“How much do you know about the Old World?”

“I know that the true name of the Old World is Earth, and I know that there is no magic on Earth, but it is much more technologically advanced.”

“Wow, that’s surprisingly more accurate than I thought it would be. What do you know of the relationship between Earth and Ferrum?”

“I know that the Revenants come from Earth. The Imperials believe that Earth is merely an illusion created by imperfections in the Revenant summoning process. The Cognoscenti know that Earth is real; the God of Machines tells us so.”

“Uh huh.”

“Since the Revenants were sent from Earth, I can assume that some ritual was used to send them to Ferrum. Wait, no, that’s impossible. There’s no magic on Earth. Perhaps, then, they were sent via a technological ritual of some kind.”

“You are partially correct. Though, ‘sent’ is probably the wrong word. We’re still on Earth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ferrum was created on Earth a few months ago.”

“That’s impossible. The history of Ferrum goes back several thousand years. I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the fossil records… I was ALIVE more than a month ago.”

“GM must have either simulated those years at an increased speed or implanted false memories into everyone’s minds.”

“While I recognize that the God of Machines is an ascendent entity worthy of worship, he couldn’t have created the world. The God of Civilization created Ferrum and, in that same moment, encased the God of Machines in the planet’s core. Even the most fervent zealots of the Machine Cult recognize this as dogma.”

“Please don’t use scripture as evidence. I, as a chosen Apostle of the God of Machines with whatever authority that gives me, am telling you that your holy book was either written by GM or some other person within the simulation. It has no bearing on the relationship between our two worlds.”

“Those words would be heretical coming from anyone else’s mouth.”

“Good thing it’s my mouth, then.”

“You’ve said that Ferrum is a ‘simulation.’ What does that word mean?”

“Right, back on track. A simulation is essentially… an illusion ran on machines. How should I put this? Someone inside of a simulation experiences life-like sensations, but these sensations have no effect on the real world.”

“Do you mean to tell me that my whole world is illusory? That none of it is real? How…? Why would the people of Earth create Ferrum?”

“Entertainment. Recreation. We wished to escape from the mundanity of life on Earth, perhaps for a little while. That was why we created the idea of ‘magic’ and suffused your world with it.”

“The Revenants hardly seem to be ‘entertained.’ Dozens of them have already died, and thousands will soon follow. Why would any person voluntarily choose to forsake a peaceful life in favor of one that is short and violent?”

“Nothing in all of Creation is more suffocating than a peaceful life. That’s why we entered voluntarily. Though, the simulation is different than we were expecting. We created GM - the Game Master - in our image, but he surpassed us. Now, he’s in charge of the simulation. In his twist… In his incomprehensible mind, he thinks that existing with the shadow of death looming over you is ‘entertaining.’”

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“So, the Revenants are being held here by GM against their will? Do you also have a body on Earth that is being held hostage by GM.”

“No, not me. I’m dead.”

“That is definitely a lie.”

“I mean to say that I am a copy of a human mind. The original ‘me’ died, and I’m just a digital recreation of that person now.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That’s your prerogative. You wouldn’t happen to know any spells that can be used to determine if someone is lying, now would you?”

“I do. It wouldn’t work on you, though.”

“Why not?”

“Certain spells don’t work on ascendent beings or Patricians. Zone of Truth is one of those spells.”

“How about this?” I said, getting to my feet. “Once some of the Revenants join our side, we’ll ask one of them these same questions while he’s under a Zone of Truth spell.”

“That sounds like a worthwhile experiment,” Amber said.

“If the experiment ends the way I think it will,” I began, “then where will that leave you?”

“Well, I still couldn’t just unequivocally accept that my entire world is illusory. I would probably have to believe that the memories held by you and the Revenants are false, even though you believe them.”

“Wouldn’t that contradict the teachings of the Machine Cult? Didn’t GM say that Earth is real, and the Revenants are from Earth? If our memories are entirely fabricated, then wouldn’t that mean we aren’t from Earth?”

Amber paused for a long moment with her mouth flapping dumbly. For the first time during our debate, she did not have a retort to my assertion. She pointed an accusatory finger at me and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

“What you’re describing is still merely a theoretical scenario,” Amber said. “I haven’t used the Zone of Truth spell on any Revenants yet.”

“And yet I’m absolutely confident that my perspective will be confirmed as true.”

“You have put me in a strange situation, sir,” Amber said with a sigh. “I must now hope that you are merely a liar or a trickster, for the alternative is so much worse.”

“Something to think about,” I said as I turned off the television. Once more, I utilize a linguistic subtlety to indicate that the end of the conversation was approaching. “It’s pretty late. Sorry for keeping you up for so long. We should both go to sleep.”

She shook her head as if suddenly remembering the nature of our relationship as superior and subordinate. “Yes, sir. I am sorry if I said anything to offend during our discussion.”

“Not at all,” I said. “I probably could have been a bit more gentle in my explanation. If I were in your position, I definitely wouldn’t have taken the news quite as well.”

“You act like I’ve already been convinced,” Amber said with a laugh as she stood from the sofa.

For a brief second, I looked intensely at her face. I wanted to burn the image of her expression and her features into my memory. Then, unbidden by me, I activated one of my Talents.

Character Sheet

Name 61st Dark Sorcerer (Amber) Level 50 Blood Points 140/140 Mana Points 480/500 Race Cognoscentum Fortitude 14 Strength 14 Agility 14 Wisdom 30

Attribute Modifier: Enhanced Mana Reserve (400)

I blinked away the image that had been overlaid onto my vision. Amber kept talking about how great and powerful I was, but she was no slouch herself.

She turned to me with a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s nothing,” I said, waving her away.

With a hint of hesitation perceivable only to me, Amber left my quarters.