Strewn across the floor of a dim-lighted laboratory were a large number of chanical parts, electrical circuits, and wires. The sheer amount of wasted parts that lay on the floor, made the already cramped room even more inaccessible.
Implanted on the left wall of the laboratory were large glass capsules filled with a blue-colored liquid. The capsules were empty with pipes and cables attached to their bottoms, with many screens flashing with light.
On the opposite side of the room was a large table with harnesses and high-density cabled attached to it. Many chanical hands hung from the roof of the room with a variety of instrunts attached to them. These instrunts included solders, cutters, compact 3D printers, scanners, etc.
In the center of this cramped room, veiled in a curtain of electrical light and streams of data, stood a human figure.
Her golden hair was disheveled and dry, covering her haggard-looking bespectacled face. Her voluptuous body seed to be particularly thin and haggard.
"Try the next simulation, Iris," Reyna instructed her personal AI.
"Alright. Running simulations." Iris replied.
Seconds passed, as Reyna's eyes fixed onto the streams of data and calculations flowing on the screen of light before her. Her erald green eyes that shone with brilliance slowly dimd at the result.
"Simulation 781 has failed." Iris slowly spoke. The AI's voice which had previously sounded stiff and chanical currently had a human touch to it.
"You need to take a break, Reyna. You have been continuously working for the last 2 weeks!" Iris advised with a gentle tone.
"NO!" Reyna instantly replied. The disappointnt in her eyes was quickly replaced by resolve and pain: "I cannot waste a single mont. With the passage of every second, dozens of lives are lost in the front lines!" her voice was unable to hide the grief in her heart.'
Reyna's mind wandered, as she recalled the events that occurred eight months ago.
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With their rapidly growing understanding of soul power and its nature, the research into the bodies of the alien bugs, testing, and training of awakened Stage 1 humans, and the newly developed technology which was the bane of soul power, mankind was confident on winning against the Ordeals.
As such.
A large number of forces and newly-developed technology was sent to the front-line planets in the Outer-Rim which were about to undergo its Ascension. The happenings of which was being broadcasted to the entire Alliance.
The whole of Mankind watched with bated breath, as General Peter Eyler, the newly appointed Head of Military was expected to bring ho humanity's first victory against the foreign alien-forces.
It should have been an easy and effortless victory.
Those backward aliens that knew only to use their bodies and claws stood no chance against mankind's superior technology. At least, this was what Reyna had thought.
Until this happened...
{My, my, a re Grade 3 species possess such extraordinary strength comparable to Grade 5. Truly shocking.}
A mysterious voice had suddenly sounded in the minds of every single person simultaneously. The voice sounded like the gentle whispers of a mother.
{At this rate, there would no 'test'. No 'Ordeal' for those undergoing Ascension.}
The voice did not seem to care about the shock everyone was feeling, as it continued to speak. No one understood who this person was, and where this voice was coming from.
{HmmSeems like so manual intervention is required.}
Hearing those words, Reyna who was watching the live broadcast and was similarly shocked had a feeling of unease. To speak the truth, Reyna had a nagging feeling within her mind.
This mysterious voice that she was hearing for the first ti today was strangely familiar. Alas, she was not able to pinpoint the root of this familiarity.
{there. The difficulty has been increased. You must feel honored, for you're facing the third Tier-5 Ordeal that I have ever sent in this Era. }
{It's an honor that only a handful amongst the thousands of races in the Universe gets to experience.}
{Well, I seem to have gone too long there. Good luck and.don't die too soon. It would be a pity to have my entertainnt end early.}
In the space outside of all Outer-Rim planets, a burst of intense golden light suddenly flashed. This abrupt flash of light blinded all thods of observation used by humanity.
Following the flash of light was a period of absolute silence. A small crack suddenly ford in the skies of all the Outer-Rim planets.
Starting from an inconspicuously small dot, it rapidly expanded to dozens of kiloters long in a matter of seconds.
{Go forth my children. Make proud.}
With that final sentence, thousands of armor-wearing, weapon-wielding, disciplined, monstrous-looking creatures descended onto mankind.
