

### NEW EDEN: A STRANGE DIGITAL WORLD

### VOLUME 1

### ***

### By

### D. Gustave Heath

### ***

Copyright 2019 D. Gustave Heath

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Kindle Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

DEDICATED TO:

BARBARA HEATH

AND

PHILLIP HEATH SR.

MY PARENTS AND THE STRONGEST,

MOST GENEROUS, PEOPLE I HAVE EVER KNOWN.

### Table of Contents:

Chapter 01: Felix

Chapter 02: Olivia

Chapter 03: Olivia

Chapter 04: Felix

Chapter 05: Olivia

Chapter 06: Olivia

Chapter 07: Felix

Chapter 08: Felix

Chapter 09: Felix

Chapter 10: Felix

Chapter 11: Felix

Chapter 12: Felix

Chapter 13: Felix

Chapter 14: Felix

Chapter 15: Felix

Chapter 16: Felix

Chapter 17: Felix

Chapter 18: Felix

Chapter 19: Felix

Chapter 20: Felix

Chapter 21: Felix

Chapter 22: Felix

Chapter 23: Felix

Chapter 24: Felix

Chapter 25: Felix

Chapter 26: Felix

Chapter 27: Olivia

Chapter 28: Olivia

Chapter 29: Olivia

Afterword

Connect with the Author

### CHAPTER 01: Felix

Rain poured down from the menacing dark sheet of clouds that covered the sky from horizon to horizon. As people ran to find shelter from the sudden storm Felix plodded forward, the weather matching his mood.

The interview went well. "I don't want to say it's a sure thing," the well-suited interviewer said before leaning in close over his desk, a goofy smile on his face; He raised a hand to one side of his mouth as if to keep his next words a secret between just him and Felix. "But it's a sure thing," he whispered. They were the only two people in the room, there was no reason to whisper nor put up any silly act. Felix did not know why this bothered him but it did.

"Conceptual Artist," it sounded cool at first, even exciting, an emotion Felix seldom felt. He remembered how excited Olivia was when she brought him the news. "It's perfect for you!" she said jovially as always, "You can finally do something with your art."

"I'll think about it," he responded not looking up from the first volume of the manga series he had been obsessing over for the past few months, he was just starting his fourth read through.

"Felix," he could hear the disappointment in her voice. "You're so good Felix," she said as she uncrumpled his latest failure, "I just want you to be happy and that's never going to happen if you don't get out there and try." ...

_Get out there and try._ As he walked down the street the words rang through his head. "I did," he mumbled aloud, "I did and nothing changed." _Nothing ever changed._

"Conceptual Artist," the job sounded exciting but in reality he would just be designing new gadgets nobody really needed. Smartphones, smartwatches, tablets... He would be doing nothing more than drawing circles and rectangles in various shapes and sizes. There was no excitement in it, no adventure in it. Was that what he wanted to be doing for the rest of his life? Was that what he was destined to do? He knew it, he could feel it, there was so much more he was meant for... "If only I was good enough!" He spat drawing the eyes of a man running from his car to a nearby fancy restaurant holding his briefcase above his head to block the rain from ruining his expensive suit. _Who the hell do you think you are? You're no better than me._

To make things worse it was Henry who was really offering the job and Felix knew it. The old man was just using Olivia as a mouthpiece. Ever since Henry took them in after the death of their parents the bastard thought he could run their lives. Olivia bought into it, even going to the schools Henry handpicked for her and taking a job working with his AI at one of those damned Daycares.

People have always told Felix how lucky he was to get adopted by the single richest man to have ever lived; A man that not only owned four of the six biggest tech companies in the world but also almost every hospital on the continent... They never had to live with the man, live by his ridiculous rules and standards. Olivia may have fallen for Henry's façade but Felix would not. He knew Henry was not the kind, gentle old man he wanted the world to think he was, he saw what Henry was capable of doing first hand...

Felix looked up at the apartment building he and his sister currently called home. They moved into the relatively small eighty story building only a few months ago. Olivia said she wanted to live closer to the Daycare but Felix knew she only moved to get him to stop complaining. She loved the guest house Henry let them stay at. It was huge and fancy and had every accommodation one could hope for but it was never their home, it was and always would be Henry's little _Pity Palace._

"Maybe a change of scenery will help," Olivia had told him the day she paid the down payment for their new place. At the time he was hopeful. Olivia always had that effect on him. She was the only person that helped him see the light in an utterly dark world. He remembered thinking leaving the _Pity Palace_ and Henry's constant overseeing could be the answer to his darker thoughts. That having Olivia nearby and not distracted by Henry would help. That's what he thought back then but, _nothing ever changed._ Within a week of moving into the new place he slipped back into the darkness once again...

Felix made his way up the slick plasteel stairway and had to brush his tangled, messy wet hair from his eyes in order to see the building's entrance keypad. Absentmindedly he typed in the six-digit code and pushed his way through the heavy glass door. He struggled to breathe as he walked across the lobby to the elevator bay on the opposite side.

As a child Felix was a small boy with unending energy. After the deaths of his parents and adoption by Henry, this changed as well. It did not happen overnight but as Felix's thoughts grew darker and darker his waistline grew wider and wider. He could remember the first time a doctor called him morbidly obese, death by food seemed like a pretty good way to go.

The elevator arrived quickly, for once, and Felix slipped inside. He keyed in his floor number and with a slight jolt rose steadily upward. Their apartment was on the sixty-fifth floor, not too far from the roof... The roof, it was only two weeks after they moved into the building that Felix found himself there for the first time; He stood on the short wall that was meant to act as a barrier to the edge of the building, to keep people from falling to their deaths... Unless that is what they wanted. It was an enlightening experience, that first time he stood there looking to the busy street below. As he watched people going about their normal days, walking to work, taking an AI operated cab to see a lover, he felt something. He was not sure why, adrenaline maybe, but for the first time in as long as he could remember he felt... Good. just standing there, so close to death, gave him this strange high. He could just take a step and end everything, for once he had control and it was like a drug; and like a drug he found himself needing more and needing more, more often. In the months that followed Felix stood at that very same spot more times than he could remember. More than once he cursed himself for being too much of a coward to jump.

He told his sister about this new habit on multiple occasions and like everyone else she just took it as a joke. "Things will get better," she would always say, and like always, they never did.

A high pitched _ding_ signaled the elevators arrival at his floor. The doors slid open and the pre-programmed voice chimed "Have a nice day!" over the elevators PA. Felix stepped out into the rain; lighting arced violently across the sky illuminating the apartment buildings roof, covering the often packed picnic area in hues of blue and yellow, a deafening crash of thunder followed shortly after.

Felix often wanted to blame Olivia for everything, and from time to time he did. _Maybe if she cared more about me than work! Maybe if she cared more about me than University! Maybe if she cared more about me than Henry!_ Felix knew how ridiculous these thoughts were, he knew she loved him. Sometimes though, it was hard to fight back these morbid thoughts.

He stepped up on the same ledge he had so many times before, careful not to slip in the rain. He had done so little with his life, had so little control over anything, he would be damned if the rain took from him the only meaningful decision he would ever make. He looked down to the street below, it was quiet this afternoon. The storm keeping all but a few cabs cowering inside to stay dry.

As the rain ran down his glasses he thought of Olivia. She always tried her best, she cared for him, he was just to numb to feel it. She would often cry when she thought no one was looking. Felix could not stand the thought of hurting her, of making the only living person who truly cared for him cry.

"This is for the best," Felix took a deep breath and stepped from the ledge. What followed... A flash of lighting, a boom of thunder, a sharp pain and then nothing...

### CHAPTER 02: Olivia

"Can this thing go any faster!" Olivia struggled to retain any semblance of calm.

"Yes." The cabs artificially intelligent driver said, "But that would be against the law set forth by the feder—"

"Ok I get it! Just get me to St. Raphael as fast as possible." Tears ran down her face, her labored breathing fogged her glasses. The police called her only a few minutes ago. At first, she did not believe what they told her. _What would Felix be doing on the roof of the apartment building in a storm?_ _This has to be some sort of sick prank! There are a lot of people out there who don't like what I do for a living..._ Then the hospital called. The moment the words, "Critical Condition," left the nurse's mouth Olivia ran out of her class and hailed a cab. _The AI would be fine by themselves,_ she told herself, _even if they are young._ All she cared about was being by her brother's side. She had to see Felix, she had to be there if he were to...

She pushed the thought from her head. It was too awful. Felix could not die, no he would not die. He would not do that to her. He would not leave her alone, not after they lost their parents. He promised her, they promised each other, all those years ago back when they were just children. They promised they would always be there for each other no matter what.

"We've arrived at your destination." The AI cabbie said as the car slowly pulled up to the hospital's front entrance. Olivia threw the door to the still-moving vehicle open and jumped out, the safety alarm in the cab blared loudly. She did not care; she had to get to Felix as soon as possible.

The stairs up to the hospital's main entrance where long and Olivia had no time for them. Kicking off her pumps she took them two at a time. She slipped once on the rain-slick steps, their unsympathetic plasteel tearing her tights and cutting her knee drawing blood. Every second counted and Olivia was not going to let a little pain slow her down, she cursed and kept moving.

The receptionist looked up with a start when Olivia slammed her hands on her desk to keep balance. "How—do I," Olivia got out between gasps, "Get to room—Eighty—Twenty-five?"

"Are you ok Miss?" The portly woman asked glancing down at the blood running down Olivia's leg.

"Just tell me how to get to my brother!" Olivia had little patience for stupid questions.

The receptionist eyes widened at Olivia's raised tone but she knew better than to argue, "Just take the elevator down the hall to the eightieth floor and take two rights—"

"Thank you!" Olivia cut her off already running down the hall.

"You're welcome!" The receptionist called down to her. Olivia was in too big of a hurry to care about the sarcasm dripping from the woman's voice.

The elevator would not move any faster no matter how hard or fast Olivia pressed the button. There were not many people in the hospital but the few who passed by gave her odd looks. She did not notice though, her eyes were locked on the monitor above the elevator; Forty-nine it read. "Come on, come on, come on," she muttered again and again; the pain from the cut on her leg starting to register in her cloudy mind. She ignored it the best she could, forcing herself not to look down. _It'll hurt worse if you look at it,_ she told herself, _stay focused Felix needs you._ Finally the elevator doors slid open with a ding, she stepped inside and began pounding on the button for the eightieth floor. The doors slid shut with only Olivia inside and with a slight jolt she began to rise and time began to drag by.

It took all that she had not to break down, every muscle in her body begged her to just curl up on the floor and stay there. A little voice in the back of her head pleaded with her to just stop. Seeing him would make it real. She was not sure she was ready for this, not sure she could handle seeing Felix strapped to a hospital bed fighting just to stay alive. Thoughts of everything that might happen, of every possibility, swirled through her head. She wished the elevator would just move faster. She began to count the seconds between each floor...

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached the eightieth floor and pushed through the doors before they could fully open. Human and AI nurses alike stared as she ran down the hall. She took one right and then another, at the end of the corridor sat the door marked eighty twenty-five.

Olivia ran to and threw the door open. Coming in from the dim hall the room's bight florescent lights blinded her. As her eyes adjusted the worst-case scenario came into view. Felix lay there on a hospital bed tubes running from an apparatus strapped to his face covering all but his bruised forehead and red swollen eyelids. IVs ran from his arms and into several bags hanging from the racks that surrounded the bed. Over the blankets that covered the rest of his body were straps that held him firmly across the chest, pelvis, and legs. Several nurse AI rolled to and from Felix and the machines that were very clearly keeping her brother alive.

Olivia began to sob, all hope rushing out of her in a violent gasp, "Oh please no!" Her legs were suddenly too weak to hold her weight and she crashed down to her knees, her blood smearing on the clean white tile floor. "Please God—No!" Her sudden outburst startled the nurses tending to her brother, one of them broke task and approached Olivia. "Are you in need of assistance ma'am?" it asked in its preprogrammed soothing female voice.

"Get back to work!" The voice came from behind. Olivia turned to see a young male doctor through blurry eyes. As the nurse rolled back to Felix's side the doctor offered Olivia a hand. "I told that stupid woman to call me the moment you arrived," he was a little out of breath. "And they wanna complain about AI taking their jobs." Olivia tried to stifle her tears as she took his hand. With little effort the doctor pulled her to her feet, her legs still weak she would have fallen again without him there to help steady her; "You ok?" He noticed the wound on her knee.

"I—I'm fine," she managed the words between breaths as she struggled to calm herself. This was no time for tears, there were questions she needed answered. She needed to know, "Felix—doctor is my brother going to die!" It was no use, the tears showed no signs of stopping.

"Come with me and sit," he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just tell me!" She knocked his hand away and ran to her brother's bedside using its handrail to keep herself on her feet. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving him." She looked down at Felix and noticed the red branching marks that traveled across his forehead and down his nose. She caught the faint scent of burnt hair and gagged a little. "He needs me," she turned back to the doctor.

He looked about to protest but seeing the determination in Olivia's eyes he backed down. "He is alive," he took a step closer to her careful not to get her blood on his expensive shoes. "He's alive but in a coma."

"Coma!" Olivia choked on the word, "Will he wake up?"

"We don't know just yet. It's a game of wait—"

"GAME!" Olivia interjected

"Sorry, poor choice of words," the doctor added quickly raising his hands in defense. "The lightning coursed through—"

"The lightning!"

"Yes—Your brother was struck by lightning while on the roof of your apartment building," he noticed Olivia's gaze fall blankly to the floor, "didn't they tell you all of this over the phone?" Olivia slowly shook her head. "I keep telling them we need to replace that damned woman," he muttered under his breath, "well yes, the lightning did serious damage to his body, least of which some burning. What I am really concerned about though are his heart and lungs."

"Heart—lungs," Olivia looked up to him.

"The lightning disrupted the electric rhythm in his heart," he stepped up next to her and looked down at Felix, "the shock sent him into cardiac arrest."

Olivia's eyes widened to the point of pain, she suddenly found it hard to breathe; the doctor's words felt like a blow to the chest.

"The EMS managed to resuscitate him but the damage to both his heart and lungs was severe."

The whole of Olivia's body began to tremble uncontrollably. She stumbled over to the small sofa that sat against the wall across from her brother and collapsed onto it, only missing the floor by seconds.

The doctor sat next to her and placed a hand on her knee, "the machines are keeping both his heart and lungs pumping, so that's two things down. Now we don't know anything for sure but I suspect he may have also sustained some damage to his brain."

"Wh—what does that mean?"

"We won't know anything until the scans come back so I don't want to worry you about something that might not be even there. You just need to know he is alive and we plan on doing everything in our power to keep him that way."

The doctor looked confident but Olivia did not buy it, how could anybody come back from this.

"Do you know why he was on the roof?" The doctor's voice lowered to a whisper.

"No," Olivia was surprised by the sudden question, "I have no idea."

"Ok—ok," The doctor stood up and straightened his long white lab coat, "well I believe the police will be stopping by later to talk to you, I'll make sure someone gives you a heads up when they get here so you can compose yourself." With one last gentle pat on Olivia's shoulder he walked to the door, before leaving he turned to the nurses; "Hey would one of you get this cleaned up," he pointed to the blood that soiled the otherwise immaculate floor. "God is it impossible to get good help around here," with that he left the room shutting the door behind him.

Olivia fell to her side on the sofa pulling her knees up into her chest. Guilt overcame her. She had lied to the doctor. She knew why Felix was up on that roof. All the signs had been there. He warned her time and time again, she was just too selfish to listen.

### CHAPTER 03: Olivia

Some time had passed since Olivia had fallen asleep, her tears long since dried leaving makeup streaking down her cheeks and staining the cushions of the sofa.

She seldom dreamt and when she did it was of silly things like monsters and celebrities. Tonight was different, however. She groaned audibly as she saw herself on the roof of her apartment building. Rain fell in sheets too dense to see through. The sound each drop made as it hit the ground like a gunshot ringing through the night air. She did not remember how she got there but she knew she was there for a reason, somebody needed her... _Somebody!_ "Is there anybody here!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, the sound of the rain drowning out her weak voice. Slowly she pushed through the storm, each raindrop that hit her like a needle of ice.

The silhouette of a person, short and fat, came into view through the wall of rain. "You need help!" she did not know who it was there with her, but for some reason, she knew her words where true. Slowly, painfully the person came into view.

His back was too her and Olivia did not recognize him at first. Then he turned around and everything came flooding back.

