The Dark Fantasy Of Science

Episode 13: Perception

Season 1: An Unexpected Yet Horrific Discovery

_Issac_: You did a great job, Achilles. You may rest now.
_Azalia_: ...
_Issac_: Ahem. Pardon the intrusion. This was the fastest way.
_Azalia_: Professor... I can understand your urgency but what you did was unnecessary...
_Issac_: I apologise for my bold move but it would've been too confusing for everyone.
_Azalia_: Why did you hide your discovery?
_Issac_: ...
_Azalia_: Professor... Even if you didn't have the time to explain everything you could have at least told us in brief.
_Issac_: Ha... Dea..

Isaac kneeled before Azalia and bowed as if paying respect to a Queen or a Goddess.

_Azalia_: What are you doing, Professor?
_Isaac_: I have sinned yet in the end. I'm still doing this for humanity.

Azalia was surprised. She didn't expect Isaac to do something like that.

_Isaac_: Forgive me.

Gradually, the temperature of the realm deceased back to normal and Achilles woke back up.

_Isaac_: Regardless of my ways, we all have only One Goal i.e to protect humanity. We must save Peripheria.

Azalia swiftly descended to the ground and said...

_Azalia_: You may be guilty but as I see it... Your intentions are good yet your way seems like desperation. I can see your frustration. Yet you behave calmly but the process of your actions are contrary to your goal despite the end result being righteous. Tell me: Are you a sheep or a goat?
_Issac_: ██████████████████████
_Azalia_: Is that your answer?
_Isaac_: Yes. (...)

Azalia then walked over to Achilles and explained to him about the realm and Isaac's plan and about Tartarus' plan.

_Achilles_: I see. But I have never seen that battlesuit of yours. Could it be.. this is one of UZSA's secret project's products?!
_Azalia_: No... It's just... (...)
_Achilles_: Ha! So that must be it!
_Azalia_: Actually... I don't know either.
_Achilles_: ?
_Azalia_: Anyway let's just destroy this beacon here first.
_Isaac_: May I have a moment?
_Achilles_: As i—
_Azalia_: Go ahead.
_Achilles_: (...)

Isaac stood back up.

_Isaac_: There's another reason why I came here. I would like to extract the core of each of the beacons present in this realm.
_Azalia_: Cores?
_Isaac_: Yes. If these beacons have the power to support and manage an entire solar system then they would have a source of power to meet the required amount of energy.
_Azalia_: And that would be in theory, wouldn't it?
_Isaac_: I'd say yes but I do see some sort of opening mechanism there.
_Azalia_: You mean that symbol?
" ⍼"
_Isaac_: Yes.

Isaac approached the beacon and pressed on the said button. The golden glow of the symbol stopped flickering then the entire tower lost its lights. Isaac then used some kind of device to extract the core.

_Azalia_: (He's doing this with such confidence as if he has done this before.)
_Azalea_: Perhaps he has been here before.
_Azalia_: That's what we can suspect. He's hiding many things from us all.
_Achilles_: Azalia, are you talking to yourself?
_Azalia_: Oh uhm.. I think you misheard Ray as my voice.
_Achilles_: Hmm.. interesting Stingray. Can I fight it after we are done with this?
_Azalia_: Sure.
_Achilles_: Haha! Exactly what I wanted to hear!

Achilles then tried competing with Ray to see who could kill the most amount of Imaginary Beings. Much to his surprise, his attacks had no effect on them. Regardless of which he continued fighting just for the sake of it as he did not need to worry about running out of battery as he gains energy based on how much power he channels out from his core and how much damage he receives also gets converted into energy for his battlesuit, this makes him an unstoppable force.

_Azalia_: Are you done extracting the core, Processor?
_Isaac_: Yes. Here it is.

Isaac turned back to Azalia and showed her the core. The core turns out to actually be the Tartarus symbol.

_Isaac_: This core has been deactivated so it's not glowing but it should certainly still have the capability to...
_Azalia_: Professor?
_Isaac_: Forget it.
_Azalia_: ...
_Isaac_: But now that this beacon has been deactivated, he might be on his way.
_Azalia_: You mean Tartarus? How can you tell?
_Isaac_: These are his beacons after all. The Imaginary Beings do not have the ability to construct. They are forms born out of ideas of pure imagination for which it requires the surrounding to be rendered first. Think of it as the opposite of reality. In reality, the human-environment like cities and towns only exist due to human existence, activities, behaviour and creativity. However, in the Imaginary realm, the environment exists before the inhabitants like a shell exist before its corresponding inhabitant finds it. Putting that into account, this beacon belongs to Tartarus but it can be considered as an environmental object which means that this beacon is Tartarus but in the environmental form so in conclusion, he should've sensed that it was deactivated.
_Azalia_: I see so it's like the opposite of the Law of Existentialism. We better prepare ourselves for combat.
_Isaac_: Yes but I recommend you to keep Achilles out of this.
_Azalia_: Huh... Why?
_Isaac_: Anything or anyone from reality cannot destroy something that is Imaginary or does not exist.

Azalia took a few seconds to understand the reason. She then spoke.

_Azalia_: I understand. It's like the Greek philosophers who said that it is impossible for nothing to exist. But these non-existent beings came to reality so theoretically, we shouldn't be able to interact with nothing...?
_Isaac_: It's a difficult concept to understand but all you need to know for now is that you and I have the ability to counterbalance and transcend the very Law of Existence itself.

Isaac once again pulled out the flaming greatsword out of a golden opening.

_Isaac_: The Confrontation Time has come.

Back in Sotiría...

_Tartarus_: (...) זה מעניין. זמן העימות אכן הגיע... Einstein.

ㅤ                               To Be Continued