Chapter 5: Perfection

“Well, you do look marvelous!” Meera was smirking as she looked me over. I had just selected my “second gift” in the form of a skill. From the three options, I took [Devil Shift]. [Human Form] would weaken the abilities specifically from my template by the sound of it, and [Devil Form] would permanently alter my appearance and species. Considering I had to live in this world once all was said and done, I couldn’t risk a permanent change to my appearance without knowing how the general population would react.

When I claimed it, my status instantly adapted to reflect the new addition. Other than that, though, there had been no changes.

So your complimenting me has no merit since I don’t look any different…

Though it was rather cramped, I smiled as best I could, “Thank you, I think. It feels sort of weird, though. Like I know that I can use the new skill, and how, but something about it is… off.”

“Yes, many of Emergent’s chosen do say that… Eventually, you will learn how, but it will take time. I do regret that I can’t offer much guidance, but the fact that I am not chosen remains one of my deepest regrets….” She was genuinely apologetic and even sounded… sad.

Damn, I was hoping she would be able to tell me how the hell this worked. Wasn’t she supposed to educate me?

The first thing I tried to do upon claiming the skill was to activate it. The damn thing had even come with something of an instruction manual telling me how to turn it on, but when I followed those steps, it hadn’t worked.

But she says she isn’t one of Emergent’s chosen, just a follower? So then she doesn’t have one of these template things? Interesting.

“…I’m sorry, Meera, but is there someone who could help me? I really want to figure this out as quickly as possible.”

She nodded and entered something into her tablet, “Yes, Director Michael said to bring you to him once you had your second gift; I was about to suggest that when you asked. Just give me one moment to inform him, and we can depart.”

With that said, she spun around and began walking away from me at speed. I hurried after her, hoping not to fall behind. As we walked, I did my best to take in the surroundings as possible since, owing to my general confused state when coming this way the day before, such observations had been neglected.

The building my room was in was some sort of multi-floored structure, a fact gathered by observing a few instances of people entering doorways leading to small single rooms with no features. Likewise, the whole thing, or at least this floor was probably owned by the cult; everyone except for myself was wearing that same weird coat as Meera, just in differing colors.

Based on what I had observed the people doing, the colors were probably associated with their individual roles. Gray coats were the most common, so if this was anything like earth, these would be the primary working force. The next most common color was black, and these people tended to be in pairs or trios, usually at checkpoints. There were no visible weapons, but that did not mean they were unarmed. Therefore, I pegged the black coats as security.

Following black were the white coats like Meera’s, and thinking back on it, Arval’s as well. It was doubtful that all white coats were doctors; most likely, they served in a supervisory role within the cult. The rarest color was blue, but the only blue jacket I saw was worn by a man doing maintenance work on a light fixture, so it probably did not rank higher than the white coats.

Technically, my clothes were tied for the second rarest since I wasn’t wearing a coat in the first place. Odds were that mine was a particular case, owing to being “Emergent’s Chosen,” whatever that was. “Emergent Analysis” from when I had picked a template was one thing that came to mind immediately, but there was no way these people were stupid enough to treat a dialogue box as a figure of worship.

Besides the people, I tried keeping track of the surroundings, but the hallway was pristine. Other than doors that, if not for the panel to open them, blended seamlessly into the wall there was nothing to interrupt the smooth texture. Every surface was also emitting a soft white light, leading to an eerie lack of shadow. 

Occasionally, someone would pass through one of the doors and I would catch a glimpse into what lay beyond it. The first rooms we passed seemed to be living spaces, but after rounding a ninety-degree corner, they changed to resemble work areas. At the very least, they held desks with chairs occupied by people who were fiddling with a projected screen. The holographic technology was fascinating but I was only able to get a few brief glimpses before the doors would shut.

Still, the general layout is like a skyscraper, or a cubic building. I can see ahead of us that there’s another ninety-degree bend going to the right again. Assuming the opposite side is the same, it would go all the way around. So each side of the square or rectangle has a different purpose… But then what about up and down? Ah screw it; I can literally just ask Meera so there’s no point in theorizing about it.

That was when I noticed the stares. It had been at the back of my mind, like some sort of needle-prick, something not quite right. My mouth formed into the uncomfortably familiar twitchy smile as my pace quickened until I walked side by side with my guide, “Meera, why is everyone staring at me? Is it because of the “Emergent’s Chosen” thing you called me?”

She nodded, “Yes, Emergent rarely chooses anybody, so a new chosen is always seen as a spectacle. Give it some time, and people should calm down.”