"FELIX!" Their eyes met and time stopped, the rain burst outward until only a bubble around them was left dry. She screamed his name again as he stepped up on the ledge but her voice had left her. He turned, smiled and... "NO!" Olivia howled shooting upright. She was suddenly, violently awake and staring up into the gentle eyes of Henry Ottoman.

"It's ok now sweetie," Henry gently grabbed her by the shoulders, "I'm here now it'll all be ok." The motors of his bio-suit whirred softly as he sat next to her. The flat disc-shaped hinges and long strips of reinforced plasteel allowing his one hundred and twenty-one-year-old body to move like it did a century ago.

"Just tell me it's all a dream," tears began to well up in her eyes once again as Olivia clutched Henry's shirt in her hands and looked up to him like a girl twenty years younger. "Please!" She sobbed, "Just tell me!" She brought her head into his chest hard enough to hurt the old man.

Henry winced at the pain but remained strong for Olivia. The bio-suit let him move like a much younger man, unfortunately it did not give him the body of one. "I'm sorry," he embraced her pulling her in closer, "I'm so sorry sweetie."

For some time they stayed that way, Olivia cries muffled as she held onto her adoptive father and Henry remaining silent. He knew his words could not make anything any better, she needed time. Henry looked up when a nurse AI approached them, "Sir," it addressed Henry in an identical voice to the rest.

"This is hardly the time," his voice was gentle, his eyes not so much.

Reading his anger the AI rolled back a bit, "I am sorry sir, I'll—"

"It's ok," Olivia pulled away from Henry wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her turtle neck, "she's just doing her job." Olivia looked at the AI's chest, to its identification plate, "NU Seven seven eight seven," she read aloud, "you were in my class last year."

"Yes, ma'am."

"She was in the top of her class," Olivia looked back to Henry, "a perfect nurse."

"That so," Henry looked the AI up and down, "well if Olivia says so then it must be true," His stern eyes turned gentle once more. "What is it then?"

The AI scanned Henry's face, its internal computers analyzing him in a millisecond. It rolled closer. "Sir if it's alright with you we will take our leave now," the slit that was its mouth flashed a calming blue. "Everything here is in order," it glanced at Olivia nervously, "unfortunately there is nothing more we can do at this time." Henry's eyes showed rapidly deteriorating patience, seeing this it went on quickly, "we need to go and charge." Its mouth flashed yellow this time giving away its fear, "we will be back in the morning with Dr. Collins."

"Thank you," Henry dismissed the AI.

"No, thank you sir," it began to roll away before stopping and spinning on its axis to face Olivia, "I am very sorry Miss." Its mouth glowed a sympathetic purple.

Henry cleared his throat loudly giving the AI it's final warning. It jumped slightly before rolling out the door at top speed, the rest of the AI followed after.

"Thank you," Olivia tried to call after it but with a dry and sore throat it came out as more of a squeak. She doubted it heard her. "You should be nicer to them," she turned back to Henry, "they respond to emotion, they feel. These are not like the old AI. They need positive human interaction to thrive."

Henry looked down at her with a puzzled expression. "Who do you think created them?"

"Who do you think raises them?" They locked eyes and sparks could almost be seen flashing between them.

The two broke out laughing. For a moment Olivia was able to forget the terribleness of the past day. That moment would not last long.

"You should have called me," Henry's tone was suddenly serious.

Olivia's eyes fell to her lap, "You're busy, I didn't want to bother you without knowing how serious it was." She lied. She knew the last thing Felix would have wanted was Henry here; another lie. She always had to be strong for everyone, The AI at the Daycare, Henry, Felix. The last thing she wanted was Henry seeing her like this, weak... Pathetic.

Henry looked stoically over at Felix's motionless body, "the boy never did like me."

Olivia looked up at Henry with wide eyes, shocked.

"I never gave him much reason to."

"No, that's not—"

"It's ok," Henry's eyes met hers glistening with tears of his own. "He didn't have to like me. Not as long as he was safe and happy. As long as you were both safe and happy I was ok." Neither could hold eye contact any longer. Olivia brought her head into Henry's chest once more. Henry stared blankly across the room. "I was hard on the boy. I knew it... He knew it. It was for his own good." He took a deep breath, "At least that's what I told myself," he began to gently stroke Olivia's head. "Kids often don't realize how much adults know... It was never my goal to try and replace them." Tears now freely flowed down his wrinkled leathery cheeks, "I just wanted to be there for you the way your grandmother was for me all those years ago. I just wanted to repay her kindness, I just wanted..." He paused to regain his composure, "I wanted to protect you two, I wanted nothing more than for the two of you to grow into something more than me," he leant down to kiss the top of Olivia's head.

They sat in silence for a little while after that. As the minutes turned to hours their tears began to dry and they started to talk again. They told stories of times good and bad. They laughed... They cried... They grieved. Eventually the sun began to rise covering the room in long shadows and a warm amber glow.

Talking with Henry always calmed Olivia. He filled her with a sense of hope. Around him, nothing ever went wrong, if it did he had the power to stop it, change it.

"We should get you home."

Henry's words struck Olivia hard. She could not bear the thought of leaving Felix.

"Nothing will change by you being here."

Olivia went to speak but Henry cut her off.

"I have been here before. Trust me I know how you feel. You will be of more use to him after a shower and some sleep."

Olivia almost forgot about what happened to Henry's birth children all those years ago...

"Come on now," Henry got to his feet, his bio-suit lagging behind slightly as its systems woke from hibernation. He offered a hand to Olivia.

"But what if he needs me?"

"The doctors at my hospitals are top-notch," he smiled warmly, "and you raised most of the nurses here. Felix is in the best hands possible. The best thing you can do for him now is take care of yourself."

Olivia's eyes fell to the white tile floor. She knew he was right, she just wished he was not.

"Me and Felix may not have ever seen eye to eye but trust me when I say he would agree with me on this one."

This time Olivia took his outstretched hand and with some effort got to her feet. A tingling sensation ran through her legs as circulation came back. She was weak and her legs shook under her weight. She took a step but her knees buckled. She would have crashed to the floor had Henry not been there to catch her, his bio-suit giving him the strength to easily do so. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Henry tried to sound calm but reacting so fast had him short of breath. He offered her his arm for support.

"No, I can do this."

"As long as you're sure," he did not sound convinced but seeing the determination in Olivia's eyes, knew better than to argue.

Olivia took a deep breath, "You can do this," she stood tall and straightened her skirt. Henry walked to and opened the door for her. She did the best she could to hide her weakness but a slight limp gave her away to anybody who paid any attention. She made it out of the room on her own accord before almost bumping into a Nurse AI, "Sorry Miss," it whirred out of the way gracefully.

"My fault," Olivia responded finally starting to regain feeling back in her lower body. The AI bowed politely before zipping around the duo and into Felix's room.

As Henry and Olivia waited for the elevator to take them to the lobby Olivia felt a tap on her shoulder, "Excuse me." Olivia turned to see a human nurse standing right behind her a little too close for comfort. "Ain't you one of the ladies that works down at the daycare?" Her short brown hair bounced gently as she beamed a smile at Olivia.

"Uh, yes that's me."

"Oh well—"the woman quickly uncapped the small container she had hidden behind her back and launched its contents at Olivia.

Olivia had no time to react as the foul-smelling fluid splashed across her face. She gagged instantly, knowing what it was.

"That's what you get whore," the women hollered.

Henry quickly got in-between the two women and called for security.

"Do you know how many friends of mine lost jobs to your precious little plafreaks?" She tried to push past Henry but could do nothing against the strength of his bio-suit. "You have any idea how many lives you've ruined!"

Security AI arrived as Olivia began to vomit.

"Get this maniac outta here!" Henry commanded as the AI took the woman form him. She had hit him several times in the chest and the pain was severe.

"You deserve this," the nurse screamed as she was dragged away down the hall, her heels scraping on the tile, "you're gonna rot in hell bitch!"

After the nurse was forced out of site Henry rushed to Olivia's side, "You alright?" He knew the answer, "we need some help over here!" He yelled to the nursing station, the human and AI all watching on in shock.

Olivia did not say anything as she fixated on that woman's words, "You deserve this..." The words replayed in her head. "Maybe I do," she breathed aloud.

### CHAPTER 04: Felix

Felix's eyes shot open. He could not comprehend where he was, all he could see was black. His thoughts where jumbled, misplaced.

Memories began to flood back as his life flashed before him like unframed pictures. They were out of place, confusing, he barely recognized himself in them. In the first he saw who he thought was himself sitting at a computer desk looking at images of scantily clad animated women. In the next, a much younger boy sat playing some sort of game on a large television when an old man came into the room. They seemed to argue and when the old man left in a huff the boy smashed his controller on the ground; fuming with an intense rage.

More memories flashed by. In some, the boy was older and some younger; in most he was alone; reading, writing, drawing... and other things. This went on for some time. It was as if his mind was a computer rebooting, reorganizing and sorting data.

As the images and videos of this boy's life played out before him a woman began to appear in them. She was beautiful with long flowing blonde hair, delicate features, and large almond-colored eyes. She seemed to be related to the boy in some way, she seemed so familiar but Felix could not recall who she was. He tried to think back but his brain would not work, his mind could only focus on what he was seeing right in front of him. As one image flowed to the next the woman appeared with a baby, the boy Felix assumed. More memories of the woman and the child showed before him and he began to cry as he started to feel something emerge deep from inside. A persistent, gnawing feeling; it felt dreadful but at the same time strangely familiar.

Suddenly a hand emerged, the memory it came through rippling around it distorting like water. It reached for Felix. _BREATH!_ His brain told him _MOVE!_ He could not do either. As he tried to react to the hand, breaking from the memories, he realized he was numb. Not only numb but all his sense seemed to have left him. His hearing, smell, touch; they were all gone. Only sight did not elude him. He tried to scream, breath, but his lungs would not work. No air ran through his body. Panic and asphyxiation set in tandem.

The hand pressed against his chest but he could not feel it. A soft light began to glow from beneath it. The light increased in intensity rapidly until it was blinding. Soon it was all that was visible, pure and radiant. As the light started to fade and Felix's vision began to focus he saw a strange old man standing beside him. The old man smiled down at him, clad in a flowing white and grey robe. As the owner of the hand, he began to press down on Felix's chest with a hard and steady tempo. Each press expelling a flare of light.

A weird feeling spread though Felix and soon a thumping came from within. His entire body began to tingle. It started in his toes and quickly made it way up to his head. It got more and more intense and soon he felt as if he were lying on a bed of needles. Before he felt nothing, even pain, now he felt everything and it was all in overdrive.

The old man mouthed words that Felix could not hear. His face turned urgent as he pressed faster giving the light little time to dim between each compression.

Felix's vision began to blur as consciousness faded. Feeling left him again and his eyes felt heavy as their lids slowly closed over them. Life was leaving him...

Suddenly he burst into an enormous gasp as his lungs began to function again. He trashed under the old man's hands as he struggled for every breath but with surprising strength, he managed to keep Felix on the table.

Breaths came unsteadily at first, like his body had forgotten how to breathe. Soon a rhythm set in and his lungs started to expand and contract in time with one another. As breathing became easier, however, his mind began to clear and the pain set in. Whereas before it felt like he was on a bed of needles now it felt like a bed of swords, the sensation of the hands-on his chest like tasers running millions of volts into him. All of his nerves were firing off at once. It was like he was being torn apart and put back together again.

He screamed louder than he knew as the old man took a step back and mouthed more words he could not hear. His ears still deafened. The old man brought his hand to Felix's head and with a flick between the eyes, everything went black...

Felix woke up with a foggy mind. Most of the pain had gone away with only a slight pounding in the back of his head remaining. With some effort, he managed to look around. His neck was stiff but otherwise felt normal.

Sitting next to him was the robed man, "Where am I?" Felix could not hear his own words, he realized, he could not hear anything; with this, he started to panic.

The old man stood and placed a hand on Felix's shoulder, "calm down," he read from his lips. The man then placed his hands on Felix's head, cupping his ears. There was a flash of light and then Felix could hear again but everything was so loud. The man spoke but his voice sounded like it was coming through a megaphone pressed up against Felix's ear, his heartbeat like a bass drum. Felix screamed, the pain agonizing, he clutched his ears. Soon though the volume went back to normal, it was like someone was adjusting the dial on a speaker in his head.

Slowly Felix pulled his hands away from his head. He looked to the old man who looked back at him knowingly. "Where—where am I?" Felix managed to force the words through a stiff throat.

"I don't know," The old man smiled.

### CHAPTER 05: Olivia

Olivia woke up in one of Henry's many guest houses, the house she spent most of her teenage life in; after the events of the night prior she could not bring herself to return home. The bed she lie in was huge and comfy, she did not want to get up, did not want to face the day. "Felix," she breathed, just thinking about what happened made her sick to her stomach. Tears began to well in her eyes. She buried her head in a pillow that cost more than a month's rent at her apartment staining it with her smeared makeup.

She thought back to the conversation she had with Henry the night before, "He is in the best hands possible," he had said. As the creator and then innovator of modern artificial intelligence Henry was one of, if not the most powerful man on the planet. His hospitals had the best doctors, AI, and technology. Felix truly was in the best hands possible. The thought gave her some much-needed relief; Henry always kept his word. As hope-filled her she found the resolve to get out of bed.

Olivia stood and stretched, wincing at the pain in her knee. She looked down to find that she was wearing blue and white nurse's scrubs. For a moment she had forgot changing after her run-in with _That_ nurse. Worried for her safety Henry made her shower and change at the hospital even going so far as having an AI help and run tests after. Many people held terrible opinions of anyone who had anything to do with AI and Henry worried she might have been poisoned. All the tests came back clean however and within two hours she was cleared to leave.

With the help of Henry and his AI assistant they made it to the guest house in record time, she remembered little after that.

Olivia pulled up her pant leg to reveal the bandage the AI had applied to the gash on her knee. Blood was visible though the medicated cloth. Slowly and painfully she pulled away the bandage, the adhesive that secured it to her skin not wanting to let go. The cut had already healed and scarred but the pain still remained though considerably muted. She suspected that both pain and scar would last one, maybe two more days at most.

Tossing the bandage into the trash bin across the room she picked up her glasses from the bedside table, put them on, and looked around the room. On the foot of the bed she found a neatly folded pile of clothes, a piece of paper lay on top. She picked up the note from Henry, he was the only person left in the world who still used paper for such things, and began to read.

"Sorry I could not stay sweetie," yep definitely Henry, "but some very important work needed my tending too. You fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow so I did not get the chance to ask you what clothes you would want, I had my assistant run by your apartment to pick something up for you. You always did say the AI had better fashion sense than me!" She looked through the pile of clothes, everything was there. Socks, she tossed them aside. Underwear, "Just glad Henry didn't go get these," she said tossing the pink and white striped bra and panty set on top of the socks. Next were pants, black and dressy, and then... She looked down in shock at the pink shirt with the cartoony head of a white kitten printed across the chest. She held it up in front of her, it was at least a size too small. "I haven't worn this in years!" She dug through the other clothes and even the bedding hoping to find another shirt, she did not.

Ever since she became a teacher at the daycare she only ever dressed professionally, even her pajamas were a boring two-piece navy blue button-up shirt and pant set. She picked the shirt back up, she forgot she still owned it. "It'll have to do," she sighed, tossed it back down, and then continued reading the letter.

"The house is as it was when you lived there, I have not changed a thing so don't be afraid to shower and have the AI make you some breakfast. I know you will want to get back by your brother's side as soon as you can so I arranged a ride for you. Whenever you're ready just talk to the AI and they will take care of you. Remember everything will be alright and I love you!"

"Love you too," She set the note down smiling. She did not know why really but she had a good feeling. Henry always had that effect on her, no matter how bad things got he was there for her. She knew he would never let Felix die. Henry had the power to guarantee it. He would never let it happen again, not after what happened to Jason and Beth...

Olivia held on to the good feeling as best she could as she scooped up her clothes and left the room.

She spent many years in this house after her parents died; adjusting to their passing faster than Felix, if he even did; she fell in love with it not long after. Everything in it cost more than most people made in a year. Every piece of furniture was the absolute top of the line. Self-heating in the winter and self-cooling in the summer. The cushions of the sofas and mattress on the beds adjusted to the perfect level of firmness whether you like it soft as a cloud or hard as a rock. The halls were lined with art ranging from ancient to modern and were all original pieces. Every hundred feet or so a console could be found that would page the most advanced of butler AI to your position within seconds to tend to whatever needs you could have.

