Author's Note:
For reasons that I don't fully understand, even I, who am the sole writer and creator of this project, have decided to write this work.
Chronologically, this story is written when the Arknights storyline has ended and the Arknights: Endfield storyline is about to begin.
Ps. I'm really looking forward to playing Arknights: Endfield.
Pss. After this experiment, I'll be working on writing the first chapter of FGO X Arknights, aka [The Medic House - Rhodes Island: Infected, Rebels, Heroes]
After that, I will bring Arknights X Overlord, aka [Kaleidoscope Adventure (Overlord): Colossus of Babel] to life.
XXX
Story Title: The Cave - Pocket Plane: Civilight Eterna & Daedalus Cube (Short Stories)
Plot: The cure for Oripathy has been invented, time has moved forward, and the people of Terra prepare to colonize Talos-II. While everyone looks to the future, a Traveler looks back, remembering old friends and the ancient treasures of the Teekaz, especially a certain black crown. Would using the gifts of the past for the future be a bad thing?
XXX
Story Arc: The Awakening of the Crown
Episode 1: Old and new friends
Chapter 1: An Artist and His Masterpiece
Plot: Civilight Eterna wakes up in a strange place, her memory hazy, but she meets a friendly face who gives her some disconcerting answers.
XXX
POV Narrator
The Omni-verse is a place whose vastness is incomprehensible to the most enlightened minds of mortal history or the all-powerful God-Kings of great pantheons.
From a higher or completely alien perspective, all worlds that have come into being naturally are simple spheres of glass.
Worlds that have been artificially created can be described as spheres of clay, always in need of maintenance or energy from a powerful being so as not to deteriorate beyond recognition and eventually be wiped out.
Finally, the last category is Bubble Worlds, which are born by pure chance, occupy tiny spaces compared to real worlds, and are fragile and ephemeral.
It's obvious why Bubble Worlds are named after soap bubbles.
But if someone is smart enough, strong enough, or has the right tools, they could create and maintain a bubble world for an indeterminate amount of time, with a fraction of the effort and expense of maintaining an artificial world.
The Black Crown would awaken from its slumber in one of these Bubble Worlds.
XXX
The Cave is the name of this small-scale Bubble World, occupying the dimensional space of a large estate.
This place can be simply described as a balanced combination of Batman's Batcave and Daedalus' labyrinth.
A complex underground tunnel, the only sources of light are cylindrical neon panels installed on the walls, stalactites covered in fluorescent moss, and the lights emitted by the numerous equipment scattered throughout the corridors and rooms of this place.
Size-wise, the Cave is located on the lower level, one of the largest Bubble Worlds is the size of a single city, while the smallest one has enough space for a single house.
In a room that is obviously a laboratory of some sort focused on the study of the Originium and Teekaz artifacts, there is some sort of device resembling a glowing circular platform.
Sitting in the center of the device is a sort of black crown; despite its primitive appearance, it is one of the most advanced pieces of technology in the entire cave.
The lights emitted by the device changed from black to red, particles of exotic energy were sent to the black corona.
Slowly, the artifact began to come to life, the first sign being a faint glow of light. A sign that something, no, someone, was awakening.
Like a ghost materializing or a soul returning from the afterlife, a humanoid figure begins to appear on the platform.
For the first few minutes, the phenomenon could be described as a trick of the light or something created with smoke and mirrors.
As time passed, the phenomenon became something that could not be accused of being false.
A semi-transparent, vaguely human-shaped blob has become solid and a detailed reproduction of a certain female founder of Babel.
The "person" that appeared has the appearance of a beautiful woman of the Sarkaz race.
164 centimeters tall, with long pale pink hair, two long, thin, straight black horns emerge from the sides of her head.
The woman's eyes are a light pink, perfectly matching her hair. Beyond their color, they convey kindness, sadness, wisdom, and above all, confusion and wonder.
This woman wears a simple, yet elegantly aristocratic white dress, with black sections around the neck and sleeves.
A small detail of the dress is a small diamond-shaped neckline, positioned between the black and white sections of the dress.
Above the left shoulder is a piece of light armor, silver in color with a small black diamond-shaped decoration, this piece of armor is crafted to be a piece of art.
Above the heart area there is an accessory in the shape of an X with a round orange stone in the center, two small silver cylinders are present on the X, one down and one up.
On the woman's bare hands are ten simple silver rings.
Finally, she wears black boots, with frills, silver soles and a silver diamond-shaped buckle.
This "person" looks exactly like the deceased Theresa, but it is not her.
"Where am I?" asks the pink-haired woman, placing a hand on her chest, feeling a strange sensation inside her.
"Amiya, Doctor, Kal'tsit, Mon3tr, where are you?" Theresa asks in reply, looking around for her close friends.
Before the Sarkaz woman could step down from the platform and figure out where she was, an androgynous voice was heard in the darkness.
"People die when they are killed; death comes to everyone; you only have one life, use it wisely. Words that everyone considers inviolable laws that apply to everyone." declares the androgynous voice, seeming to come from every dark corner of the room/cave.
"Who's talking?" asks Civilight Eterna, she looks around, but sees nothing in the shadows of the laboratory.
But she is not alone, someone is in this room.
"But these laws of the universe are like mortal laws, they can be broken, ignored, and shattered, if you're strong enough, smart enough, or if you have the right connections, or just plain luck, as in your case." The androgynous voice explains, exposing its thoughts on the matter.