My smile cramped almost immediately; I did not like being the center of attention. In fact, I would prefer to be invisible, “What exactly is an Emergent’s Chosen? You keep referring to me as such, but I still don’t know what the name means.”

“That question would be better answered by Director Michael; he is also one of the chosen.” She thought for a moment, “To someone like me, the chosen are like emissaries of my god. I wish I could answer more thoroughly, but I do not know all that much.”

Predictably, my awkward grin cramped again.

So I’m an emissary of god? No thank you!

I quickly changed the subject before hearing any other earth-shattering revelations, “What about this place? This building I mean; it’s so big, clean, and bright!”

“This is our sanctuary here on Corgas, provided to us by the grace of Emergent; it is here that we search for more of his Chosen. The janitors keep everything as clean as possible, as cleanliness is a virtue.”

Cleanliness is a virtue? That makes sense for older religions and cultish organizations… But for a culture with this degree of technological development, it should be fairly understood that clean is healthy.

My pace slowed so as to open a bit of distance between us. Presumably, she would be available for questioning at a later time if needed. In the meantime, Michael would, and it would be best to diversify my sources of information before becoming overly reliant on just one. Hopefully. We did not have long to go before Meera halted at one of the door panels, which she activated.

“This is as far as I can go with you, Eira. This elevator is only for the Chosen to use, you will find Director Michael’s office at the top.” Looking past her, the door she had opened for me led to one of those small box rooms I had guessed were probably lifts.

Well, here goes.

“Thank you, Meera!” When I thanked her, she performed a strange action: she stepped backward while bending her knees and bowing forward with her arms crossed over her shoulders. It was sort of a half bow, half curtsy thing. Whatever it was, I got the sense it was a way of expressing respect or gratitude, and it made my skin crawl.

Stepping past her while trying to avoid looking at the odd pose, I entered the elevator. Helpfully, it had only two buttons on a sort of touchscreen interface. One was a grayed-out arrow pointing down, while the other lit and pointed up. Without thinking, I pressed the one pointing up and heard the doors shut behind me. The whole room shook momentarily as I felt my stomach lurch.

We’re going up alright, at quite a speed too… How big is… this… building…?

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As the elevator lifted me ever higher, whatever tube it had been in terminated abruptly. I found myself confronted by a breathtaking view of a city center. It was night out, but the lights below and around me lit up the ground and structures like so many twinkling gemstones. Below me, streets crisscrossed every which way, and the lights of motor vehicles moved tirelessly along them.

At eye level and even above, more lights were moving swiftly around in clearly defined pathways. Looking further upwards, I could see the peak of the building by craning my neck. Calling it “peak” was the best way to describe it, as though the surrounding structures were tall, the one I was in was monolithic. Far from my earlier assumptions, the “skyscraper” I had been in just now was but a single pillar making up this behemoth of architectural engineering. Below me, to the left and right, there were visible the outer edges of similar structures.

“A bit more advanced than earth…” haaaa, this city is at least a hundred years past anything we had. And this building is the cult’s sanctuary on Corgas? This building is the heart of the city! No, she said that “this place” was the sanctuary, then is the whole city under the sway of the cult!? I’m supposed to kill who knows how many million people!? There’s no way!

-Ding!-

While I was busy being floored by the vista, the elevator summited and chimed its arrival, “Ha. It is beautiful, isn’t it? Our little gem in the black. I remember the impression it made on me the first time I saw it… Welcome to the crown of the world, Eira.”

Michael’s voice called out and guided me out of the elevator, into a room that was in stark contrast to the bland white halls below us. Less an office and more of a personal palace, a wall made of glass wound around the room in a large half-circle jutting out from either side of the elevator. A series of black marble pillars rose to meet the cathedral ceiling decorated with carvings of cherubim and depictions of clouds in a blue sky.

The floor in front of me leading from the elevator to the far wall was raised slightly, with a step down left and right, where a collection of sculptures sat at tasteful points within a gently bubbling water feature. There were even medium largish fish that looked like koi swimming about lazily. The far wall, where the raised floor met, held a single sizeable double door carved in a pattern of flowers and vines. The wall was made of the same marble as the pillars, creating the illusion of night giving way to dawn through the aid of the light filtering through the glass half.

…If this room is a semi-circle, then doesn’t that mean this shape would have to repeat for each of the foundation skyscrapers? What kind of building is this!?

Admittedly, it could repeat itself if the building was symmetrical. In my dazzled state, though, such observations were beyond my ability.