The butler AI were capable of many services, from cooking and cleaning to chauffeuring and even teaching; everything from academics to sports. She thought back to the AI that served as her teacher throughout her time here leading up to university. He was a model EF 0085, Effy she called him. He was the best teacher she had through all of her schooling, even her human professors at university could not hold a candle to him. He made her want to learn, he made her feel proud of what she was capable of for the first time in her life. She loved him and always felt he loved her. He was the reason she wanted to become a daycare teacher, she wanted to learn more about AI and their emotions. She wanted to help raise the next generations of AI that would go on to help raise the next generation of girls and boys just like Felix and herself.

Felix often did whatever he could to avoid class with the old AI though, he never liked Effy and Olivia never understood why. He was so kind, so compassionate. Effy never lost his temper with Felix even when given ample reason. He only wanted Felix to embrace the potential that both he and Olivia saw deep within him... She wondered if Effy was still in service.

Olivia opened the door to the main bath, it slid into the wall silently. She winked at the portrait of a woman with a slight smile that hung beside the door, her favorite piece of art in the house. Looking into the room a huge smile spread across her lips, it was glorious. Everything in the room, the walls, floors, and fixtures were made out of what appeared to be a single sheet of white marble without any visible seams. The bathtub alone was larger than the room she woke up in.

The door slid shut behind her as she walked across the heated floor. "Lock," she said aloud and was a little surprised to hear a soft click from behind. She was sure her voice would have been removed from the system by now.

"Bath on," Olivia quickly slipped out the scrubs and kicked them off to the side, "Profile Olivia." Excited, she almost ran to the tub; in seconds it was filled with hot sudsy water that was colored in shades of blue and purple by her favorite soaps. She got in and lowered herself into the water shuddering as it washed over her. "Jets," she said groaning with pleasure as the pulsing water messaged her sore body.

Olivia spent what felt like hours in the tub almost falling back to sleep on more than one occasion. When she noticed her fingers starting to prune she begrudgingly decided it was time to get out. _Besides Felix could wake up at any time_. She dried her body with the lush towel the butlers had left out and started to get dressed.

Hesitantly she starred down at the shirt in her hands. It reminded her of the last time she was in this house. So much could change in such a short amount of time. With a sigh she slipped it over her head. It was a tight fit but she managed to squeeze into it anyway. The tautness around her bust pulled up on the hem revealing

a bit of her midriff, she tugged on it a little before giving up and pulling on her pants.

_Henry was right,_ she thought as she brushed her collar-length thick black hair, _Felix would want me to take care of myself._ She smiled at herself in the mirror before tossing her hair up into the usual messy bun. "I know," she thought aloud, "I'll stop by Miguel's on the way to St. Raphael and pick him up a taco salad _._ " Felix did love his food even if he did lack a refined pallet.

"Excuse me, Miss Olivia," The voice of one of the butler AI called from outside the room.

"What is it?"

"Miss Olivia I am so sorry to have interrupted you but your cellular device has been going off for the better part of twenty minutes. Fearing it was something important I took it upon myself to answer. I am sorry if that upsets you."

"It's fine," AI butlers were trained to be over-polite and Olivia knew that even if it thought she was upset by its actions it could shut down to recalibrate, "Who was it?"

"Well Miss Olivia, they are still on the phone... It is the hospital, Miss Olivia."

"Open," she snapped as she ran to the door. It slid open to reveal the butler on the other side. It looked much the same as the nurse AI with only a few minor differences and a color scheme that resembled a three-piece suit. "Is Felix awake?" The AI did not respond and panic began to set in, "I asked you butler, is he awake?" The AIs mouth cast a dim violet light as it handed the phone over to her, she brought it to her ear. "Tell me Felix is awake. Tell me he's fine."

"I'm sorry..."

Olivia dropped the phone and fell to her knees tears flooding from her eyes, her screams echoing throughout the halls of the house.

### CHAPTER 06: Olivia

Olivia rushed down the hospital corridor desperate to get to her brother. As she reached the door to his room it slid open and the doctor from the night before slipped out intentionally blocking her view of inside. "I'm sorry ma'am," he said, Olivia could not remember his name, "let's go to my office so—"

"Let me see my brother!" There was fire in Olivia's eyes, her cheeks flushed red.

"Ma'am if you would please," the doctor gestured down the hall, "it would be easier to talk—"

"Move!" Olivia would not wait any longer. With surprising strength, she pushed past the doctor and ran into the room.

"Ma'am, wait!" He called after her.

Olivia was shocked to see Felix lying on his hospital bed. The machines that surrounded him beeped and hummed, his chest rose and fell gently. He looked to be sleeping peacefully. "It's fine," she breathed, "he's fine... Why would you call and scare me like that!" She turned to face the doctor.

"Ma'am like I was trying to say, we should go somewhere else and talk."

"What about!" She pointed to her brother, "he's sleeping, he's fine."

"Ma'am—"

"Stop all the ma'am stuff and talk to me like a person!"

"Ma... sorry," he caught himself, "it's just that this would be easier in my office."

"We can talk here!"

The doctor glanced past her at Felix scratching at his five o'clock shadow with a finger.

"TALK!" Olivia suddenly seemed much older than she was.

The doctor knew better than to insist, "I'm sorry," his gaze fell to the floor, "but your brother... Felix passed away sometime this morning."

"Wh—What?" Olivia said more than asked. Time seemed to stop around her as all sound faded away. Only the doctor's voice remained.

"Sometime between the nurses leaving last night and returning this morning your brother passed," he paused for a second before adding, "I am sorry for your loss."

Olivia could not understand. She could see Felix right there in front of her. He was peaceful, breathing, how could he be... "Are you stupid!" She stood beside her brother, "Look at him, he's breathing, his heart's beating!" She pointed to the bouncing line that was displayed on the machine closest to her, "How can he be dead?"

"It's complicated," the doctor began, he could almost feel the daggers shooting from Olivia's eyes, "It's his brain," he continued quickly.

Olivia's heart sank in her chest, she turned to face Felix. She could not believe it. It made no sense.

"It's known as Brain Death. At this point the machines are the only thing keeping his organs from shutting down. It may appear that he's alive but I promise you, I looked at the tests personally, he's not."

The room began to spin and Olivia had to hold onto the bed's handrail in order not to fall. "How—"she gagged struggling not to vomit, "how can you be sure?"

"Excuse me, ma'am," the doctor's weak empathetic pretense crumbled under his ego, "but we have access to the best tech in the world here at St. Raphael and I am really, really good at my job. You can trust me when I say I am sure."

The doctor's words were impertinent but Olivia believed them. Her legs were suddenly too weak to hold her weight and she fell, the pain in her heart blocking out the sharp pain from her injured knee. Tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled for each breath. She had been in this exact place before, when she was much younger. Her mother had left Olivia just like her father did and now Felix... She was alone.

"I know it's hard but we need to talk about the possibility of organ donation. Frankly there is not much ti—"

"I think it's time you go elsewhere," Henry walked into the room.

"Sir," the doctor turned to him, "I get that it's difficult but time is important—"

"I don't think you heard me doctor," Henry smiled at him warmly, his voice dripping with venom.

"I heard you but—"

"I don't think you did."

"But."

"You like working here don't you," Henry's smile faded.

"Yes sir," the doctor gulped down hard and left the room without another word.

Henry rushed over to Olivia and kneeled beside her, his bio-suit struggling to keep up with his movements. "I'm so sorry sweetie," he tried to embrace her but she pushed him away hard enough to wind the old man.

"Leave!" She cried, "Just leave, I want to be—I need to be alone with him!"

"Sweetie," Henry protested.

"Please!" Olivia begged turning to face Henry, her pain reflected in her large fearful eyes. "Please, if you ever loved him, if you love me. Just please leave me alone with him."

"Ok," Henry stood up knowing any attempt to argue would end in failure. He walked to the door, "take as much time as you need. You have my word that no one will bother you." With that, he too left the room closing the door behind him.

She heard the doors lock click and was finally alone. Summoning all the strength she could she pulled herself to her feet.

All the air in her lungs rushed out in a silent scream. She rubbed her eyes and it was gone. She was sure she saw something, a figure. It was standing in the corner of the room. She was sure she saw it, Transparent, ethereal, a ghost. She was sure she saw Felix.

### CHAPTER 07: Felix

Felix stood in the corner of the room he woke up in, staring at his reflection in the dark smoky glass that made up the room; its walls, ceiling, and floor a seamless cube. He was unable to make out any of his features, as he stood clutching the cold steel of the chair he had repurposed as a walker only his inky silhouette looked back.

It had been a few hours since the man who had revived Felix had left him in a hurry, locking the door as he did. The man had said very little in the time they spent together talking mostly in circles, answering most of Felix's questions with a simple smile.

Once he regained the energy to stand Felix tried to escape but was far too weak to budge the prismatic steel door. Quickly realizing his efforts where futile he resigned to resting and building his strength. Though the pain that was so unbearable upon waking had all but gone his body was still stiff and slow to respond. It was almost like his legs had forgotten how to walk.

At one point a man, tall, thin, and bald, had entered the room bringing with him a tray that held a plate of food and a glass of water. Felix rushed over to him as fast as his shaky legs would take him. He pleaded for answers but the man hardly acknowledged him. Something about him felt off. He did not look right. For some reason he could not understand, Felix was afraid.

Without a word the man gave a polite bow before leaving, locking the door once again.

Felix found himself salivating as he looked down at the plate that was left for him. The large fillet of meat that lay upon it had a bluish tinge and the leafy vegetable that sat next to it Felix did not recognize. It all smelt incredible.

He brought a piece of meat to his mouth when a thought occurred to him, _This is what they want me to do._ He pulled the meat from his lips and took a hard look at it. His eyes widened, _Poison!_ He tossed the meat across the room and retreated back to the corner. It took everything he had to resist the urge to fill his face.

With a hiss the door to the room slid open, Felix spun to face it desperate for answers, "Tell me—" _crump!_ He crashed to a heap on the cold glass floor, cursing himself for forgetting the necessity of his stand-in walker.

"Oh god, you ok?"

The voice was gentle, smooth, a woman's. Felix looked up, there was no one there.

"Do you need help, uhh... Mr.?"

No, not a woman... younger.

"Wh-who's there?" He was more startled than scared

"Oh right," The disembodied voice said right before a hooded figure popped into being just inside the doorway

Felix gasped and scrambled back against the wall, now he was scared.

The figure wore a flowing white coat with grey toggle buttons and sleeves that hung low enough to shroud its hands. A hood was attached by two large silver broaches on either shoulder as if as an afterthought. Under the hood...

"Sorry," A rose-colored flash of light sparked out from beneath the figures hood.

It can't be.

"Sometimes I forget," gloved hands peeked out from overly long sleeves, their purple velvet slipping under the hood and pulling it back.

Felix's eyes widened. It should not have been possible. The last time AI were made to look this human was before the war. "So what is this?"—curiosity overcame Felix, he did not know why but—"Some sort of holding facility for humans?" He did not know why but he suddenly felt strange.

"Excuse me?" what could only be described as its mouth flashed an amber hue.

"Well you were clearly built before the war," Felix rubbed at his chin, "or maybe you're some black market prototype..."

"Prototype!" The amber light was much brighter this time.

"No that's not right... You must be from some sort of sleeper cell," Felix ignored the AI clinging to what he could only define as excitement. It felt unnatural. "The only question is what you would want with somebody—"

"Excuse me!" A burst of red light blinded Felix, "Ok, ok calm down Sophie." Its shoulders relaxed and the black glass that was its eyes fell to the floor. "You just need to breathe, count to five," it did just as it said, inhaling long and deep.

That's not right.

"Four, five... Ok. Now I understand that you're a bit disoriented, confused even, so I will let those mean comments slide," it placed its hands on its hips its mouth flashing pink, almost white.

Felix was sure it intended to look confident but it came off uneasy. He had never met an AI who gave itself away more from its body language then its mouth sensor.

"I mean I am clearly not an AI, where would you even get that idea?"

"Uh," Felix brought his hand across his face, "well this."

It remained silent; its mouth glowing a faint red that deepened and amplified by the second. Its hands dug into its hips giving Felix the impression of intense rage. As its whole body began to tremble he was sure it was about to attack. He braced himself, ready for a fight, a little voice in the back of his head pleaded with him to run and hide.

Suddenly its mouth went several shades lighter. Its hands shot up to its face, gloved fingers tracing over stark features. "Oh!" The new shade intensified. "I'm-I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get used to all of this," It brought its hands down gesturing to its whole body. "God you're so stupid Sophie," it muttered under its breath.

"Look, Sophie is it? I have no idea what you want with me but I need answers," using the chair Felix pulled himself to his is feet. "The last thing I remember I was..." but he could not remember. Something's were there. He remembered the war, the AI. He could remember the names of celebrities and movies. Everything impersonal. His life though, all of it; the events that lead him here, his friends, and family... It was all blurry, misplaced.

He pushed himself, struggling to sort out the mess of memories. His eyes flickered in their sockets as people and places flashed before him. All were foreign yet so familiar.

The roof! He saw the roof and on it he stood. He remembered, not everything, but that moment. The last... As understanding washed over him a soft smile parted his lips, "So this isn't a cell."

"Yes! That's what I have been trying to tell you," Sophie tilted her head, her mouth glowing a cheerful shade of blue.

"That's it," he breathed.

"Excuse me?" Her light faded.

"I'm dead."

### CHAPTER 08: Felix

"Exactly!" Sophie chirped.

"You don't have to be so happy about it."

"I... Well. I-I didn't mean it that way!" Sophie's mouth pulsed a dull purple as her body faded, all of her slowly losing opacity.

Felix chuckled, a goofy smile spread across his face. He did not know why but he felt at ease. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him. He let go of the chair and took a step, then another. There was no more discomfort, no more instability.

"So you must be..." Felix ran his fingers across the slick table he woke upon. Its metal, same as the door, refracted light; its colors reacting to his fingers like water, flowing and blending together. "That's it! You're an angel!"

"Uh, wh-what?" His words clearly shocked Sophie who looked up at him with a start, her whole body becoming fully opaque, her mouth emitting a fierce rose light. "No I don't think you understand, This is—"

"No not an angel," Felix was too deep in his own mind to hear her words, "no more like a demon, maybe? No not a demon... A Death God! No... Oh that's it!" He snapped his fingers, "a reaper! You're a reaper aren't you?"

Sophie's mouth cycled through a range of different colors as she struggled to form a sentence.

"I mean you don't see angels when you kill yourself," he added.

Her mouth settled on a foul soft green-brown.

"So what happens now?" Felix looked around the room taking in its odd beauty, "I never thought hell would be so pretty."

"Please, you don't understand," Sophie took a step toward him, once again struggling to stay visible; her body flickered in and out of view. "It's not what you think, this place... It's not what you think," she grew more and more flustered as the words she needed evaded her. "I'm... I'm sorry!"

She almost faded completely when a hand fell upon her shoulder, "It's ok," the gentle old man said stepping in past her.

"Healer! Sir," Sophie stepped aside with a bow.

It was him, Felix's eyes met the old man's, Healer it seemed he was called. It was the man that woke him, the man with the glowing hands.

### CHAPTER 09: Felix

There were many questions Felix needed answers to; _Who are you? Where are we? Why can't I remember? How did I get here? What's with the glowy hands?_ So many questions yet as he starred into Healer's eyes he could not summon the courage to ask any of them.

"I am so sorry sir," Sophie broke the silence.

"It's ok," Healer addressed her, not breaking eye contact with Felix.

"No, no it's not," Sophie's mouth flashed red as she took a step closer to Healer. "It's not ok, I had one job to do and I screwed it up."

"It's ok."

"Screwed it up like I always do!"

Healer broke Felix's matching gaze and turned to Sophie. The dull red light of her mouth glinted off the silver buttons that ran the length of his ash-grey robe. With a finger under the chin he gently lifted her head and looked deep into her glossy black eyes. "Listen sweetie, nobody does perfect on their first time out. You would not believe how big of a fool I made of myself as a young man."

Felix could feel the warmth of Healer's smile from across the room. It made him uncomfortable, giving him a tight feeling in the back of his brain.

"If you ask me I would say you did a fine job," Healer continued.

"Really?" Sophie's mouth flashed blue with the word.

