28.07.2024 05:30
Geneva, Ritz - Carlton
Yesterday had been an emotional rollercoaster for Tomas, leaving him so drained that he passed out as soon as his face hit the pillow, barely managing to undress or shower. His dreams were chaotic—one moment he was being chased by unseen assassins, the next he was trapped in a padded cell, then suddenly begging for food, poor and desperate.
He jolted awake.
His head pounded; the Zyphron Special hangover felt like rats clawing through his brain.
It took him a few minutes to recognize where he was and remember why he was there at all.
Then, the anxiety hit.
He wanted nothing more than to run away, to hide in Trebinje and let everything pass him by. But after seeing the unfiltered footage from the first moments of the Zyphron emergence—especially the recording of the bus full of schoolchildren near Lyon—he had cried, thrown up, and felt utterly helpless.
He couldn’t have saved those kids, or the other 70,000 victims.
But he couldn’t stand by on the sidelines either, not if there was even a slim chance that his connection with Michael could help prevent disaster if governments dragged their feet and failed to act.
The question was: What exactly could he do?
Even if he came out publicly, the only ones who might truly believe him were the Celestiax or their supporters.
So what could he do?
That was why he needed to meet Mikhail and Sofia. They were closer to people who could make changes.
But what could he give them? It had to be something they could reasonably verify on their own, something that would convince people in power to act—and to act fast.
With a chuckle, he muttered, “I wish I were a bit more like Isaac Thoma… future knowledge, knowing exactly where and when disaster would strike, knowing who’d be involved, and having the skills to infiltrate… that’d solve so many problems.”
Alas, he wasn’t. Despite having a Guide and the System—still mostly offline—he was just an ordinary guy. No superpowers, no knowledge of future events.
“Hard to think about all this before even having my morning coffee.”
image [https://i.imgur.com/7f6SkKZ.png]
28.07.2024 06:15
Geneva, Ritz - Carlton
Tomas sat alone on the balcony of a café overlooking Lake Geneva, cradling a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. The early summer morning held a lingering chill, carried on the winds drifting off the lake. He pulled his jacket tighter, savoring the warmth of the cup against his fingers as he watched the city come to life.
He agreed with Mikhael and Sofia to meet in the afternoon, these two were not used to hangovers, not as Tomas was used to them, and in their state from yesterday they wouldnt be able to contribute to a serious discussion.
So Tomas had time to spend alone with his thoughts, and Michael, trying to figure out what to do next. G.A.I.A has just given its first sign off life, granting Tomas a skill, and it was safe to assume than only days would pass before the System fully connected.
Tomas had to do something, but he didn't know what.
“Any ideas on what we could do?” he thought to Michael, appreciating the ease of their silent communication. Since merging his system nanites with Tomas, Michael had unlocked new ways to connect that went beyond mere words.
“Nothing specific comes to mind. I think we should focus on experiments that are easy to conduct and prove. Without hard facts, no one will take us—or them—seriously enough,” Michael replied thoughtfully.
“It would be great if we could lead them to a Zyphron Nexus. The question is, where could we find one?”
“Michael, please don’t assume I know what you mean with all this Zyphron and G.A.I.A. jargon. I’m stressed enough as it is without having to guess key information in our conversation. What exactly is a Zyphron Nexus, and how can it help us?”
Tomas's thoughts were laced with irritation.
“Sorry, Tomas. I often forget how uninformed people in this age are. Zyphron Nexuses are natural formations—intersections of multiple… you could call them energy lines or veins.” Feeling Tomas's confusion, Michael paused to consider how to explain it better. “Let me backtrack a bit; I’m sorry. You know that Zyphron, in its individual form, is a quantum entanglement of particles. But when many of them come together, basic physical principles apply, and they move around, following the path of least resistance. That’s how Zyphron veins form.”
“Yes, that makes sense—same as water, same as electricity. Please continue,” Tomas replied, listening intently.
“A point where two or more of these veins intersect is called a Zyphron Nexus.”
Michael paused, gauging Tomas's understanding.
“Okay, so what’s so special about the Zyphron Nexuses?”
“If we could find one, Mikhail and Sofia could easily prove that the spot has a much higher energy concentration than its surroundings. From there, we could steer them towards experiments with animals and insects that have a fast reproductive cycle.” Michael started to explain his reasoning.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“I think Mikhail mentioned some insect experiments they conducted during their quarantine,” Tomas recalled.
“Yes, he did. Any effects they measured during that period would be an order of magnitude higher close to a Zyphron Nexus, increasing the chances of spontaneous evolution or mutations from one generation to the next.”
“So we show what happens with insects—how they develop, mutate, or evolve—and focus on warnings about other animals with slower reproductive cycles. That could help protect cities if our friends direct attention to rodents and insects present in major population hotspots. That could actually work. They probably need help from biologists, but I think they’ve made the right connections recently, if they didn’t have them before. Will this be dangerous for the people conducting the experiments?”
