(Previous chapter - Gauge and the gang reached the chamber of truth. A little bit of argument broke out between Gauge and Var, until they all heard an explosion in the neighbouring room.)
Everyone rushed towards the source of the explosion. A room filled with electronic gadgets and holographic schematics came into view. The explosion created quite a smoke. From the smoke emerged a man of short stature. He was bald and about 5 feet tall. He was wearing large round glasses, yet his physique seemed capable. He noticed them rushing in, adjusted his glasses, and spoke in a bold manly voice,"I do not know who you all are, neither do I care. As you can see, I am working on my experimen—"
He was grabbed and slammed against the wall. His head was pressed against the brick—crack—his skull started cracking."Wh…ooo a..re youu? Please let me…be."
Xerxes screamed with a godly voice, his eyes glowing blue,"You destroyed my soul and now dare to destroy another innocent soul? We are not your lab rats."
The wall cracked as he increased his pressure.
Var looked at Gauge and urged him,"Quick, do something, he's going to die!"
Gauge leapt to weigh down Xerxes' arm. Zzrrrrr—too late. The scientist was smashed. But to their surprise, they found out it was a robot. The real Dr. Gabriel was sitting in a chair, his brain neuro-linked with the robot. He was furious and spoke out,"For one, I do not even know you.Two! I realize you are talking about Marcus. He volunteered himself.Three! I offered to cure him, considering the experiment was a disaster."
Xerxes' glowing eyes slowly faded, revealing his resentful gaze. He apologized,"I am truly sorry. The word experiment really stirred up some bad memories."
Var looked back and forth at Marcus and asked,"Wait… Cure? They were separated into two beings. Doesn't that mean it was a success?"
Gabriel swayed his head at Marcus,"You didn't tell them, did you, Marcus?"
The entire gang was confused. Gauge stepped forward and asked,"Tell us what? What is going on here?"
Gabriel removed his glasses, looked at the floor beneath him, and sighed,"Huuuuhhh… well, the consciousness was divided nonetheless. But it wasn't perfect. Ideally, all emotions were to be shared equally within the two beings. Due to the accident, there was a flaw.
(Everyone looked at the Golden Champion as if they knew where the flaw was. Gabriel also looked at him.) While 'Aeropiercer' here received the expressions and cockiness, his counterpart received pain and silence."
Pin-drop silence. Xerxes was the one who could relate the most, left to live with constant suffering with no way to escape. The feeling is completely strange to me, he thought to himself. Var replied,"That is horrible! While Swift-boots here got to feel the rush of battle without regret, the poor guy had to follow orders and yet suffer in silence."
Var felt bad for defeating him. The sense of letting his people down must have been particularly worse for him.
Gabriel's electronics followed him. He sat on them and continued,"When I knew the side effects, I immediately started to work on a cure. I reverse-engineered the soul prism. I offered to cure him and free the big one from his sufferings. But it was too late. The self-entitled nature of the fast one grew worse over time. He only cared about winning."
Aeropiercer stepped up,"And that's why I sought you. Anything you say won't make me feel bad now, and you know that. But let's fix this. Cure me and free my other self from its torment."
Gabriel nodded his head and responded,"I am glad you came to your senses. Follow me. The Anti Soul Prism is right ahead."
Var placed his arm on Marcus' shoulder,"A brave choice, my friend. Don't worry. We will put an end to that demon haunting your planet and free your people."
Aeropiercer smiled, then followed Gabriel with the Champion behind him.
Moments later…
Both Aeropiercer and the Champion removed their armour. They both entered the Anti Soul Prism—a large hemispherical vessel filled with mechanisms. Everywhere, tubes with gate energy flowed in liquid form, powering the prism. The sliding doors opened apart.
The Champion walked in first. Aero, before stepping in, looked back at Var. The latter nodded his head, approving his decision. Aero walked in, and the prism door closed behind him.
Gabriel set up the process on his holographic monitor. The prism started vibrating *zrrrrrrr* The flow gate fluid increased gradually.Gabriel then turned around and spoke,
"Well, let's welcome you all properly, shall we? My name is Dr. Gabriel Klyne. Expert in mortal biology and PhD in Interdimensional Sciences. I am also doing a major in artificial intelligence. Let me show you around the Chamber of Truth and a little bit of my prototypes."
Gabriel started walking alongside Var, Gauge, and Xerxes.
Feryx was a bit interested. She spoke,"Hello doctor. I am also an artificial intelligence you created. Remember me? I am Feryx."
Gabriel's eyes widened. He responded as they walked,"Ahh! Feryx? The AI I created for Thor's daughter—Thrudd's own blade. What are you doing here?"
Feryx sighed and responded,"After the girl inherited Mjolnir, she gave me to Magni, her brother. That bastard sold me to a vendor for 700 units! Can you believe that?"
Var was astounded. He quickly responded,"Wait! Thor, Thrudd, Magni? You are an Asgardian weapon? The vendor said you were made from the spine of some dinosaur."
Feryx answered,"That damn bastard didn't know who I am. He wouldn't have had to lie if he did. I was forged from the star of Nidavellir." (She now continued talking with Gabriel.) "This duo brought me from Vel Kartha marketplace."
Var thought to himself: Asgardians are top-tier weapons. They are not normally for sale, and even if one does end up in the market, it would cost more than 30,000 gate units to buy. This is a steal, he thought, as he looked at Gauge, who had no idea what was going on.
Gauge remarked as he held up Feryx high,"So you are powerful. That's good!"
All four reached Veyr's platform yet again. Var spoke,"If you are going to show us your AI assistant, don't bother. We've actually explored its options."
Gabriel smiled and called out,"Veyr, boot up."
Veyr powered up, popped out, and responded,"Good evening, doctor. Emerald pass activated. What would you like to explore today?"
Gabriel thought for a second and then prompted,"Activate Beta Programme 7."
Veyr's figure disappeared. The platform powered up and elevated. Veyr's voice resonated,"Activating Beta Programme 7: Advanced Analyzer."
A holographic cylindrical wall appeared around the platform.
Gabriel then asked,"So, who would like to go first?"
Next chapter – Mythical Flames and The End of Existence.