"Really," Healer patted her shoulder before turning back to Felix, "especially with one as difficult as this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Felix balled his fists. The urge to defend himself from the old man was overwhelming.

"What do you think it means?" Healer's whole face relaxed into a patronizing smile.

"I dunno. What do you think I think it means?" Felix stood his ground though confidence in his words quickly faded.

"Exactly!" Healer broke out into a boisterous laugh.

_This has gone on long enough!_ Felix stepped forward ready to demand answers...

"I am sure you have questions," Healer said before Felix could get a word out.

"Well ye—"

"Who are we? Where are we? How did I get here? What's with the magic hands?" Healer said each word more mockingly than the last, "this is not my first time greeting a new arrival son... Welcome to New Eden."

"New Eden?"

Both Healer and Sophie nodded in agreement.

"New Eden?"

They nodded again, "You like it?" Healer smiled proudly, "I came up with the name myself."

"Sounds like the name of a crappy MMO."

"A what?"

"An MMO... Massively multiplayer—you know what, never mind. What is this place? Last time I checked there was more fire in hell and less AI and old dudes."

"Not an AI," Sophie huffed.

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a person."

"Sure you are."

"That's enough," Healer attempted to intervene.

"I am a person."

"With a metal face?"

"Excuse me," Healer gave it another try.

"It's a mask, you moron!" Sophie's mouth sparked with amber light.

"A mask?" Felix noticed the pink and blue swirls that ran from under her right eye and up to her forehead. It was rare for AI to get custom paint jobs. The color of their chassis was the best way to tell what job they were meant for. Then again there was nothing common about the situation he was in.

"You look like the nanny AI that took care of me as a child," He said, suddenly remembering getting lectured for bad hygiene by his plasteel caregivers.

"I'll show you a nanny!" Red light filled the room.

"ENOUGH!" Healer bellowed, "I will have no more squabbling within these walls!"

"Yes dad," Felix and Sophie said in perfect unison with one another.

"Sorry sir," Sophie added quickly under her superiors glare.

A smirk crept across Felix's face, "Forget the name then. What IS this place?" He motioned to the walls and table, "I mean hell, heaven, or purgatory. I know I'm dead so it's got to be one of the three."

"Not necessarily."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I don't know, nobody does for sure," a knowing smile pulled at Healer's lips, "I have a theory though if you would like to hear it."

"Shoot."

"Well there are a few things we do know as fact. One, every person who has ended up here remembers some sort of fatal incident."

It felt like the floor had fallen out from beneath Felix. He took a deep breath, barely managing to stay on his feet.

"Are you ok?" Healer noticed Felix's knees buckle.

"Yeah, I'm... Keep going," Felix focused on his breathing, the vertigo wearing off as fast as it appeared.

"Well then there is number two. Everything around you is made up of what is commonly referred to here as Data."

"Data? Like in a computer?"

"Similar, but more complex."

"Huh, so this place is like an MMO... Must be heaven."

"Not quite. Allow me to finish," Healer took a seat on the edge of the table. "I take it you know of the basic constructs of life? What makes us, us. Molecules, atoms, the building blocks of everything?"

"I never did care for science classes but I get the basics."

"Well... They don't exist here."

"What?"

"Molecules, atoms, DNA; none of it, at least not as it was in the old world. Everything you see around you; this table, the walls, you, even me... It's all made up of data. Ones and zeroes, binary, but alien and far, far more complex."

"Perhaps you didn't hear me. I was like a D student, you're gonna have to tone it down a bit."

"Think of it less like science, at least in a traditional sense, and more like coding."

"Ok..."

"Actually it's like a marriage of the two. Biology and computer science coming together in ways never thought possible... Until now," Healer could see the confusion in Felix's eyes, "let me try and put this into words you can understand."

"Ok..." Felix doubted that would be possible.

"Let me compare it to the video games you like so much."

"Ok..." Felix was listening.

"In these games, everything you see is brought to you by code, strings of numbers and letters that come together to define attributes. You follow?"

"Ok..."

"So if a character in one of these games has black hair it's the code that dictates it, numbers and letters. If a character has dark skin, numbers, and letters. If they have bulging biceps—"

"Numbers and letters?"

"Yes, my boy! You're catching on!"

Not really.

"So as within these games code dictates the attributes of everything it does here in New Eden as well. What makes you, you is not molecules and atoms but..." Healer paused.

"Numbers and letters," they said together.

"You catch on quick," Healer smiled from ear to ear.

"Huh?" With everything he was being told one thing stood out to Felix. Something Healer had said at the beginning of the conversation had been gnawing at the back of his mind...

"I know, I know you don't believe me. Nobody ever dose at first."

"No I believe you," Felix said flatly.

Healer's eyes lit up.

"This," Felix pointed to Sophie not sure what to label her, "this girl over here is wearing the face of an AI and can turn invisible at will." He moved his figure to Healer, "You have magic glowy hands that revived me after I went crashing eighty stories down into hard concrete. What you're saying makes more sense than anything else I have heard or seen since I got here."

"Ok..."

"I want to go back to something you said before."

"Ok..."

"You said I am not the first."

"Ok..." Healers smile widened.

"How many people came before me?"

"Thousands."

### CHAPTER 10: Felix

"Thousands?" Felix could not believe it.

"Well more like tens of thousands really," Healer said the words plainly like they meant nothing.

_Tens of thousands... How could so many people have ended up here and nobody back home even know about it?_ All these people just abandoned here in New Eden with no way to contact those back in the old world. No hope of help or escape, stuck in this strange new world.

Felix needed more if he were to make sense of it all, "how long?"

"Well if time passes the same way here as it did in the old world, which I suspect, then a little over a hundred years."

"So many people in such a short amount of time... How, I died, I know I did. How did I end up here? How did any of us end up here?"

"I was getting there," Healer stood eye to eye with Felix, "It's my theory that what we here call New Eden is a newly formed parallel dimension that exists either overlapping or immediately beside our original dimension and that, somehow, a very small percentage of us who have died in the old world cross over to this world before our consciousness can fade completely. I won't pretend to know how, but I do know that we all came from the same place, that we all remember the moments leading up to our deaths and that we all woke up here."

A lingering tingle radiated somewhere deep within Felix's perplexed mind. It was telling him not to trust the old man. Something about him, at this precise moment, seemed vile. A dull pain spread from within his chest, it was as if Healer had hurt him before. He just could not remember...

"I have had many theories on how we got here over the years but none of them ever held any weight. There is little I can figure in a world which I know so little of its natural laws."

"How long have you been here?" Felix tried to shake his sudden suspicion but it was useless. He felt as if he met the old man before, that they knew each other, but most of his memories still eluded him, sitting just out of reach.

"I was amongst the original four to come to this New Eden, I'd say," he looked off in thought, "It has been nearly one hundred and two years then."

"Three," Sophie chimed in.

"Excuse me," Healer looked over to her.

"It's been one hundred and three years sir."

"Oh yes a hundred and three years... They do go by so fast."

"What happened to the others?" Felix asked

"Hmm?"

"You said you were one of the first four. What happened to the other three?"

"Oh yes! Well if you would be kind enough to follow me I'll show you," Healer walked to the door, it slid open before him disappearing into black glass. "Come on now," he stepped through.

"Why should I trust you," Healer's words made Felix uneasy, something about his calm tone seemed sinister.

Healer poked his head back into the room, "I hate to be frank with you my boy but what choice do you have?" He disappeared through the doorway once again.

Felix could not quite put a finger on the sensation that ran through his body as he shook from head to toe. Somehow he knew that once he stepped through that door, one way or another, everything was going to change forever.

"It's ok," Sophie gently placed a hand on his arm.

The pure purple of her mouth calmed Felix, he took a deep breath, "Well here goes." With Sophie by his side, he walked through the door and out of the room.

### CHAPTER 11: Felix

Felix followed Healer wordlessly through black glass corridors and labs filled with things he could not explain. They passed containers that ran from ceiling to floor filled with floating balls of light that hung weightlessly in the air like pollen. Large machines of prismatic steel that he could not make heads or tails of. Cages lined walls he could not see into and from which emanated unnatural sounds. Large translucent screens filled with strange symbols hung unassisted everywhere.

Healer finally stopped when they entered a room unlike the rest. All around them stood enormous statues made of smooth flawless grey stone. With grandiosity Healer threw his arms open wide, "Welcome to the Hall Of Memories."

"Amazing!" Felix ran from sculpture to sculpture ignoring Sophie's grumbles. Each statue showed some combination of the same four people with Healer being one of them. Felix stopped and stood in wonder of a statue that depicted a large muscled man fighting off a monstrous spider that must have been the size of a bear. With his bare hands, the warrior stood his ground, the spider's fangs digging deep into his shoulder. "So cool," Felix's eyes glistened with excitement, "who is this guy?"

"That's Executioner," Healer stood beside Felix

"Executioner," Felix repeated the name, "that's so badass."

"He's a little rough around the edges but a good man. If it were not for him I would not be here today."

"Ca-can I meet him?"

"Yes," Healer laughed, "You'll meet the other two as well." He walked Felix over to a statue on the other side of the room and directed his attention up to its two stone figures, "This is Queen and Princess."

Even in stone their beauty was staggering and Felix could not help but stare up in awe. One of the women was slightly shorter than the other and appeared to be a few years younger but both had nearly identical curvaceous figures with long legs and dignified but tender features. "Wow," he breathed inaudibly.

"Together we are known as The Four."

"The Four?" Felix asked absentmindedly, infatuated by the elegance that lay before him.

"Yes. As The Four, we are the leaders of The Garden, the city in which you now reside."

"Wait," with some effort Felix managed to pull his gaze from the statue, "The Garden? Of New Eden?"

"I know," Healer rolled his eyes, "you are not the first to scoff at the name." He glanced over to Sophie, "I admit it is not the most inspired name but I thought it fitting."

"You guys sure did go through a lot," Felix's attention was already back to the unbelievable events depicted in stone that filled the room. Monsters fought, buildings raised, a town built. "So is it all true?"

"While the creator of these monuments may have taken some artistic license most of it is near perfect. As you put it, we guys went through a lot to get to where we are now."

"So even the monsters are real? Because this guy right here sure does look a lot like the Scorn Beast," Felix pointed up to the statue of a large humanoid figure with the torso and head of a bull and the legs of a man. Each of the four long, bending horns that protruded from its head ended with a ball of flame. Both Healer and Executioner stood in front of the beast separating it from the cowering forms of Queen and Princess. "It's from a game I used to play," he added quickly noticing the confusion on Healer's face, "I-I was ranked."

"Well I don't know anything about Scorn Beasts but yes, it's all true, especially the monsters."

Felix was positive he saw a brief flash of annoyance over take Healers otherwise soft features, even if he tried to hide it by averting his gaze.

"Though the technical term we use for these monsters is Fear," Healer smiled.

Felix was sure he saw it, "I take it there is a reason beyond the obvious," he could not shake the feeling that he was getting on the old man's nerves and it was... Satisfying.

"As a matter of fact there is," Healer starred up into the Fear's eyes. The stone captured its intense gaze perfectly. In life those eyes would surely have stopped the bravest of men dead in their tracks. "You see before we humans appeared in this world it was much different," he continued, "There was nothing. No land, no water, no skies just a vast and open nothingness; a sea of data with no form or purpose." It was clear that reliving these memories was hard for Healer as he looked around the room.

Felix felt a heavy sadness for the old man and for a reason he could not quite grasp guilt for his earlier suspicions. He could not imagine what Healer must have gone through. The horrors he must have seen after being thrust into this strange world.

"Then the other three and I came into being and everything changed. Apparently, the human mind is hard to translate into the data of New Eden. Our consciousness is as foreign to this world as this world is too us. Nothing like the human mind has ever existed here and when the data tried to form it a tremendous burst of energy erupted from us. This energy generated by our minds formed the first plot of land. You see our minds are fragile and need to be nurtured in order not to break and the data knew this so it created a world that we could understand. A world that, from our minds, mimics the old one as close as it can." Healer paused for a moment taking an exaggerated breath, "It was beautiful, that first piece of land, like from a painting. It was our perfect garden. Vast fields of flowers all the colors of a rainbow; forests of trees that bore strange but succulent fruits; waterfalls that flowed with the most pure blue water... We knew it was heaven." Healer's eyes grew distant, he starred off past the statues like he was looking into another world, "then the first Fear came. The trees in our garden trembled and burst into flames as it drew near, each step sending ripples through the water of the lake we had made a life near. As it parted the tree line, pulling its massive frame from the fire, it let out a deafening roar that shook the foundation of our home throwing waves across the water. When it attacked I froze, I was petrified and that fear restrained my arms and legs like chains pulling me to the ground. Our little heaven suddenly became hell and I could do nothing about it." He paused longer this time, deep in thought that neither Felix nor Sophie dare disturb. "Luckily executioner was there. He fought the Fear off and saved us. I hated myself after that, not for being too weak to fight but for being too dumb to know what to do. From that point on I dedicated myself to learning all I could about this New Eden and I learned a lot over the past hundred years. You see when we appear here the world changes around us. In a twisted sense it tries to form itself into our perfect view of reality and with the good comes the bad. Our memories and emotions get skewed as the data tries to perfectly recreate them and in the process it reads our fears as real and tangible threats and recreates them as such. Our fears become living, breathing, nightmares."

"Why?" Felix asked

"Our fears are as much a part of us as anything else. In some cases they can be as real as we are. The data knows this and knows that for a healthy mind to exist it needs something to fear. Sadly I believe that is all there is to it."

"That sucks," Felix did not know how to explain the sense of excitement that coursed through his entire body. With the little he remembered about his past life he somehow knew this was what he wanted. What he dreamed of. To fight monsters and save the day, to be the knight and save the—"Wait can you die here? L-Like again?"

"Of course, I told you this is neither heaven nor hell boy, but something entirely different. You may have a second life here but it can end like your first if you don't take it seriously."

"Well that sucks," dread fell over Felix. He still did not remember why he chose to end his first life and now he was supposed to know how to keep this one. "So does everybody have a Fear then?"

"I am sure they do but if you're asking whether or not there are tens of thousands of different Fears roaming New Eden then no. Only the fears the data can manage to translate into form are created. So there are no classmates roaming the fields to laugh at you in your underwear," Healer chuckled. "It's not all bad though. As you can see we managed to create a relative safety behind the walls of The Garden, a place where people can live their new lives without fear. I will give you a tour of the city shortly but first I need to explain Essences."

"There's more?" Felix could barely grasp all of what he had been told up to this point, how could there possibly be any more?

"I don't expect you to take in everything all at once. You will have questions and I will be happy to answer them but it is of the utmost importance that I tell you about everything before you leave the walls of the palace. The world out there is not the same as the one you came from and before you enter it you need to know enough not to cause a ruckus. Besides I think you will really like this next part."

"Sure, go ahead," Felix was not convinced and his head was starting to hurt but there was no stopping the old man.

"Every person in New Eden has a power that we call an Essence—"

"Powers?" Felix's ears perked up, maybe he was wrong, maybe he would like this part.

"Yes," Healer smiled knowingly, "during that battle with the first Fear Executioner showed immense strength, he easily bested the behemoth but got injured in the process. At first we thought this newfound strength came purely from this new reality but as I tried to drag him back to cover I found I lacked the strength to do so. He was so heavy and try as I might I could only manage to pull him a few yards before exhaustion overtook me. Again I was too weak to help and the man who had saved us was dying in my hands. Then suddenly they began to glow. My palms shown like flashlights and where their light passed Executioner's wounds began to heal. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. After more people began to appear we realized it was not just us either, everybody who sets foot here develops some sort strange power. These essences, as we call them, can take different forms. Some take the shape of items and weapons that stay with their owners as they are part of their being. We call these external manifestations. Others, like my own, come from within and are known as internal manifestations. Then there are those like Sophie here," Healer looked to his assistant who, aside from the occasional mumble, had remained silent this whole time, "Go ahead."

"Well then there are those with physical manifestations whose essence change their bodies," Sophie walked up beside Healer. Her mouth shown no light but Felix sensed some anxiety.

"Oh so that why you have an AI face," Felix snapped his fingers.

"I told you it's a mask!" In one swift move, Sophie reached up and pulled away her face to reveal nothing, "you see it's a mask, are you happy!"

"So cool!" Felix scampered up closer to her, smiling stupidly from ear to ear. "I get it now, you're invisible! That must come in handy."