"Show yourself." Civilight Eterna said, in a calm voice.
The pink-haired woman may be in a strange and unfamiliar place, but she has faced worse and seen worse in her long life, which exceeds 13,000 years.
"DWDB-221E; The Black Crown; Civilight Eterna; after a long time we meet again." Said the androgynous voice, pronouncing all the pink-haired woman's names.
DWDB-221E, its lesser-known name, the identified number of its creators, the Predecessors, an extremely advanced alien race.
The Black Crown, its best known name, a title used by the Teekaz/Sarkaz to describe its simplest form.
Civilight Eterna, his true name, known only to his Rhodes Island allies and close friends such as Amiya, Doctor and Kal'tsit.
"How do you know my name?" Civilight Eterna asks, raising her voice.
Globes of red light appeared in the pink-haired woman's hands, a sign that depending on her response, the situation could become violent.
"You told me to call yourself that." The androgynous voice declares, stepping out of the shadows.
The person who spoke is a 175 centimeters tall individual, with a lean and slim physique, some might call him bony.
Her face is characterized by soft, delicate features, thin eyelashes, and facial features reminiscent of Artoria Pendragon or Morgan Le Fay, some of her ancestors through her maternal grandmother.
Thanks to these two characteristics, it is easy to mistake him for a girl, and his androgynous and pleasant voice doesn't help.
Her skin color is light purple/white, smooth and free of blemishes.
Her hair is a light lilac, almost white, and very long, left loose for now, but a fringe covers her left eye as always.
The right eye is visible and has a fluorescent purple color with the pupil of a raptor.
Its ears are long and pointed, like those of an elf.
The androgynous-voiced individual has physical features reminiscent of a dragon or demon: two large, curved amethyst-colored horns on top of his head, a long tail covered in amethyst-colored scales, and bat-like wings folded for soaring.
Finally, he wears a tight lavender jumpsuit, with black armor pieces on various parts of his body.
"Saver?" Civilight Eterna mutters, recognizing the person who emerged from the darkness.
Codename, Saver; Real Name Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont; an Elite Operator from Rhodes Island, Caster Class.
Civilight Eterna feels a moment of happiness and relief at seeing a familiar face, but it doesn't last long, because this individual is Saver.
Despite his codename, he is not a pure and righteous individual like a Holy Knight, quite the opposite.
Kal'tsit himself classified Saver as a dangerous individual who must be monitored at all times when he set foot on the Earthship at Rhodes Island.
Saver is a warrior who loves war and battle, a one-man army who has no fear or hesitation in eliminating the enemy in the fastest, most brutal, and most efficient ways possible, all with a monotone expression or a rare smile on his face.
Outside of missions, he was known for being paranoid, always walking around armed, and having an eccentric, dominant, paranoid, and even unstable personality at times.
A great boss, a terrible subordinate, and a (reluctant) womanizer who is as successful with women as the Doctor, perhaps even more so because of certain men he has won over.
Many people asked Kal'tsit why Saver wasn't banned from Rhodes Island because of his problematic personality.
Especially when it was discovered that she had sex in Kal'tsit's room, in Kal'tsit's bed, with Operator Nero who she was dressed in Kal'tsit's everyday attire.
Kal'tsit explained many times the three reasons why he allowed Saver to work with Rhodes Island.
First, Saver is simply too good and too useful a fighter and commander. He completed every assignment he was given, with minimal casualties among his subordinates and maximum damage to his enemies.
Second, Saver is a genius, not only in matters of war, but also in science. A true polymath who has contributed greatly to medical research on Rhodes Island. In just a few years, his work has improved treatments for Oripathy, and the life expectancy of some infected individuals has doubled. While some cases could die of old age or Oripathy.
Three, Saver is the leader of the Black Cabal, a small group of only a few dozen individuals, but each of them was an individual of extraordinary strength or an unparalleled genius in their field. Removing Saver means depriving Rhodes of a box full of silver bullets and a flock of the greatest minds ever discovered.
For these reasons and more, Civilight Eterna is taking a cautious approach towards Saver, knowing that he can be a valuable ally or a terrifying foe.
"Saver." Operator Caster pronounces his codename nostalgically.
"I haven't used that name in a long time, lately I've been going by Traveler." The lavender-haired man announces his new name.
"He changed his name, which means there's been a profound change in him. I remember very well that Saver was proud of his codename, declaring it his right to use it because of his past actions. But changing his name from Saver to Traveler must have a story behind it." Thinks Civilight Eterna, having a great deal of experience with certain character changes in people.
"Traveler." Civilight Eterna decided to use the new name, wanting to avoid stepping on a long-buried landmine.
"Am I in the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon or somewhere else?" asks Civilight Eterna, aware that the Black Cabal has a certain secret mobile base controlled by Operator Assassin, aka Semiramis.
Traveler slowly moves his head left and right negative sign.
"Nice try, but you're wrong, you're not in Semiramis's fortress." Traveler replies.
The Operator Caster hides a trace of amusement in the pink-haired woman he believes Semiramis can decorate her palace like a cave.
'So where am I? In a secondary hideout? Kal'tsit mentioned that Saver/Traveler was using Nero's business operations to set up secret bases disguised as boutiques and bars in Syracuse.' Civilight Eterna ponders her possible location.
"Feel honored, Eternal Civilight, you are inside the Cave, one of my safest and most secret hideouts ever." Traveler said, making a dramatic gesture with his hands, waving his wing like a cape.
