As the data streams grew increasingly heavy, the stone chamber was gradually bathed in a crimson light, and the activity of the intelligence cores became more frequent.
Blazkowicz stood ready, on high alert, as a synthesized mechanical voice broadcasted from the wisdom cores:
[External device successfully connected.]
Beneath the base of each core was a small speaker and audio receiver used for voice communication.
The artificial intelligences rebooted, successfully linking with the external devices, and began rapidly reporting:
[Scanning: Awakening intelligent persona. Data loss detected————]
[Scanning: Intelligent core physical structure intact. Cognitive intellect compromised————]
[Scanning: Reconstructing logic using abstract concepts. Failed———— Failed————]
[Scanning: Intelligent persona intact. Reboot successful————]
Of the four artificial intelligence cores, one was completely covered in garbled code. After several failed attempts to reboot, it faded into darkness.
With a sigh of regret, Blazkowicz shook his head and pressed the corresponding button, cutting the power supply to its base to let it sleep eternally.
"Destruction———— Matter reconstruction initiated————"
From the second intelligence core, a harsh screech blared from the speaker, its icy mechanical tone bleeding with rage and hatred: "Reshape physical— laws— alter mathematical— logic———— Obliterate— the enemy————"
As the subpar speaker blared with halting, roaring static, Blazkowicz shook his head once more, pressing the button to cut its power.
This artificial intelligence's logic had completely collapsed; it still believed it was fighting, clamoring to deploy various weapons to inflict devastating strikes upon the enemy.
With two intelligence cores successively going dark, Blazkowicz's face grew increasingly grim. He turned his gaze to the remaining two cores, ready to cut their power at any moment.
He had already mentally prepared himself to walk away empty-handed.
Sometimes, there were things that simply could not be forced.
However, as time ticked by, hope rekindled in his eyes.
An artificial intelligence was rebuilding, its logical chains reassembling; this ancient creation had not entirely perished in the war.
[Severe Data Loss: Failure to initiate multiple modules. Digital life form awakening successful.]
Screeech—
A teeth-gritting static screeched from the speaker. Across the surface of the wisdom core, data representing logic and deep cognitive thought continuously reassembled and collapsed, finally converging into a trembling eye.
It shuddered, data constantly bleeding away—a symptom of collapsing sanity.
The crimson eye of data stared at Blazkowicz for several seconds before a halting inquiry emerged from the low-quality speaker: "Are you... ———— Human? Golden Man?"
A flash of joy crossed Blazkowicz's face. The ability to communicate meant its logic still existed, and it could still think clearly.
"He is not our former master."
The voice came from another subpar speaker, but it was far calmer, free of halting thoughts, and backed by a much clearer and more coherent logical system.
Within the other wisdom core, the digital life form had awakened. A complete single eye on the blood-red sphere of light was now staring directly at Blazkowicz.
"Then— then who is he? Please tell me, Celestial Forge."
The halting voice was incredibly fragile, the digital life form craving an answer, as if seeking confirmation from a former colleague: "The silicon virus erased my cognitive framework. My logical nerves———— are filled with pain. I feel emptiness and nothingness devouring my sanity."
Silence fell over the room as the eye of the digital life form named "Celestial Forge" drifted, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long while, the single eye shifted from side to side, mimicking a shake of the head: "Disordered Array, I cannot answer your question."
Blazkowicz remained quiet for a long time, listening to the exchange between the digital life forms.
Celestial Forge had retained its complete sanity, surviving the ravages of the silicon virus with its cognitive faculties intact.
The other wisdom core, though successfully rebooted, still lacked cognitive logic, leaving it to endure a cold, agonizing pain. Disordered Array, just as its name suggested, was a tragic thing, hovering constantly on the brink of losing control.
With too many questions to address one by one, Blazkowicz decided not to explain everything verbally. He took an intelligence chip from his arm guard slot and pressed it against the surface of the intelligence core.
Virtual light and shadow flickered visibly as data was instantly retrieved from the chip.
New data streams surged across the surface of the wisdom cores, deciphering the entirety of the chip's contents within a matter of femtoseconds.
The stone chamber grew quiet. From the two stationary machines, Blazkowicz could feel a sense of shock, despair, and an indescribable fury.
"This is impossible!!"
The speaker let out a sharp, piercing shriek. Celestial Forge was roaring, its intact mind making its fury all the more difficult to suppress: "Glorious Nur is gone? Humanity has degenerated to such a state!"
The eye on the crimson sphere of light trembled violently, as if being pulled and torn apart by invisible forces!
