Some time passed.
An hour later, Rob and Steven were walking side by side.
"Rob, what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. Maybe analyze some SCPs with Guide so he can get some experience."
"Can I go with you? I also want to see how it classifies SCPs."
"Sure, but I think you need to ask Bright about that."
"Sure, I'll do it."
"Speaking of the devil, look who's here."
Both looked at Bright, who was walking toward them.
"Guide, analyze him."
[Name: Jack Bright][Realm: Mortal][RW: 1][Classification: A completely normal human, albeit more intelligent than the rest. Badly wants to die.]
Looking at the screen, Steven looked quite amazed.
"Looks pretty normal. Except for the dying thing."
"Yeah, that's how it is for most normal people."
Bright approached them.
"Hey, both of you, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing, just looking at your analysis on this floating screen."
Steven answered while pointing at the screen.
"Floating screen? What are you talking about?"
Bright gazed at where Steven was pointing.
"…You can't see it?"
"…Rob, what are you two talking about? I guess it has something to do with you."
Bright turned to Rob.
"Well… think of it as an analyzer. It can show information about anything you want to know."
"Why can't I see it?"
"I guess it's only visible to me as its creator, and to Steven, who also helped create it."
Bright alternated his gaze between both of them.
"Can I see it?"
Taking Rob's nod as approval, Guide became visible to Bright.
Startled by the sudden floating screen, Bright looked at it intently.
Then he looked at his own results on the screen.
"And what do those things represent?"
"Well, you see…"
…
After Rob and Steven explained the whole thing, besides cursing at Rob for creating something out of thin air again, Bright became curious about how the many SCPs would be classified.
"I'll help you. Let's go see how that works."
For some reason, Bright was even more curious than Rob and Steven.
Both of them looked at each other and followed him.
…
In front of a familiar door, with a sign on its side saying "SCP-173."
"Let's start with our familiar guy."
Entering the viewing room, Bright couldn't wait to begin testing that so-called Guide.
Why was he so excited?
Imagine if random overpowered things started appearing all over the world, and you didn't even know their scale or power until many people died.
The Foundation had found a way to contain those anomalies after a great deal of sacrifice.
But even then, they still didn't fully understand the limits of many of the anomalies they had contained.
At least with this "Guide" in place, the Foundation could start classifying them with more accuracy and save time on tests.
"Guide, analyze that thing!"
…
…
[Access denied. Not enough authorization.]
"…"
"…"
COUGH
Bright, a little embarrassed, turned to Rob, asking him with a glare to analyze the SCP.
"Right… Guide, analyze that SCP statue-looking thing."
[Name: SCP-173]
[Realm: Awakened]
[Type: AR | RW: 2]
[A hostile anomalous statue-like entity. Physically destroyable through sufficient conventional force, but its lethality comes from its Absolute Rule rather than durability. Incapable of movement while directly observed. Once unobserved, it moves at speeds beyond normal human reaction and attacks instantly, usually by destroying the target's neck—or the nearest equivalent vital structure.]
[Conclusion: Low realm. Extremely annoying to deal with.]
As the trio looked at the screen, Bright nodded.
"That's exactly what the Foundation has on it."
Then he turned to Rob.
"So, how accurate is it?"
"I guess you could say 99%."
After answering, Rob looked at Guide.
"Hey Guide, everything alright? How was your first analysis?"
[Everything is alright, Mr. Rob.]
"Just call me Rob."
[Understood, Rob.]
As creator and creation were talking, Bright finished writing and sending some report up.
"Let's try the next one. Another familiar face, and then we get to the new ones."
Bright led the trio to another SCP.
…
Inside another test room, this time Rob was alone, standing in front of the familiar pale guy.
"Guide, analyze him and also show it on Steven's screen."