And each and every single one of them
.was a Grade 4, Stage 2 being!
-----------------
In an impossibly large planet surrounded by 81 celestial bodies, an imnsely large castle built with an unknown material stood solemnly.
This castle which has stood here since tis immorial was ho to one of the strongest existences in the Universe.
Peak-Level Stage 7 being, Great Mother, The Myriad Species Queen!
Inside the throne-room of the castle, twelve Guardians kneeled in deference to their master who sat upon an opulent crystal throne.
The Guardians were each of a different race and size. Underneath their deferential behavior, was an unmistakable Stage 7 aura, writhing and boiling with unmatchable ferocity. So much so, that the Lesser Rules surrounding their bodies were being continuously twisted and changed.
Sigh.
Suddenly, they heard a sigh originating from their master.
A Guardian that looked similar to an earth jellyfish reverentially asked.
"Is there a problem, Master?"
The Myriad Species Queen, garbed in thick dark-gold robes embroidered with mysterious patterns and runes, shook her head and replied.
"There's no problem. I was just surprised." her voice was calm and gentle.
Indeed, she was very surprised.
'A Grade 3 species with strength comparable to a Grade 5 race? How interesting.' she thought in interest.
For a being that has lived for tens of thousands of years, a race like 'Mankind' was the first for her.
A Grade 3 species that had strength comparable to Grade 5, even if this strength was external and material. It was a purely intellectual species whose strength relied on the technology it possessed
'If they can advance unhindered, this race has the potential to match the primordial races in strength.' These were the Great Mother's true thoughts.
'It's a sha though. Although I do not want to do this, orders are orders.'
'Just when I found sothing worthy of my interest, I am required to destroy it with my own hands.' She shook her head. Her eyes contained dissatisfaction as she gazed at the screen of light project scenes of Mankind's desperate struggle.
An order from the Lords was an order that she could not disobey. No matter how strong she was, underneath the level of the 'Lords', all are but ants.
'Now that I've personally adjusted the difficulty this race has no chance at survival.' she sighed.
Being done with that, she suddenly grew curious.
Just so ti ago, she had received an urgent summons by the Lord of Fate. eting him, she was inford that a newly ascending race had sohow managed to stray from the path set by Fate.
A fate of annihilation.
He then instructed her to increase the difficulty level of the Ordeal, which would then restore their original fate.
'What is so special about this race? Why is it able to escape the path set by Fate?'
It is to be known that Fate influences Cause. If a Fate has already been set, then all Cause would move according to the set pattern, resulting in the required Effect.
Conversely, this also ans that Cause can affect Fate since the latter is closely dependent on the forr.
The Great Mother closely studied Mankind once more but found nothing worthy of her interest.
Gently waving her hands, she was just about to close the screen of light when her eyes suddenly expanded.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" she screeched while standing up in shock. Her small hands, crushed the armrests of the throne, turning the fragnts of the crystal into dust.
"MASTER! WHAT'S WRONG?!" The Guardians scread, noticing their master's fluster. Their minds reeled in shock as they noticed their master's body faintly quivering.
'What happened?! What matter has made master grow so shocked?!'
"I'm fine. That was rather unsightly of ." The Myriad Species Queen suddenly waved her hand and sat upon her throne, once again.
"Master, if there is anything you wish to..." the jelly-like Guardian, who was the leader of twelve Guardians tried to speak.
"Silence! I said I'm fine." she harshly reprimanded.
"Leave now. Leave alone"
"As you wish, master!" not daring to face their master's wrath, the Guardians bowed in reply and quickly left.
Sitting alone inside the throne room, the Myriad Species Queen, or rather Ka'lor'ah silently whispered with a trembling voice.
"A fixed Cause was manipulated and the unchanging Fate was altered."
"And this remanent presence..."
"...it's the sa as mine?"
A trace of a soul aura, that was the exact sa as her own.
How could two souls be the sa? Not to ntion, it involved her.
This was the matter, that shocked Ka'lor'ah.
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