When Stelle finally awakens, the first thing that her eyes see is Cole in front of her, happily munching away at a burger like his life depended on it.
He noticed her waking up. "Hey. You're finally awake. Here." He then handed her a burger. "You must be starving. I've saved one just for you. They've gone cold, though..."
Stelle gratefully accepted the meal and unwrapped it before eating it silently.
After they finally finished eating, Cole explained to her that the Antimatter Legion invasion had been successfully stopped as soon as the Doomsday Beast fell.
"C'mon, Himeko's is waiting for us. Oh, and before I forget, let's exchange phone numbers."
Stelle nodded as both of them exchanged numbers with one another.
'Beep' 'Beep' Stelle's phone rang as she saw Cole giving her a text message.
"Hello? Looks like it's working. Let's go, Stelle. Don't wanna keep Miss Himeko waiting."
They both made their way to where Himeko is, finding her already waiting for both of them.
"Cole, Stelle, you're both finally here. I had March and Dan Heng stay on the Express to keep an eye on things." Explained Himeko. "It's almost time. She should be arriving any moment now."
Footstep then can be heard as both Cole and Stelle look at the newcomer. "I've only been gone for a few months, and the station is already in this state?"
"Welcome back, Madam Herta." Greeted Himeko. "This is the true master of the space station, Genius Society #83 Herta."
Herta looked rather annoyed at her introduction. "Master of the space station? Really? No mention of my numerous outstanding achievements?"
"You're a... robot?" Asked Stelle after seeing Herta's rather robotic appearance.
"What you're seeing here is one of my puppets. I'm using her to talk to you." Answered Herta simply.
"So, this twerp has the Stellaron now? Huh. I built a whole space station just to contain this unactivated Stellaron and keep The Blue from disaster... Yet someone was able to achieve that with this little twerp's body. How did you do it?"
"Not only that, the Stellaron is very stable inside Stelle's body." Added Himeko.
"You're right, I'm not seeing any abnormalities in this little one's physiology."
"My name is Stelle."
Herta handwaves it away. "Stelle? Alright. Got it. Still gonna call you little twerp though. My brain is too valuable to store people's names."
Herta's attention then pivoted to Cole, her expression a little surprised for a moment.
"And this little bug must be Cole, I assume. The one who's responsible for several holes in my space station."
Cole nodded in confirmation. "Nice to meet you, Madam Herta, and sorry about those."
"No need to apologize. I should be the one congratulating you, considering you're the reason no one died during the attack." Congratulated Herta.
"Wow... a compliment from Madam Herta herself. Make sure to savor it." Himeko teased.
"Don't get used to it." Herta then circled Cole, examining every little detail about him from top to bottom.
Cole couldn't help but shiver as he felt the eyes of a member of the Genius Society look at him with curiosity.
"Interesting..." She then tapped one of her fingers against his elytra. "You are clearly connected to the Propagation... While this isn't usually my topic of research..."
Herta turned to Himeko. "Can I bring them in for research?"
"That's not up for me to decide." Said Himeko. "You can ask them yourself."
"Sure. I want to learn more about myself anyway." Said Cole.
Herta smirked at his answer. "This little bug is really eager for research. I like it. Ruan Mei is going to be super jealous of me once I tell her..."
Cole gestured to Stelle, who looked confused. "What about you, Stelle?"
"You want to study me?"
"Of course. You carry a Stellaron in your body. If you think about it, it's pretty much the same as storing a bomb. Maybe it'll do nothing, maybe it'll blow yourself and whoever else unlucky enough to be nearby." Explained Herta. "Considering, I'm very interested now. I'm even willing to accommodate you with everything you need. So long as you are still of interest to me."
"Hear that, Stelle? Madam Herta wants you to stay in her space station." Said Himeko.
Herta shot her enthusiasm, however. "Or maybe I'll lose interest halfway through, and you can just beat it."
"And after that?" Asked Himeko.
"She's no longer my problem." Said Herta.
Himeko, however, proposed a different option. "Stelle... You also have another option. If you want, you can leave with us on the Astral Express and embark on a journey as a Nameless."
She continued explaining. "The Express has its fair share of experiences with Stellarons. The thing you're worried about, and the answers we're looking for, are one and the same. Besides..."
