by H. C. Mills
I yelp as the end of the slide arrives abruptly and I’m dumped onto the bed of another hexagonal preparation room without ceremony. The opening in the ceiling grinds shut above me.
As I rub my sore behind, the following message pops up.
Wow, I actually finished a Trial quickly enough to receive bonus points! I bet the cut-off point for receiving that bonus is specific for each Trial, though. Ten hours would hardly be a challenge for the first two Trials.
I stand up and rub my sore keister. Man, that bed is hard.
It’s not the most pressing issue, however. While it’s much cooler here, I am still uncomfortably hot. I head for the sink in the toilet. A gentle push is all it takes for the wall to click and swing open, and I quickly splash myself with Hydrum from the sink.
“Ah, what I wouldn’t give for a cold shower.”
To my surprise, I hear another click.
I turn off the tap and walk back into the prep room to stare at the newly revealed door. Behind it, I find what looks like a fully equipped shower.
“Suri, was this also a feature in past preparation rooms?”
[Yes. You never asked.]
You’re saying it’s my own fault? Then why do you sound so defensive, Suri?!
“We are going to have words later,” I threaten. Though I fear my rapid undressing may undercut the intimidation factor.
I flop down on the rock-hard bed about an hour later, feeling reborn.
Reborn and naked, because I washed my clothes in the sink, and they are drying right now on the floor. I didn’t pack any extra, silly me. There might still very well be people monitoring my every action, but right now I couldn’t give a damn if I tried.
When I stepped under that shower, I half-expected the cold spray to turn to steam on my skin. It didn’t, but it still felt like I had crawled out of a womb of burning sand the way a phoenix rises from the ashes. Except a phoenix is a bird, so they wouldn’t come out of a wom—you know what, never mind. As we’ve previously established, metaphors aren’t my strong suit.
Point is, I feel much better. It’s like, as soon as I got rid of all the excess Heat in my body, I became myself again.
But I’m also dead tired, so I decide I’ve earned myself some actual sleep.
I feel remarkedly refreshed when I wake up, even though Suri tells me I’ve slept only about three hours.
“Status Window.”
The excess Heat has left my body, as expected. Also, I apparently now have a Qi Pool that can hold up to 8 Onkh of Qi. Or maybe I had it all along, and it simply wasn’t listed before...
Finally, there’s an affinity listed for me now. I’m ‘Yin,’ like my Focus Crystal. And like Toxic Energy, apparently, while Heat, on the other hand, is Yang.
Interesting. Definitely adding this to my list of questions. Speaking of.
“Can I start my five minutes?”
[Done. Ask away.]
“All right, tell me a little more about the Twinstar.”
[The Twinstar is a Yin-Yang Star, specifically a Lightning-Fire Star, which phases between active and inactive in a cycle that lasts approximately 17 hours and 13 minutes. The inactive phase typically lasts for about 6 hours and 47 minutes, during which the two halves combine into a single, dark whole. Get it? A dark whole.]
“Great humour, Suri, I give it a 5 out of 7.”
[Thank you. The Twinstar—]
“Okay, hold up. Sorry for interrupting, but I need to know now: are you running some kind of algorithm that personalises you to me, to making you a better guide or something? I mean, you’re even making puns now, and it’s just uncanny...”
It’s silent for a moment.
[Maybe we are just more similar than I thought,] she chimes.
I frown. She sounded a little weird, just now. I can’t tell if she was amused or offended. Perhaps both.
Maybe her programming is a sore subject? Like, she likes to think she’s above it, or something? Maybe she’s not even aware of her own programming. That would be kind of creepy to have to think about I guess. That seems an awful lot like human emotions I’m ascribing to an Artificial Intelligence, however. Then again, I don’t know much about AI’s, is such a thing possible for advanced enough ones?
I shake my head, unsure how to even go about asking these things, for fear of offending Suri further.
[Your time is still running, would you like me to continue answering your initial question?]
“Ah! Yes please,” I say gratefully. That seems like the safest option.
[Then, as I was saying, the Twinstar is predominantly Yang, which is the reason its light has a warming effect.]
“Hold up, am I understanding you correctly that in this dimension there exists light that cools things?”
[Indeed. The Yin half of the Twinstar—that’s the blue star—radiates a cooling light, but the Yang half’s warming light overpowers its effect.]
“Wow, okay. About Yin and Yang, I’ve heard of this concept in my own dimension, but I always considered it spiritual nonsense. Can I take this to mean the people touting this stuff were actually onto something?”
[No, they weren’t. Let me put it this way: the principles of Yin and Yang don’t apply to the Entropic Realm.]
“So the idea, the concept of Yin and Yang, originates from this Realm, but wound up in the Entropic Realm somehow?” I sit up straight, my heart pounding. “Does that mean there may be a way home after all?”
[You bring up an interesting point. Maybe.]
Maybe. Maybe is good enough for now.
“Next question, let’s see... Is there a correlation between my affinity and the difference in how fast I build up tolerances to certain energies?”
[Of course. But don’t expect to be so talented for every type of Yin Energy, nor so untalented for every type of Yang energy. Your relationships with Toxic Energy and Heat are both rather extreme.]