[Name: SCP-096]
[Realm: Ascended (Dormant) | Transcendent (Awakened)]
[Type: AR | RW: 3]
[An anomalous humanoid entity with extreme conditional lethality. Its passive state remains physically containable, but once its trigger condition is fulfilled—direct viewing of its face—it enters a pursuit state where conventional limitations become increasingly irrelevant. Distance, terrain, and resistance cease to function as reliable defenses. Its bones are made of Ancestral Metal, making them as durable as a star.]
[Conclusion: If triggered, your options are prayer and regret.]
Rob was intrigued by the report.
"What is that last line about? Ancestral Metal?"
[It is a metal found in [][][][][][], used in the creation of many anomalies called SCPs.]
"Why did you censor it?"
[Sorry, Rob, but saying the original name will make it detect us, and that is going to be annoying.]
"Fair enough. Let's go."
…
Outside the containment chamber
The silence felt heavy
Bright was still staring at the screen, cold sweat slowly sliding down his back.
"What does... Ancestral Metal means? Tell me its just a different type of iron"
Steven looked just as troubled
"I... honestly dont know, lets wait for Rob"
"Okay... fine, lets wait for him"
Bright exhaled slowly.
He tried to stay calm, but his mind was already running through too many possibilities.
It was at this moment, that Rob appeared out of thin air.
Bright inmediatly glared at him
"Rob, tell me, what that line means?"
He points at 'Ancentral Metal' on the screen
Rob looked at it once, then at Bright.
"Guide, explain it for them"
[It is a material found in [][][][][][], used in the creation of multiple anomalous entities classified by your Foundation as SCPs.]
After the getting the answer, Bright looked like a statue
"You okay man?"
Steven looked concerned
"..."
Without answering, Bright turned around, pulled out another report, and started writing.
And a red MAXIMUM PRIORITY could be seen on top of it
As Rob looked at the report, he let out a sigh
"I guess this means bad news."
...
Some time later, Rob stood in front of a very familiar-looking chef's knife.
Looking at the floating screen, he could see its data.
[Name: SCP-668]
[Realm: Mortal]
[Type: AR | RW: 3]
[An anomalous kitchen knife with a deceptively ordinary appearance. Its true danger does not come not from physical damage, but from the rule attached to it. Once the wielder forms genuine intent to kill a chosen target, resistance around that outcome begins to collapse. Escape routes fail, interventions arrive too late, protection becomes unreliable, and coincidence itself seems to favor the act of murder. The victim may still struggle, but reality increasingly aligns with the inevitability of their death rather than their survival.]
[Its blade is forged from traces of Ancestral Metal, making it nearly indestructible and able to distort causality.]
[Conclusion: A kitchen knife with excellent work ethic and deeply concerning commitment issues.]
"That metal again…"
This time, Rob wasn't alone inside the chamber.
Bright and Steven were beside him.
Steven looked serious, but still mostly unaffected.
Bright, however, looked more and more concerned.
"Rob… please tell me it's wrong."
Looking directly into his eyes, Rob answered.
"It's wrong."
"…Really?"
"No."
"…"
Looking utterly defeated, Bright already looked prepared for several weeks of arguing with his superiors.
"I gotta go, Rob. Please, if you find more of these, make a report and send it to my desk."
"Sure. Just try not to let your imagination run too freely with the theories."
Bright left without another word.
Turning around, Rob was about to speak with Steven when—
He disappeared.
And Guide reacted instantly.
[Detected: Co-Creator transported to another universe.]
Rob blinked.
"…Well, that's new."
He looked at the floating screen.
"Guide, show me Steven's view."
[Connecting…]
...
It was happening again.
Honestly, Steven wasn't even surprised anymore.
[Detected sudden change of reality.]
[Adjusting…]
[Unknown energy detected… Searching database… Comparing…]
[New energy classified as: Mana.]
Before Steven could even properly look around, the loud messages had already stolen his attention.
"Hey, Guide. Nice to see you."
Smiling slightly, Steven felt better.
At least this time, he wasn't completely alone.
[Please look around before getting sentimental. We are in danger.]
Snapping out of it, Steven quickly glanced around.
Trees.
Bushes.