Himeko looked at Herta as if silently asking for permission, to which Herta nodded. "We can come back any time to let Madam Herta conduct her research."
Herta shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, works for me, keeps this subject fresh, too. That way, I won't need to keep worrying about this little twerp all the time, randomly blowing up. Perfect!"
Stelle muse about the idea for a moment. "I'll think about it..."
"Just remember to come back often. Make an appointment in advance with Asta or Arlan so I can make time to study you." Reminded Herta.
Cole put a hand on Stelle's shoulder. "No need to rush into this, Stelle. This is a big decision. Let's go with Madam Herta first, and then you can make your choice."
"I'll be waiting for you on the platform. It's no hurry if you still have things to do or someone to see. Come find me when you've made your decision."
Himeko then left as Cole and Stelle received a text from Herta telling them to go to her office.
.....
Reaching the office, they were confronted with another Herta, which confused Stelle about how she managed to beat them to this place, considering she hadn't seen her move.
"I haven't moved. What you're seeing is one of my remote-controlled puppets. They're all over the station. I just connect to one wherever I am needed."
Herta then went on to explain why she brought them here. Apparently, she, along with three other geniuses, had somehow made a machine that could simulate an entire universe in order to study the Aeons THEMSELVES. Herta wanted to name it the Metaverse, but settled on Simulated Universe after Cole and Stelle reminded her not to hop on that hypetrain.
The Simulated Universe is currently in its closed beta stages, and Herta wanted Cole and Stelle to go in and playtest it for her.
"Before you go in..." Herta faces Cole. "I've seen the footage of the invasion, and your abilities are fascinating. I want to examine them in person. If you could..."
"Sure. What do you want to see first, Madam Herta?"
Herta thinks for a moment. "How about your... self-replication?"
"Alright. This might take a moment. I've used up most of my strength fighting earlier."
Cole closed his eyes as he concentrated. Moments later, a bright pulsating orb engulfed him, although looking considerably dimmer than earlier.
The next moment, a second red orb split off from the main body as the lights died down, and Herta and Stelle observed how there were now two Coles standing next to each other.
"Ta-daaa." Both Cole said in unison.
Herta then examines the clone closer, finding it an exact copy of Cole down to the smallest detail. "Interesting. Tell me, how do you move your clone around? With a command? Or do you take control of it?"
"A bit of both, actually. I can manually take control of my clone, sort of like a hivemind, like Mr. Yang taught me, or I can 'disconnect', for lack of a better word, from my clone, although that comes with a drawback of them only following basic commands."
"Huh. So kind of like how I can control my puppets?"
"Yeah. Not to boast, but mine is probably a bit better than yours, Madam Herta, since I can control multiple bodies at once without having to stop my main body."
"Can't argue with that. But, it must be taxing on the mind, isn't it? After all, controlling multiple bodies is no easy task, even if you are a descendant of Tayzzyronth." Cole nodded. "Now then, how about your 'combat form'?
And so, for the next few minutes, Cole showed Herta his abilities, except for his acid attack and his ability to induce hallucination for obvious reasons, along with answering any question that she asked.
By the end, Herta could only look at Cole in astonishment. "Nothing has ever piqued my curiosity this much since I've solved the Solitary-Waves Theory and the creation of the Simulated Universe. Do you have any idea of the implications of you being connected to the Aeon of Propagation?"
"No...? Unless you mean people being scared of me whenever they see me for the first time?"
"Then those people are idiots." Muttered Herta. "Listen here, ever since the fall of Tayzzyronth, many scholars have attempted to study the Swarm. Almost every single one of them had ended with them getting devoured alive, but still, some continued to attempt to research them despite the high risk."
"Do you want to know why? It's because every single insect in the Swarm was once a part of THEIR hivemind, from Emanators to the lowest of Juvenile Stings, all of THEIR lineage are, to some extent, still part of the THEM before and after THEIR fall. The only other species I can think of that are similar are the Vidyadhara and their connection to the fallen Long, but even many are unsure if they were directly linked to the Aeon. They're certainly not a hivemind that's for sure."
"Meaning..."