"A cave? Because I'm not surprised by that, you've repeatedly demonstrated an affinity for being underground." Civilight Eterna said, remembering reading reports of Saver using underground tunnels or subway bombs to get out or into a hot zone.
"This place isn't just a cave, more of a dimension in itself, rather small by Bubble Worlds standards, but it fulfills its purpose." Traveler explains that the two of them are somewhere outside of the world.
"Like the Assimilated Universe or one of the worlds within the paintings of Dusk?" Civilight Eterna asks, knowing that there are means to create a pocket dimension.
"Closer to the latter than the former, this place is safe for those invited." Traveler said, unable to compare his Cave to the Assimilated Universe.
The two of them are simply on different levels in terms of size and complexity.
"Is it just the two of us in your cave?" Civilight Eterna asks, wanting to know if she is alone or if there is an Operator from Rhodes Island somewhere in the cave.
"Civilight Eterna, have you forgotten? I am never alone." Traveler declares, as if it were some kind of rule or warning.
"I've heard this phrase 357 times," Civilight Eterna comments, not exaggerating as to the count.
"You'll hear it over and over again," Traveler said, confident he'll continue to use this phrase.
"Good. If we're not alone, who else is in this Cave besides the two of us?" asks Civilight Eterna.
"In the Cave kitchen are my ancestor's Heroic Spirit, Morgan Le Fay, and my fourth friend, Paimon. We are four people, five if you count the Artificial Intelligence, Shockwave, who helps me with my experiments." Traveler replies, having nothing to hide.
The pink-haired woman's eyes widened. Traveler's statement that she has a friend is shocking to Civilight Eterna.
"You've made a friend, you the one who rejected Amiya's friendship, calling her just Mash's friend and a case to be studied closely." Civilight Eterna said, talking about when Saver was "mean" to Amiya.
Traveler crosses his arms, his expression a perfect poker face, but there's a hint of annoyance in his gaze.
Clearly, he's heard things like this before, perhaps too many times.
"Eventually, I've grown fond of Amiya in my own way, she's almost become my friend," Traveler said, speaking like a true Tsundere.
"You remain a person who makes it extremely difficult to form friendships. How you managed to gain so many fangirls and fanboys baffles me," Civilight Eterna said, unable to understand why Warfarin and other women (and some men) wanted to get their hands on Saver.
"I don't make it difficult to make friends. It's just that very few people deserve my friendship. Only someone who is patient, persevering, loyal, willing to die for me and rise again for me can be worthy of the title of my friend," said Traveler, having high, even almost unattainable, standards in many areas, including friendship.
Civilight Eterna decides to remain silent.
"As for my talents in matters of physical attraction and romance, I don't know," Traveler said, showing his rare expression of ignorance.
"'Unfortunately, I can imagine why his physical appearance attracted attention, but what does he do to keep her around him?' Civilight Eterna thinks, believing he must be crazy to be around Saver out of love.
"I mean, I'm charming, handsome, smart, strong, and wealthy. On paper, I'm a first-class romantic interest. Until they get close enough to discover my myriad problems, many of them walk away and move on, but a percentage of them stay and insist on being a part of my life," Traveler said, not understanding his own success when it comes to women (and men).
"How much has the list grown?" Civilight Eterna asks out of pure curiosity.
"Are you talking about friends or lovers? The former will be easy to answer, but the latter... I'll need some blackboards and diagrams." Said Traveler, having a rather adventurous and complicated life.
"Friends. Your love life is something I don't want to get involved in. I've seen what happens to those who try to understand it," Civilight Eterna said, wanting to avoid unnecessary headaches that won't help her at all.
"I've grown to have five friends: Luz Noceda, Othinus, Mash Kyrielight, Paimon, Stelle. But the list of almost friends has grown to several dozen names." Traveler said, raising his hand, showing all five fingers.
"Paimon, Stelle, you must be saintly women and have done something incredible to convince Traveler to call you friends." Civilight Eterna thinks, confident she's not exaggerating.
"Speaking of friends, where are Amiya, Doctor, and Kal'tsit?" Civilight Eterna asks, wanting to know where the people she cares about most are.
Traveler puts on a serious expression, takes a step forward, getting a better look at the Sarkaz woman.
"Civilight Eterna, what's the last thing you remember?" Traveler said, asking this question for a reason, to test the waters.
"If I recall correctly, it's been several months since the Priestess took control of our base. Kal'tsit disappeared, and Mon3tr appeared in her place. Yesterday we held a meeting to plan our counterattack." Civilight Eterna recounts her most recent memory, before waking up in Traveler's Cave.
"Eternal Civillight, do you want me to lie to you or tell you the cold, hard truth?" Traveler said, preferring to know whether the Sarkaz woman wants to take the long way or the short, straight road.
"The truth." Civilight Eterna replies, her voice serious, increasingly certain that something has happened.
The Traveler snapped his fingers, causing a holographic screen displaying a calendar to appear in front of the Sarkaz woman.
"According to the Victorian Empire Calendar, it has been 152 years since that time," Traveler declares, not using sweet words to lighten the news.
"152 years?!" Civilight Eterna exclaims, her eyes widening as she looks at the date.
"A little over a century and a half, I haven't been around long, but a lot of important things have happened, a cure for Oripathy has been found, and Talos-II is being colonized." Traveler said, snapping his fingers again.
The holographic screen in front of Civilight Eterna expands, showing several different articles about what's happening on Theresa and Amiya's home world.
