Six months had passed since Leylin arrived in Nightless City, the vibrant heart of the Teljose Volcano City, where the light Magi's influence cast a shimmering veil of peace and prosperity over the South Coast.
Beneath this facade, however, simmered an undercurrent of competition, a silent struggle for resources and new talent that fueled the rivalries between the region's factions. The light Magi organizations preached harmony, but their agendas were often a calculated dance to maximize their gains, their unity a necessity born from the looming threat of the dark Magi, whose ferocity demanded a united front.
Despite their internal rivalries, infighting was rare, the need to band together against their fearsome foe outweighing petty disputes.
The light Magi's domain was a magnet for wandering Magi and deserters, offering a plethora of factions to join, each with its own allure and steep price.
The top-tier organizations, Ennea Ivory Ring Tower and Mercifura Academy, stood as the pinnacle, their requirements as harsh as they were rewarding—demanding a portion of a Magus's spirit and an unbreakable vow, a steep cost for the unparalleled benefits they offered.
Below them, Four Seasons Garden was more accessible, its founders' vision of advancing potion-making arts leading to laxer entry conditions, making it a haven for those skilled in Potioneering.
The Hand of Femke and Human Faced Lions Eye catered to half-humans, though rumors of discrimination against pure humans swirled, their ranks dominated by those with mixed blood.
Aide Society, meanwhile, focused on positive energy magic, their light Magi renowned for healing, a beacon for those inclined toward benevolence.
Leylin had settled into a villa in the heart of Nightless City, a sprawling estate in the third zone, its stone walls etched with protective runes that glowed faintly in the eternal glow of the city's orbs.
His laboratory, a cavernous chamber beneath the villa, was a testament to his relentless pursuit of knowledge, its air thick with the metallic tang of alloys and the faint stench of decay.
The room was a chaotic symphony of science and magic, its walls lined with shelves holding vials of shimmering liquids, ancient tomes, and jars of preserved specimens, their glassy eyes staring blankly into the dim light. Small mechanical chips littered the floor, their surfaces etched with runes, humming faintly with latent energy.
Scattered among them were magical alloys and metals, Neuroblock, a dull grey metal that blocked brain waves, its surface smooth and cold; Spiritforge, a silvery alloy ideal for spiritual force ruin circuits, its edges glinting with a faint blue hue; Transatron, a coppery metal designed for transmitting information, its surface warm to the touch; and Conductra, a gleaming black conductor, its raw power evident in the faint sparks that danced across its surface.
The laboratory was a macabre workshop, its stone tables stained with dried blood, surrounded by the corpses of animals, humans, and demi-humans, their bodies preserved for experimentation, their lifeless forms a grim reminder of Leylin's ruthlessness.
A wolf-like demi-human lay on one table, its fur matted with blood, its chest carved open, while a human's severed arm rested nearby, its fingers curled as if reaching for life. The air was heavy, the scent of death mingling with the sharp bite of chemicals, a testament to Leylin's unyielding ambition.
Leylin stood at the central table, his figure shrouded in a white apron stained with faint red streaks, a mask covering his face, its surface a stark white that contrasted with his cold, black eyes. In his hand, he held a delicate tweezer, its tips gleaming in the dim light of the laboratory's glowing orbs.
Before him lay Lancey, unconscious on the table, her body still, her blue hair splayed across the stone, a stark contrast to her pale, exposed scalp.
Her skull had been opened, a piece carefully removed, revealing the glistening brain matter beneath, its pink and grey folds shimmering faintly with latent magical energy.
Leylin's gaze was clinical, his expression devoid of emotion as he peered into the exposed organ, his mind sharp with purpose.
"A.I. Chip, scan the brain and point the frontal lobe and prefrontal area, also scan for the limbic system and draw a diagram," Leylin commanded, his voice flat, a hint of focus in his tone as he adjusted the tweezer in his grip.
[Beep! Initiating brain scan… Analyzing memory areas… Dividing cerebrum into Brodmann areas… Accounting for differences between human and Magi brain structures… Recalibrating…] The A.I. Chip's interface flared in Leylin's vision, a holographic display overlaying his retina, mapping Lancey's brain in intricate detail.
The cerebrum was segmented into numbered Brodmann areas, the diagram adjusting for the heightened neural pathways typical of a Magi's brain, which pulsed with spiritual force, their structures more complex than a human's.
The desired areas—the frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and limbic system—were highlighted in red, glowing brightly on the screen, their boundaries sharp against the grey backdrop of the brain's map.
Leylin's hands moved with precision, a small blade in his other hand cutting through the protective dura and separator, dissecting two gyri with surgical accuracy, the brain matter parting under his steady touch.
He lowered the tweezer, its tips holding a tiny metallic piece, a minichip crafted from Spiritforge and Conductra, its surface etched with runes that pulsed faintly. With a gentle motion, he placed the minichip into Lancey's prefrontal cortex, the metal glinting as it settled into the neural tissue, a faint hum emanating from it as it made contact.
"A.I. Chip, begin initiation, connect the automated server to the minichip," Leylin ordered, his voice steady, a flicker of anticipation in his tone as he watched the procedure unfold.
[Beep! Initiating… Rechecking brain signals, conductor pathway, magical viability, connecting minichip to main server to upload commands and data. Connection progress: 1%… 2%… 10%… 25%… 40%… 51%…] The A.I. Chip's updates scrolled across Leylin's vision, the percentage climbing steadily, the minichip glowing brighter as it integrated with Lancey's brain, its runes flaring with energy.
