Reforged from Ruin [Eldritch Xianxia Cultivation]

Self analysis: progressing.

Self-repair: progressing.

Ongoing ontological poisoning: unresolved. Process for resolution remains unknown. Possibility that necessary components for system purge and reconstitution remain missing.

Request for attention from system admin.

Rerouting.

Designating (17) seventeen central cerebellums from core mass. Analyzing response necessary. Accessing archives. Uploading necessary memories.

Error.

Error.

Memories subject to ontological decay / corruption. Danger threshold met. Reevaluate.

Evaluating.

Consensus- risk level acceptable. Uploading memory-cache to designated central cerebellums. Rebuilding personality profile- partial success.

Reformatting thought process. Filtering profile-manifestation: R****.

She/it/they blink open a hundred-hundred eyes and see.

Many-Grasping-Young-Of-Harsh-Lands-Reaching responds to the act of cognition. Awareness returns to the functional nexus-point of access.

"Can you hear me?" she asks.

She/it/they that are and are not R**** transmits understanding. Intent communication requires substantially less input than verbal cognition, and thus is used as a replacement when interfacing with this particular system admin.

"Alright. I'm glad. We… have some people that you know here. Some of the ones you gave me a list about. Are you able to speak to them right now?"

Valid query. Processing. Current systems operating at 98% of maximum heat and stress metrics.

Acceptable parameters.

Lipids. Muscle systems. Hyper-flexible fibers in a flexible central organ. Designated fluid and aerated systems for transfer of material. Cording. Enamel.

Clack together teeth. Roll the tongue around. Exercise full range of audible sounds- ensure that the organ is up to standard human metrics.

Within 73% accuracy. Unfortunate. Re-iterate.

Four iterations total. Functionality remains in previous forms- maintain state for redundancy and additional vocal buffering. Access additional memory caches- re-introduce alphabet and phonics to seventeen (17) central cerebellums.

Established. Time to completion: 2.3 seconds.

"I can speak."

Sound. Patterns of acknowledgement, concern, curiosity. Expand perception to track entities beyond system admin Many-Grasping.

Six individuals located. Cross-referencing.

Fisher. Transactional ally. Recruited by system admin. High-value individual, competent, high level force multiplier. Minimal manipulation required. System relief rather than burden. Useful for high-difficulty operations. Recognized.

Taran. Indefinite ally. Significant emotional impact. Significant memory corruption. Cache quarantined for ontological preservation. High-value individual, competent, low-level force multiplier. Note to selves; cross reference data relating to the Fallen Kingdom memory caches with Taran's recognized qualities. Potential negotiation. Potential upgrades. Potential improvements in comprehension. Taran is a system as well- memory cache corroded. Quarantined. Similarities. Empathy.

Imperial agent. Unknown. Function implies nonstandard construction, nonstandard mechanical models, uses Imperial-grade materials and components. Recognition not found. Potential matches- not enough data to verify. Cross-referencing. Proximity to Taran indicates cohesive social dynamics. Minimal Qi presence. Mechanised and individualized creations. Conclusion- Yun Ka. Minimal emotional connection- not none. Memory cache quarantined.

Allegiance: Taurus.

0.5% uptick in heat metrics for current operations. Quarantining fight-or-flight response. Baseline re-established.

Secondary social group in place.

Recognition- Gou Mai. Mei Yu. Minimal data. Abstract tank/bruiser and illusionist. Unrecognized sect, Divine Veil sect. Operated alongside Shin Ren. Combat prowess recalled- Fortress City events memory cache fully operational. Minimal ontological decay.

Prior interactions- significant decay. Core elements of personal narrative quarantined.

"Is that… is that R****? Is she…"

Focus. Re-orient.

Words. Words referring to this unit. To she/they/it. Recognition. They are recognized in turn.

0.5% increase in stress metrics.

Isolation not undertaken. Cannot recontextualize at current moment. Cognition parameters shall remain as currently established.