"Have the Teekaz, Ancients, Elders, left Terra?" Civilight Eterna asks, surprised by this news, almost more surprised by the cure for Oripathy.
"Yes, your world is taking steps toward becoming a spacefaring civilization. Congratulations," Traveler said, giving a small round of applause.
Civilight Eterna remains in complete silence, observing the news she is receiving, while her mind assimilates the information.
"You didn't answer my question: where are Amiya, Doctor, and Kal'tsit?" Civilight Eterna asks again, focusing on something more important to her.
How 152 years passed and why she is in Traveler's Cave are not important at the moment for Civilight Eterna.
The holographic screen is gone, the date information and the latest events are no longer important.
"I don't know, they haven't seen any of the three of them in a long time, I'm not even sure Amiya is still alive. How long can Cautus/Chimera live?" Traveler asks, not having studied the life cycle of Chimeras as it's a subject that doesn't interest him.
Civilight Eterna reflects for a moment, comparing the unique case that is Amiya with her vast knowledge of the Sarkaz and their biology.
"Based on the amount of Sarkaz genes she received, Amiya should live longer than the usual Cautus," Civilight Eterna said, hoping that her young female ward is alive and well somewhere, though probably with gray hair.
"As far as the Doctor is concerned, Kal'tsit and Mon3tr are definitely alive somewhere, but I'm not sure where exactly," Traveler said, confident that the three of them were fine.
After all, Kal'tsit and Mon3tr are a couple who have lived for several thousand years, seeing and doing literally everything.
The Doctor may be physically weak, but he is a high-level scientific and military genius and possesses a strong charisma.
"This information doesn't help me much." Civilight Eterna comments, not appreciating that Traveler doesn't know where his three favorite people are, four if he counts Mon3tr.
"Unfortunately, I've barely maintained contact with Rhodes Island since my departure from Terra. However, I still keep in touch with the Feranmuts, if that would be of any help to you." Traveler said, much preferring the company of the eternal and powerful Feranmuts.
It is no surprise that the sorcerer has used his time and energy to stay connected to beings who are considered "living gods."
The pink-haired woman, knowing she couldn't do anything for her small group of close friends, tried to calm down and focus on herself.
"If you don't know where Amiya is or if she's even still alive, what am I doing here?" Civilight Eterna asks, starting to realize how abnormal her situation is, not to mention waking up 152 years in the future.
"I may possess my own will and a certain autonomy, but I would have to be in the vicinity of the Lord of Fiends, that is, Amiya or her successor." Civilight Eterna declares, knowing the rules that govern her existence.
The pink-haired woman walks towards Traveler, wanting to get off the platform/device he's on.
But when Civilight Eterna tries to reach over the edge, an energy barrier stops her.
"Why am I locked in a barrier? Am I your prisoner?" Civilight Eterna asks, keeping her gaze fixed on Traveler.
The pink-haired woman's hands begin to show signs that she is preparing to use her Originium Arts to do something, likely to attack Traveler or create a breach in the energy barrier.
"Before you take an impulsive action that will only harm yourself, let me explain. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm definitely a mad scientist, but not an evil scientist." Traveler said, standing right in front of Civilight Eterna, with only the barrier separating them.
"It's hard for me to believe what you say when I'm locked in a barrier, inside your little world, full of scientific equipment." Civilight Eterna replies, suspicious of Traveler.
But there's the fact that when he was Saver he never intentionally harmed a member of Rhodes Island, so Civilight Eterna won't do anything reckless.
"The barrier isn't to keep you locked up, it's a safety measure for me. I didn't know what would happen when I started the experiment." Traveler said, giving the barrier a gentle tap.
"I was expecting some sort of explosion or glitch in the program, perhaps a partial success with the appearance of an ancient King Sarkaz, but instead a friendly face I haven't seen in a long time appeared. Sometimes I surprise myself with my own genius," Traveler said, appreciating the unexpected appearance of Eternal Civilight.
"So, I'm a lab rat," the pink-haired woman said, her voice cold, unsure whether being a prisoner was better or worse.
"It would be more accurate to describe you as the successful outcome of a high-risk, high-reward experiment," Traveler said, correcting Civilight Eterna's words.
"Your words don't reassure me." Civilight comments, not appreciating any of the labels the former Operator Caster has received.
"You haven't heard the worst yet, prepare for an existential crisis. Because there are more hard truths you need to receive," Traveler said, clearly preferring the direct, quick, and painfully short-term approach.
"And people are wondering why Kal'tsit was always such a suspicious woman towards Saver and his Servants." Civilight Eterna thinks, beginning to understand her friend's headaches.
"Look at the Black Crown and maybe you'll understand your situation or what exactly you are." Traveler said, letting the pink-haired woman make her own mind up.
Civilight Eterna turns and looks down, towards a certain black crown.
Her pale pink eyes see a black obsidian crown with five small silver horns, two entrance holes for Traveler's horns, and a long white horn in the center.
Civilight Eterna's calm eyes fill with confusion, as if she had just discovered that the sky had turned blood red.
"This is not DWDB-221E." Civilight Eterna declares, not recognizing the crown that is practically its body/core/source of existence.
The pink-haired woman whips around to face Traveler and punches the barrier with her hands, bringing her face within a millimeter of the energy barrier.
"What's going on!? I deserve an explanation!" Civilight Eterna exclaims loudly, clearly shocked by the discovery she just made.
