Interlude - Behind the Curtain

Interlude - Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain

Overseer Zha Miya walked down the hallways of Framework Control. Her gait was hurried, and her mind occupied with spiraling thoughts. The cause was familiar to her, once again, she was being called down to Control rooms because of an irregularity. Millions of years without any issues, and now this was a second time in a span of just a couple of decades. It concerned her, and the fact that the one who called her was Controller Marghar, the same one who called her last time, was what made her anxious. Marghar was in charge of looking over and transporting the Earth Iterations. And after what happened with the last one, she had looked into the Eight and Ninth Iterations.

Both were aberrant. Not to the same degree as the Seventh had been, thank the Heavens, but there were still irregularities. Problems that she didnt need. Already she was trying to figure out what to do with the Eight Iterations, the arrival area had been taken over by forces thralled to the Dome, and she couldnt just drop them there. She had considered many different avenues, dropping them somewhere else in the core, or even the Frontier, or even beyond it. None of the choices were acceptable. The first three Iterations had been chosen specifically, their aptitude scores and the ways that their old worlds had been shaped by the Framework had been designed to create people that could thrive and survive a wild Infinite Realm. The first three Iterations Rankers had been shaped to be the Vanguard, to carve an area of safety.

The second three had their old worlds pushed in the direction that would result in people with powers designed to support a growing civilization. Farmers and cattle tenders, monster tamers and herbalists. They were supposed to nurture and help the others create more factions, to specialize them. And that had been a success, the years following the arrival of the Fourth, Fifth, and the Sixth Iterations had seen the great expansion of territories, the exponential growth of population.

The last three Iterations were supposed to be focused on crafting and advancing the understanding of the rules of Infinite Realm, the sciences. To push the world into an industrial revolution, into advancement.

Safety, then expansion, then advancementthat was how it was supposed to be. The crafters of the current Infinite Realm had reached high, but they had only scratched the surface of what was possible, what will be possible. They lacked the tools and the rewards that the last Iterations would bring from their old worlds. The understanding and sciences grasped at some things, and missed others. The might of power ruled still. Of course, there had always been exceptions to the rules.

The cthul had pushed further than expected, the knowledge that all Iterations brought was put to use. But even they didnt have all that was required, their best and brightest didnt make it into the Infinite Realm.

And just as there had been aberrations in the Infinite Realm, the same was true of the Iterations themselves. The Seventh, the monsters that had survived to the end, the death of a world. It wasnt planned, but freedom of choice and outcome was allowed.

Now, she had to place the Eight Iteration, and she was trying to figure out a way to satisfy her objectives. The had to arrive in a place of relative safety, their knowledge, Paths, Skills, and Classes, had to survive for long enough to be introduced to the larger population. Dropping them into the Taken territory would be the same as killing them. Dropping them anywhere else in the Core would be the same, wars still raged, and they would get trampled or conscripted. She still didnt know what the best solution was, and there was no hurry, they were supposed to arrive at set intervals, but that wasnt set in stone. She as the Overseer had a lot of leeway as long as she worked toward the final goal.

She reached the Control Room and put all those thoughts out of her mind, preparing herself for a new headache. Marghar sat at his console, all six of his limbs working tirelessly.

What is it Marghar, and please dont say Earth again, Zha Miya said as she came to a stop next to him.

Marghar turned his elongated head and grinned, showing razor sharp teeth and forked tongue. The once Aspect of Greed shook his head at her.

Not Earth, but related.

Zha Miya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Aside from being in charge of Earth Iterations, Marghar was also tasked with keeping watch on the Rankers that still survived in the Infinite Realm. Tell me.

You remember the Sevenths two Rankers?

I do, she said slowly, already getting the feeling that she wasnt going to like any of it.

Here, take a look, Marghar said.

Zha Miya read through the prompt that he made appear in front of her. She noted who it was, Zacharia Gardner, he had been the weaker of the two, but not by much. Both had been monsters, achieving what shouldnt have been possible on the old worlds. They probably didnt know or understand it, but the requirements and feats that they had accomplished on Earth colored all of their advancement in the Infinite Realm. They got better perks easier, they gained unique evolutions and advancement options because they had accomplished feats that no one else in the world had, or ever would be able to. It was not their power on arrival that had made them unique or monstrous. It was the potential of what they had done on Earth. And as she read through everything now she saw just how fast he had advanced and how far he had come. Midway through the report on Zacharia she turned away and asked Marghar for a report on Ryun Nacht. She read and saw the both of them were advancing fast, and were gaining more power per advancement than anybody else in the Infinite Realm, which could all be tied back to Earth. The experience and its effects on them were long reaching.

You have a second chance now, to change your answer. I have a need of you, Zha Miya started. Four closed their eyes, refusing to even listen, and she sent them back to stasis. Eight remained.

I have a task for you, one that will probably mean certain death, she had no illusion as to what would happen to them. They were going to be a challenge, they might rampage and kill many of the chosen, but the entire Infinite Realm? No, even if the Dragons Peak fell, there were billions of people in the Infinite Realm, eventually they would fall too.

A voice sounded out of the fog, old and respectful, two cold blue eyes of endless frost staring at her. And what do we gain in return?

No matter the outcome, I will grant your people a reward. Your willing champions will be pulled out of the Infinite Realm, no longer serving as feed for their growth, and your people granted access to the second stage no matter their current standing.

Two more closed their eyes, the reward not high enough for them, or they simply didnt care for their people.

That is a reward for our people, not for us, another voice said and she looked in the direction of the pair of dark green eyes that felt like a deep forest, the voice arrogant and filled with the sound of grinding earth and crackling trees.

If you survive, I can grant you access to the current Framework, in this stage. A new life, it was unlikely, but it might make some of them risk it.

If we survive, a third voice added as three more eyes closed, unwilling to listen further, leaving only three. Yet, you said that it was unlikely, the third voice, haughty and rumbling continued.

She turned toward the tall shadow where four eyes glowed with primal orange fire.

I can grant you partial rewards, depending on your success. If you die, but dont experience True Death, I will grant you rebirth and an existence based on your performance.

We still risk a True End, the green-eyed shape said.

What existence is this, that you value it so? The blue-eyed shape added before she could.

We are needed, this proves it, the green-eyed shape answered. Remain where we are, and there is always a chance for freedom.

Freedom, bah, the orange-eyed shape argued. There is no true freedom for our kind, we are forgotten by all, even our own kind knows nothing of us. They came too far after us, we are but stories to them, twisted and filled with half-truths.

Zha Miya let them talk without interfering. They were right. These were the beings that had existed in the universe before the first version of the Framework. When power was unbound and unguided. They lived and died long before the Three implemented the Framework. But they were remembered, their souls preserved when most of the others hadnt, because the Three saw worth in them. Their kind had failed the test, but there were avenues still for survival, for granting of the Mark of Chosen.

Still, the blue eyed one added. This is a chance. Just accepting will grant our descendants the Mark.

The others didnt answer, and silence filled the area for a long while. Zha Miya thought that perhaps she would have to choose another group and try again, when they finally spoke. All three of them agreed.

And with that, their contract was made, and she pulled the three out of the world of Forgotten Souls. Preparing to send them into the Infinite Realm.