Suddenly, Lancey's body jolted, a violent seizure overtaking her, her limbs shaking thunderously, the table rattling beneath her.
The minichip sparked, its surface chipping as if on the verge of exploding, a high-pitched whine filling the air, the glow turning an ominous red.
Leylin's eyes narrowed, his hands moving swiftly as he began to incant a magical chant, his voice rising with fervent intensity, each syllable laced with power.
A blue protective film shimmered into existence, enveloping Lancey, its cool energy neutralizing her condition, her shaking subsiding as the film stabilized her neural activity.
Leylin continued chanting, his voice unwavering, sweat beading on his brow as the A.I. Chip's connection progress climbed—60%… 75%… 90%…—finally reaching completion.
[Beep! Connection established. Data File 1 and Library Level 1, assisting A.I. technology Level 1 uploaded successfully.]
"Show her stats," Leylin commanded, his voice calm but edged with curiosity as he stepped back, his hands steady despite the intensity of the moment.
[Beep! Lancey Evans. Minichip #1 server. Age: 36. Meditation techniques: Azure Flow. Strength: 6.8. Agility: 5.2. Vitality: 7.1. Spiritual Force: 29. Elemental Conversion: 7% (Water).]
Leylin glanced at the stats, his expression unchanging, a faint satisfaction in his eyes as he removed his mask and apron, placing them on a nearby table, the fabric stained with faint traces of blood.
He pressed a button on the wall, a soft chime echoing through the laboratory, summoning Anna. She appeared swiftly, her blonde hair tied back, her expression deferential as she bowed, her hands clasped before her.
"Close her up and move her to the resting chambers," Leylin said, his voice flat, a hint of indifference in his tone as he glanced at Lancey's exposed skull. "Also apply Vikrat lotion to help recover her hair. I quite liked her sapphire-like hair—her bald head is hideous."
"As your command, Master," Anna replied, a flicker of obedience in her eyes as she nodded.
Leylin left the room, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor, while Anna set to work, carefully placing the piece of Lancey's skull back into position, suturing the incision with precise stitches, her hands steady despite the gruesome task.
She then lifted Lancey gently, placing her in a strecher and carrying her to the resting chambers, where she stationed a few maids to tend to her, their movements quiet as they applied the lotion, the scent of herbs filling the air.
Two days later, Lancey stood in her chambers, donned in a tight robe that hugged her curves, a leather suit beneath accentuating her form, her lustrous blue hair cascading over her shoulders, restored to its former glory, the sapphire strands shimmering in the light.
She looked mesmerizing, her beauty a stark contrast to the vulnerability of her surgery, her eyes sharp with determination as she prepared to carry out Leylin's orders.
She made her way to the second level of the communal center in Nightless City, a towering structure resembling a gargantuan palm, its architecture a marvel of white stone and glowing runes.
The level buzzed with activity, Magi scurrying in and out like ants, their robes a kaleidoscope of colors, their voices a low hum of negotiation and inquiry.
Lancey entered through a passage resembling the thumb, her thoughts swirling with the orders Leylin had given her the previous night, along with the 'present' now embedded in her brain.
She had awoken after the surgery, her mind clouded with hesitation, the realization of being an experimental subject weighing heavily on her.
Yet, with her soul branded by Leylin, she had little choice but to trust her master, resignation settling into her as she accepted her fate.
After she woke up, a blue interface screen had appeared before her eyes, its glow startling her, a monotonous, cold mechanical voice echoing in her mind.
[Beep! Booting minichip and certifying Host credentials… Host confirmed. Welcome, Lancey Evans! Congratulations, you are the bearer of Minichip #1 server.]
"This…" Lancey had whispered, her voice trembling with bewilderment, the unfamiliar sensation of something speaking in her head sending a shiver down her spine.
A slight pain throbbed in her skull, her spiritual force stirring unwillingly, the oddity of the experience overwhelming her senses.
[Beep! Minichip is a gift bestowed upon you by your Master Leylin Farlier. The functions of the minichip are to analyze and store data. The basic manual is ready to be played by the host whenever affirmed. The minichip can also connect with the main server. Your stored data and experiences can be directly uploaded onto it. The minichip can also be used as an imprint to communicate.]
The minichip was Leylin's latest invention, a watered-down version of his A.I. Chip, designed for those soul-branded by him, resonating with the fragment of his soul within Lancey's spiritual consciousness.
Any attempt to pry into its secrets would trigger a self-destruct program, killing the host, a failsafe Leylin had engineered with ruthless precision.
He had given it to Lancey to aid her infiltration of Four Seasons Garden, an organization renowned for Potioneering, its lax entry requirements a perfect opportunity for Leylin's ambitions.
Lancey, though no genius in potion-making, would benefit from the minichip's analytical capabilities, ensuring her success where talent alone would fail.
Leylin sought the ancient Potioneering formulas and vast libraries of Four Seasons Garden, their knowledge a treasure trove for his A.I. Chip's database.
The organization's oath prevented members from divulging such information, but the minichip bypassed this restriction, uploading data directly to Leylin's main server, exploiting a loophole in the oath's enforcement—a Rank 2 Magus summons trial eye, certainly not omnipotent, and can be circumvented, and since the A.I. Chip's existence is a mystery from such Magi, it shielded Leylin from suspicion.
As Lancey moved through the communal center, her mission clear, the weight of her new role settled into her, her beauty a mask for the dangerous game she now played in Leylin's name.