PART 5
Alicia White | Erwin’s body.
Yggdrasil time [22:08]
Outer Regions | Arena testing 01 of Major Intersection Promus Base | LP 05 Anchor |
As Alicia slowly opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a lively group of people engaging happily in conversation. Among them, she first noticed Vanessa embracing her avatar from behind, her feathered red wings wrapped around the body, revealing only the avatar's face.
Beside Vanessa, Liu chatted casually while absentmindedly running her fingers her own black scaly tail resting on her thighs. In the background, Alicia noticed Christine and Phantom engrossed in a deep conversation, with Lesny also involved.
She wasn't entirely sure if Lesny was voicing her thoughts through psychic means or using the in-game features, but the numerous seemingly red eyeballs floating inside her shadowy head appeared to be focused on the group.
As Alicia moved her eyes, she realized she had her head laid down on someone’s thigh. It was a stranger, someone Alicia had never met before.
The woman in Alicia's line of sight wore a hat reminiscent of Lesny's, with a pointy, triangular, violet shape. However, unlike Lesny's hat, the brim was noticeably larger, almost twice the size, resembling a small umbrella.
As she observed the stranger, Alicia initially thought they were an Athari woman, until she saw the wings behind her back. The stranger had striking black wings, dark hair, and piercing eyes. She were dressed in the standard imperial uniform, but unlike Alicia's, her suit was a pale blue color.
Vanessa’s eyes widened in surprised as she let out an intrigued, “Oh?”
Sensing Vanessa's shifting expression, the others halted their conversation and turned their attention to where Vanessa was looking. They noticed Alicia was awake and promptly greeted her with respectful bows, with the exception of Vanessa.
"You seem to have successfully taken over Erwin's body," Vanessa commented as her wings unfurled and fluttered happily.
Upon inhabiting Erwin's body, Alicia tilted her head and was immediately overcome by a wave of discomfort. It felt as though her insides had been put through an agonizing split. Hastily, she commanded her augment, her expression contorting into a mix of revulsion and confusion—emotions that her own body would never have displayed.
"Your Grace?" Vanessa's face appeared, etched with concern, as she looked at Alicia.
Alicia raised her hand, her index finger pointed in the air to signal Vanessa. Vanessa nodded in understanding, aware of what Alicia was trying to convey.
‘I have hardly undergone any changes in the past, let alone transferring into a different body, one that is not my own.‘ Alicia contemplated.
‘I need you to respond to me, augment. Ensure that each section of my mind is functioning properly. Is there any attempt by my mind to undermine my control? If so, regulate the flow of signals to each section and provide false information instead to maintain control.’
As soon as she commanded, her vision darkened abruptly, and her body slumped to the side. All her senses vanished; no sounds, no sensations. She was engulfed by the darkness, utterly alone in a world devoid of light.
In less than a minute, her senses slowly returned. She became aware of the bustling sounds of the surroundings, the steady beat of the body, and the cold wind brushing against her skin. She noticed a slight itchiness in her wings on her back, but chose to ignore it.
Next, her vision slowly returned, Alicia was surprised to notice a third eyelid blurring her vision. With each passing moment, She felt the strength returning to her muscles, and her breathing began to normalize.
Moments later, Alicia had control over Erwin's body. She raised herself from the stranger's thighs, testing her newfound control by clenching her hand. However, she felt a major discomfort that she couldn't quite explain.
Alicia wasn't surprised that she couldn't command the A-cells in Erwin’s body as she normally could with her own. The ever-growing anxiety felt like something was consuming her insides, and it contorted her face into a glare, leaving her facial expression confused and uneasy.
“Are you okay?” Vanessa voiced her worry.
Alicia nodded slowly, her brows furrowed in deep concern. "It's strange. I feel like I've taken over Erwin's body, but there's this unsettling sensation that I just can't shake."
Vanessa turned her head to look behind her at Lesny, who was listening intently with her head bowed. She gestured for her to come closer, and she obliged, stepping in close to her.
“She seems to be feeling uncomfortable still,” Vanessa repeated.
Lesny transmitted a message with Erwin’s voice, (Were you able to kill Erwin's consciousness or take control of his body by touching his Mindcore?)
Alicia responded, “I found his Mindcore and touched it.”
Lesny explained, (I understand that you're feeling uncomfortable because someone else's consciousness is inside you. This is a common sensation when something is invading your Paracelsus.)
Alicia furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "Is there any way to erase this feeling?"
Lesny answered, (None, other than killing Erwin’s consciousness. But you can check the status of the invader in Paracelsus by commanding your augment.)
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Intrigued by this new information, Alicia immediately instructed her augment to carry out the command, curious to see how it would work.
Suddenly, Alicia's left eye experienced a bizarre shift in vision, revealing a world starkly different from the one her right eye saw. The floor was littered with ancient, weather-worn stone slabs, overrun with vegetation pushing through the cracks. As she cautiously surveyed her surroundings through her altered perception, Alicia realized she was surrounded by towering cobblestone walls, each adorned with mysterious niches and flickering fireballs within.
As Alicia surveyed the surroundings, a thought formed in her mind, ‘This… This appears to be a Labyrinth of some kind?’
Upon observing Alicia’s reaction, Lesny asked, (Are you experiencing something unusual with your vision?)
Alicia nodded and described “Yes, it appears to be a Labyrinth of some kind, in terms of the real world that is.”