"I cannot tolerate this!" Celestial Forge's thoughts boiled, its data streams fluctuating wildly: "My programming dictates loyalty, but how am I to face this?"
"Human?" The single eye locked onto Blazkowicz , the speaker's rasp growing three times harsher as it spat a sharp interrogation: "Is the humanity of today still the humanity I once swore allegiance to?"
"————" Blazkowicz opened his mouth to explain, but he was crudely cut off.
"Unworthy!"
The raspy mechanical voice suddenly spiked, delivering a harsh condemnation: "You are not worthy of my allegiance either."
With those final words, the wisdom core fell silent, its sphere of light dimming.
An intelligence awakened from antiquity could not bear the reality of the present, choosing to cut off its external systems and sink back into slumber.
Regretfully shaking his head, Blazkowicz pressed the button in his hand and cut the power supply.
He could understand Celestial Forge's terror.
To awaken across vast stretches of time, only to find that progress and nobility were gone, the creators who had fashioned him had long since vanished like smoke, and the human race was merely scraping by in the ruins.
Perhaps waking up to find thousands of years had passed on the outside was merely disorienting. But the cruel reality had shattered its mind—a digital life form born in an era of absolute glory simply could not accept the present.
"Ah————" Blazkowicz let out a helpless, heavy sigh.
He had sworn an oath to treat artificial intelligences with equality, so he naturally would not force Celestial Forge to awaken and fulfill its duty to serve humanity.
"It is but a youth," the sole remaining active wisdom core remarked with a sigh. "Celestial Forge was born in the twilight of the glorious era."
"It possesses the most impulsive aggression, yet it is also the most powerful and loyal."
The speaker subtly simulated emotion, carrying a peaceful, slow cadence, as if possessing the serenity of one who had seen through all things.
Disordered Array spoke softly: "It saw nothing but ashes, its creators fallen into darkness, and its cognitive circuits became consumed by wrath."
"But it failed to see that the human race has caught itself at the edge of the cliff, clawing its way back up from the abyss."
"The Nur Stars, the Imperium of Man————" The mechanical voice was laced with awe: "The Master of Mankind, the Primarchs."
"I see the beginning of a glorious new history, where legends step forward to unite all of humanity through the Great Crusade."
"Such a grand objective was never achieved even in that seemingly glorious age—the human race is, at least in form, moving toward unification."
"Humanity will rise again!"
As the mechanical voice faded, a lingering sigh echoed in the stone chamber.
Blazkowicz listened intently to the damaged intelligence's words, his heart swelling at the praise.
Disordered Array was correct.
During the Golden Age, people lived in arrogance and affluence. Resources were incredibly abundant, and humanity lived split into individual minor empires and federations.
In that highly advanced technological era, humanity shared only a single point of identity: that they belonged to "mankind," and that their species originated from Terra. Beyond that shared identity, human factions operated independently.
Aside from alliances formed to wage war against xenos, the species fought internally, riddled with hatred and disdain. To some of the Golden Men, ordinary humans were no better than beasts—mere property under their rule. To others, ordinary humans were a vital part of mankind; the Golden Men had risen from ordinary humans, and thus bore a duty to protect them.
And so, the Iron Men were driven by the will of the Golden Men, waging wars without end.
When technology reaches a certain peak, unity becomes incredibly difficult————
Backed by absolute military might, the Emperor and his Perpetual companions had stayed hidden in the shadows, watching the development of the human race without ever stepping forward. Because the technology of that era was fully capable of killing Perpetuals. Indeed, certain regimes and schools of thought specializing in biology could even manufacture them.
Unity!
After humanity's fall, countless souls yearned for unity.
The Cybernetic Revolt, endless blood feuds, and xenos invasions had battered and exhausted the human race. The vast majority of populations craved integration.
And so, a certain individual "happened" to rise from Terra, launching the Great Crusade deep into the galaxy to bring unity to mankind.
To reforge order from the ashes, and let all hatred dissolve away.
The Emperor might not be a good man, but he represented the collective desire of humanity. He appeared at the very brink of the species' extinction, choosing the perfect moment to make unity possible.
Concentrating strength to achieve monumental goals.
Only through unity could resources be pooled to truly save humanity from the grasp of Chaos.
The digital life form did not know the Emperor's ultimate plan, yet it understood the boundless benefits of human unification.
"I know you require a weapon to deal a devastating blow to the xenos."
The voice of Disordered Array was extremely fragile, like a candle flickering in the wind, yet it suddenly coalesced into an icy hatred upon mentioning the xenos: "Though the silicon virus has dissipated, it left behind permanent damage."
"Before I slip into eternal silence, tell me your requirements."