Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]

As Yulia flies off, Chloe turns to me with a worried look in her eyes. "So, she also came from another world. I wonder if you two aren't alone in that."

I sigh. "I don't know for sure, but I think we should assume there are. Once is an aberration. Twice might be a coincidence, but when it concerns something so outlandish and unbelievable as transmigration and the existence of other worlds and past lives, I have to start believing it might be a pattern."

The two of us stand on the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers off the edge of downtown. From here, we look down upon the city, locals going about their business seemingly without care that dozens of people with supernatural powers just fought and died not even a half an hour's drive away. And yet, even as we watch people attempt to live their lives with some vague vestiges of normalcy, the local Tower Gauntlet is a stark reminder of just how much the world has changed. Compared with that starscraper which seems to puncture the very heavens themselves, our human ingenuity and acumen comes up woefully lacking.

Something sets off alarm bells in my head. Like… Like we're being watched. I've gotten impressions of that for a while. And while I could chalk it up to the use of a Skill, or the foreboding reminder that the System sees and senses all, this feels more concrete. Like I'm being observed by a person, directly…

My phone vibrates in my bag. Chloe gives me an expectant look. And as I read the message, I furrow my brows. Seems these so-called overseers that have been trying to hack into my arm and wings over the past couple of weeks want to have our little meeting in just a few minutes. And since I did have a little fun by reverse engineering the connection and turning it back on their boss, I suppose I owe it to him not to shirk the little rendezvous.

"Looks like we've got one more thing to do before we head back to base," I say.

"Oh? Where are we headed?" Chloe asks.

I point to a building on the far side of downtown. A mid-tier hotel. Ten stories high, and pretty plain and nondescript other than the brand logo near the top of the building. I'd bet this is where the conference is going on, and if I know this so-called director, I suppose he's… Well, actually, I don't know the man, so I probably shouldn't speculate on what exactly he wants or how he intends to get it.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Chloe asks. "Should we take precautions?"

I pause. I don't think it's a trap, but this Research Group sounds… shady, to say the least. I've done a bit of research into them, but there's basically no information to be found. My research skills aren't the best in the world, but I could barely even confirm that this… AERG even exists. They don't want to be known about, that's for damn sure. Seems like one of those organizations receiving off-the-books funding from the taxpayer, as well as various corporate conglomerates to do research of a more questionable nature.

"I don't think it's a trap, considering everything. But I agree that precautions are warranted."

I tap Chloe's shoulder, enveloping her in the light of [Angel's Grace], and she does the same to me with her [Angelic Blessing]. Once we've confirmed that we're ready for any fight that might break out when we get there, I again take Chloe into my arms and fly across downtown. Plenty of people down on the surface look up at us, but I don't pay them too much attention. This is going to become more and more commonplace as more people gain levels and Skills, after all.

When we do arrive, I set Chloe down. I don't see the director, but I know he's here, watching. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his appearance.

The door leading into the room containing the stairs for the roof access opens, revealing a middle aged man with a scruffy beard and olive skin. His hair is salt-and-pepper, and his face is as scarred as he is ripped. He wears not a lab coat, but what appears to be a military uniform, including a hat I can't imagine is comfortable in the early days of an Oklahoma summer.

"Director?"

"The director will be here momentarily. I'm Staff Officer Giovanni, and I've been asked to attend as a security detail."

I suppose that makes sense. I'm not confident he's actually going to be of much use in a fight if it comes down to it, but if the director feels more comfortable with him here, I couldn't care less either way.

He reaches into his bag and pulls out a steel cage and a small cube. "Your phones, please."

"Why?" Chloe asks.

"Because you never know who might be watching or listening in. I trust you don't want anyone else to hear about the conversation you're about to have. We're just going to jam cell service and radio frequencies, and then slip your phones into this Faraday cage for added protection. I promise, they will be returned, untampered, once your meeting has concluded."

Chloe looks at me with reluctance. I nod, slipping my phone into her hand. She still hesitates, but acquiesces, slipping both into the cage, which is then closed.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Just as he says this, as if cued up, the door opens up. I'm forced to make a revision to my earlier statement. The director is here, but he's not exactly making an appearance. He's using some sort of [Glamour] glyph array to mask his facial features, although I can tell that the man towers over Chloe and me by a good eight to ten inches. I could peer through it with [Angelic Insight], but I decide against it. If he wants his privacy so badly that he's going to cover himself up like a mummy, I suppose I can oblige him.

"Director Ash Winwrought, is that you?" I say.

"Actually, it's pronounced 'Win-Row'," he responds, in a voice far higher-pitched than I would have expected out of a man that size. It makes me wonder if he's not a he at all, but I'll continue to give them the courtesy of anonymity.

"Apologies for that, it can be difficult to tell such things through text."