"Calm down, I'll tell you everything, but it'll take some time." Traveler said, speaking calmly, trying not to upset Civilight Eterna further.
The pink-haired woman didn't say anything, simply nodded, keeping her gaze locked with Traveler's purple eye.
"For as long as I've known myself, I've always had a passion for collecting and studying ancient artifacts. Many times, through good or bad, I've managed to get my hands on them," Traveler said, starting with the basics.
'I remember how Amiya talked about Saver's attempts to obtain Ch'en's crimson sword.' Civilight Eterna thinks, but keeps her gaze on Traveler.
"But there were some cases where I couldn't get them for myself and the House of Bahamut. Amiya's Black Crown was one of those cases where I had to keep my hands in my pockets," Traveler said, speaking as if he were an art collector who couldn't get a rare painting.
"Only someone with Sarkaz blood can inherit the Black Crown. Amiya is the first outsider to inherit it, but to do so, she became a Chimera with Sarkaz and Cautus blood, something only possible thanks to Theresa's intervention and Amiya's young age." Thinks Civilight Eterna, knowing it was impossible for Saver to get his hands on DWDB-221E.
But somehow that didn't stop him.
"When they can't achieve something with words or the sword. They are forced to call upon two desperate allies: time and patience." Traveler said, as if revealing his secret weapon.
Time, patience, two of the strongest warriors ever, who can become invincible if united with talent and genius/madness.
"Did you wait until Amiya dies of old age and has no heirs to obtain the Black Crown?" Eternal Civilight asks, making a hypothesis.
Even if the numbers don't add up after all, Traveler said he doesn't know where Amiya is.
And even if Amiya had died and Traveler had taken the Black Crown, it would not have changed in appearance.
"No, it would have been too easy and boring. I preferred to be creative," Traveler said, smiling so sweetly it was scary.
'That smile doesn't bode well.' Civilight Eterna thinks, tempted to take a step back, but stands her ground.
"When I had the time and opportunity, I studied Amiya and her Crown closely. After all, reverse engineering is my specialty, and I have all the time in the world to try to recreate DWDB-221E in my own way and in my own image." Traveler explains, being able to be monstrously patient and subtle when he wants to.
"Are you telling me that the Black Crown here is not the DWDB-221E created by the Predecessors, then transformed by the Teekaz as a symbol of their King? But an imitation of you!?" Civilight Eterna said in an incredulous voice.
From the pink-haired woman's point of view, a caveman managed to create a spaceship.
Traveler, who do you think you are? Senku Ishigami?
"You're beginning to understand, Civilight Eterna. This has been a long and demanding job, almost impossible—I emphasize the word almost." Traveler said, his expression pure pride.
The pink-haired woman remembers who she's talking to.
Instead of a caveman, it was an individual similar to Leonardo Da Vinci or Nikola Tesla, who was able to live long enough to decipher and learn about an extremely advanced alien artifact.
"How did you do that?" Civilight Eterna asks, still having trouble wrapping his head around the idea.
"Amiya is an extremely friendly girl, and over the years I've been with Rhodes Island, she's been injured several times. Being a doctor, I laid hands on her to heal her wounds, and at the same time, gather information about her biology and spiritual essence," Traveler said, admitting that he took advantage of the circumstances to further his plans.
"You definitely violated patient privacy," Civilight Eterna comments, her voice cold.
"I have medical and scientific backgrounds, but I've never taken an oath or attended real medical school," Traveler said, explaining how he can do what he does without qualms of conscience.
"Kal'tsit would kill you if he found out you've been studying Amiya like a lab rat," Civilight Eterna said, knowing Kal'tsit can be a mother lioness towards Amiya.
"I think I was more of a veterinarian studying a rare animal in its own environment," Traveler said, correcting Civilight Eterna, who is painting him in darker colors than he should.
"I've done this with every Operator I've ever had occasion to work with as a medic." Traveler said, summoning a holographic screen, displaying the Operators' icons, their names, and the number of pages each speaks.
"Why is the Warfarin file so long?" Civilight Eternal asks, pointing to the icon of a certain female vampire Sarkaz, indicating that there are 482 pages focused on her.
"If you don't remember, Warfarin and I became lovers. She enjoyed our intimate moments, especially drinking my blood directly with her teeth on my throat." Traveler said, placing his hand on the left side of her neck, Warfarin's favorite place to place his fangs.
"She took something from me at every meeting. While I used those moments to analyze her body from the outside and inside," Traveler said, clearly treating sex differently than the average man—less physical enjoyment, more scientific work.
"I don't want to know the details, but how did you get this information? Doubtful, that Warfarin let you put medical equipment on her." Civilight Eterna said, but there's a slight doubt in her voice.
The vampire woman Sarkaz earned a certain infamy when she got together with Saver, who "corrupted" her, so anything is possible.
"Subtle applications of Magecraft for dual purposes and the possession of an Artificial Eye." Traveler said, moving his hair to reveal his left eye socket, which contains an artificial eye made of amethyst.
"With each nightly encounter with Warfarin, I used a different magic trick; she enjoyed it, and I learned about her biology. Before entering Warfarin's room, I changed my artificial eyes; all my artificial Mystic Eyes have a different purpose and type of vision," Traveler said, showing that he was a resourceful and private individual.
"Can we get back to the main topic, Amiya and the Black Crown?" asks Civilight Eterna, sensing the discussion is going down a strange (and perverse) path.