“Speaking of, what is up with my Tolerance Limit for Heat? It was already 0.5 Onkh when I was at 0.1%, and now that I’m at 0.3%, it’s still 0.5 Onkh!”
[That’s because your base Tolerance Limit for all foreign energies is 0.5 Onkh, dear. As your Tolerance rises, your Tolerance Limit rises exponentially, therefore it starts out by growing very slowly.]
So that’s how it is.
I frown. “Why 0.5 Onkh though?”
[Size is the main factor that determines both base Tolerance Limit and base Lavi Consumption.]
Interesting.
“Does that mean larger beings get higher Tolerance Limits?”
[Of course. A larger body can contain more energy safely.]
Makes sense. Though if base Lavi Consumption rises as well, I’m not sure if it’s an advantage to be bigger.
“The energy I felt during the Third Trial that powered the Focus Crystal, was that Qi?”
[Yes.]
“And my body has a capacity for 8 Onkh of Qi?”
[Correct.]
“Is that good?”
[As a starting value, it’s a little below average, I’m afraid.]
Damnit.
“Fine. Tell me a little more about Qi.”
[Yin and Yang are the most primal essences of this Realm. Qi, their purest form, is therefore also the most potent energy. All the other energies are derived from them and can therefore also be made from them.]
“What about Lavi? Is that also made from Yin or Yang Qi?”
[Yes, but Lavi is a rather unique case. It can only be created by a perfectly balanced combination of Yin and Yang Qi, just like life can only be created by the combination of Yin and Yang essences.]
“Like man and woman,” I say, nodding in understanding.
[Not exactly,] Suri chimes. [Your Realm’s division into the male and female genders is similar in that it can create life, but beings from the Entropic Realm who arrive here quickly develop either a Yin or Yang affinity, seemingly with no correlation to their gender. In fact, Yang affinities seem more common among humans in general.]
Huh. A thought strikes me. “Suri, do you have an affinity?”
[Of course. The Second Law of Being states: ‘All are Yin or Yang.’ That applies even to Artificial beings like me.]
“So, what is your affinity?”
[Yin of course, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to properly guide you.]
Then my affinity was already known prior to this Trial. They really like to keep us in the dark. Anyway, I think I have time for some more questions about the Laws of Being.
“What’s the Third Law of Being?”
[All are quantified.]
“Is that about the stats?”
[Among other things, yes. It’s about matters like energy and properties being discrete: separated into clear steps.]
“I see, what’s the Fourth Law?”
[The Fourth Law is one you just experienced: Yin and Yang attract.]
“Ah, so that’s the pulling force I noticed?”
[Indeed.]
“How about the Fifth Law?”
[I’m afraid the Fifth Law is currently still classified, like the Fourth Law would have been, had you asked before the last Trial.]
I frown. “Can I ask how many Laws of Being there are?”
[There are ten in total.]
That’s more than I expected. How many Laws of Being does a Realm need?
“Can I ask for the sixth through to the tenth?”
[Nice try, but no, they’re all classified.]
Damn, I really want to know the rest of these Laws...
“Suri, can I ask you to let me know when any of the Laws of Being gets declassified?”
[Clever. And sure, I will let you know once that happens.]
Sweet. I take a moment to consider the four Laws I now know, and frown. “Say, what’s the order of these Laws based on? It seems a little odd for the Second and Fourth to be related to Yin and Yang. I mean, why aren’t those grouped together?”
[The Laws are numbered in descending order based on how fundamental they are considered to be.]
“So ‘All are One’ isn’t just the First Law because it happened to feature the number one?” I joke.
[No,] Suri chimes. [‘All are One,’ is considered the highest, most fundamental truth about this Realm.]
Sheesh. No need to get all testy about it.
“Cool beans. Now, please tell me about the next Trial.”
[Next, you will be entering Hub Two. The conditions you need to meet in order to leave it will be revealed once you enter. Now, living circumstances in Hub Two are a little—]
“Hub Two? Hold on, are you saying there’s people beyond that door? Actual living, breathing people?”
[Indeed.]
Holy crap!
Good thing I just discovered the shower.
[Now, as I was saying, living in Hub Two is not without its dangers, but since you’ve passed the first three Trials, you should be able to handle them.]
“Right.”
[You are, however, relatively late to the party, so to speak.]
I frown. “You mean because of my late starting position?”
[Well, that, and your insistence on using up all of your time in every single preparation room and almost every Trial thus far. Not that it wasn’t fruitful in its own way, but I’m just warning you that it may have had consequences.]
“Like what?”
[Explaining that would reveal more details about Hub Two than is currently allowed, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough.]
Great.
“All right, how much question time do I have left?”
[1 minute and 23 seconds.]
“Good. Then, tell me how to reach Respiration level 4.”
[Respiration actually only has three levels. However, you may eventually be able to evolve it into the medium-grade Skill Breath Control.]
That sounds awesome. “What’s the difference and how do I do that?”