"Not as much as you'd think," she quickly re-masked and ducked out of sight behind a nearby statue of Executioner chopping wood.

_What's wrong with her? She can turn invisible, that's the coolest thing I have ever seen!_ Felix looked to Healer for an answer but his glare stopped him before he could turn thought into speech. He quickly changed course, "So when do I find out what I can do?"

"Well—"Healer was interrupted when the man who had brought Felix food earlier came rushing up to them.

"There is someone here to see you sir," He said with a curt bow.

"Who is it Alpha?" Healer turned away from Felix.

"Its Caerus sir."

"Damn it!"

### CHAPTER 12: Felix

"Who's Caerus?" Felix asked Sophie as they followed Healer out of The Hall of Memories and through more glistening corridors. Healer walked much faster than before as he led them silently to an unknown destination, straitening his posture as he did.

"He is the head of the Defenders," Sophie struggled to keep pace with the other three.

"Defenders?"

"They are the protectors of The Garden. They explore the outside and handle any fears that get too close to the city. They also deal with the few crimes that happen within the city walls."

"Oh so they're like knights?" There was a twinkle in Felix's eyes.

"More like cops, but I guess you could say that. I think Caerus would like that actually."

They stepped out of one of the hundreds of identical black glass halls and into a large room with a ceiling much higher than any other room they had been in so far. It appeared to be a hub of sorts. Both the wall behind them and the wall on the other side of the room were lined with doors. To Felix's right a large staircase led downward out of sight; to his left another led upward, and in front of it...

Felix's jaw fell slack as he stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The statues did her no justice. There was no question, Princess was an angel. "That settles it," he breathed, "this has to be heaven."

"AHEM!" Sophie drove an elbow into Felix's ribs violently pulling his attention away from Princess, if only just a little.

"What was that for?" Felix rubbed his side.

"Pay attention," she pointed to Healer who was already more than halfway across the room. The two rushed after him.

Two others stood with Princess. Queen was as beautiful in life as she was in stone, fittingly statuesque. Next to her stood a tall man with spikey blonde hair, his back was to them and he was clad in a long red coat that hung down past his knees. Felix focused on the elegantly curved sword that was slung across his back. Its blade alone was near Felix's height and its cloth wrapped grip had to be near two feet in length. The bare blade somehow managed not to sever the simple leather strap that held it.

Now that's the coolest thing I have ever seen!

"No, seriously your eyes are like the sea, fierce yet—"

"What do you want Caerus?" Healer cut the man's flirtation short.

"Healer!" Caerus turned toward them, he had a much younger face than Felix expected. "Nice to see ya buddy," Caerus offered a hug that Healer avoided like an attack.

"What do you want Caerus?" Healer repeated.

"Well I was on my way to report some Intel my boys got on Pipe but ran into these two supreme beauties on the way," he ended with a wink toward the two women who acted like they were not even there.

"I should throw your disrespectful ass in the cells," Healer struggled to hold back his temper.

"Ah language buddy, we all must follow the rules," Caerus smiled.

Healer looked ready to burst, his face flush with anger visible even under his thick white beard. He took a deep breath. "As you can see I'm with a newcomer, you'll have to come back later," he managed to utter through clenched teeth.

"Oh," Caerus looked down at Felix. "Another newbie, nice to me ya," he offered him a hand, "you pick a name yet?"

Confused Felix shook the man's hand, his grip was tight enough to hurt, "excuse me?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Caerus mocking eyes met Healers threatening gaze. "Its tradition to pick a new name for yourself when you end up here. It's new world, so it's only fitting you get a new name. Leave your past life behind you and embrace your second chance. Or something like that."

Felix remembered hating his name, remembered how exciting it was to start a new game and create a new identity. He could not remember why.

"You got any ideas?"

Felix did not.

"Well that's ok. It takes time for some people. I'm sure something will come to ya," Caerus patted Felix's shoulder roughly before leaning in and whispering in his ear, "Keep your eyes off Princess if you know what good for you, Healer doesn't like it." He straightened up and turned to Healer, "just send your manservant when you're ready to talk," finished with Healer Caerus approached Sophie, "Looking good today Persephone."

"Th-Thank you," Sophie mumbled her mouth emanating rose light.

Persephone? What's with that?

"Well I'm off," Caerus finished with a wave. They all watched silently as he crossed the room and disappeared down the steps.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Queen broke the silence with a voice that could have only belonged to an angel.

"No I'm sorry you have to deal with that man," Healers face softened back to its normal state. With a slight bow the royal woman took their leave, Felix waved after them.

"Where were we?" Healer asked.

"You were going to tell me how to figure out what powers I have," His excitement over the prospect of superpowers pulled Felix's attention away from the departing ladies.

"Oh yes! Well if the computers are right, and they always are, you're a Data Weaver."

"A what?"

"A Data Weaver. One who manipulates the data around them to create things from thin air."

"That... That's so cool!" Felix pumped a fist, "So like I can make swords and stuff right? To fight mons—Fears right? When can I become a Defender?" A deep sense of joy flooded Felix. This is what he always wanted, he did not even need to remember to know that. He could feel it... Excitement.

"My boy weavers can't be Defenders."

"Excuse me?" Felix's joy shallowed.

"Weavers and Defenders are very different things. Defenders fight and patrol. It's very dirty work—"

Very cool work!

"—You are part of a much better group. Weavers create to provide, they are the central backbone to our society," Healer smiled proudly.

Felix's eyes fell in disappointment. _Creating to provide?_ It sounded so... boring.

"I'm sure once you see what a Data Weaver can do first hand you will understand how important of a job it is."

"Excuse me, sir," Alpha stepped forward, "Please remember you have an appointment." He tapped the rectangular device that fit on his forearm like an oversized watch. Felix noticed Healer wore a similar device as well.

"Ah yes, thank you Alpha, Sophie will just have to show Felix around in my stead."

"Me sir?" Sophie shot to attention.

"Yes you," Healer turned his smile to her, "Take him to the Weaver's Quarter and show him some of the weavers in action. Then show him to his room, the number should be available in your commu."

"O-ok sir, I'm your girl."

"I know you are," he turned to Felix, "feel free to ask her any questions you may have. Few people know as much about the city as she does." With that he followed Alpha back the way they came.

"Well shall we," Sophie's mouth flashed blue.

"Sure," Felix responded with a dour tone.

"Oh come on," she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to the staircase and then down it to two huge prismatic steel doors emblazoned with equally gigantic purple flowers. "Trust me, you're going to love this," she pushed open the doors with ease and light came flooding in.

### CHAPTER 13: Felix

Grey and purple flowers lined roads of flawless stone leading to buildings with mixed elements of high fantasy and science fiction. Their stone turrets and canvas awnings accented by prismatic steel lamps and skeletal pipes that wrapped around them. Holographic signs projected by some unseen power labeled some buildings while crystal and stone sculptures did others. The roads and buildings of the city made way for the colossal trees that poked out of mint green grass, their blue and purple foliage shading The Gardens residents under perfect spade-shaped leaves. Gardens with flowers of every color, too many for Felix to name, grew in gated yards and the boxes that hung from windows. Everything lie accented under the vibrant orange light of the sun that hung heavy in the cloudless sky, easily twice the size it was in the old world.

As Sophie led Felix down the countless steps that led to the first, and largest, of the gated gardens he looked in awe at the people bustling all around. Some wore weapons of the like Felix had never seen. Huge ornate swords made of wood, rock, and steel; Staves that wiggled with life as they supported their owners. One person had a cartoonishly large mallet strapped to their back. A woman with streaks of red, blue, and green shooting through her snow-white hair had a pair of water pistol holstered on her hips; Blue and red energy swirling within their green-tinted plastic reservoirs.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Sophie beamed with pride.

"Ye-Yes," the words caught in Felix's throat as he watched a man, covered head to toe with grey fur, walk past them. A long, thick tail protruded from his lower back and hung down to his ankles. Two triangles ears sat twitching atop his head. The woman that walked with him, deep in conversation, looked much the same with white fur, a thinner tail and whiskers poking out of each cheek. They were not the only two either. Everywhere he looked Felix saw people with animal characteristics. Wings of varying color and size sprouted from backs; Scales covered the skin of some while fur did others. There were people whose tongues hung from their mouths like frogs and people with horns that parted way through their hair.

Then there were those whose bodies twisted with the elements or mixed with light and darkness. Fire swirled up from heads as ice-encased limbs. Vines hung like hair and wrapped across bodies acting as primitive clothing. Bodies composed of light and dark illuminated and dulled the world around them respectively.

Felix's mind wandered from sight to sight as he took in all the wonder around him. He stood in his dream, a world from fiction and it was so... so... _Ooh a catgirl!_

"Hey—Hey, you there," Sophie waved a gloved hand across Felix's field of vision.

"Huh-uh-What," his mind shot back into his body.

"You haven't said anything for the past hour. I was beginning to think this was all too much for you."

"Oh, sorry," Felix rubbed at the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, "It's all just so..."

"Amazing. It really is," Sophie finished his sentence as her mouth glowed a warm purple

"I have wanted this for so long," Felix said, not to Sophie but himself.

"What do you mean?"

"I still don't remember much about who I was back in real life, I just know, deep deep down I know this is what I always wanted... a world of excitement."

"That's rather poetic," Sophie said with a flash of blue.

"Yeah I gue—"Felix crashed hard into a large and heavy object nearly taking him off his feet, his breath left his lungs in a violent huff. About to curse he looked up to see that it was an enormous disgusting beast towering over him; instead, it came out as a strained squeak.

The beast snarled down at him its lips curling across its boulder shaped head. Strings of saliva hung down from its massive mouth and dissolved into sparkles.

"S-Sorry," Felix managed through clenched teeth.

With one last snort the beast shrugged and walked away. As it did Felix heard a faint girlish chuckle and noticed, just as the Beast turned to walk past a nearby building that a small girl sat upon its shoulder. Her long white hair and lively purple eyes contrasted against the beast's mud-brown fur. She winked at him before disappearing behind grey stone. As Felix starred after them he caught a glimpse of himself in the window of the building that they had walked past. He took a few steps closer to the glistening glass, then a few more. He could not believe his eyes... He was gorgeous.

### CHAPTER 14: Felix

"... she likes scaring peo—Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Sophie asked.

Felix was not, he was too busy examining his newfound handsomeness. His jawline looked as if it were carved from marble, his lips thin and angular and capable of a perfect pout. There was no sign of hair on his chin or cheeks. His sparkling baby blue eyes, brighter than they were in the old world, were accented by meticulously manicured eyebrows. "I'm gorgeous!" he exclaimed, his words laced with profound happiness.

"Hey weirdo, snap out of it," Sophie tried and failed to get Felix's attention.

Poking at his swollen biceps a thought popped into Felix's head and he hurriedly pushed aside his slate blue jacket and pulled up on the hem of the simple black shirt that lie beneath. A tear came to his eye as he silently counted out six perfectly defined abdominal muscles. "I-I'm perfect," a stupid grin spread across his face, the bright sun glinted off of his paper white teeth.

"Ahem!" A bright flare of amber light erupted from Sophie's mouth.

It blinded Felix, momentarily pulling him from his self-involved trance. As sight came back to him he saw the sour faces of several people eating at a table on the other side of the window he had been using as a mirror. "Sorry," he waved to them with flushed cheeks before spinning to face Sophie, brimming with an excitement that quickly pushed away any embarrassment, "look at me Sophie I'm beautiful! Can you believe it?"

Sophie's amber light roared back to life.

"Oh, I'm sorry," realization struck Felix, "it must be a sore subject for you."

"What!" The light was almost blinding once again.

"I-I mean," he took a step back from her, "you know, since you're invisible and all."

"I will have you know," Sophie huffed, "I wasn't like this when I first woke up here."

"You weren't?" Felix forced a nervous smile hoping he could in some way defuse the situation.

"No, I wasn't. I had flowing crimson hair and—Well I was stunning," her mouth pulsed a blue that quickly faded to a dull pink, "besides look around you everybody here is beautiful."

Even though he was sure she was just trying to deflect the conversation, she was not wrong. Every person Felix had seen since waking up was downright gorgeous, even the more feral had a majestic glow about them. He could not help but be reminded of his time playing High Fantasy Online. He spent so many hours in front of his computer exploring that world it almost became a second home to him. He knew every NPC by name.

The door to the building burst open and a pig-faced man came hobbling out ripping into what looked like a giant turkey leg, grease dripped down onto his bulbous, tattooed belly. Felix watched in stunned silence as he walked past and was quickly flocked by a hoard of beautiful women.

"Did I say everybody?" Sophie chirped

Felix nodded as he starred on in bewilderment.

"Pretty gets boring after a while," Felix nearly jumped out of his skin as Caerus strode out after the pig-faced man. "At least that's what they tell me," he shut the door with a smirk.

"Don't sneak up on people like that," Felix's voice cracked.

"Oh hey," Sophie stammered with a slight tilt of the head and a flash of purple.

"Hey there girly, the old man let you out for a day?" Caerus beamed a charming smile.

"I'm on official business actually," Sophie said proudly, "I'm giving the newbie a tour."

"Oh so now he's pawning his work off on you?"

"Well you know I am his assistant now. It's only fitting I pick up some of his duties and besides you really should try harder to get along with him. He's really not that bad once you—"

"Hold it right there girly, it's he who doesn't wanna get along with me."

"But—"

"Thinks just because he is one of The Four he's somehow better..."

"But—"

"Really he's just a crotchety old bastard!"

The people that crowed the marketplace around them were taken aback with a collective wince. "You're not allowed to say words like that," one of the onlookers stepped forward, his leafy hair rippling in the breeze and his chest puffed out.

"What ya gonna do," Caerus locked eyes with the young man, "arrest me?" Almost instantly the man folded and scuttled away, blending in with the hustle and bustle. "That's what I thought," Caerus called after him.

Felix took note of the apparent scorn the people of New Eden had for foul language. He hoped he would have an easier time keeping his mouth in check now than he did in his old life, though he did always enjoy the looks he would get from Henry after dropping a casual "F-Bomb."

_Who's Henry?_ The thought left Felix's head faster than it arrived as a subtle glint of sunlight drew his attention to the monster of a sword that hung across Caerus's back. Now, out in the light of day, he could get a better look at the weapon. Every intricate detail was near perfect from the red silk wrapping on the grip to the engraved wings on its disc-shaped guard and end cap.

"Thank you, but my eyes are up here," Caerus said over his shoulder.

"I was—I was jus—sorry," Felix looked to his feet with flushed cheeks.

"Never mind anything else," Sophie cut back in, "I'm afraid that if you keep up your little—whatever it is with Healer you'll end up in a cell or..." her voice trailed off.

Felix did not need to see the yellow light to know she was afraid.

"What? You don't think I could take the guy?" Caerus shrugged.

"Caerus!" Yellow and purple light tried to mix resulting in a gradient of color, "Please."

Caerus stared at her for a moment before speaking, his expression more stark than Felix thought possible of the man. "Ok, ok I promise," he snapped back into his cheery demeanor, "I'll tone it down around the old man from now on."

"You better," pure blue light replaced the yellow and purple.

"Hey you know I always keep my word girly. Now if you'll excuse me," Caerus lifted the neatly wrapped package that he had tucked under his arm, "I have some very important business that needs tending to."

"What's in the box?" Felix asked as he examined its plain brown paper wrapping. With no text or logos present he had a hard time imagining what it could be, but if Caerus, the leader of The Defenders said it was important there was no telling what it may contain. Maybe it was some sort of cursed artifact, and ancient medallion worn by an evil queen; or a piece of alien technology that alluded to an oncoming invasion; or maybe it was trio of dragon eggs kept petrified by a powerful wizard for fear of the havoc that would be caused if they hatched.

"Oh this," Caerus dramatically lifted the package before him with one hand while patting his belly with the other. "Well this just happens to be the best damn chicken strips in this whole city."

"Chicken... Strips?" Surely they were some sort of magic chicken strips that gave the person who ate them the strength of ten men.

"Yes chicken strips, don't knock 'em till you try them. You want a tip? Food tastes ten times better in this world if it's made by the right weaver."

"So—just plain chicken strips?"

"Plain. Plain! Are you calling Marcy's chicken strips Plain?" Caerus's expression suddenly soured, his eyebrows arching into a menacing glare. Steam could almost be seen rising from his forehead.