"Meaning that you are the perfect person to go and experience the Simulated Universe once we complete the Swarm Disaster Expansion Module for it in the near future. Enough chit-chat for now." Herta turned to Stelle. "You'll go in first, while Cole and I monitor your little adventure. This is just a test server after all."
Stelle did as ordered as she stood in front of the Simulated Universe.
"Yes, just stand there and the computer will read your brainwaves, then automatically generate an immersive simulated experience... I'll even throw in rewards once you're done. Cole, you can observe from the outside. Give me your phone, I'll connect it to the machine so you can see what's going on inside."
.....
And so, Stelle made her way through the Simulated Universe as Akivili with the guidance of Herta, who is using her custom-made avatar, which resembles a duck for some reason. Looks cute though.
"This gameplay looks like a rogue-like that I occasionally play." Observed Cole.
"Oh, so that's the type of games that Stephen modeled after. I didn't care enough to ask. You'll probably get along with Stephen if you meet him."
"Stephen?"
"Genius Society #84. He's the one who suggested making the Simulated Universe into a game in the first place." Clarified Herta.
After finishing her first battle and collecting a blessing of Preservation, Stelle then encountered The Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth, THEMSELF.
As Cole watched the towering golem made of amber and stars appear before Stelle, a small, unexplained sense of dread coursed through his body as he observed the Aeon through his phone.
"Something wrong?" Herta asked after noticing his wings fluttering unconsciously.
Cole shakes his head as he steeled himself. "No, no. Just continue playing. Don't worry about me."
Continuing, Herta further explains the aim of the Simulated Universe in detail. Two other members of the Genius Society, Ruan Mei and Screwllum, had carefully cultivated the Aeons in here.
Herta had Stelle roleplay as Akivili because, otherwise, the Aeons would simply ignore mortals, much like in real life. This lack of attention would render the Simulated Universe worthless in the eyes of geniuses.
"Next time you run into the Aeons, try to get something out of THEM."
Stelle then asked if there was anything specific she should ask THEM.
"Myths of the Aeons, anecdotes, love stories, the origin of the universe... Anything will do!" Said an annoyed Herta, "Just think of something!"
With that, Stelle continues with Herta, speeding up the process. After another battle, she encounters another Aeon, Fuli the Remembrance.
"We did it!" Herta yells out in excitement, "That was Fuli. THEY must've thought you were the fallen Akivili, so THEY actively started a conversation with you. Fuli is probably the second most valuable to our research, second only to Nous, because THEY have the memories of all beings and know almost as much about everything. Stelle, I'm going to pull you out now and upgrade the Simulated Universe after Cole has done his testing. You'll need to stay in there even longer in the future!"
Stelle's complaining was silenced as she was forcefully injected back into her body.
"Now what?" Stelle asked.
"Now. You can consider your options while I do some testing with Cole." Nonchalantly answered Herta.
Stelle looked at Cole in concern, to which he assured her that it's probably going to be the same for him and nothing will go wrong, considering that she's played through the Simulated Universe already.
"I'll go and give my answer to Miss Himeko." Said Stelle before leaving the office.
"Now that's it's just the two of us..." Herta then hurriedly pushed him to the machine with surprising ease.
"No need to push me..." Cole's complaint fell on deaf ears as he entered the Simulated Universe.
As he entered it, however, on the outside, numerous electrical sparks flew out from the machine, which went unnoticed by Herta as she observed Cole in the Simulated Universe.
"Shame you have to play as Akivili. It would have been interesting to see what the Aeons' reaction to you would have been." Herta then encouraged Cole to do as Stelle had done earlier and pick a blessing of Preservation to hopefully attract Qlipoth.
It worked once again as sounds of a hammer repeatedly hitting metal are heard alongside various ores descending in a shower of rock in the simulation, followed by Qlipoth.
Cole turned rather nervous as he came face to face with the Amber Lord, whom he learned long ago had personally dealt with the Propagation. "H-hey there, big guy. I'm Akivili?"
Contrary to what had happened with Stelle earlier, THEY did not give him a warning. Instead, THEY suddenly raised THEIR colossal hammer that THEY used to construct THEIR great barrier across the universe.
"Madam Herta...?" Cole fell on his butt as Qlipoth's hammer reached its apex. "Is this supposed to happen?"
