"Hey, Joren..." Constantin paused, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his burning question.


    "What is it?" Joren asked.


    Constantin took a few seconds before continuing his question. "Are you actually concerned about Eldrian?"


    "That..." Joren stopped walking, knowing that if they wanted to work together, they needed to be on the same page. Even if their goals didn''t align precisely. "Honestly, I''m not."


    "What? Don''t you feel guilty for bringing him to Miracle? Don''t you want to help him?"


    "Sure, as long as it doesn''t cause more problems." Those few simple words quickly allowed Constantin to realize what Joren was thinking.


    Turning to face Joren, Constantin observed his friend and colleague as he tried to sort through theplicated feelings running through his mind. A long time passed as the two stood in silence. Finally, Constantin sighed in resignation. "I feel like shit, but I agree."


    "Good. Our top priority is to figure out the ns of those at the top. I doubt Eldrian can do more damage than them."


    "You want me to ask Zaphreal?"


    "It''s the best way to test if he is being straight with us. We need something secret, but not too secret. Something we can verify without being caught or raising our profile."


    "I''d say we should ask about ANW then, your ess to the code should enable you the best avenue."


    "I would have agreed before the tournament, but now... It''s likely still our best bet. How''s your magicing along?"


    "I''ve mastered basic spells, should reach Tier 5 in a few weeks..." Constantin smiled, stunned by the path Eldrian had followed. His talent for magic was simply amazing. And it was why Eldrian was a potential threat.


    Constantin considered Eldrian a friend. He wanted to help him. Help him return to society and his family. Sadly, until they could confirm that Eldrian wouldn''t create problems, they couldn''t ignore the potential dangers. Especially since Eldrian was a wild card. Leaving him be for now was the best option.


    "This sucks." Constantin sighed, slumping his shoulders as he felt his energy draining from his entire body.


    Since Eldrian had confided in him and shared his magical theories, Constantin was keenly aware of just how dangerous Eldrian could be. Even way back then, Eldrian had been obsessed with magic and the alternative world. Constantin didn''t even want to think about how Eldrian was after a year of exile.


    ''Just what is he like, mentally?'' Eldrian''s actions had been ''normal'', thus far. He helped the kingdom, trained, and fought. That, however, was the limits. He spent little to no time with friends.


    —


    "Hey Zaphreal, long time." A man with sea green hair smiled, looking up from his cluttered desk. His eyes were just as shockingly green as his eyes. The hair color should be artificial, a dye. However, this madman had made the artificial colors permanent.


    "Julius..." Zaphreal sighed. Julius'' wide smile and sparkling eyes were a bad omen. An experiment had seeded. Thest thing Zaphreal needed.


    "Curious?" Julius asked with a teasing smile, his eyes glowing. Literally.


    "Must you perform these experiments on yourself?"


    "But of course! I''m not like the others. Doing it to others... my stomach can''t handle it."


    "Why not use animals?


    "I''ve thought of it. But the prospect of making actual monsters seems... slightly frightening."


    "Just slightly?"


    "Well... Since I can always call on you—"


    "Ughh..." Zaphreal sighed, feeling the normal exhaustion returning. Talking with them was always such a massive pain.


    "Did you figure out how Eldrian changed?"


    "You know that isn''t so simple. How am I supposed to answer you with severelycking records and unextraordinary recordings? When are you bringing him here?" Zaphreal''s stare gave Julius all the answers he needed. "Fine, fine. Be like that."


    "You didn''t say you didn''t figure it out."


    "Sharp as ever." Julius smiled. "I pieced it together. But without actually seeing, talking, and testing the actual specimen—sorry, person. I can''t be certain."


    "Just say it. You know I hate the nonsense you always spout."


    "How hurtful." Julius exaggeratedly clutched his heart and fell into his chair, which got him no response. "Fine. His transformation seems to differ from anything we''ve ever done. I mean, we tried it before, but failed to produce results."


    "Just get to the point."


    "In short, he truly connected with his avatar. You do know he reached a true 100% affinity, right?"


    "Yeah, the AI made a lot of fuss when he did. GAIA had to step in to get them to calm down. Is that the reason?"


    "Not the reason, but more like it opened the possibility." Julius paused and searched through the clutter, finding his tablet after a few minutes of searching. "It''s like this, we humans are specifically tuned as we are because of—well, I am going to skip the biology lesson."


    "Appreciated."


    "What ites down to is we have our corporeal bodies and immaterial minds. It is with the immaterial that we connect and control magic. Our powers aren''t imbedded in our DNA; it isn''t a corporeal factor."


    "Did he rip the power of elves from the simtion?" Zaphreal asked.


    "Not quite." Julius said, emphasizing the denial with a shake of his head—and body. "The affinity allowed him to tune into the avatar and form a permanent connection. Something that isn''t physical and allows him to transfer his mind without the need of a headset."


    "This permanent connection, I believe — this is why I need to... Fine!" Julius sulked, his protest to meet Eldrian denied before it could be voiced. "I believe when the connection was formed, some mana actually moved from ANW to Earth."


    "I thought it was impossible for anything but souls to move between realms."


    "It is. It should be. As far as we have verified, it is."


    "Then?"


    "I don''t know." Julius shrugged, his attitude shouting, ''Bring me, Eldrian. So I can figure it out!''


    "Okay, if this is true?"


    "If it is true, it means that Eldrian absorbed energy from the simtion and used that to alter his body. As he was unconscious during the transformation, I believe this happened because his subconscious could no longer differentiate properly between his earthen and gaian avatars."


    ''Avatars... Seems Julius is near the point of abandoning his actual body.'' Zaphreal decided not to mention that he had picked up on this. It was best to act ignorant.


    ''His experiments probably damage his body. How troublesome...'' Yet another who was recklessly searching for immortality. And Eldrian was certainly the key, or so Julius clearly believed.


    "I believe that because of the mental shock from overusing his abilities, his subconscious was in chaos. Pulling energy from any source it could reach, which because of his affinity included ANW. Thus, a link was formed."


    "So... that''s why the AI has be more active." Zaphreal finally realized why they had decided now to rebel. They all lived in two timelines, and in one, millions of years had passed. It couldn''t be that they had grown bored or frustrated. Something changed. Clearly, Eldrian was the cause. He was their key, too.


    "I believe so. Eldrian''s link must be a ray of hope for them. But they failed to make use of it without his assistance."


    ''What are their ns?'' Zaphreal asked. There was much going behind his back, and this would sadly be another thing. "Julius, are you still in contact with the other... scientists?"


    "You''re worried someone might do something radical?"


    "Of course." Zaphreal stared at Julius. His gaze clearly showed that he believed the person before him was a radical.


    "Fine..." Julius sighed. Zaphreal would never understand. But some were truly being radical. "I know that Denis and Ludwik are working on microbes. Last time we talked, they said they finally found a way to rejuvenate cells, but..."


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