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((Quoted just to get your attention. Sorry it's been so long... I was burnt out. ))

Genesis cocked his head to the side as the man started to speak, "Robots are no myth, sir. Have you never encountered one of my kind? They're everywhere nowadays, always patrolling the Fields... and most are hostile." He explained, completely ignoring the part about this being a dream, "You are extremely lucky if you have not yet battled one. Even with extraordinary talents, little Scarlet's life was almost lost by the attack of my sister..." His voice quieted and a hint of shame crawled into his expression, "So...were you in the simulation before?"




Raowan froze. He was captivated by the girl's power, by her presence. Even without a sixth sense, it was obvious to anyone just how wrong her existence felt. She simply returned the stare, her lips forming around unspoken words. The guardian read them by watching; "I want to be free."
"No...it can't be. She couldn't have... Not without the..." Raowan trailed off absentmindedly. He tore his eyes away from the impossibility long enough to think, then soundlessly spoke one word back to her, "Alena?"
She was gone.



The sounds of war raged on around her, the scents of blood and smoke tainted the air, death hung heavy upon the morning's arrival. Her whole body ached, mainly as an after-effect of the mental sync with her machine. It was probably dead by now, half of herself now gone along with it. Layla remained in the shelter of a truck, further from the battleground. More bodies were set down beside her as the medics worked to patch up their allies, desperate to save at least a few lives.
Her eyes were shut tightly, and her hands were held protectively around her crystal pendant. She was in that halfway-conscious state; aware enough to understand her surroundings, yet not enough to interact. Layla thought of her homeland, then back to the time when factions were not separate, until her mind finally settled on her memories of Aerilo. She mentally scoffed, 'How ironic it is that the good one died, while the arrogant one lives on...' She thought bitterly, 'I hope you're happy to see me get slapped with karma. I refused to believe you in life, and now I want nothing more than to believe.

Raowan blinked several times and shook his head lightly, "There's a lot you don't know and probably should." He looked to Virgil cautiously, "But I doubt you'd believe me unless you saw it with your own two eyes. Every other guardian but myself is also still oblivious, and I think that needs to change...especially with what's yet to come."
He glanced back to where the girl had been, "She...wasn't supposed to be here. I thought it to be impossible. You could call her the 'ghost of the machine.' She doesn't —or rather, shouldn't— exist in this reality..."

"Essentially, you're correct." Raowan nodded once, then gazed to the sky blankly, "...This world is fake, Virgil. It's a virtual reality containing most of earth's inhabitants, while their real bodies lay dormant in reality. It was created as a quick solution to the chaos which consumed society after a terrible war. I am one of the original Administrators; I specialized in the Caretakers, in their programming and design." The man paused as he realized an open window was above them. The scenery around them flickered, then changed to an empty field. He resumed speaking almost immediately, "What we know as Corrupted are, in reality, members of a resistance against the simulation. They have discovered ways to not only enter this world, but also exploit the tools of moderation that Guardians possess. And they are using those tools to rip this whole place apart, to destroy the simulation and all of the lives trapped within it. Thus began the implementation of Caretakers, as I realized the problem was growing and that we would be unable to keep up."
"Outside of the simulation is a wasteland, and within the few habitable areas are sections of the resistance. To our knowledge, there are eight in this division of the world. This simulation is not the only, either; every previous country has at least one, all joint to the others with an internet-type connection. And I am certain there are resistances for each simulation worldwide, however these eight are the only ones concerning us." Raowan took a moment to catch his breath, then continued. "The factions each seem to have different governing styles, and all have alliances and rivalries with others around them. Some are more advanced, some are more separate from alliances, some don't even have militant forces, but... all have the goal to destroy the simulation. We have incredible defenses in the real world, too, but against the capabilities of some of the factions, our technology is not enough. So, to enhance our ability to defend, we began some biological experimentation. And I believe that woman we saw was the virtual equivalent of one of them..."

Lukas and Isabella continued to dote over their sleeping daughter, who was nuzzled up to them, content. Lukas winced at the mention of Scarlet and meta's encounter. He then paused and glanced at Genesis.

I... don't think he comes from the simulation, Genesis. Lukas started. His clothes are too ragged, hes not wearing the grey simulation suit. His exposure to the radiation too great. The fields where the simulation is present surely has low enough levels of radiation as to not be harmful to the occupants. And he came from the opposite direction from the fields. He was going East when he stumbled upon our home.