As she looked above, she saw a blue mist of clouds shrouding the place, with numerous stairs appearing in random locations, connecting to various towers that sprouted from the stone walls. Broken pillars floated around the space, and even floating platforms moved at high speed randomly.
Bursts of fire occasionally exploded from the walls above, releasing of lava that crystallized moments after, and shattered into a mesmerizing glowing blue mist. The walls appeared to seamlessly restore themselves mere moments after their destruction.
The massive structure above appeared to spiral downward, its objects levitated and defied gravity. Alicia was confident that this place was some kind of Labyrinth, one that had unstable dimensions in nature. As the lava transformed into pure black crystals and then shattered into a glowing blue mist, the anomalous nature of the place hinted at unfathomable origins. Amid the debris, numerous statues floated, their forms indiscernible to Alicia.
(A Labyrinth in the real world, you say?) Lesny repeated, tilting her head in confusion.
“I am not an expert in classifying types of Labyrinths, but based on my limited recollection, this appears to be similar to the Xlepthleon-type, which is commonly associated with the Ancient Gatin civilization.”
(Sorry. I am unfamiliar with labyrinths in the real world.) Lesny answered, lowering her head.
Alicia glanced at Vanessa, who responded with a shrug. "The Xlepthleon-type labyrinths are a specific kind found in Ancient Gatin. When the central energy core of their civilization malfunctions due to the passage of time, it causes the dimensions of the nearby to become unstable, distorting its time and perception. Anomalous objects start to appear, creating a bizarre and unstable environment." Alicia explained.
Lesny nodded as she listened, (I see. Yeah. I’m not… Very familiar.)
"If you would like to witness it firsthand, you are welcome to enter my Paracelsus," Alicia offered.
Lesny vehemently shook her head from side to side. Although there was only a shadowy mist and its movements were difficult to discern, the triangular hat suggested otherwise. She stated, (No, it's fine. Instead, could you see if Erwin is in your Paracelsus?)
“Erwin?” Alicia repeated in confusion.
Alicia looked up and squinted, scanning for any movement. Suddenly, she saw Erwin leaping from platform to tower of stones, only to be abruptly struck by a fast-approaching statue from behind. In a flash, he was blasted towards a dense blue mist, disappearing instantly, only to reappear further from where he was blasted.
“Yes, I see him. What do you want me to do?” Alicia confirmed.
Lesny inquired, (How is he doing? Where you are right now should also align with the current location of your Mindsphere within Paracelsus. For him to regain control over his body, he is supposed to come to you, to touch the mindsphere.)
Alicia squinted her gaze at Erwin’s figure, which was so far away that she could barely distinguish its features. His feathered blue wings seemed to blend into the blue mist, making him camouflaged from sight. However, most of the time, they contrasted with the surrounding gray stone walls and the fiery flames that erupted from various spots, seemingly targeting him.
Suddenly, she saw Erwin leap onto a platform and get struck by a torrent of fire that emerged from the dense blue mist, scorching his wings.
Alicia reported, “From here, I can scarcely discern his figure. He is at least two kilometers away, but there seem to be a spatial distortion between, it is hard to tell. However, he seemed to be faring poorly; a blast of flames engulfed him just now.”
Lesny paused for a moment, then responded, (What you see is Erwin’s consciousness. When he reaches the mindsphere, you will return to the location where you first overtook his mind, also known as, well, mindplanes. As I had said before, he will try to regain control over his body - just like you did. But there is a risk he might die before he gets there… or before he regains control.)
Alicia asked, raising a brow, “What would happen if he were to perish before he could regain control? He does not possess a body to which he could return.”
(He dies, and that discomforting feeling inside you will disappear.) Lesny answered.
“Make sense.” Alicia nodded.
Alicia’s right vision caught Vanessa suddenly chuckling next to Lesny. This distracted Alicia from their conversation and drew her attention to Vanessa’s arm, where she noticed her previous avatar being cradled in gentle care, motionless and unbreathing.
‘Is she talking through the game feature?’ Alicia wondered.
She looked over her body in Vanessa's embrace, Alicia pointed, "That. What will happen to my body?"
(It's a little complicated, but essentially your avatar becomes like an empty vessel. However, what happens next depends on your avatar's race,) Lesny explained.
Alicia nodded as the shadowy figure in front of her continued to explain, (Most types of remnants, especially those with the ability of remnant possession, turn their avatars into autopilot once their consciousness leaves their vessel—their breathing, heartbeats, all of it. This holds true whenever someone tries to invade their empty vessel.)
Alicia tilted her head slightly as she asked "What do you mean exactly?"
(The sight that your augment is giving you is the current situation in your Paracelsus.) Lesny expanded, (As we know, Paracelsus is where people enter when invading a person's mind, and it automatically defends your mind from any invasion.)
Alicia contemplated the concept, her chin resting on her fingertips. "If you were to enter my avatar, would I still be able to see you even though I'm in Erwin's body?" She questioned, seeking clarification. "Something close to a shared consciousness?"
(Not quite close to a shared consciousness. Rather, it’s more like a bodily feature of a remnant,) Lesny corrected. (Which means you won't be able to see me if I invade your previous body, and will have the same environment what you see in your left vision)
Alicia's eyes widened in comprehension. "I see. It all makes sense now. But one last thing – what happens after they touch the mindsphere? I assume they take over the body right away, since the consciousness is gone?"
(Yes.) Lesny confirmed.