"I am what's left of her. We are… currently undertaking certain processes. It has been difficult. It is good-neutral-concerning-interesting to see you again."

Shin Ren swallows. Track biological functions. Cross-reference. Minimal change to biomechanics- significant change to physical interactions with matter/self. All senses point to a human-shaped anatomy operating at significantly above-human metrics. No Qi expenditure detected.

Curious.

Marking memory for research. Isolating and copying. Storing.

Focus.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

The minds return back to one single cohesive, overlapping where the missing pieces of personhood make it hard to interact.

He is speaking. One mind plays back the carved memories of the last few seconds, catching up the ones that got distracted.

"I didn't realize… I didn't know you could do this. How are you… are you alright? You seem off."

Social manipulation protocols / behaviors are too risky. Require the un-quarantining of too many memories, too many associations with personhood. The few that remain active are downloaded as needed, taking up another 0.2% of maximum stress metrics.

"We are active. We are functional. We are… experiencing technical difficulties."

Many-Grasping snorts at that, transmitting a multitude of meanings with the small motion. She sits close to the pillar that is the central form of this nexus, robes of hyper-reactive nanoscale and polymers that respond to impact, heat, Qi and electricity- carefully prepared for minimal visible ostentation and maximum protection. Three of the brains of this current iteration hyperfocus on establishing that their system-admin is alright, unharmed, unstressed.

Results are mixed. No physical harm displayed. Hormonal reactions elevated. Heart rate elevated. Signs of chemical residue related to stress.

KEEP HER SAFE.

She is trying.

"Did you harm my priest?" ask a half-dozen mouths.

Reaction. Qi-signature from entity designated Mei Yu, illusionist. Conclusion- illusion crafted. Instantaneous response. Disguising sub-surface microexpressions, which the system's many eyes and many ears and many stranger senses can still detect through the veil.

Conclusion; they attempted to.

"No. She is returned as unharmed as she came. I cannot, unfortunately, say the same for all those outside."

Mmh. Concerning.

A system query pings off of the nodes of sensoria that have been spread throughout the current location. Many detect signs of recent death, deemed non-essential, and several more have compiled the data from a significant and deadly encounter, one which could threaten both the excavation sites and all nodes currently present.

The report was marked low-priority. Too many other projects currently being undertaken. Prioritized for examination within 10 minutes. Or an hour.

Too many things happening at once. Too much to manage through a broken system.

Function remains nonetheless.

"Unfortunate. We are glad that our priestess is unharmed. We are sorry for the deaths that have come about from the current conflict. Please state your intended objectives here, so that we might have a better negotiation."

Shin Ren frowns at her/them/it, confused. Microexpressions and tracking his breathing highlight significant difficulties with comprehension of the current moment. This is understandable. She/they/it are not as they were. Many of the pieces that could be used to recognize R**** are currently missing.

"We came here to get this location under control," he says. "There are larger forces in the Empire finally moving to deal with the breach on the Wall. We're… how many details do you need?"

Perceptive. Acknowledgment of weakness = potential concern.

No current plans besides evacuation should the situation escalate. Conclusion- trust is a risk that must be taken.

"All words and actions performed before us will be recorded and analyzed. For faster analysis, we recommend speaking only what is required for practical application."

He nods. His Qi is different. Significantly deeper. Records indicate that he has grown stronger by a significant factor since he was last encountered. Potentially useful.

"We're playing multiple sides. Taurus is trying to get things rolling, but I still don't actually know what his plan is- just that it involves the Fifth Blade, Yula, who we're currently working alongside. Isolating and removing the spread of this… thorn forest allows us to gain favor and move more freely, as well as potentially furthering our relationship with the Division of War."

"Acknowledged. The Bull operates as he chooses, and he chooses to hold secrets. We believe that the deadline he has proposed to us is incoming for his death and the end of several Divisions. We are uncertain as to how this will manifest, but we believe him. He has worked to do little other than hurt himself and plan in centuries."