"As you wish, Civilight Eterna." Traveler said, beginning to speak of serious matters.
"I've been gathering information on Amiya and her Crown for several years. I don't fully understand how the DWDB-221E works; certain aspects of it are still a Black Box to me." Traveler said, grimacing slightly, finding it difficult to admit he didn't fully understand an artifact.
"The Predecessors were an extremely advanced spacefaring civilization, but not the most advanced I've encountered. They didn't create the Machine Gods or the Moon Cell or the Embryo Dendrograms," Traveler said lightly. The former Operator Caster has encountered the works of some civilizations so advanced they were considered equal to gods, so he's not too crazy about the Predecessors' civilization.
Civilight Eterna turns slightly pale for a second, she has lived so long she has seen civilizations rise and fall.
But she never left planet Terra, the idea that there are space civilizations more advanced than her creators is a frightening thought.
"It took me 120 years, but I managed to recreate the DWDB-221E artifact. Its name is the Elysium Crown," said Traveler, once again giving a Greek name to one of his great masterpieces.
"I knew you were smart, but this is beyond what I imagined possible." Civilight Eterna confesses, having to give credit where credit is due.
Traveler smiles, appreciating the sincere compliments for his work, and they are not empty words.
"Honestly, I could have done it sooner, but I have so many commitments, side projects, and social/family distractions," Traveler said, his voice half arrogant, half tired.
"But if the Elysium Crown is a replica of the Black Crown, how am I here?" asks Eternal Civilight, placing a hand on her chest, precisely in the center of her diamond-shaped neckline.
"The hardware—the physical, tangible part of the Black Crown—was the easiest part to build. In some ways, it's a ten-thousand-fold more advanced version of Caliburn Sanguinis." Traveler said, as he summoned into his hands a certain artifact created by Morgan Le Fay, 20 generations ago.
A sword similar to the original Caliburn and Excalibur, but made for a completely different purpose.
The hilt is silver, crafted to look like the sword blade is protruding from the blade's mouth.
The blade body is longer and thinner than Caliburn, being colored dark black with a thin red edge.
Oddly enough, above the blade are numerous circuit-like lines that occasionally emit a faint light.
As with other treasures, the sword has characters in the fairy language.
If the writing were translated into human language, it might read: Whoever wields this sword shall carry out the will of the Morgans.
"The Morgan family leader's sword possesses the ability to attack and absorb souls, transforming them into information within it. Inside are the ghosts of 20 of my predecessors and hundreds of incomplete Specters of those he has slain." Traveler explains, touching the sword's blade.
Pale pink eyes gaze at the ancient blade.
"I see the similarity, the Black Crown contains within it dwell the minds, memories, and powers of all who have worn it: a pantheon of remnant souls, eternally vigilant." Civilight Eternal said, her voice calm.
"The thing I struggled with was working on the... software, the intangible part of the Black Crown, the amalgam of programs and instructions that tell the hardware what to do," Traveler admits, as he makes his sword disappear.
"The Predecessors aren't the ones who built Moon Cell, but they built some of the most complex computer systems I've ever seen, capable of interacting with souls and magical energy at terrifying levels," Traveler said, having no problem speaking well of those who surpass him in a certain field, especially if they're dead.
"How did you solve the problem?" asks the pink-haired woman, slightly curious about the topic, which is certainly related to her presence here.
Traveler raises his palm toward the ceiling, then a Black Cube appears, small in size but with a complexity comparable to the Elysium Crown.
"I used my most advanced artifact, the Daedalus Cube, which contains a fragment of the consciousness of Prometheus-Hephaestus of the Machine Gods, to perform a complex copy-and-paste process." Traveler explains how he solved the software problem.
"Copy and Paste?" Civilight Eterna repeats, raising an eyebrow.
"I used my Daedalus Cube and Prometheus-Hephaestus capabilities to scan, analyze, and copy the contents of DWDB-221E, then download it into what would become the Elysium Crown." Traveler explains, providing much more detail.
"How much are you simplifying the process?" Civilight Eterna asks, sure it was a much more difficult task, after all, Traveler admitted he'd been working on it for over a century.
"I've spent the last 22 years troubleshooting how to download the software into the crown I created and get it to work properly." Traveler said, placing a hand on his forehead.
"The amount of information, the level of decryption, the complexity of harmonizing a collective consciousness, it was a monumental undertaking. And all the work I did was just to power up the Corona. Over 85.8% of the information within is encoded, corrupted, or unreachable without a direct mental connection," Traveler said, not having much work and research left to do to fully understand the science behind DWDB-221E's creation.
"I probably would have worked on this project for another 90 years. But, by chance, I found the source code for the user assistant program two years ago. This allowed me to solve a lot of problems with the software, and also had the fortunate effect of waking up Civilight Eterna." Traveler finally explains why Civilight Eterna is here.
The pink-haired woman remains silent for a long time, Traveler does nothing, he lets Civilight Eterna process this information at its own pace.
"Are you telling me that I'm just a copy of the Eternal Civilight found in Amiya's Black Crown?" Eternal Civilight asks, hoping that she's misunderstood the Former Operator Caster's words.
"Copy wouldn't be the right word; there are several differences between the two Crowns. This explains why your memory only reaches a certain period of time. More accurately, we could call you a replica made by a high-level forger." Traveler replies, providing a more precise explanation.
"How does a man with the delicacy of a battle axe manage to be so popular with women?" Civilight Eterna comments, placing a hand on his forehead, feeling a headache, despite not having a real body.
