After Lushihar informed him of Sahin's return to life, the gatekeeper sprinted to the palace, which was soon engulfed in a state of chaos.
Sahin, now bearing Farid's consciousness, stepped down with difficulty, wary that his clothes might tear from the Ninth Update currently downloading onto his body.
Behind him came Alfonso and Delta, who had taken Narella's form again to conceal herself.
Farid paused, contemplating the palace and the servants in the garden. Some were shocked that Sahin was still alive, while others were unsettled by the strange, unencrypted aura of the Nine they could feel radiating from him.
The Palace¹ consisted of three separate buildings: the storage house, the servants' quarters, and the Main Palace. Below, near the main structure, was the entrance to the tunnels, which formed another palace underground. Atop the central building sat a small dome that appeared to house a telescope.
By the time they reached the double-height doors, servants came running...
"Master Sahin, you are alive?!"
.
.
" We missed you "
"This is a miracle!"
Lushihar spoke up:
"Allow me to introduce you to the staff. This is Bisan, Arim, Lilia, Talia, Brihan, Miaura, Violet, Dania, Dareen, Alia, Ghalia...
[inhales]
Carmela, Miral, Nadine..."
The servants were of various human and demi-human races, of different ages and genders, their uniforms distinct according to their duties. Farid's focus drifted as she recited the names of twenty maids and servants, his eyes drawn instead to the palace's architecture, which evoked a Victorian feel.
Farid went inside to bathe and change quickly. In the middle of his bath, the door opened rudely. Farid was startled and hid himself from them:
"Have you forgotten how to knock?"
Dareen replied:
"Don't you want us to clean you, Master?"
Farid fell silent, thinking, but they took his silence as consent and entered, indifferent to his complete nudity.
"Wai... where... okay, never mind."
Farid emerged, glowing from extreme cleanliness. They dressed him, combed his hair, and applied a little perfume—it wouldn't hurt.
Outside, he found Lushihar and Delta. After becoming convinced that he was now a king or something similar due to the luxury of the treatment and the atmosphere, he said:
"I am hungry. I want food... Delta, I want to ask you: How do I understand the language of this world and speak it fluently? And more importantly, how did you bring me back to life?"
"Oh my, oh my, what a scandal...
[Farid felt tense as she suddenly spoke in English.]
Come, I will speak to you outside."
They walked away from the palace, while Lushihar watched them from an upper-story window. Delta spoke in English to encrypt her words:
"I feel they haven't accepted what happened, so I prefer speaking to you in a secluded place...
Alright. I brought you back to life with my ability. It isn't a literal resurrection, but because I am a fictional being from your imagination previously, I possess your brain settings.
All I did was copy them and transfer them to you with all their memories, in addition to this world's language and some other superficial information. And as you guessed, I am the one who killed Sahin with a stroke and manipulated him."
"But... sometimes I see a shadow, a black figure trying to hide from my sight. When you told me you killed Sahin, he flew into a rage, and now I hear him cursing you."
"I suppose Sahin didn't die completely..."
"Then find me a solution! He's giving me a headache, like I have schizophrenia. He's speaking loudly so I can't hear you. I think he understands us!"
Delta plucked the halo above her head, which transformed into a strange fleshy machine floating in the air. After a short while, she synthesized a solution and gave it to Farid, who was clutching his head, to drink.
"This medicine will suffice for a while. Its ingredients are rare. We need a radical solution; try to control yourself during this period."
"Why did you bring me back if I'm going to remain mentally ill for the rest of my life?"
"Hhh .. you will be cured, don't worry. I calculated this probability.
The issue is simply that my modification of your brain wasn't perfectly ideal. As you know, the brain has over 100 billion neurons, and here the number reaches 150 billion. I spent the last hundred years strengthening myself and unlocking potentials to mimic your neural activity faster."
"You mean I am not Farid? Just a copy, and the real Farid died?"
"Yes. You feel a temporal continuity with the past on Earth, but you are just a copy. The real Farid was ground to dust by the black hole and turned into salt. Hhhh.."
"And... will you leave this voice in my head?"
"Of course not. What happened is that I created the foundation of your consciousness, but a few of the host body's neurons still exist. Currently, one of my clones is inside the headquarters of the Global Alliance for Paranormal Interception
don't worry about names right now.
She is trying to obtain a specific TRANSCENDOR...
ahem, magical element...
to perform a full reset of your Root. This will also shorten the coming years because I will directly make you understand everything as if I installed a memory card in you... Don't worry, she is close."
"You have magic here?"
"Yes, it exists, along with superpowers similar to Ki and Chakra, etc. But most of the planet's inhabitants use what is called Transcendence above the nature because it is the strongest type. It links directly to Consciousness and Will without a medium like Chakra or Mana coming from the outside. This is important in Subjective Realities and devouring an opponent's attack. If two attacks collide, the attack based on the Transcendence technique devours the other...
Damn, what am I saying?!
Don't worry about it you will learn these things in time. I don't want to fill your head with a lecture. Look, I will predict the future... Hmmmmm. The food is ready."
A maid arrived:
"Master, the food is ready."
Farid's eyes widened. He looked at Delta and asked:
"How?"