Tomas mused his thoughts tinged with concern for his newly found allies
“No, it shouldn’t be dangerous. Unless a venomous mutation occurs, but even then, with precautions, a sting or bite is avoidable. The test samples won’t have time to develop strength and won’t be able to overpower a normal human.” Michael reassured him.
Feeling hopeful as the plan began to take shape, Tomas suddenly realized they still didn’t have a solution.
“But how do we find one of the Nexuses? It’s not like Google Maps will give us directions to one.”
Tomas crossed his arms, leaning slightly forward as frustration bubbled beneath his calm exterior. He ran a hand through his hair, a telltale sign of his growing impatience.
“I don’t know, Tomas,”
Michael admitted, his voice tinged with uncertainty, the pitch slightly rising at the end of his sentence as if searching for clarity.
“I used to know most locations for Zyphron Nexuses; now I just remember the Pyramids in Aegyptus...”
he hesitated, pausing to collect his thoughts.
“...and there were some over the ocean, but close by… I should know this.”
His voice dropped in volume, reflecting his frustration.
“What I do know is that wherever a Zyphron Nexus was present, civilization boomed if the Nexus was controlled. It has profound effects on plant life and materials and can become a source of wealth for the nation that owns it. Unless left unattended, a guardian beast spawns, which would probably be a terrible thing in the current age.”
Michael stated with conviction.
“Guardian beast?”
Tomas asked, suddenly feeling apprehensive about the implications of such creatures existing.
“An Alpha specimen of its kind, a very strong evolution with no contenders for dominance, nurtured on the Zyphron from the Nexus for its entire life. It is strong, smart, often sapient, and territorial to a fault. I remember one of my hosts from the past used to actively seek them out and kill them, saving towns and thousands of people—a Hydra, a lion with impenetrable skin, among others.”
Tomas's eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, wait, wait... Did your host wear the lion skin as armor later on? And was he maybe Greek? Super strong, hitting people over the head with an olive branch?”
Michael paused, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone.
“Yes, as far as I remember, all of that fits his description. He loved the club made from an olive branch. His home was close to a Zyphron Nexus, and that olive tree was so saturated that I don’t think there’s a material in this current world as strong as that tree was. His family was killed by an encroaching beast horde while he was off fighting in one war or another. It nearly drove him crazy. That club was his last memento from home.”
There was a sadness in Michael’s voice, as if reminiscing about a dear friend lost to time.
“Holy fuck, Michael! You were connected to Heracles???” Tomas exclaimed, shock overcoming him. Looking around himself and being happy that no one was nearby to hear him.
Michael, sensing Tomas's awe, replied gently,
“I’m glad you know the name. He saved so many people, and seeing that his legend still lives is a vindication for everything he suffered. He was a good man.”
Tomas shook off the shock.
“Sorry for the digression; we’ll come back to this. I want to know everything you know about Heracles at some point—I loved his myth when I was growing up. But this doesn’t bring us any closer to a solution. How do we find a Zyphron Nexus?”
Michael paused to gather his thoughts. “I’m not entirely sure. Unattended Nexuses tend to stabilize their surroundings by reshaping the terrain into geometrical forms that best support the energy streams. I can remember the fact that many cultures built these geometric shapes over existing Nexuses, leading to cities sprouting nearby. But which cultures or cities they were or where they were I cant remember.”
Michael paused as if trying to force himself to remember, after a few seconds he continued, giving up on forcing the memory.
“The most common shape that emerges when two energy veins intersect is a pyramid. The Aegyptians constructed their pyramids deliberately over their own Nexus, creating additional pyramids to conceal its location. They dedicated thousands of years to building this complex, ensuring that the heart of their civilization remained close to the Nexus.”
“Wait a moment Michael, let me check something”
Tomas said, fishing for his phone and checking something on Google, when the page loaded they were looking at a mountain in the shape of a pyramid.
“Could this be a nexus location?” He asked Michael
Michael thought for a moment
“This fits the description to a dot of a powerful Zyphron Nexus location from the ancient past, maybe even before my time. Where is this place?”
Tomas groaned. “That fucker was right all the time…”
“What are you talking about, Tomas?” Michael asked, not understanding whom Tomas was speaking about.
“There’s this Bosnian archeologist who has been trying for years to prove to the world that Bosnia has pyramids. Barely anyone took him seriously. We actually passed two pyramids a couple of days ago during the ride to Geneva: the ‘Pyramid of the Sun’ and the ‘Pyramid of the Moon,’ named by that same archaeologist. He dabbled way too much in esoterics, but from what I’m learning from you about energy veins and Zyphron Nexuses, he might have been truly onto something.”
“We need to get Mikhael and Sofia to Bosnia, I wonder how they will like Burek” Tomas muttered to himself.