"No, no! I'm sure they are amazing. I mean who doesn't love Marcy's chicken—strips. Who's Marcy?"

"You're lucky you're new here or else who knows what I might've done," Caerus's smile returned, "When it comes to cooking Marcy is the best damn weaver in New Eden. She also just happens to be the woman who owns the fine establishment you were checking yourself out in the window of."

"What?" Felix turned to the window to see the words Marcy's Place finely etched into its glass. He cursed himself for not noticing it sooner. How could he have been so easily drawn in by... He caught himself before giving one more flex.

"I found you!" Called a voice from down the street, "you're late Caerus... Again!" The woman with the energy-filled water pistols jumped up and down to see over the crowd. Her multi-colored hair flapping weightlessly as she did.

"You would think it wouldn't be possible for the guy who runs the drills to be late," Caerus sighed and looked down at his lunch, "I guess you just became fast food. Well, Its time we part ways, Persephone," He nodded down to Sophie.

"It's Sophie," Sophie said sternly, hands firmly on her hips.

"Oh ok your highness, Sophie it is. And you kid," Caerus offered a hand to Felix, "I will be keeping my eyes on you." After a brief but firm handshake, Caerus rushed off as Felix waved after him mindlessly. This guy may be the coolest...

"Oh hey," Caerus abruptly spun around some thirty feet away, "The old man tell you what you can do yet?"

"Oh come on Caerus you know how rude it is to—"

"It's ok," Felix cut Sophie off, "He said I'm a Data Weaver," He called to Caerus.

"Cool," Caerus called back after a short pause, "I'm sure you'll kill it at The Creationarium." With that he disappeared into the crowd leaving a trail of brown paper scraps in his wake, each slowly dissolving into glowing particles.

"The what?" Felix turned to Sophie.

"The Creationarium, it's where the weavers live and train. I'll take you there soon but first we need to finish our tour of the city. After this little distraction we will have to be quick if we want to see everything before curfew."

"Wait there's a curfew?"

"I'll explain as we walk," she urged him down the busy street; "maybe it was blonde."

"Huh?" Felix struggled to weave his way through the people as deftly as Sophie.

"My hair, maybe it was blonde."

### CHAPTER 15: Felix

Sophie taught Felix many things as they walked through The Garden stopping only periodically for her to explain the purpose of a particular item or building. She explained how if all things in New Eden were made up of data then they would return to data once they were destroyed and that the large prismatic steel canisters that sat neatly tucked beside most buildings were used to recycle that data. Garbage chutes inside the buildings fed into the pipes that wrapped around their structures and led out into these recycling bins. The garbage would then be broken back down into a workable resource that was sent back to the Data Weavers to be reused.

She explained then how The Garden is split up into quarters and that each functioned in a way that best served the community. The quarter that they started the tour in was the largest of the four, the Royal Quarter. It acted as the main body of The Garden containing many of its shops and eateries with most of the citie's occupants residing in its sprawling single-story apartments. The Royal Palace towered over the rest of the Royal Quarter, its black glass turrets and towers looming over the heart of the city, its shadow acting as a sundial as it moved slowly throughout the day spanning from the base of the palace to the city's immense walls.

Next on the tour was the Miner's Quarter, home of the Data Miner's who had the job of mining the raw data that would later be sent to the Data Weavers for processing. Most of this quarter was used as housing for the Data Miners with walled roads that led out of the city and into the menacing entrance of the mines. Oddly enough the Miner's Quarter also played home to many of the cities bathhouses and spas and thus seemed far busier than it should have been. According to Sophie the Data Miners threatened to strike some time ago unless The Four approved the construction of these bathhouses. Seeing the way the miners fearlessly stood up to their superiors they got the backing of most of the city and after a very tense conformation between the head of the Data Miners and The Four their demands were met.

The Defender's Quarter was smallest of the four and was mostly private behind layered walls of steel, stone, and crystal. The sounds of metal clanging against metal, surges of potent energy, and crackling fire were accompanied by hideous roars. Excited, Felix looked desperately for any way to sneak a peek through the quarter's defenses but to little avail, only shadows could be seen through the few small patches of crystal that poked out through the walls other layers. Sophie promised him there was no way for non-defenders to look in on The Defender's drills let alone enter the quarter without permission, which was very rarely given.

"Next up your new home, the Weaver's Quarter," Sophie said as the two walked the thin road that split the walls of the Defender's Quarter and the string of shops that marked the end of the Royal Quarter.

Felix was a little taken aback by the stark difference of the two quarters they walked between. The Royal Quarter was so vast and inviting, paved with wide stone roads and covered with elegant gardens and fountains. The Defender's Quarter, however, was nothing but walls that stretched over twenty feet high. What did the Defender's Quarter contain that needed to be so private?

"It's to keep the rest of The Garden safe," Sophie noticed Felix's longing stare.

"What do you mean?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you," she said plainly hands clasped behind her back.

"That's an old line," Felix shot her a sideways glance. Come to think about it the only person he had seen since waking that looked to be older than their thirties was Healer, "how old are you anyways?"

"Setting aside how rude of a question that is you don't age here in New Eden."

"What's with Healer then? He looks like he's been around for a while."

"When your new body forms it takes the shape of the ideal person. Some people just have a different idea of what that is."

"Choosing to be an old man... Seems a tad bit stupid to me, I mean you can be anyone and he chooses to be Gandalf."

"You think my reference was old," Sophie spun around and began to walk backward, face to face with Felix. "I'm sure you noticed how most of the people here look very similar?"

"Well yeah actually," Felix rubbed his chin thinking back to all the faces he had seen, "it's almost like everybody is related you know? Even the animal people have similar facial structures."

"Just a tip, they don't like being called that, the animal people," she whispered, "you're right though, it's the first thing most newbies notice."

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do so many people look so similar? You said that we take the form of the ideal person surely we don't all have the same vision of ideal... People can't be that shallow."

"That's exactly it," Sophie held up a knowing finger, "according to Healer, and he knows about these things, most people have a very stereotypical view on how the ideal human should appear. He says that we all strive to look the same without appreciating the beautiful distinction between each other."

Even with Sophie's mouth glowing a cheerful blue Felix could not help but feel a little sad. His entire life he strived to be different than everyone else. He was convinced that what some people may have called weird or ugly made him special, that he was special. If what he was being told was true then he was no less shallow than the rest of the world, "it's kinda sad when you think about it."

"Well if it will cheer you up I will tell you why these walls are here," Sophie chimed, her light giving away her worry.

"But won't you have to kill me after?" Felix quickly pulled himself from his slump, "I don't know if I wanna die twice today."

"I mean if you kept it a secret I could make an exception. You good at keeping secrets?"

"Hmm..." Felix pretended to think about it, "It's not like I have anyone to tell anyway so I accept."

"Well working in the labs with Healer from time to time has its benefits. One of them is I get to know things very few other people here do. Most people think it's just a rumor but I know for a fact that The Defenders train against live, captured Fears and this wall is the only thing separating them from us."

"Sounds fishy."

"Well, it's true."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Very, that's why they put up this wall here, it took The Creator two years to build it and according to Caerus it's impenetrable. Each layer was design specifically to block out different Fears and their powers."

Felix starred into the blank glass of Sophie's eyes with wonder. Real monsters were only feet away from him, not only that but they were being fought by real heroes with real weapons and real powers—"Wait," Felix held out a hand slowing his strides, "who's The Creator?"

"Oh," Sophie almost tripped over her own feet catching herself at the last moment. "The Creator is the head of the weavers. He oversees the whole of the Weaver's Quarter and is the best Data Weaver that has ever lived," Sophie said matter-of-factly, "You have an appointment with him at eight."

"What time is it now?"

"Oh, well," she pulled up the long sleeve of her coat to access the device on her wrist. With a swipe at the prismatic steel rectangle, a window projected up from it. The display looked much the same as the most advanced operating system in the smartphones back home, Felix noticed. Rows of circular icons sat nested together taking up most of the screen. Assumingly each would load up a separate application once tapped. Just under those sat a small chat window loaded with messages Felix could not read as standing behind the screen the text was mirrored. Below the chat window a simple digital clock displayed the time, forty-five after seven, "Damn it, I totally forgot," Sophie's mouth glared yellow.

"I thought swearing was a no-no."

"Never mind that," She quickly lowered the window, "if we don't hurry we're going to be late." She took off running down the road.

"Wait up!" With a sigh, Felix ran after her.

### CHAPTER 16: Felix

Felix did the best he could to keep up with Sophie as they ran under the enormous crystal archway that marked the beginning of the Weaver's Quarter. Within the curved top of its crystalline structure, the quarter's name hung frozen in time glinting shades of blue and purple in the setting sunlight.

Felix was shocked at how fast they were both able to move. Even more shocking was how easy it was. The last time he was made to run was from his bedroom to the bathroom down the hall, he almost lost consciousness on the toilet. Now he was able to cover miles in minutes without breaking a sweat or even heavy breathing.

"This is amazing!" He called out to Sophie but the wind that whipped around them was too loud for her to hear his words. She kept intently focused on the road ahead.

The Weaver's Quarter was much different than the other three from what he could see as they blurred through its streets. Unlike in the Royal Quarter where there were lush gardens and quaint shops or the Miner's Quarter with its bathhouses, there was no wasted space here. Plain buildings and shabby open-air markets covered almost every square foot of the Weaver's Quarter's vast streets. It was... well plain.

The whole place had an industrial feel. Very little color could be seen on the light stone that made up the brunt of the buildings and there were only a few small patches of the mint green grass that could have been found everywhere else in the city. No trees could be seen from the quarter's main streets and even a single flower would be out of place in a place like this. It was so much like the old world. Dull, dreary, and depressing and this was to be his new home.

"We're almost there," Sophie called back to him.

"What?" Just then, as they rounded another group of monotone office buildings he saw it and stopped in his tracks.

The Creationarium. The words were spelt out in holographic form, fading between bright primary colors that hung over the largest structure Felix had ever laid his eyes on. The building resembled a squat mushroom with a head of stained glass and a diameter that must have been larger than four square miles. It was like a small city nestled inside the larger Garden.

"Wow," Felix had no other words for it. The building was beyond beautiful and so very different from everything else in the quarter.

"No time for site seeing," Sophie had almost run off without him before swooping back around with a firm poke to the shoulder, "come on!"

"Oww," Felix rubbed his shoulder and followed after her.

Nobody stood guard at The Creationarium's main entrance as they approached its large blue and green crystal doors. Narrowly avoiding collision Sophie swung the doors open with little effort and proceeded inside, Felix close at her heel.

The Creationarium's lobby was full of people going about their business finishing whatever tasks they had before nightfall. Sophie and Felix had no time for them however as they crossed the room at speeds that made it hard to get a good look at anybody. They ran from hallway to hallway and room to room until Sophie finally skidded to halt in front of a set of doors that greatly resembled those of the front entrance, only smaller. With a deft flick at the device on her wrist a window appeared before her just in time for them to see its clock switch from seven fifty-nine to eight o'clock.

"Just in time," with a flash of soft blue Sophie let out a heavy sigh.

Before Felix could speak the doors swung open. A woman, clad in a plain slate blue dress stepped out and approached them.

"The Creator will see you now," the woman stepped aside showing the way in.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Sophie pushed Felix inside before he had a chance to respond.

The room was large and well lit. Marble floors led up to prismatic steel walls that were covered in paintings of amazing things. Felix was sure that like the statues in the Hall Of Memories these too must depict moments in New Eden history. At the head of the room steps rose up from the marble floor to form a platform that was home to several chairs and a desk made of the same crystal that he had seen elsewhere in the quarter. Behind the desk sat a man.

### CHAPTER 17: Felix

"You cost me big time young lady," stern eyes peered out from under feathery eyebrows.

"E-excuse me?" Sophie's mouth tinted the old man's long white hair and beard yellow.

The two stared at each other for a few tense moments; Felix held his breath looking from one to the other waiting to see who was going to make the first move.

"I bet Healer you'd be late. Now I owe him a favor," the old man's moustache shifted giving the impression of a gentle smile.

Felix let out his breath in a low hiss as Sophie's mouth radiated a deep blue light.

"Well we were clo—"Felix began.

"Close to falling asleep we were waiting so long," Sophie cut in.

"That so?" The old man's smile widened.

"W-well... Kinda."

"Hmm... So who is this young man you brought with you? The one with the stupid grin?"

Felix's lips quickly fell into an embarrassed frown, "my name—"

"He has yet to choose a name Creator," Sophie cut Felix off once again.

"Sorry mister—Creator—sir, with everything going on I just haven't had the chance to think about a name or anything really." He still did not understand why he could not just use his given name. Then again there were a lot of things Felix did not understand about this place. It was best to just go along with it for the time being.

"That's understandable," The Creator said after a brief pause, "if you are here then you must be a weaver."

"That's what they tell me, sir. Honestly, I don't really know what that means sir," it was not like Felix to address someone, anyone so formally, but something about this man demanded it.

"So then," The Creator looked Felix up and down, "we will call you Weaver Zero One for the time being."

"Zero One?"

"Yes, as of now you are the only data weaver in the city without a chosen name so I think Data Weaver Zero One works perfectly."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Now then," pushing up off the desk The Creator stood with an effort befitting someone of his assumed age, "Introductions are done with so let's get down to business."

With his flowing red robes and beard The Creator reminded Felix of St. Nicholas and the joy of that one morning a year. It was the only day he did not feel alone. Her smile always set him at ease... _Who?_

"In just a few moments one of my assistants, Edison, will be here to take you on a brief tour of The Creationarium. After the tour he will take you to orientation."

Felix barely caught the old man's words as he struggled to push back any distracting thoughts, desperate to keep his focus on The Creator as he stepped out from behind his desk and made his way down the short set of stairs.

"Edison will not only be one of your fellow data weavers, he will also act as your teacher during your class periods."

Sophie let out a low groan.

"He may be a little rough around the edges," The Creator stood before them now, his breathing heavy, "but I promise you there is no better weaver than Edison... for his age."

"Isn't this all moving just a little too fast? I just got here," Felix looked up to The Creator who stood nearly a foot taller than him. He could barely grasp his own memories, who he even was. Everything was so hazy, how could he possibly handle something like orientation...Class.

"Trust me," The Creator rested a hand on Felix's shoulder, "having an objective, a goal, something to focus on will help you adjust, help things go back to normal. Just take things slow and don't be afraid to ask questions. This is our home now, for the rest of our lives, however long that will be."

His words hit Felix hard; even if he could barely remember his old life he suddenly felt a deep longing for it, "there is nothing normal about this place."

From deep within his belly The Creator let out a rumbling boisterous laugh that cemented his resemblance of Father Christmas, "That's true lad, so true. Newcomers are always the most honest." His eyes, only thin slits under his heavy brow, glinted down at Felix, "This magnificent world will soon be your normal lad and to help you with that," he slipped a hand into one of the many pockets of his robe and rummaged around for something. "Now where did I put that blasted thing... Oh here we are," from his pocket he pulled out a slender bar of prismatic steel and presented it to Felix. "This is a commu, I am sure you have seen them around during your time with Sophie."

"Yes."

"Every person in The Garden is given a commu by the head of the quarter they are matched with, you see this?" The Creator pointed to the finely etched symbol that adorned the center of the device's face. It looked much like an orb of energy or fire, a star, and was only visible from certain angles.

Felix nodded.

"This symbol is the official emblem of the data weavers. If you ask me," The Creator lowered his voice, "it's a bit tacky so don't expect to see it around as much as the other three."

Felix found that he unexpectedly liked this man, which he rarely did with a person in this high of a position. Old high ranking men often left Felix with a bad feeling in his stomach. They were so adept at lying, masters of it after so many years of backhanded tactics to obtain their positions. They were always good at hiding it too, wielding their money and power like a weapon that either impressed or frightened the people below them. The Creator seemed different though, he did not set off any of Felix's long developed senses for such things.

"Now the commu is in many ways the same as a smartphone. It allows for communication between all the people of The Garden and can function outside of the walls as well. You can chat with others who accept your communications through video or audio as well as text. Along with being able to take pictures and record video it also has other applications that monitor your vitals and data levels as well as your basics like a clock and calculator," The Creator droned on in monotone voice. Clearly he has been required to say this very thing a few too many times

"Can it run any games?" excitement sparked in Felix.

"No," The Creator said plainly, "though I am sure it is possible to design some for it the only people with access to the commu's code is The Four and they don't see much need for games."