[Respiration is a support Skill purely meant to increase your intake of Lavi. Breath Control takes breathing a step further, allowing you to take full control over the Lavi in your breath and use it to direct your exhales for a variety of purposes, like offence.]
“So, what do I need to learn to evolve my Skill? How to blow really hard?”
[Put crudely, yes. However, as you’ve no doubt noticed, doing so currently damages your fragile little body. In order to successfully master the technique, you will first need to raise your Toughness to at least 12.]
Oof. That could take a while.
“Say, Suri, could you tell me the best way to raise my—”
[I’m afraid your time is up.]
“—Toughness.”
[That’s classified,] Suri chimes, sounding almost smug.
Damn. Is it really classified, or does she just enjoy messing with me? Well, no matter; I’ve managed to raise it before and I have a pretty good idea how, even though I don’t like it. Ugh. I’ll figure something out.
Anyway, considering where I’m headed next, I’m raring to go.
By now my clothes are dry, so I quickly get dressed and collect my things into my backpack.
“Suri, would you advise me to spend my Trial Points right now, or to save them?”
[You don’t yet have enough for a Skilldream, and all basic necessities can be found in Hub Two.]
That’s clear enough.
I still hesitate for a moment. I could stay here for a bit longer and practise my Skills, maybe grow my Lavi Pool a little. Though it seems like I could only really work on Meditation level 3 right now, as the second level of Boost Physical requires another Skilldream for instruction, and Breath Control apparently requires a Toughness of 12.
Moreover, I’m apparently already behind on something, and I don’t even know what...
“Suri, does Hub Two have a time limit like this room and the Trials?”
[No. That would be difficult to enforce with participants all entering at different moments.]
That does it. If staying here longer doesn’t afford me any extra time in total, I might as well get going.
As they say, there’s no time like the present.
CHAPTER 23
Like yo momma
I TAKE ONE LAST sweeping glance through the room, then stride excitedly towards the stone door. It rumbles open, revealing a stone hallway.
I pass through and cover my ears just before the door slams shut behind me.
Crystals embedded in the ceiling light up and another door appears at the end of the hallway.
It opens as I near it, revealing a lush green jungle that buzzes with life and colour.
As I step into the hot, humid environment and under the canopy of enormous, towering trees, this door also slams shut behind me.
Tch, these people and their slamming doors; do they really think I want to go back to that desert? Part of me wants to try to jam the next door I pass through, just to see what will happen.
A window pops up, but I ignore it for the moment in favour of taking in my surroundings.
Behind me, I find a humongous wall of smooth grey stone that reminds me of the brief flashes of wall I saw in Hub One. Looking to the sides, I spot corners in the distance that seem to suggest that this Hub, too, is an enormous hexagon. There’s also a bunch of doors spaced out along the wall—one to my left and ten to my right—which I assume correspond to the twelve Trial Tracks.
If there’s twelve copies of that desert I passed through for the Third Trial, then the length of that slide to the last preparation room is starting to make sense.
Finally, I turn my attention to the pop-up window still hovering in front of me.
All right, lots to unpack here.
First, I check my new and improved Status Bar.
Neat! Though I don’t have any use for my Qi yet.
Anyway, it seems like even here I’m not free of scavenger hunts. Also, ‘To gain access to the Fourth Trial’? Making it sound like a privilege doesn’t make it any less of a horrible experience! Es
pecially if it involves combat. Worse. Combat and picking teams. I’m getting dodgeball flashbacks.
My eyes go wide when I realise why Suri implied I was at risk of falling behind. Damn, people must have been forming parties from the moment they got here! Shit, I’m going to get stuck with—
A faint voice drifts over from within the forest. “Dude, I’m telling you, I heard a slam! It must’ve—”
A blonde boy with a babyface, one sky-blue eye and an amethyst eye-crystal comes into view as he walks around the base of a massive tree trunk. He’s wearing a black shirt emblazoned with Captain America’s shield over a pair of khakis.
His face lights up and he lets out an excited noise when he spots me.
A second later, a guy in his thirties appears next to Babyface. He’s got long brown hair in a ponytail—like mine but frizzier and lighter in colour—one dark brown eye next to a warm amber eye-crystal and he’s wearing a grey, oversized sweater that looks like it was knit by his granny over a pair of jeans.
Interestingly, they were closer than I had expected, based on how muffled his voice sounded. Does sound travel not travel as far in this Realm?
I dismiss the idle thought for later, as I am far too happy to see living, breathing humans for the first—
“See?” Babyface exclaims. “Fresh meat!”
My eyes go wide and I freeze in my tracks, having just taken my first step towards them.
Ponytail frowns at my reaction and stops moving as well, then he closes his eyes and facepalms. “Dude...” he groans.
Babyface turns to him and blinks. “What? What did I say?”
Ponytail shakes his head, his ponytail swishing behind him like an actual pony’s tail. “Don’t be alarmed,” he says to me, his deep, calm voice rumbling with a note of humour. “We’re not so desperate as to turn cannibal yet. We were actually just harvesting jicca nuts.”
He reaches inside the canvas bag he’s holding and comes up with a handful of jicca nuts.