"See? I still have my talent for prophecy. I took care of every detail. You are under the guard of my three eyes, which, by the way, see the entire electromagnetic spectrum. This one is for visible light...
[She pointed to her forehead]
...Infrared...
[Left eye]
...Ultraviolet...
[Right eye]
I can see people without clothes, and I can see in the dark and behind walls clearly."
"Honestly, the food was expected."
Delta's voice spoke in his head:
" Hello, can you hear me? Mention my name and answer. "
< Delta... this is amazing. Telepathy? >
" Yes. I will use this method to help you. Just mention my name in your head; it will activate the neurons processing my name, and I will start hearing your thoughts. "
< Can you read my thoughts? >
" And what is the problem with that? I used to read your thoughts before... Umm, okay, I'll stop... Wait a moment... Just say 'Sigma' and my connection to you will be cut. "
Farid entered the palace, then the most luxurious guest room. There, he found a table filled with food strange to this world: purple cuts of meat, juice rich in colors, things that looked like giant chicken legs but were meat wrapped in dough and fried, what looked like toast but stuffed with meat, something resembling a large beetle soup, and what looked like tacos about to explode from being so full. Not to mention the desserts on the table with delicious colors. The smell was a nightmare for a hungry man. The cutlery had unique shapes, like mechanical arms extendable to pick up distant food, and spoons, knives, and forks with decorations resembling human hands.
Sahin's father, Godfrey, spoke up:
"It seems you didn't even notice our presence. Come, sit beside me, boy... So, you are the Ninth. Our family has found a treasure."
< Damn, I didn't even see them... I want to eat, and they are interrupting me. >
Queen Sadim spoke in her sluggish, firm voice, addressing Delta:
"You, Mother of Three Eyes. You are the reason for Sahin's death, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am the reason. Do you object to the existence of the Ninth?!"
"Rather, I object to your unauthorized behavior. A creature like you should be eliminated immediately."
After a charged look and an atmosphere of silence and anticipation, Godfrey spoke:
"Ladies, we are eating. Calm the tension."
"I am uncomfortable with you, you foul-smelling cancerous tumor, being near us. Lushihaaaaar!"
Lushihar arrived in the blink of an eye, standing like a soldier beside her. Farid felt a breeze from her speed.
"Yes, Revered Mistress."
"My daughter—metaphorically—you are literate and educated. What I want from you is to teach Farid the basics of this world, monitor this visual pollution in front of me, and protect the Ninth from her lies. It wouldn't be far-fetched if she wanted to devour him."
"Understood, Revered Mistress."
Delta said:
"Watch me, and I will kill you."
Sadim replied:
"Kill her, and I will kill you."
Lushihar shot Delta a provocative, mocking look.
Farid, after burying his face in the food, said:
"Am I not going to say anything?"
Godfrey said, applauding:
"Of course, forgive us. Please go ahead. You are the teacher, and we are the students."
"First, I am hungry and want to eat, and this charged atmosphere doesn't help. Second, Delta... I know her personally...
[He telepathically communicated with Delta: Delta, is it okay if I speak about Earth or hint at it? She nodded in affirmation.]
...If you have anyone to thank, you should thank her. She chose a member of your family specifically to make him this so-called Ninth."
Godfrey replied:
"But caution is necessary, especially since the one beside you is a disease that has ravaged humanity since time immemorial. She is an evolved cancerous tumor. She killed many humans to strengthen herself, feeding on corpses, graveyards, and war victims. Even animals were not safe from her for the sake of her ability. And you want us to trust her?"
Farid thought and contemplated deeply, until Queen Sadim spoke:
"That is why I propose that Lushihar monitors your safety—she is strong and smart—until your strength solidifies. Then, we will put the Mother of Three Eyes on trial."
Godfrey said:
"Fine, let's change the subject. I will study the effects of the Ninth's appearance with my colleagues to see when we will announce the winds of change... Arim, come here."
Arim, the palace maid with crimson eyes responsible for smithing and repairs, approached Lord Godfrey with a shy walk and said:
"Y... Yes, Master. The ring is ready."
"Wear this ring. It will mask your Ninth aura, in hopes that no one notices your physical changes and that you have grown taller."
Sadim added:
"We hope no one notices you have grown taller."
Lord Godfrey stood up, followed by Queen Sadim. He continued speaking as Farid accompanied them to the front door:
"Alright... Farewell, Master Farid. We will see you later. If you need anything, tell me or send one of the servants. We will study the repercussions of your appearance. For now, we will spread the news that your death was a misdiagnosis. And tell the Mother of Three Eyes to stop being strange; it would be a problem if people knew the Royal Family was harboring a cancer in the house of one of its sons."
Sadim said:
"Take care of yourself, my son. If you need anything, go back to Lushihar. As for this monster, she might wake up tomorrow and want to eat you."
Delta said:
"Fine, just go."
Sadim frowned in her face. Then, in the blink of an eye, Delta was ripped from the ground, hurled outside the city, and exploded in the air into small pieces.
Farid stood at the door, his face shocked by what had suddenly happened to Delta, watching her pieces fall to the ground.
Then Delta spoke inside his head:
" I am fine. "