"Figures..."

"I think," The Creator smiled, "you will find you have little time for games anyway my lad. There is always something that needs tending to here and there is still so much yet to be discovered."

"So what do you people do for fun around here then?"

"Well..." The Creator starred past them deep in thought, "There is... no... Oh yeah!... Hmm... Well I'm sure there is something," he laughed, "please forgive an old man, I am afraid I don't have much time for anything other than running this quarter."

Felix and Sophie shared a sidelong glance.

"Now, more importantly, your commu will act as your personal identification and emergency broadcast system. The Garden is safe with its high walls and constant defender patrols keeping the fears out but in New Eden you can never be too safe. If you find yourself in any danger just tap the data weaver emblem and an alert will be sent directly to defender headquarters giving them your location. With all of this being said you must wear your commu at all times unless given express permission from The Four. Do you understand?"

"I think so," as Felix slid the device onto his arm the simple black strap that hung from its underside tightened automatically to a comfortable fit. For a device of its size, it was rather light.

One of the large crystal doors that made up the entrance to the room swung open and a man entered approaching them at a brisk pace. He looked much the same as everybody else Felix had seen up to this point with a well-proportioned body and handsome features. His brown hair was parted to one side and he wore a similar slate blue jacket to Felix only his was buttoned up to the neck. There was a very professional air about him.

"Ah, Edison my lad," The Creator rushed over and embraced the man.

"I am so very sorry to have kept you waiting sir," Edison gave a generous bow.

"Nonsense," with a swipe of a finger The Creator pulled up his commu's display, "actually you're a bit early. Ten minutes to be exact."

"Yes but you know how I like to be here to welcome the newcomers with you, I just got caught up helping a particularly difficult student."

Felix was amazed to find he liked this Edison as well. As far as first impressions went he seemed polite, timely, and dedicated. All things Felix actively avoiding being in his past life, though attributes he always admired in a man.

"Always the dedicated assistant," The Creator slapped Edison on the back enthusiastically, the impact echoed throughout the room. "This is the new Zero One, Zero One this is Edison."

"Nice to meet you," Edison offered a hand to Felix

Felix accepted the handshake and was surprised at how strong Edison was, "I hear you're going to be my teacher."

"I proffer professor. Teachers handle helpless children, I make great data weavers," Edison pulled his hand back and wiped it off on his plain black slacks.

"I-I'll keep that in mind," first impressions were not always everything.

"Well then there is little time to waste, we have to tour the entire building as well as complete your orientation," Edison looked Felix up and down, "let's see if even I am capable of it."

On second impression Felix was sure there would be little enjoyment around this man.

"If you're done with him, sir?" Edison's entire personality shifted as he addressed his superior.

"Yes I think I am," The Creator turned to Felix, "Just focus on adjusting and learning and I am sure I will be hearing great things about you very soon," he offered an unsteady hand to Felix and again Felix was amazed by the power behind the old man's grip.

"Well if you'll follow me," Edison said, already halfway across the room.

"See you later Creator," Sophie tugged at Felix's sleeve, her mouth glowing a soft baby blue.

"It was nice to meet you, sir," Felix gave an awkward bow before giving into Sophie and following her after Edison.

### CHAPTER 18: Felix

It should not have been possible but The Creationarium was somehow bigger on the inside. Edison led Felix and Sophie through mile after mile of various halls and corridors. The halls that ran the perimeter of the enormous building had walls of stained glass, the light of the dimming sun enveloping the whole area with hundreds of sparkling colors; while the halls that were nested deeper inside all looked almost identical with prismatic steel walls and floors and various colored doors made of the same crystalline material as The Crematorium's main entrance.

The color of each door denoted the purpose of the room behind it, the vast majority of which were purple. According to Edison rooms with purple doors were used for processing raw data sent in from the Miner's Quarter, with only a few used for processing data recycled by The Garden's residents. When Felix tried to sneak a peek into one of these rooms he was met with a sharp rap to the back of his hand.

"There's no time for that!" Edison scoffed.

"I just wanted to take a quick look," Felix rubbed the back of his hand fighting the urge to return a slap of his own.

"We are pressed for time, you will have to make do with my brief explanation," Edison pointed his nose high into the air, "now come on newbie let's get this over with."

"Whatever you say, boss," anger pulled at Felix's lips as Sophie's mouth radiated a muted red.

"Well at least you're quick to learn your place newbie," a wicked smirk carved itself onto Edison's face.

The rest of the tour proceeded at a very similar pace with Edison showing them from department to department yelling at them if they dared to whisper behind his back or attempt to slow his progress in any way.

Green doors marked rooms under the control of the home goods department where dishes, lamps, beds, and other various day to day items were made. Frosted doors gave the clothing department their privacy as grey doors stood guard over the building department and their blueprints. Blue doors kept prying eyes away from official offices and the few rooms that were dedicated to the research and development department. Red doors exuded the delightful smells of pastries and meats; Felix needed no explanation to know that they played home to the culinary department.

As Edison droned on about the imbalance of data purity and how it affected the integrity of the construct they approached an open yellow door. Up to this point all the doors they passed had been tightly sealed with only the occasional sound or smell to give away what may have been going on within. Felix was shocked when Edison walked right past it, clearly to taken up in his own voice to notice the anomaly. Taking this chance to indulge his curiosity Felix slipped inside, careful not to alert Edison.

"Huh, my stealth level must be pretty high," with the dumbest of grins on his face Felix looked around the room.

A few people sat scattered about the long dark tables that lined either side of the room's prismatic steel walls, large canisters full of glowing green liquid on the floor at their sides. They worked in relative silence at some unseen tasks but judging by the various weapons that hung from the walls of the room Felix was pretty sure he knew what they were working on.

"Come on," Sophie pulled at Felix's sleeve.

Her sudden appearance nearly had him leap from his skin.

"If we don't hurry he'll be halfway across New Eden before he realizes he left us."

"Just a second," Felix panted as he struggled to regain his composure, "I gotta see this!" He pulled free from Sophie and walked deeper into the room. He could deal with Edison's rage later, this was more important.

Felix's heart raced with excitement as he just about skipped from weapon to weapon failing to notice the foul looks of the weavers he breezed past. Double-edged swords with long straight grips and elegant cruciform hilts hung like holy symbols broken up by their single-edged brethren. Axes as large as men strained the hooks that held them and loomed over smaller hatchets like tyrants. Hammers only a god could wield and spears nearing ten feet in length filled in the few bearer spaces.

"Look with your eyes sir!" one of the Data Weavers spoke up as Felix ran a finger across a particularly intricate, twisted, guard.

"Oh-Sorry!" Felix waved his hands apologetically at the woman who addressed him. His eyes quickly shifted to her workstation where a broken long sword rested gently on the table. No, not broken. From the length of metal tubing that ran from the table and down into the canister at her feet poured a stream of glowing partials, polygons, and wherever the woman moved her hands they followed filling in the jagged edges of the blade. At its core Felix could see millions of the particles interlocked in perfect stability. Without looking away from him the female Data Weaver directed more particles here and there slowly completing the weapon portion after portion. In awe, Felix reached for the already-completed grip.

_SLAP!_ Pain shot through his hand as the weaver guarded her creation. She glared up at him, her fiery eyes sending a clear warning that he had stayed his welcome. Taking the obvious hint Felix proceeded through the room ignoring Sophie's pleading whispers.

A weaver stood from his seat and bumped into Felix as he walked past, apologizing before making his way to the front of the room. Felix watched as the man picked up one of the many small silver bars that rested neatly on the rack that span the furthest wall of the room. He brought it up in line with his face and focused deeply on it. A burst of light exploded from its end and into the air like a geyser. A shiver ran down Felix's spine as he watched the undulating particles within the light shift from shape to shape before settling on that of a hatchet. In moments the particles gave form to the hatchet, materializing the steel of its body and blade. "Wow," Felix could not hold back his amazement.

"Oh here you are!" Edison burst into the room narrowly avoiding collision with Sophie who had been leaning in the doorway. "You may be new here but that does not forgive this kind of disrespect Zero One!"

Felix did not hear Edison's words, he was only focused on one thing, getting his hands on one of those silver bars. In a world like this, a weapon like that would virtually be a cheat code.

"If you weapon weaving heathens would just learn to shut a door every once in a while this would not happen!" Edison was careful not to let anything touch him as he advanced through the room, nose upturned like he was trying to avoid a particularly rancid stink. "Hey Zero One! Are you listening to me?"

The room melted away around Felix as he moved absentmindedly, narrowly avoiding tables, to his goal. He reached down to grab up one of the many silver bars freezing right before his fingers brushed its shiny metal. His breath caught in his throat for a reason he could not quite understand, fear maybe? But of what?

"I don't have time for this Zero One, and my time is an important commodity around here." By now everyone was looking on as Edison marched up to Felix. A low murmur filled the room.

"What are these?" Felix asked, Edison's words moved through his ears without notice.

"What are what?" Edison stood up on his tiptoes and peered over Felix's shoulder, "those are just focuses, what about them?"

"They're amazing."

"What! Really? What's so amazing about them?" Edison's condescending tone shifted briefly, "oh god I don't have time for this," he let out an annoyed sigh.

"It's... They're..." Felix could not find the words he needed; he could not get the image of that glowing hatchet out of his mind.

"They're just focuses, dumb tools for amateur data weavers who can't get their thoughts sorted."

"How do they work?"

"I really do not have time for this Zero One," Edison waited for a response that did not come. "Fine, whatever," he sighed heavily, "They use a small amount of data stored within the unit to project items that the weaver using it pictures in their mind. They speed up the process of creation at the cost of longevity. Instead of fully creating the item, in this case these focuses were made with the express purpose of weapon weaving; they only form a husk that stays in form as long as they are pictured or until being set down. Think of it as tracing, some weavers have a hard time keeping an item pictured in their head for the entire process of weaving. Their thoughts get muddled and distorted so they need a cheat sheet to make sure they stay on the right track. Skilled data weavers don't have any use for such things. Only newbies use them and bad ones at that."

"Is that so..." Felix only heard a select few of Edison's words. He had already made up his mind, that feeling that froze him passed. Wrapping his fingers around the cold metal of a focus he brought it up to eye level mimicking the actions of the weaver before. With a deep breath Felix took in all of its sparse detail, only a few finely engraved lines and a green stone set in one side broke up its otherwise seamless body.

"I don't know what you expect to happen. A newbie, even a rude one like you could not possibly activate a focus without proper training. You don't even know the first thing about weav—"

It started as a spark, a small blink of light, and then it exploded. A torrent of glistening green particles erupted from the focus with enough force to ruffle Felix's hair. The particles formed polygons and then, almost too fast to see, took shape.

Felix did not know what to do or what he was feeling but smiling seemed right. Just moments ago he was picturing a small axe, the same as he saw only moments prior, and now it was here. It was like it was pulled straight out of his head, every curve and edge exactly how he imagined it. It was his weapon, his moment. In every good video game the adventure starts the moment you obtain your first weapon. At the beginning of every great story, a weapon chooses its hero. Felix felt it deep down, it flooded him to his core. This feeling, this moment, was his beginning.

### CHAPTER 19: Felix

It had lasted a grand total of six seconds but to Felix, it was a lifetime.

With a flash, the hatchet shattered spilling countless particles to the ground, each fading after a green spark as it touched the cold metal floor. For a few brief moments the room fell into a stifling silence before breaking out into murmurs once again. Sophie's mouth glowed blue from the doorway.

"Wh-What just happened?" Felix turned to Edison, focus still firmly gripped in his hand.

"You," Edison's face was twisted with a mixture of shock and disgust, unlike anything Felix had seen before. "You-you failed," a crooked smile parted his thin lips, "I told you, a complete novice like yourself couldn't do it."

"But—it was there—I could see it, feel it," Felix felt something stage bubble up from within. It was not disappointment, or sadness, no it was something else; Confidence maybe?

"But you couldn't keep it," Edison ran a hand through his thick, finely parted, black hair, "you failed. It's that simple, not that it matters anyway it was just a focus. I'll show you some real data weaving tomorrow in class."

"Oh right," Felix had forgotten all about the tour he was supposed to be on but really he did not care. As he stared into the determined eyes that reflected back at him from the mirror polish of the focus he knew what he had to do. It was like he was possessed, like he was being pulled to it. He knew that if he only had more time—

"Now put that damned thing down and let's get this over with," before Felix could react Edison ripped the focus from his hand and flung it back onto its rack, it bounced back, the impact knocking three other focuses to the ground with it. They clattered loudly to the floor. Edison spun on a heel and made his way to the exit, head held high in an attempt to hide his fleeting embarrassment, "Come now Zero One."

The sound of metal hitting metal sent a cold chill through Felix's body. He stared down at the fallen focuses, a strange sadness clouding his mind. For a moment he thought about bending over and swiping one up for himself. Sliding it into his jacket pocket and walking away like nothing had happened, but stealing government property on his first day probably would not have been the smartest move. There were too many eyes on him. All the other weavers in the room had stopped what they were doing some time ago and were all giving him sidelong looks. Whatever it was that he just did obviously made some sort of impact. In real life Felix would have ran away from such attention and hid alone with his embarrassment, his thoughts. Here however, in New Eden, that thought never occurred to him.

"Any time now," Edison called from the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming!" Deciding it would be wise to bide his time Felix took a deep breath and let out a long sigh before following his pompous teacher out of the room.

"That was so co—"Sophie's whisper was cut short by a harsh wailing buzz.

"Well I guess that's it for the tour," Edison said opening his commu's display to deactivate the alarm.

"What?" Felix and Sophie spoke simultaneously.

"I told you, I am an important person. I have other appointments to keep."

"What about the rest of the tour? What about orientation?"

"Yeah, you were supposed to show him to the classrooms and dormitories," Sophie added with a steady yellow light.

"Well he should not have wasted so much time fussing over a focus," Edison shrugged, "it's his fault really."

"But—"

"But nothing! Sophie will just have to show you the rest."

"Like hell!" Sophie's mouth roared a blood-curdling red, "that's your job and you know it."

"Well I guess it's yours now."

"You just wait till The Creator hears about this."

"Oh he'll understand, I'm his assistant after all. He knows just how precious my time is," Edison puffed out his chest.

"What about orientation then?" Sophie planted her hands firmly on her hips, "I can't do that smart guy."

"I don't think it's necessary. It's just a formality after all," Edison eyed Felix, "You see what he did with that focus? He's practically a master weaver already," with a mocking laugh he made his leave down the hall.

"You! You..." Sophie called after him before catching herself, "man do I wish I could curse sometimes."

Felix burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sophie's red intensified.

"It's just that," Felix managed between breaths, "if someone ever deserved a good cursing out it's that guy."

Sophie stood for a moment before letting out a chuckle of her own, "You know," red light turned blue, "I think you're right."

### CHAPTER 20: Felix

"He's wrong you know," Sophie's voice broke the silence that had persisted since Felix and herself began the two and a half-mile trek to the dormitories that were located on the opposite side of The Creationarium. Since departing Felix had not said a word, his eyes stayed locked on his hands as he slowly flexed them into fists again and again.

"Hey!" Sophie spoke louder this time trying to get her companion's attention.

"Huh?" Felix looked up from his hands and into the soft blue glow of Sophie's mouth. His mind was still back in that room. He could still feel the power that surged from the focus. That power that made his hand tingle, that power that ran up his arm and through his body.

"Edison, he is wrong you know. If the look in those other weavers' eyes is anything to go by what you did back there was something special. I'd say you made a good first impression."

"But it broke," Felix's eyes drifted back to his hands, "I had it there. I had it firmly in my grasp and I couldn't keep ahold of it." His eyes strained with a familiar pain that he hadn't felt since waking.

"But it was pretty cool... What you did back there," Sophie clasped her hands behind her back, her steps echoed off the walls with a soft rhythm.

"Has anybody else done it?" Felix looked to Sophie, "use a focus on their first try like that?"

"I don't know honestly," Sophie let out a short nervous laugh.

Felix's eyes fell again, not to his hands this time but the floor.

"But I do know Edison and that look on his face when you used that focus told me everything I needed to know."

The cheerful tone of Sophie's voice eased Felix's nerves a bit. Using that focus, making that hatchet felt amazing. He wanted, no needed to get his hands on it again. He knew he could do better, keep the weapons form if he just had a little more time. "I don't know how to explain it."

"Hmm?"