"Commu...tion... bre..ing... err... Ho... sec... I... trou... sho... Jus.. kee... do..." Her jumbled voice was cut off as her avatar disappeared from view, leaving Cole alone with Qlipoth in a staring contest.
While he doesn't know the emotion of the Aeon, judging by their hammer, he's pretty sure THEY're about to smash him to smithereens. "H-hold on now. I-I'm not THEM, okay? Just a lowly bug... Yeah... Nothing more..."
Whether or not THEY even heard his words didn't matter as moments later, THEIR hammer rapidly descended on his small form.
"Madam Herta! Get me out of here!" Cole yelled as he shielded himself with his arms. The ground shook from the sheer pressure as the hammer inched closer.
Before the hammer made contact, Cole felt a pair of hands forcefully yanking him out of the simulation and into the real world.
"Ouff!" Cole tumbled backward, his back landing on something, as a sickening crunch was heard. He hurriedly got back on his feet as he looked at what he had landed on.
"Oh no!" Cole exclaimed as he noticed the puppet Herta had used lying on the ground, its arms and legs detached from their joints. In a panic, he tried to reattach the limbs, but they kept falling out of their sockets whenever he thought he had secured them.
Swish
The sound of the door to the office opening was heard as Cole turned his attention to it, finding another Herta puppet with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Just leave her there. I'll fix her up later." She walked past him as she went to survey the Simulated Universe, which had shut down and had sparks flying out of it. "What a mess. The others are definitely not going to be pleased when they hear this. Though considering what happened, maybe they'll be even more thrilled with this project."
Cole sat on the ground, his breathing was deep as he tried to calm down after nearly being flattened by an oversized hammer of an Aeon. If he hadn't experienced it himself, he would have thought it was a scene from a cartoon.
"What just happened...?" He asked Herta, who is busy monitoring the machine.
Herta shakes her head. "I don't know. This has never happened before on previous playtesting." Explained Herta. "THEY must've recognized you as Tayzzyronth, but that should be impossible."
"We hadn't even incorporated the data of THEM or the Swarm Disaster in the Simulated Universe yet. Even if we did, Qlipoth should've recognized you as Akivili yet THEY didn't. It must have something to do with your connection to the Swarm's hivemind, then." Theorized Herta.
Herta then approached Cole and patted him on the shoulder. "Are you alright, Cole? I imagined that almost being killed by an Aeon is a rather terrifying experience, simulated or not." There was almost a tone of concern in her voice.
Cole smiled slightly before assuring her. "Yeah... I think I'm okay. Just a little shaken up is all. Probably going to have nightmares about it."
Getting up from the cold floor, Cole helped Herta clean the place up a bit.
"That should be good for now. Thanks for helping out. I hate doing chores instead of doing research."
Cole then received a message from Himeko telling him that Stelle had accepted the invitation, and the Express is going to depart soon. "I'll have to go. The train's about to depart soon."
Herta asked Cole one last question before he exited the office. "You'll still help me do research with the Simulated Universe, right?"
"Sure, sure. Just make sure to fix the bugs before we do this again. I'd rather not experience that again."
"Alright. I'll pass the message to the others. Here, let me escort you to the platform and see you all off."
Cole nodded as he exited the office with Herta following behind him. The other researchers could only gawk in amazement at the sight of a genius they idolized casually walking alongside a boy and engaging in small talk.
When they reached the platform where Asta and Arlan were waiting, they informed Cole that the other Nameless had already boarded the train and were just waiting for him.
As he climbed the steps into the train's door, Cole couldn't help but yell out something that just appeared in his brain.
"ALL ABOARD! HA HA HA HA HAA!" After that, he entered the train where the entire crew, including Pom-Pom, was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression.
.....
After seeing the Express depart from the space station, Herta returned to the office, where she busied herself with trying to fix the Simulated Universe.
"Hmm? That's not right..." Herta said to herself as she reviewed the various logs of the program, specifically the player profile info logs.
Whereas Stelle had her picture and name displayed as normal, Cole's is completely glitching out, showing random pictures and words together. Even his stats are randomly spewing out nonsensical numbers.
"Maybe I should ask for their help."