"Are you offended that I'm describing you as a replica/imitation?" asks Traveler, feeling he's made a wrong move.
"What do you think?" Civilight Eterna snaps back, raising her voice.
"You can consider yourself the daughter of the Black Crown or his younger twin sister born and raised on another world." Traveler said, providing a more sympathetic way to describe the existence of the Eternal Civilight of the Elysium Crown.
The pink-haired woman returns to silence. If she hadn't lived so long and seen so much, she would surely have a mental breakdown.
"You spent over a century creating me, that means you want something from me and I doubt I'll be just another trinket in your collection." Civilight Eternal said, focusing on something she can control.
"I enjoy talking to an intelligent and insightful woman." Appreciating the pale pink-haired woman's manner.
"You must like Theresa's Avatar, pink-haired women are one of your weaknesses." Civilight Eterna comments, crossing her arms, unfortunately she knows some things she doesn't want to know about Saver.
"I can admit that I had two goals for creating the Elysium Crown, one as a family head and one as an individual." Traveler confesses, his voice calm.
"I'm a woman interested in hearing your motives." Civilight Eterna said, wanting to know what drove Traveler to create the Elysium Crown and indirectly cause her to... be reborn?
"For the first objective, the Elysium Crown will be the Artifact that will allow my lineage to overcome the need for a Magic Crest." Traveler said, his voice ambitious.
"What is a Magic Crest?" asks Civilight Eterna, not knowing what Traveler is talking about.
"Magic Crests are the most important treasure of a lineage of magi," Traveler declares in an incredibly serious voice.
"Engraved on the body in a variety of shapes, most typically in a magic circle, a Magic Crest is a series of Magic Circuits that were given a more stable form in order to act as an archive of Thaumaturgical capability.
At some point of the magus' life, he will forge some of his own Magic Circuits into the Magic Crest, store many, if not all, spells that he learned in life and then pass it down to his successor. As the process repeats itself with each new generation, the older a lineage is, the greater the number of Magic Circuits forming the Magic Crest, and the greater the amount of knowledge stored inside it. It is the duty of any heir of a family of magi to successfully expand and pass down the Magic Crest to the next generation." Traveler explains, trying to explain to Civilight Eterna how important a Magic Crest is.
"This may explain your obsession with knowledge in general," comments Civilight Eterna, understanding how serious this matter is for the Ex-Operator Caster.
"I have already passed the Belmont Magic Crest to Irene "Agatha" Belmont, my cloned daughter who has chosen to carry on the name of Arkan and the duty of Chasing the Night." Traveler said, placing his hand on the center of his chest, where the Vampire Hunter Magic Crest used to be.
"But I still have the Morgan Magic Crest, it will remain on my back until my last breath, then it will be passed on to one of my daughters or granddaughters or great-granddaughters." Traveler said, gesturing to his back.
"I see you have the situation under control." Civilight Eterna comments, confident that Traveler has taken the necessary precautions to pass on his Magic Crest.
"For me, it's no longer enough to enrich the Magic Crest and strengthen the Caliburn Sanguinis for my successor. I want to do more, I must do more." Traveler said, his gaze intense.
'That look doesn't convey anything good.' Civilight Eterna thinks, sure she's about to witness one of Traveler's volatile moments.
The pink-haired woman is becoming happy to be inside an energy barrier.
"Caliburn Sanguinis was like a second Magic Crest for House Morgan, allowing the head of the family to inherit some of the knowledge of his predecessors, but it is nothing compared to the Black Crown of the Teekaz." Traveler said, comparing the sword to the crown, his eye beginning to glow.
"The Elysium Crown will be a gift that will outshine any Magic Crest, Grimoire, or Artifact. All my knowledge, all my memories, all my skills, will become the first piece of a legacy that will serve my lineage for billions of years to come." Traveler declares, and they begin to grin like crazy.
"My body may turn to dust, my name may be forgotten, but my will and my knowledge will never disappear, it will be passed down from generation to generation!" Traveler proclaims, spreading his wings, losing his temper for a few seconds.
The haired woman remains silent, letting Traveler recover from his little low-level outburst, while she ponders her future fate.
"The purpose of DWDB-221E is to preserve history and ensure they never repeat their mistakes. Instead of being centered on the Sarkaz, the Elysium Crown will be centered on Saver's family and descendants. In the grand scheme of things, it won't be a big change." Civilight Eterna muses, being able to continue its original mission even if it focuses on a different civilization and people.
"I have no problem being the Crown that will be on your head and those of your successors, but are you sure you can wear it?" asks Civilight Eterna, not knowing that the Elysium Crown is safe to wear—it is based on the DWDB-221E, after all.
"I haven't spent countless decades working on an artifact I can't use. I've made modifications to the Crown's hardware, and to be safe, I've made modifications to my own body." Traveler said, ready for anything.
"You did what!?" Civilight Eterna asks, raising her voice, not finding this information reassuring.
"Calm down, Civilight Eterna, I performed experiments on my body before entering Rhodes Island and will definitely perform more experiments." Traveler said, as if it were a small matter.
"Again, what did you do to make sure you could wear your DWDB-221E replica?" asks Civilight Eterna, with a worried expression.
"The least dangerous thing I did was use the information I gained on Rosmontis to create a biomechanical magitech heart containing an Originium core. I recently implanted it, now I can use Originium Arts at any time without catalyst tools and at a high level. It also offers small special bonuses," Traveler explains, taking no half measures, all or nothing with him.
