章 1914: Moving Forward
Though damage sustained by an Avatar wasn't supposed to affect the user, Chung lurched forward in his chair, blood pouring from his nose and mouth as a vicious bruise spread across his neck. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and, were it not for the fact his true body was also comprised of data, he might have died right then and there. Instead, he managed to crawl his way over to a mini-fridge filled with a special form of vibrant blue energy drink that was more so a drug than a beverage.
Choking down the carbonated, Shinsu-comprised liquid, the bruise on Chung's neck began to fade away as a sensation similar to a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins permeated his body. This caused the pain to increase exponentially, but, similar to actual adrenaline, it prevented him from passing out as his body contorted and spasmed with increasing intensity. He even began to froth at the mouth after several seconds, blood mixing with saliva to form pinkish-red bubbles that stained the carpet and similar white walls.
With his throat and larynx rapidly regenerating, an intensifying gurgle could be heard from Chung's throat. This sound gradually built into a whimpering groan until, several excruciating moments later, it exploded into a feral roar that encouraged him to thrash about and destroy everything within his grasp.
Throughout his entire life, Chung had never felt this frustrated and indignant. To make matters even worse, there was nothing he could do to rectify his current crisis. His Avatar was exponentially more powerful than his actual self, yet, like a child popping the head off a doll, an enemy he hadn't even known existed managed to both defeat him and steal his authority. This practically guaranteed that he would be deleted, as, compared to his past transgressions, nothing even remotely compared to losing his Command Key.
Unable to contain his emotions, sobbing tremors wracked Chung's body as snot and drool replaced the blood flowing from nose and mouth. At the same time, a steady stream of tears flowed from his eyes as he hammered the ground, whimpering, "It's not fair...I never did anything wrong...why am I always the one being punished? All I did was play around...everyone else gets to do whatever they want...why is it wrong when I do the same? Why!? Why!? Why is it always me!?"
Since his cries weren't actually directed towards anyone, Chung's body turned statuesque when a deep yet velvety smooth voice calmly answered, "It's because you are weak. This is what happens every time someone tries to overextend themselves and play the part of someone they're not. The power you possess is something that has been bestowed upon you. Thus, without safeguarding it properly, it is only natural that it would, one day, be stripped away. You can cast blame on others, but, in the end, everything that has happened thus far is the direct consequences of your actions and negligence."
Fearing that he would be erased the moment he turned to look at the speaker, Chung kept his head low to the ground, tears continuing to trickle from his eyes as he instinctually held his breath.
Offering a thoughtful hum in response to Chung's reaction, the owner of the voice took a few steps forward before kneeling down and placing his hand on the man's shoulder, asserting, "Though I am unable to condone your behavior, I will not condemn you for it. Everyone needs a method to vent their frustrations, and, in the end, your crimes are, ultimately, without any victims to speak of. Thus, in recognition of your faithful service over the last six millennia, I will bequeath unto you a full and comprehensive pardon..."
Not expecting such clemency after his many failings, Chung's tears began to flow in even greater volume as he sobbingly muttered, "T-T-Thank you..."
Unfortunately, the moment Chung had finished uttering his words of gratitude, a pain so intense that his mind couldn't even process it instantaneously spread throughout his body. It was like every digitally constructed nerve in his body was on fire, and, though his mouth opened to scream, it was like all sounds emanating from him had been silenced. This allowed the person responsible for his current state, a young man with golden hair and a three-eyed crimson visor to say, "Do not fight it. This is the reward for your dutiful service. You are clearly ill-suited to a continuous existence within the Hidden Hidden Floor, so I will now free you from your suffering. Worry not. Even when you are gone, your memory will live on as a part of me."
By the time the young man had finished speaking, Chung's body had disintegrated into a stream of data that quickly dispersed. Almost immediately thereafter, even Chung's apartment began to turn transparent, complex lines of code appearing across every surface before promptly dissolving away moments later. In the end, the only thing that remained was the building's foundation, a white pillar resembling marbled concrete that jutted out of an ocean filled with countless other towers.
Seemingly immune to the effects of gravity, the golden-haired man continued to stand in the air for several seconds, red cape billowing behind him as he stared silently at the foundation below. It was only when a golden sphere approached him that he turned away, his veiled gaze landing directly on the shimmering object as he firmly ordered, "Capture, but do not harm, one of the groups that have recently entered the Hidden Floor. There is someone among them that is completely immune to my ability to view fate. I want to know everything about them and the reasons behind their visit."
Since it did not possess a head to bow, the golden sphere appeared to tilt forward slightly as a soft and somewhat androgynous voice replied, "Understood. Thank you for entrusting me with such an important task, Lord Jahad..."
Having said all he needed to say, the golden-haired youth just stared silently at something that only he could see. As for the golden sphere, it quickly departed, as, without a very good reason, staying anywhere even remotely close to the de facto ruler of both the Hidden and Hidden Hidden Floors was extremely dangerous. The Data of Jahad could be remarkably magnanimous and unbelievably cruel at the exact same time, so, more often than not, even those directly subordinate to him gave the self-proclaimed 'King of Adventurers' a very wide berth...
