where gods ended up falling.”
It wasn’t as if that war was about ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ and while the same idea was always mentioned, there were actually multiple interests at play.
For the empires of that world, that war was an opportunity to redefine borders and show their might, and it was an opportunity which did not differentiate between races, gods, or players.
The interests were otherworldly as well as on Earth, where some supported some empires.
What was a mega-event for the players, for the kingdoms, empires, and gods of the other world, was an opportunity.
The war lasted half the years that ‘Terra nova’ was active and during that time gods died, kingdoms fell and races suffered.
In the end...
“At the end, with the death of the Celestial God of Terra nova, the Vampire God who led the other group died. Bringing the virtual reality machine to its end.”
It was all over and during that brief time, the belief that Terra nova was real had taken the upper hand.
The morality of the earthlings in that war that happened in another world had been debated and then, when everyone least expected it, another event shook the entire world.
“In the year 2028, Aión, the God of Time and Space, informed all living beings on Earth that Terra nova was real.”
Videos were revealed of how people were in total disbelief when they first heard the voice of that mythical god in their minds.
How shocked were they at that moment?
It was on an unimaginable level.
For the students, only their parents would know about what they felt during that time when they heard that voice.
However, before chaos spread in the face of that unreal truth, governments around the world acted to maintain control in their respective nations.
The armed forces kept the situation in control and could get people to accept what had happened.
“The first creatures and monsters appeared at the same time as the first users of abilities, but that peace that the states of the world had created was only the calm before the storm. That voice ushered in the Great Cataclysm.”
Along with that robotic voice, news of the first creatures, dungeons, players, and the ‘awakening’ filled the hallway.
The ones that stood out the most were the videos of skill users, using the knowledge they learned from Terra nova to stop the creatures and monsters coming to Earth.
“Although this was the end of the virtual reality machine and the connection to Terra nova, it was the beginning of change. Of the Great Cataclysm.”
With those last words, the tour ended, leaving an ancient virtual reality machine in view in a glass store.
Although it had a futuristic design, it was actually an adjustable helmet, which, in today’s day and age, was unremarkable.
“Many researchers and companies wanted to learn its technology at the time by reverse engineering it, but this virtual reality machine, just like the millions of copies around the world, is simple. Like any virtual reality machine these days, off-the-shelf,” Professor Forde commented and noticing the look on the students’ faces, she explained. “If you design a specific game, you will play it. However, you can never replicate the feeling of returning to the world of Terra nova.”
Aurora knew that information.
The machine was just that... An ordinary machine, with no secrets to travel to another world or any more complex ‘magic’.
The reason the players could travel to Terra nova was simple; god.
“The God of Time and Space is the reason the players could travel to another world. He was the entity in charge of everything. From creating the bodies of the ‘characters’ to deploying it in that world.”
That a god was capable of so many feats sounded unreal and to the impression of some, that was the current reality.
“Earthlings seem to have suffered enough after Terra nova,” Cithrel muttered, looking at some of the latest news.
That section explained everything before the ‘Great Cataclysm’, that meant that the situations after that were in other sections.
However, the news Cithrel was reading was about the mass suicides that happened after the truth was revealed.
“Some repented and moved on, wanting to change the world. Others were affected in such a way that they could never be themselves again and some could not bear the burden,” Professor Forde said with a gentle smile so that she didn’t worry too much.
Projects were prepared worldwide to improve the mental state of some people, trying to lessen the effect and burden on the players.
Some went crazy and others could not forget or overcome it.
Professor Forde continued to the other section, trying to prevent a heavy atmosphere from spreading.
Aurora stayed with Cithrel, who was looking at the curious machine.
“Have you found out where the ‘Enemy of humanity’ went?” Cithrel asked curiously.
That question was not directed at Aurora or the few students standing nearby, but rather at the artificial intelligence that controlled the holographic system in this section.
“That is a question that remains unanswered to this day. Some believe that the devil he made a deal with kidnapped him to collect his debt from him. Others suppose he must live his life comfortably somewhere in this world and some think that he may no longer be in this world. The answers are multiple and all without foundation,” replied the holographic system with a historian tone.
One of the many questions the old players asked and one that, to this day, no one could answer.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
The Earth had moved on, leaving the past behind and looking into the future.
Cithrel nodded indifferently and gave a smile for her to continue, but Aurora noticed that the answer slightly disappointed her.
After all, it wasn’t just that player who had disappeared.
******
Aurora looked at the large-scale projection of the magical forest and the way it was spreading across the center of the African continent.
It was a 3D projection that realistically revealed the speed at which the trees were expanding and growing, surpassing their former sizes.
It was not as if from one day to the next a vast forest covered the entire area, however; it was fast enough to surprise everyone.
Day after day, nature regained part of what civilization had stolen from it. Until today, it covered a large area of the African continent.
The news of the great migrations from those countries was revealed holographically.
However, this ‘natural calamity’ happened not only in Africa but also in various places around the world.
In South America, the Andes Mountains became an area for ice-type elementals.
To a lesser extent than the magical forest and without spreading too far, the Amazons became a natural nesting ground for all kinds of creatures.
In India, forests spread or appeared covering most of the country and in Australia, the desert covered their entire nation.
In Japan, the sea swallowed part of their islands in a slow process that nobody could stop.
The same had happened elsewhere on Earth.
The density of magical energy in those areas increased, and the elements became denser.
If it had been a calamity-like creature, perhaps it could be dealt with, but in reality, it was nature revealing its fangs.
“Nature has no mercy.” –Su Chin the Sage.
Those words were engraved on the base of a Himalayan painting, which had spread to most of western China.
Nature changed slowly, showing traces that these changes would happen differently to the magical beasts and creatures, who appeared suddenly as the magical energy increased.
In a way, giving time for mankind to prepare, very different from a real calamity.
The first and greatest calamity that so far could only be contained.
The undead calamity.
It was said that the ancient pharaohs ‘woke up’ and destroyed Egypt, raising up those they murdered and making them their servants.
That calamity was not only about a single existence capable of sweeping the world with its magic, but hundreds of thousands upon thousands of undead united.
That was only eight years ago and now still mixed forces are on the borders of Egypt without having completely stopped that calamity.
The only advantage was that those undead had no conscience and lacked intelligence, and were aggressive because of the corruption of ‘Chaos’.
Although it was helpful, it was impossible to define it as ‘pleasant’ and more so when hundreds of thousands lost their homes, families, loved ones, and their nation.
“Is something wrong?” Cithrel asked as she saw Aurora stare at the news of that significant event.
“No, I was just remembering,” Aurora replied with a half-smile.
The news shocked the entire world, appearing on every channel in every nation on Earth.
“That must have happened eight years ago, right? You must have been quite young.” Cithrel commented, looking at the dates.
It was a long time ago and for many; it was something that still lingered in memories.
“Yes. I was twelve years old. I was a child and very young. In multiple ways.” Aurora replied, shaking her head with a certain sigh that she controlled.
She hid her emotions, drawing the gaze of Cithrel, who wanted to understand her.
Currently, they were in the year 2048, and normally, a twelve-year-old girl had to be in school.
In the end, for better or worse, Aurora was not normal.
Both then and now.
“Let’s go back,” Aurora said, and without needing to explain, she added. “This trip is already over.”
It was already dark, and they had spent quite a few hours in the museum and it was time to retire.
It wasn’t as if the museum was about to close, but the students the next day had to take part in training for the tournament, and it was likely that they would want to rest.
What about the past? Aurora wanted to put it behind her.