"You like to take other people's inventions and modify them for yourself," Civilight Eterna comments, observing a pattern.
"This is the principle of reverse engineering." Traveler said, with a small smile, boasting about this fact.
"What's the second reason I'm here?" Civilight Eterna asks, hoping not to discover any more shocking information.
"Simple, I want to enhance my abilities. I'm confident that the Elysium Crown and Originium will allow me to further my studies of summoning and understanding souls to the next level." Traveler said, a slight twinkle in his good eye.
Clearly, a bad omen for anyone on Traveler's opposite side.
"Are you sure you want me around? I'll be an invisible figure that only you can see and hear. Everyone else will think you're crazy." Civilight Eterna comments, wanting to see how Traveler will react.
"It makes no difference to me, I already have an Angel living in my head, adding a Demon might even balance the scales." Traveler confesses, patting his head lightly with his hand.
"Are you saying that you already have an entity invisible and inaudible to everyone except you?" Civilight Eterna questions.
The pink-haired woman begins to understand that her work as an observer will be very different from what she imagines.
"Yes, since I was a teenager, it happened when I was attending Nevermore Academy, I touched a cursed coin and ever since then I've had a roommate who annoys me." Traveler replies, as if it were no big deal.
"This explains so many things," comments Civilight Eterna, confident she's found the answers to so many questions.
"Have you changed your mind now?" Traveler suddenly shouts, turning left toward… nothingness.
Pale pink eyes watch the scene.
"You've helped me solve the most delicate problems of this project for decades with your knowledge. But now that it's almost complete, you're telling me to cancel everything!" Traveler exclaims, with a certain anger towards... nothingness.
Pale pink eyes focus on the area occupied by nothing, but see nothing, only empty space.
"That's an excuse, you definitely don't want to share the stage that is my brain." Traveler said, turning away, as if showing his back to someone throwing a tantrum.
"Why do I have to know so many divas?" Traveler mutters in a low voice.
'He's either telling the truth or the madman with the greatest self-control in the world if no one on Rhodes Island has figured out how bad things really are.' Civilight Eterna thinks, hoping there really is something in empty space, or else she'll have to live with a madman for a long time.
"Angel like the Sankta?" Civilight Eterna asks, trying to see how grounded in reality Traveler is.
"No, more like a Feranmuts, but with the aesthetics of a Sankta." Traveler said, making things as clear as possible.
"I heard some of the discussion, but he doesn't seem happy with me." Civilight Eterna said, keeping a calm expression.
"She's just a Diva throwing tantrums and acting like a crazy artist," Traveler said, making a hand gesture, which deactivates the energy barrier.
"Is it time for the coronation?" asks Civilight Eterna, unsure of what to expect from now on.
"Not yet, I want to run some tests before I put on myself an artifact that will be read by me and my successors for generations to come." Traveler said, proving he wasn't completely crazy.
"This is an extremely wise thing to do," Civilight Eterna comments, appreciating the little things.
"I'm crazy, I experiment on my own body and I'm not afraid to take risks. But that doesn't mean I'll inject or implant everything he created at the first opportunity," Traveler said, knowing he doesn't think like normal people, but that doesn't mean he's stupid.
"It will be an experience being with you." Civilight Eterna comments, she can only be sure of this.
"Welcome to the BBBB Hotel. Your room is still under construction, please wait in the lobby." Traveler said in a friendly voice.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Civilight Eterna asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I like to think of myself as a kind of traveling hotel that houses all kinds of creatures," Traveler said, as he glanced at his shadow for a moment.
"What types of residents are there?" Civilight Eterna asks, curious about the matter.
"A fallen angel in my mind, a vampire in my shadow, a symbiote in my bloodstream, a horn in my left shoulder, an artificial ferret-shaped demon around my neck, two sentient Grimoires and a sentient sword connected to my Magic Circuits," Traveler said, providing the complete list.
"A decent number of residents, but extremely unique." Civilight Eterna comments, not knowing what else to say.
"The next addition will be a Corona with a hive consciousness, led by a user-assistance program based on a female Sarkaz," Traveler said, his voice deadpan.
"Traveler, have you finished working on your project?" asks a childish voice coming from the entrance to the room.
"Paimon, you shouldn't disturb my descendant, he's working on an important project." A mature woman's voice said.
'I think I'm getting to know this Paimon.' Civilight Eterna thinks, wanting to know what kind of person Saver's number four friend has become.
Traveler moves a finger on his left hand, the Elysium Crown flies towards him.
In the hands of the mad genius are two extremely complex and powerful artifacts.
'The Civilight Eterna in my left hand and the Daedalus Cube in my right, it will be interesting to see how these two artifacts work together,' Traveler thinks, smiling so sweetly it's scary.
All this, while a white fairy and a fairy queen enter the room to meet Civilight Eterna.
Continues ...
XXX
Author's Note:
I finally managed to finish this chapter. It turned out to be twice or almost three times longer than I had planned.
I admit it's a strange little story, one that makes more sense to me, the writer, than to you, the readers.
But I had three reasons for writing this chapter:
One, to do something cool for the release of Arknights: Endfield. This chapter could be used as a bridge to starting a future Arknights: Endfield fanfiction.
Two, I wanted to have a chapter in my series that introduces the [Bubble Worlds] and the existence of the [Cave].
Three, I'm a writer with a vivid imagination and some pretty strange ideas.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.