Grass.
A forest again.
'It seems forests are just my destiny at this point.'
crack
The sound of a broken twig instantly made his body tense.
Prepared for anything, he pulled a knife from his military jeans.
Yes, he always carried one.
He wanted a gun, but the Foundation had only approved the knife.
After a few seconds…
Nothing.
Steven exhaled.
"False alarm."
Still, the thick bushes ahead made walking difficult.
With a small sigh, he used the knife to cut through some branches blocking his path.
The blade wasn't amazing, but it was enough to clear the way.
"At least you're useful for something," he muttered to the knife.
Now slightly more relaxed—but still very much on guard—he started walking.
Moving past bushes, branches, and too many insects.
Then he felt it.
Something different.
A few minutes later, he stopped in front of a strange glowing plant.
Blue.
Softly shining.
Weird enough to absolutely avoid touching if this had happened a few months ago.
But things were different now.
Now he had Guide.
"Guide, analyze that plant."
[Analyzing…]
[Name: Wild Triocus]
[Description: A glowing blue plant commonly found in mana-rich forests of magical worlds. Highly valuable and primarily used by magical alchemists to create mana awakening potions, often required for mage awakening rituals. Raw consumption carries approximately a 5% chance of mana awakening. By comparison, a perfect-quality awakening potion may raise that probability to nearly 50%.]
Steven stared at it.
"That's…"
"Guide, can I just pick it up?"
[Yes, but it will deteriorate quickly unless a specific container is prepared.]
"What happens if I eat it?"
[You either awaken mana with a 5% chance, or awaken a terrible stomach ache.]
"…It works. If it's just pain, then I'm fine trying."
Steven walked toward it, and with a quick pull—
swoosh
The plant was in his hand.
Without wasting time, Steven put it in his mouth.
Crunch
After a few seconds, he had eaten the entire plant.
"…"
[...]
After a few minutes…
Nothing.
sigh
"It seems I'm not lucky. I hope the pain is not too bad."
Right on time, the pain came.
"Ugh… I feel sick, but it's bearable."
[If you really want to, there must be many more of the same plant around here.]
"Yeah… if I can't do it on the first try, then let's find another one."
After saying that, Steven continued walking.
...
two hours later
[Human, are you alive?]
"Shut it… I'm dying…"
After eating about ten Wild Triocus plants, his stomach was killing him.
The worst part?
He didn't even feel like going to the bathroom, so he was just in constant pain without any way to solve it.
A few meters in front of him lay another Triocus.
Crawling, he slowly started approaching it.
"Just… the last one…"
After a few minutes, he finally reached it and—
Crunch
As soon as he ate it, he started agonizing on the floor.
The pain this time felt different.
It was like something was being unlocked inside of him.
Time flowed slowly while he suffered.
A few minutes that felt like hours.
Finally, it stopped.
He felt tired…
and refreshed.
He could feel something in the air, entering his body.
"Is this… mana?"
[Congratulations. After more than ten tries, you got it. Your luck is horrible. ]
"…Ha… yeah, my luck is the worst, but at least it's turning for the better."
With a smile, Steven was feeling this new energy when suddenly his vision shifted.
Now he was in front of Rob, who was looking at him like he was some sort of weirdo.
"…What are you looking at?"
Still half on the ground, Steven looked back at him.
"Man, what was all that about trying to survive? You literally risked your life for that plant."
Crossing his arms, Rob smirked at him.
"…I wanted to try… to change something. To get something to fight back."
"And you made it."
Smiling in response, Steven immediately fainted. After hours of pain, his mental state was barely holding together.
Shaking his head, Rob teleported him back to his bed, then looked at the empty hallway.
"Well then, it seems everyone is having their fun. Bright got a new topic to discuss (existential crisis) and Steven got new powers (Literally fainted from pain) It seems I need to do something now…"
Rob thought about the restricted area they had tried to stop him from entering.
Smiling, he started walking.
Destination:
Restricted part of the Foundation.