He— They?— seems to smile, but underneath their abjurations, it's hard to tell for certain. "Field Operative Seraphina," the director says. "And Field Operative Chloe. I must say that I'm… something of a fan of your work. I know it wasn't your first preference to meet with me this afternoon, but I do appreciate your making a bit of time for this meeting."

"You know of us?" Chloe asks.

"It's my job to know these sorts of things," Director Winwrought says. "It's a dangerous world we live in, one made even more dangerous since the System has upended virtually every facet of the society we once had." They walk over to the edge of the roof. No guardrails, which feels like it should be a safety hazard, but oh well.

"Do you know the population of this city?" Ash asks, though they continue before I can get a word in edgewise. "Just under 700,000. Nearly a million and a half people if you count the entire census-defined Combined Statistical Area. When I come up here and stare down upon a city this size, this vast, I'm reminded of the weight of the responsibilities I shoulder every day."

They pull out a cigar and vaguely gesture as though they plan to light it, but then they stick it back in their side pouch. "It's a real nasty habit; been trying to quit for good for years. I know the PSA's they show on TV and billboards are just about the north side of useless, but if I can offer you kids one piece of advice, it's not to try them even once. Not because you won't enjoy them— I promise, the day you first try one will be the best day of your life. But you'll enjoy them far too much. You'll keep saying 'just one more' and 'just one more' and tell yourself that you can quit anytime you want. You can't.

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"Now, maybe I'm wrong and maybe you actually are the exception to that rule. But plenty of people think they're the exception. They're not. You shouldn't assume you are, either." Director Winwrought sighs. "Forgive me for trying to give a little unsolicited advice to the next generation."

"Why did you start up?" Chloe asks. "Oh, sorry," she says after a second.

"I've seen more shit than most," Ash says. "Rough childhood, and adulthood wasn't much better. It was either this or the bottle to take off the worst of the pain. Considering how ruinous untreated alcoholism can be for a person's life, I'd say I got off easy."

"You wanted to talk with me," I say. "You wanted to know more about ｢The Anomaly｣ ."

"Indeed. Your growth in the post System world has truly been anomalous. When I look through the data we've collected over the past three months at the strongest powers in the States, it's more or less who you'd expect. A lot of soldiers and ex-soldiers. A few scientists, some manual laborers. Scan out to the rest of the world and it's more of the same, plus some regional warlords and strongmen in less stable parts of the world.

"And then there's you two. A couple of eighteen year old girls fresh out of high school, one with a knack for the healing arts and the other who fancies herself some sort of guardian angel. You are the odd pair out for sure."

I look away. "You make it sound like I chose that title for myself. It was one given to me."

"Leaving that matter aside, yes. As I said, it's my job to know these sorts of things. Humanity is at an inflection point. Our actions over the next few weeks and months could set us on the path of salvation, or damnation. And I, for one, enjoy the prospect of humanity's continued survival, and plan to use the resources at my disposal to maximize the chances of that happening."

"Then we agree with the outcome, if not necessarily with the steps to get there," I say.

"I think you do owe me an explanation, Operative Seraphina," Ash says. "Sending me a threatening message via my private device, one air gapped from the internet, telling me to, and I quote, 'get my ass down to Great Plains at once'. And then, after sending me such a message, you send further cryptic messages telling me both that you want to meet with me as soon as possible, and that you also hope that we wouldn't meet. Quite frankly, I'm of half a mind to believe that there's some other being masquerading around with your title."

"Let's start with the most important thing," I say. "I, as ｢The Anomaly｣ , am not your threat. I'm not going to say I'm on your side or anything. But I'm no threat to humanity as long as my partner and I aren't attacked."

"Debatable. At your current rate of growth, not to mention those surges of strange energy that seem to accompany you from time to time, I would say that you absolutely are a potential threat to humanity. It is reassuring that you have expressed a lack of interest in actually carrying out those designs. But simply saying you aren't a threat does nothing to change the fact that you are one. And that it is my job to prepare for the circumstance in which your attitude on humanity changes."

"You're not going to, are you, Sera?" Chloe asks.

I give Chloe's hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course not, Chloe. I'm here to try to protect humanity, not condemn it."

"Even not being human?" Director Winwrought asks.

"Even so," I say. "I'm impressed that your intelligence-gathering networks are so advanced if you could tell."

"I couldn't. Not until you just confirmed it for yourself. Oldest trick in the book, getting people to divulge information like that. One of the few things from my time at West Point that proves imminently useful every day."

"West Point?" Chloe asks. "Do you know Major Richardson?"

"Roommate while we were cadets at the Academy, actually. I did my four years, then got out. He was more committed to the cause, decided he wanted the Army to be his career. He was more cut out for it, and was fine with a regular position climbing the command ladder. As for me, after my four years were up, I took a position at the UN. Did work assessing human rights violations in… well, more places than I care to remember."