“This is where most of the chosen live; I will introduce you later. But, for now, come this way if you please.”

Dumbly, I followed him as he led the way down the raised floor and through the doorway. This doorway led into a circular junction, at least it was probably a circle; the walls and floor curved such that it was impossible to see further than a few hundred feet in either direction.

“Each of us has a room that sits above one of the lower towers; this is mine.” As he spoke, he gestured to the door directly ahead of the one we had just come through, “This way.”

He led me around the circle, to the very next door on the inner part of the circle, to the left of his room. Even then, it was nearly a hundred feet down the hall, “Through this way. This is a training room of sorts. It is here that you will undergo lessons and enhancement sessions.”

The room was large, about the size of a school gymnasium. Rather than being bare or intricately and expensively decorated, the wall, ceiling, and floor were all covered in a lattice of glass formations. They jutted out past the door a good two feet, and the floor crystals were five feet below where we stood. Unhesitatingly, Michael walked out, a thin film of light forming where his feet met with the air.

“This room can create a model of anything we desire by using RM-Fields; like so.” He waved his hand through the air, and light particles formed as though drawn out.

As I watched, the particles coalesced into the shape of a man. It was in the classic Davinci drawing pose, with an extra pair of arms and legs spread out, “Leonardo da Vinci was a brilliant human, back in the fourteen hundreds, he came up with this shape; the Vitruvian Man.”

Leonardo da Vinci? As in, Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci!? From Earth!?

“It was meant to represent the perfect human. The most perfect body. Of course, there was no way for its creator to have known.” Michael waved his hand, and the Vitruvian man morphed. Its features became Germanic, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Some four hundred-odd years later, another man attempted to define the perfect human form and plunged the world into war. Through battle, his ideals were defeated and humanity continued its search.”

Adolf Hitler in the thirties and forties? with the Nazi Party? First da Vinci, now him? Is this world actually Earth, just in the future!?

The Germanic figure lost its features and began to morph again. It flashed through several shapes and forms, before suddenly splitting into five models. Each one acquired a different set of features, but I recognized them from fantasy; A regular human, a cat-eared person, a dwarf, someone with dog ears, and another who had a fox tail.

“This was the next major attempt at human perfection, though it again missed the mark. Sometime near the end of the twenty-first century, breakthroughs in genetic engineering granted man the ability for each individual to achieve their own perfection and dozens of new subspecies of humankind took their first steps.”

The figures all contorted into new shapes, with the exception of the one that had remained fully human. The elf’s skin turned pale and fangs jutted out from its mouth. The cat-eared person’s body contorted, going from possessing merely ears and a tail to a being fully covered in fur while twisting into a quadrupedal stance. The dwarf grew even shorter and sprouted knife-like ears as its skin turned a sickly green. The dog-eared person turned into something like a werewolf, while the fox sprouted extra tails and acquired an angry bloodthirsty expression.

“The ‘mods’ as they were called, turned out to be less stable than advertised. After six generations, mutations began to emerge; Emergent had cursed us for straying from the path. It is an issue that the mods continue to struggle with to this day.”

The four figures other than the normal human vanished in a puff of soft lights, as though being reduced to atoms. The human figure then split, creating a perfect copy of itself. Arranged so that they were facing each other, one of them began to change. Various parts of it were removed. An arm and leg, then an eye. All were replaced with metal prosthetics. Finally, the skin turned transparent to reveal a digital heart, rubber lungs, and chips grafted into the brain.

“Some humans did not learn the lesson, though truth be told this was happening in tandem with the Mods’ fall. They called themselves ‘Augmented.’ They forsake their humanity to embrace cold metal. Even as they cut off their limbs, Emergent turns away, and they benefit less from his blessing. The Augs would willingly sacrifice the blessings of Emergent in favor of this twisted false life.”

By this point, my mind had gone somewhat numb from the spectacle of my arrival followed by the expressed possibility that this world was actually Earth. But from that numbness came clarity, and I could focus on myself to reclaim my senses.

If this is earth, I need to know. The difference between historical knowledge and knowledge from another reality is important. But, I can’t risk tipping off Michael that my memories are intact...

While I had been recovering and drafting a plan, Michael had reached the end of what was apparently his recruitment speech, “So, Eira this I ask of you? If you please, join my fellows and me in bringing about the blessing of Emergent’s perfection.”

What was I supposed to say? It was blindingly obvious why mirror man wanted these people gone now; Michael was clearly out of his damn mind. Yet, I was in the middle of his fortress and had just discovered that this might be Earth. There was only one answer I could give.

“I will.”