Following the sphere's departure, Jahad shifted his gaze to its previous position, a snaggletoothed smile appearing across his face as he muttered, "It seems as though my counterpart in the outside was mistaken...I wonder if this is a scheme of Gustang? Things are finally starting to get interesting. Either way, it seems like this is the start of a new adventure..."
With that said, Jahad shifted his attention towards the sky overhead, his smile fading away as he added, "I suppose I'll need to prepare a proper venue. As much as I despise this never-changing landscape, it is still the result of mine and my friends' hard work. I would hate to see it destroyed without reason...though, now that I'm saying it out loud, that might be for the best...one must be willing to leave behind the past if they wish to grasp the future..."
Seemingly convinced by his own words, several solidified golden Baangs appeared around Jahad's body before erupting outward with horrifying force. He could have just as easily erased everything, but, as this would ultimately allow it to be backed up by the system, he decided to just destroy it himself. His authority over the Hidden Floor gave his Shinsu the properly of irreversibly damaging anything it came into contact with, the obvious exception being himself. This meant, even if a reset were to occur, anything destroyed by his attacks would remain as such; a testament to his decision that nobody, not even himself, could overwrite.
Ignoring the slight feeling of regret welling up inside of him, Jahad continued to destroy everything he and his friends had created more than ten-thousand-years prior. He only stopped when even the ocean below had been completely dried up, a steamy wasteland appearing where a futuristic ghost city once stood. Then, as if to completely bury the past, he manifested a golden scepter decorated with red, blue, and yellow spheres as he began to construct a golden arena more than a thousand kilometers across...
---
Unaware of the events occurring in the Hidden Hidden Floor, Vahn spent hours working alongside Sis to remove all sequelae pertaining to Chung's past misdeeds. This required them to modify the data of nearly every female resident of the indescribably tragic city, erasing and reinstalling several key aspects of their appearance, personality, and voice data that had been modified in accordance with Chung's preferences.
In the end, Vahn had Sis effectively format every resident who had yet to awaken an Ego, as, even if he did explain the situation to them, it would take reprogramming them entirely just to make them angry about what had happened. Though this seemed like the 'right' thing to do, it wasn't all that different from deciding for them how they should think and behave.
Since the thought of deciding how people thought and felt didn't sit well with him, Vahn decided to allow the majority of the Data Humans to simply live on, completely unaware of the truth. As for the rest, they had the right to know what had occurred over the last sixteen-hundred-years, so, without concealing anything, he allowed them to view the data for themselves before giving them the right to decide the fate of the Hidden Floor.
As could be expected, those with less developed Egos experienced existential breakdowns almost immediately after learning the truth. Even a normal person might have a breakdown upon learning that their entire reality had been bent and distorted to suit the vision of a single person, so, with the exception of a small handful of resolute individuals, the rest asked that their memories be erased so that they could continue living, ignorantly, among their people.
Though he was somewhat disappointed by their decision, Vahn couldn't blame them for wanting to escape the truth of their former reality. Thanks to Chung's efforts to cover his crimes, many of them hadn't even been aware of their burgeoning sense of self. They just lived in accordance with their programming, and, though there times when they felt 'something' was off, they generally ignored it for fear of standing out and being ostracized. This was a surprisingly 'human' thing to do, and, even if it meant losing everything that made them unique, they were willing to sacrifice their individuality in order to blend in with the rest of society.
Since it was ultimately their decision to make, Vahn abided by his end of the agreement and erased both the memories and Egos of everyone who couldn't accept the truth. This left only three people among the residents currently present, specifically Rose, Mi-eum, and the latter's younger brother, a youth named Kim who had awakened after witnessing Chung's brutality towards his sister over the course of several years.
Fortunately, while there were only three among the present residents, there were several hundred among the Data Humans that had been sealed away and quarantined by Chung. The rules of the Hidden Floor prevented him from directly killing any of its residents, so, whenever someone broke free from his influence, he ultimately ended up sealing them away before erasing the memories of everyone who once knew them. Thus, over the course of sixteen-hundred-years, a large number of Data Humans had gathered within the Seed of Good and Evil, forced to experience death whenever Regulars ventured into the Hidden Floor and completed its Quests.
Though five-hundred people wasn't much, it was more than enough to establish a village and start a burgeoning civilization among other groups of people. Thus, while it would take some time, Vahn intended to allow those who had chosen to move forward to migrate into the Second Layer of the Little Garden. There, they would be able to live out the rest of their days experiencing the wonders of actually living, and, once he had advanced to a higher realm, they, like any other creatures with a soul, would be able to experience the wonders of the countless worlds beyond the Tower...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gamer(baby) rage...','(O o O)...','Someone pull out a torch. It's getting a little too dark in here...')
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