Ash pauses and stares out toward the horizon. Several seconds pass. "Sometimes it bubbles up, no matter how long ago it was. Sometimes it makes me wonder why I bother trying so hard to save humanity from themselves. From a logical perspective, I'm not sure we should be saved. Purely by utilitarian metrics, our species has done plenty of evil that wiping us all out might be a kindness to the rest of the universe."

"What do you mean?" Chloe starts.

"I've seen half of the most depraved shit humanity has done over the last twenty-five years, and… well, I'd say only God knows the rest, but…" The director spits. "If God does exist, he's either an asshole or actively evil, letting such atrocities continue unpunished.

Ash pulls out their lighter, flicking it a few times, but then puts it away. "Some people are likening the System to a god. More than one group has started worshiping it. As if it isn't every bit as evil as the other gods humanity has invented over the millennia."

I nod. Chloe looks… uncertain. She squeezes my hand, and I return the gesture.

"I don't envy you two, should you continue down your current path. I'm sure you've already seen your share of horrid shit; you'll see plenty more before your time comes. But I'll spare you the details. One day, you'll thank me properly."

"Anyway, let's talk about the System," I say. "Let's start with the basics. What do you know about it?"

"How can anyone hope to know anything about it? But I'll humor you. It is a structure, an intelligence designed to force humanity to change. To adapt. To evolve. To grow ourselves, to become something different from what we once were, a form more useful to whatever goals it has in mind. All of its actions have been in pursuit of that goal."

I nod. "To what end?"

"I… I don't know. You mean to tell me that you do?"

"The System is a means of control. The System, as its name suggests, governs and controls all. I don't think it cares all that much about humanity. It's a System for the entire universe. And we're but a speck of dust upon the vast cosmos."

"So, I'll ask you, Operative Seraphina. To what end?"

"To the end. The end of everything, as I mentioned in our last correspondence. The System is like a locust and a parasite. It feeds upon us. It changes us, infusing us with [Ether] and making us stronger, all the while we are altered through this infusion to be… tastier, for lack of a better word. And once the universe is ready?" I pause for a moment for dramatic tension. "Pop! We are consumed, down to the last morsel, and then the System moves on to the next one."

"Sounds about right for an entity like that." The director looks… vaguely sympathetic? It's hard to tell with the glamour.

"｢The Anomaly｣ , on the other hand, is the power designed to resist the System. The System is control, restraint, rules and structure, as its name suggests. ｢The Anomaly｣ is freedom, uncertainty, opportunity, possibility. Potential, in its purest form. The power I've inherited is the power that could, if properly nurtured, stop the unstoppable, and prevent the immutable."

"And so you want to destroy the System?"

"I do. It is the only way I can think of to prevent the end of our universe."

"You know that this isn't a decision I can make on my own. I may be a Director, but I still have people I have to answer to."

"I will continue to work toward getting stronger. Combining the potential of ｢The Anomaly｣ with the powers the System grants me after each battle. That is the only way I can think of. I'm not going to ask for your help. But I am going to ask that you please leave us be. I don't want to make more enemies. Not when we so desperately need to be allying together and preparing for yet greater challenges that still lie in wait."

"Crashing the System, you mean?" Ash asks.

"In the long term. But in the shorter term, I would expect far more monster attacks upon our cities. Chloe and I need to head back to our home, so we can be prepared to defend it when the time comes. I suggest that once this conference finishes, that you and yours do the same."

Ash nods. "I– I will take your words and advice into consideration. But, I do have one thing I need you to be mindful of. Over the coming months and years, there are going to be many breakthroughs in the field you dubbed 'Ethertech'. Society is going to change. Our technology, our culture, our way of life. All of it is going to change, no different than how it did when we learned how to harness electricity, or– No, it'll be closer to the agricultural revolution that turned humanity away from being hunter-gatherers and toward being a society. Maybe even more profound.

"The point I'm trying to make is that the System is going to change us. It's going to make us more and more reliant on it. And so, I implore you. If you believe this is the best course of action, then please, try to accomplish this goal sooner rather than later. Preferably within living memory. Otherwise, you may save the universe, only to find that humanity is wiped out in the aftermath, having become twisted and warped, only able to survive in the System's presence."

"I understand," I say. Chloe nods in agreement.

"I shall take my leave now. And, despite my appearance and my precautions, I do genuinely wish you the best, Chloe, Seraphina."

Director Winwrought offers a curt nod before disappearing back down into the hotel. And after we retrieve our phones from Mr. Giovanni, Chloe and I make our way off the roof and back toward the guildhall, for one final evening here in Red Clay City before heading home.