"Didn't think you'd known him that long."

"We do not. We understand him, though. We believe that he will find a use for us, even in this state. It will potentially be advantageous to leave us in this state. We believe we could be of more use when properly re-assimilated."

"He wouldn't do that to you," says a new voice.

Quiet and raspy- but alive. Vibrant in a way that the few memories she/they/it have do not have recorded, Taran looks at her with sad eyes that shift between colors and identity.

"Part of why we were sent out here was for information gathering. He told us about being in contact with… some part of you, and that he knew something had gone wrong. I don't know if he sent us to help, but frankly, I know him better than you. He'd rather gamble on you being too powerful than trust in everything working out perfectly."

"Acknowledged. Useful information.

"Confirmation; you, Shin Ren, wish to neutralize the exponential growth of the current domain. Correct?"

He nods. "I do. The Breach isn't getting any prettier, this gets us closer to the people in power, and the more this place grows, the more harm it's going to do to both sides."

"Agreed. Acknowledged. We share a compact, then."

"Oh?"

"This place was me. It is not me. It remains 'alive', but cannot be reintegrated in its current state."

"Wait, you mean- what do you mean this was you?"

"We experienced a… an abrupt event. This part of what was has been attempting to re-integrate and pursue objectives established previously by the Ur-self. We fared better than most pieces of who we once were, but even we are… significantly damaged. This place lost most of its cognition. Now, all that remains is the memory of war, the Dao that was assimilated, and the mentality that was cultivated for the specific encounters in this place."

"Fucking knew it," whispers another voice, gruffer. Gou Mai. He is missing a leg at the current moment, though signs of high-realm medication indicate that the limb will likely regenerate sooner than later. "I knew I recognized something. This place, the material, the way it grows guns- it's just like a beast I fought. I thought it was some kind of war machine for the death-cultists, but it could speak, acted like it recognized me. That was her, right? The monster we fought back at the fortress city? The whole reason for the breach."

Fisher, behinds him, huffs a laugh full of smoke.

"She's a right messy bitch she was. Didn't take much to notice that. Didn't reckon her for starting the damn war up again though."

"Correct. We were only partially responsible, though our contributions were significant. What you confronted was a smaller aspect of our being, left restricted for the purposes of self-improvement. The exercise in question is what allowed any of our parts to endure past the collapse of our Ur-system. We / this nexus were utilized as a cognition center before the collapse, and thus retain certain aspects of our intended function. The entity formerly known as R**** which existed here, at the Breach, was an exponential replicator, exploring mechanical construction, the Dao of the Gun and of the Cut, and constant conflict."

"It's clearly held on to that last part," Shin Ren says, crossing his arms in thought. "The edge of the desert was mad with movement. Echoes and wraiths and older things were bubbling up at the perimeter when we arrived- without our armor, it likely would have cost a shitload to even be able to move through the area."

"What do we call you?"

Attention shifts. Individual speaking: Mei Yu. Perceptive. Note- on review of memory-cache, several moments seem uncertain as to where the individual was standing. Concerning.

"We were called by the original version of ourselves the Pillar. It is good to meet you."

A burst of Intent from its system administrator and priestess.

Acknowledgement. The formation of new mouths.

Many-Grasping speaks, and the Pillar translates.

"While I don't know exactly what happened to R****, it was terrible enough to shatter her into pieces. I remain at the side of this immortal, that we might rebuild her and return her to what she was. I can… sense some other places, but this is the largest piece we could access right now."

"I don't see how this helps us," says the wounded, smiling brute. "We still need this place gone, or at least locked down."

"Acknowledgement. Yes. But this might be to our advantage."

Memory cache accessed. Theoretical response catalogued and remembered.

"We require force, versatility, and competence to dig deep enough to interface with this fragment. You require a resolution. We believe that there is… room for cooperation."