"I just thought about it and it appeared, just as I imagined it."

"Yeah it was pretty cool."

"Totally!" As that familiar pain faded away Felix knew exactly what he had to do. Never in his life could he remember needing something so much. It was like an invisible force was pulling him to it, calling him. There was no doubt in his mind, the first chance he got he would go straight back to that room.

"Well we're here!"

Sophie's voice pulled him back to reality. He was so deep in his own thoughts he did not even notice walking into a different section of The Creationarium, or how much time had passed since he and Sophie set out together but judging by the dull light that shown through the stained glass wall to his side it had been some time. The wall opposite the stained glass was lined with doors much closer to each other than any he had previously seen in the building, and unlike the other doors, these were made from the same prismatic steel that was so widely used in the rest of The Garden. Above each door a holographic number floated in empty air, interjecting their blue light into the smooth gradient of colors that projected from the stained glass.

With a quick flick, Sophie opened her commu's display, "just in time."

"For what?" Felix asked. Sophie seemed to be in a hurry all day.

"I have to get you to your room before curfew," she said plainly, "it's ten fifty, curfew starts at eleven and your rooms just a few halls down this way," she began to walk again.

"Are you serious?" Felix hurried after Sophie's brisk pace. He never followed Henry's curfews and now he was expected to follow these four... Well, whatever they were.

"Yup," she said with a flash of blue, "I get it, it's annoying. Everybody thinks it at first, I thought it; but it's for our safety."

"Yeah, that's the same thing Henry would always say," he snorted.

"Who-whose Henry," Sophie asked carefully.

"I-I well... I don't remember really," He did not even remember remembering the name. Felix tried to delve deeper but there was nothing there but a sense of discomfort.

"Well it doesn't matter. I'm sorry for asking," Sophie's black eyes fell to her feet, her mouth a pale rose, "it's not very polite to ask about a person's past here. Most people don't like to even think about it."

"It's ok," Felix felt an odd ping in his chest, he didn't want Sophie to feel bad on his behalf, "honestly if I knew I would tell you, Captain Starbuck always said there is no use in hiding from your past, it always knows where to find you."

"Captain... Starbuck?"

"Oh he's my favorite character in the last anim—he was my dad..."

"Your dad?"

"We-well a friend of my dad's. They went way back—Never mind that what's the point of a curfew here?"

"Like I said, it's for our safety. Fears are more active at night, when the sun goes down. The walls hold tight but somethings can still slip past The Garden's defenses."

"What about class then? Weren't you supposed to show me where the classrooms are? And how about you, how are you supposed to make it back to your room in time?" They were fast, really fast, but it would still take a few minutes to get to the front entrance of The Creationarium at top speed.

"Well unfortunately I got us a bit lost finding the dormitories so we won't have time to swing by the classrooms," Sophie laughed rubbing at the back of her head, "oh and I get an extra hour as the Healer's assistant, for reasons just like this."

"Ok so how am I supposed to find my way to class tomorrow them?" Butterflies began to flutter in his stomach.

"Well—Oh we're here!" Sophie came to a sudden stop, Felix nearly slammed into her back, "your room Data Weaver Zero One," she stepped to the side and lifted her arm with grandiose, gesturing to the door behind her.

"Room... Two thousand," Felix read the glowing blue digits above the door.

"Well I'm sorry to just ditch you like this but if I don't get a move on I won't make it back to my room in time."

"Wait! What about class?" The butterflies turned to birds.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," she called already a ways down the hall.

"How am I supposed to find it!" He called back but she did not answer. Starring after her the birds in his stomach whipped up a hurricane. He was alone now in a world he was not even sure was real or just a deathbed fantasy, nervous about his first day of class... Felix sighed and approached the door to his room. It slid open with a hiss and cool female voice called over a hidden PA.

"Welcome to your room data weaver Zero One."

### CHAPTER 21: Felix

Felix took little time investigating his modest two-room flat before tossing aside his jacket and sprawling out across the bed that sat against the main rooms back wall. He slept barely a wink that night, there was simply too much on his mind and he struggled to process it all. Try as he might he could not recall any more details about his past life so instead he decided to focus on everything he had learned the day before.

New Eden, it really was a strange and wonderful place. It was almost as if he had found himself in a world straight out of a video game, straight out of his dreams. Like his most passionate desire was made into reality. If it had not all felt so real then he would have been sure this was heaven, his own personal paradise, but that could not be the case. The people on the streets were surely living individuals going about their lives the best they could, and the people that he had met, Edison, Healer, Caerus, and Sophie were all too well developed to be illusions, mirages dreamt up by his slumbering mind. His heart began to race as he thought back to the statues in the Hall of Memories. People struggling to live in and discover a new world, laughing, crying, fighting, and loving; Adventures into lands not dictated by modern physics; Heroes battling monsters, putting their lives on the line to save the people around them. Maybe it was a dream, maybe he fell asleep reading a new book or manga, playing a new video game or watching a new movie and his mind, always overactive, filled in the gaps; Turning one of these new worlds into something more vast and full, cruelly tricking him into believing he was where he always wanted to be. But that just could not be, this could not be a dream, dreams never felt this real, dreams were never this expansive.

As Felix lie there trapped in his head for hours a single extremely mundane thought persisted in his restless mind. A lingering, nagging, worry, tomorrow would be his first day of data weaver class. What that meant he had no idea but if the movies were right then new guy always had a lot to prove, especially on their first day in a new school. That is if he managed to avoid the copious amount of bullying that seemed to be so prevalent in the vintage films he grew up watching.

He gulped down hard as he thought back on his own schooling which was... Different than most peoples. Being raised in Henry's household meant a lot of things but most evident, if he could manage to stay on Henry's good side, was being sat square in the lap of luxury. Anything Felix ever could have wanted he would have been given. He owned all the toys and games all the other kids only dreamt of, not that he knew of other kids' dreams as being raised by Henry also meant spending most of your time with the most advanced AI ever created. They not only tended to household chores and acted as chauffeurs, they also served as teachers and for the majority of Felix's life they were his only school mates. Well except for those times she was there...

An alarm blared from the commu on Felix's wrist. He struggled to activate the device clumsily swiping his fingers across its slick metallic surface until finally he managed to get the tricky one and a half finger maneuver just right. The commu's holographic screen sprung open and he quickly scanned the display looking for a way to deactivate the piercing buzz of the alarm.

"Alarm 1," the words were displayed forefront on their own sub-window, "Data Weaver Class, Day 1, Starts In 30 Minutes...Tap to snooze or swipe to dismiss."

"No way!" Felix scrambled out of bed, "No way, no way, no way!" He fumbled his way into his slate blue jacket and rushed to the door. "How long have I been lying ther-Gahhh!" as if anticipating his actions the door slid open before him and the wide spectrum of light that came through the stained glass wall flooded in, blinding him momentarily.

Slowly he stumbled down the hall rubbing his eyes with one hand while using the other to feel the way, "Oh this is just great, I don't even know where to st—"He slammed hard into a large and solid object, both let out a startled groan.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" The object whimpered, "I-I didn't see you there and I—"

"No, no, no it's my bad," Felix cut it off, "It's so bright and I can't see a damn thing."

The object let out an audible gasp.

"Oh shi—Crap, sorry," Felix's vision began to return and through watery eyes he could make out the slouched silhouette of the person he was talking too, "I forgot about the no swearing thing. You see I didn't sleep at all and have no clue where class is or even where I'm going and there's so much to keep track of. I wake up in this place and got a ton of stuff dumped on me by that old man and then she shows me around only to just leave me here? What did I do to deserve this? How am I supposed to adjust to all of this? I don't even know where class is, did I mention that already?"

"Well, I-uh-I could show you where the classrooms are," there was a noticeable lack of confidence in the person's voice with each word more wobbly then the last, "tha-that is if you don't mind."

"You would really do that? Why would I mind, that would be great!" His vision all but restored, Felix could now barely make out the face of the young man he was talking to. He would have stood at roughly the same height as himself, if he were to straighten his back, with sagging features that made it look like he was constantly in a state of fear. His wispy brown hair was shiny and plastered to his head.

"We-well yeah, you're the new guy right?" the young man's eyes sparkled ever so slightly before fading, "sorry, stupid question. Of course you are, that room was empty and now you're in it so of course you are."

Felix always thought of himself as a good judge of character and despite his misreading of Edison the day prior, he liked this guy. He seemed odd, at least a little bit off, then again so did everything in this place, but somehow he seemed more normal than rest of it. "Yeah I'm the new guy. You can call me Fe—Zero One, I guess," even if he did not quite understand the strange naming conventions of New Eden he thought it best to at least try and keep to them.

"Uh-well you can call m-me Lahr," trembling Lahr lifted his arm as if to offer a handshake before pulling away, "i-if we don't hurry we'll be late."

"Well then Lahr, you lead and I follow," Lahr winced at Felix's words. Clearly he was a guarded person but Felix respected that. Being withdrawn kept you ready for anything. He knew all too well how it was...

Felix followed Lahr through the halls of The Creationarium and back almost to the building's entrance before taking a detour that lead to the other side of the enormous building. Soon they were walking down halls Felix had yet to see with Edison cutting their tour short before he got the chance.

As they walked Felix attempted to make small talk, silence was giving him too much time to slip back into his own mind, the home of much anxiety. Try as he might, however, he only ever got short responses from his companion and even the occasional grunt. The only piece of useful information he managed to pry was that the two were in the same class, something Felix suspected by the proximity of their rooms.

"So-uh did you rea-really use a focus?" Lahr piped up out of nowhere.

"Well," Felix giggled nervously, "yeah I guess. I have no idea what happened or how I did it, I just picked it up and boom,"

"That's so cool," Lahr's words were steady for the first time and Felix was sure he caught a glimpse of a smile on his profile.

"I-I take it that's not normal?"

"What!" Lahr stopped and spun on a heel to face Felix, "no way is that normal. It took me a few weeks to even get a focus to activate and I have been told that even that was pretty good and you did it on day one," his words were very steady now with no trace of the hesitant fear that laced everything he had said prior.

"Yeah-well-ah—"Felix had no idea what to say as he scratched at the back of his head. He was not used to being in this position, matter of fact he was pretty sure he had never been in a position remotely like this before. Making an impression like this was something he was sure never would of happened to him but it felt exhilarating.

"Data weaving is so cool," Lahr bounced on his heels unable to contain his excitement, "you can make anything, literally anything with just your mind and some data; and you managed to do it with no training! You have no idea how cool that is. It's like something out of a movie!"

"Well if you say so," having never needed to be humble before it was awkward trying now, Felix laughed trying to hide his delight behind embarrassment, "you know I think I am going to like this weaving thing."

### CHAPTER 22: Felix

"I hate this!" Felix blurted out in frustration as an overjoyed Edison stared down on him with his patented contemptuous grin.

"Oh I just knew you were a fraud," Edison giggled with glee, "not so easy without a focus now is it?"

"I—I," Felix's hands trembled with rage, every ounce of his being pleaded to knock the attitude out of his petulant professor.

"You what?" Edison leaned in close to Felix, hands firmly planted on his desk.

"I—" _am going to tell on you? Am done with this crap? Am going to rip your head off?_ So many different things he could say but Felix knew there was only one answer if he wanted to avoid potential trouble... "Nothing," the word stung as it left his lips.

"That's what I thought," Edison stood tall once again and straightened his jacket, "now get back to work. I expect to see a finished piece when I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"I have important business to attend to."

"He just needs to sign your entrance forms," Lahr piped up, barely loud enough to hear.

"Shut it!" Edison shot Lahr a dangerous look.

"S-s-sorry," Lahr folded instantly dropping his eyes back to his desk.

"Now as I was saying, once I get back from going over these—important documents—I expect you to have a finished piece."

"But I—"

"Ah ah ah no exceptions and no excuses, just because you're new here does not mean you will get any special treatment."

"I don't even know what I'm doing!" But it was too late. Edison had already made his exit leaving his only two students alone in the massive classroom.

With Edison gone Felix let out a long heavy sigh and looked down at the teacup that sat atop the middle of his desk; well it was supposed to be a teacup anyway. Instead what he saw was a smoking black lump of nothing, a tiny smoking black lump of nothing. He looked over at his classmate's desk, at his teacup and it could not have been any more different. It was beautiful and simple with a body of powder blue porcelain that was accented nicely by a delicate silver trim.

"This isn't normal," Lahr spoke noticing the sour expression on Felix's face.

"Newsflash, nothing here is normal."

"No that's not what I mean," Lahr spun on his seat to face Felix, "I had at least two weeks of training before I was even asked to weave a spoon and teacups are on a whole other level."

"Yeah tell me about it," with his thumb and forefinger Felix lifted his sad attempt at weaving and showed it to Lahr. The strain of movement was too much for it and it crumbled falling to the ground in a shower of glimmering particles.

"I-I'm sorry," Lahr's eyes trailed the falling pieces that sparked away upon making contact with the ground.

"So what you're saying to me is Edison is going out of his way to make me fail? What's that guy's problem anyway!" Felix slammed a fist onto the face of his desk.

"Well... Well he's... He's..."

"A butt-munch? Wait I can say that here right?"

"Well yeah there is that," Lahr struggled to stifle a laugh, "though I think it has more to do with what you did with that focus yesterday."

"Really?" He told me that it was nothing. Multiple times."

"You're not too good at reading people are you?"

Felix's eyes flared with rage, the heat they gave off was tangible.

"I mean yeah of course he would say that," Lahr stumbled over his words, "I mean what you did was seriously impressive and Edison is not the type of guy who likes people challenging his status quo. It took me two weeks just to learn how to weave a bent up spoon and you weaved a weapon on day one, he sees that as a threat."

"Yeah, but I used a focus."

"Even so weaving a weapon is far more difficult, focus or not."

"Is that so," Felix words trailed off as his eyes fell to the spot on the floor his teacup had dissipated, "how do you explain my cup then?"

"Well, that was just because you have poor control over your flow of data, as well as trouble focusing."

Felix looked up at Lahr, anger pulling at his features once again.

"No, no, no it's not an insult," Lahr threw his hands up in defense, "This is what? Your second day in New Eden? Nobody alive in either New Eden or the old world would have the focus necessary to weave under these conditions. That's one of the reasons professor Gai invented the focuses. They let you practice weaving while shortening the time you need to focus to nearly nothing, and they completely remove the need to control raw flowing data." Lahr pointed to the half-empty canister at Felix's feet and then to his own which was full of swirling data that cast a green glow across the floor.

"How is that even possible?" Felix shook his head, "how could something so small take so much to make it?"

"It takes a ton of practice to keep your data compact enough to not lose any while weaving, again that's where the importance of focus comes in—"

"Okay, okay," Felix held up his hands to silence Lahr, "that has to be like the hundredth time you've said focus, I get it—I think—maybe."

"I-well I can hel—"

"If you have time to converse I assume you're both finished with your pieces," Edison strolled back into the room passing row after row of empty desks before stopping in front of Felix. "I expected so much more from a prodigy like yourself," he snickered down at the empty space in front of Felix, "I guess I was right, you are nothing." Edison shook his head with delight as he moved before Lahr picking up his teacup. He examined it carefully before launching the delicate cup at the wall beside them, it burst into a brilliant flash of light before trailing off with a shimmer of sparkles.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Felix had enough, he bolted to his feet slamming his hands on his desk; the impact echoed through the room. He did not care if he got in trouble, not anymore; it would be a small price to pay to put Edison in his place.

"Well," Edison simply looked up at Felix, "weaving an item is one thing, weaving a quality item is something entirely different."

"What are you talking about quality?" The urge to march over and physically separate Edison's head from his body was overwhelming. Felix flexed his fingers, holding himself back and craving ten small dents into the surface of his desk, "like you could do any better."

"Oh, I could do better in my sleep."

"But—"Lahr attempted to speak but the venom the exuded from Edison's eyes stopped him in his tracks.

"If his weaving was of any quality then the teacup would not have broken so easily. Let me give you an example," Edison approached Felix as he deftly drew a hand through the air. His movements pulled a stream of data from Felix's canister up through the metal tubing that fed out onto his desk. The data, barely enough to make a noticeable difference in the canister flew through the air like a comet and within moments formed a teacup in Edison's outstretched hand. He tossed it to Felix who only barely caught it.

Felix hated to admit it but the cup was beautiful, which made the speed of its creation even more impressive. Not sure whether he should feel impressed or irritated he traced a finger across the gold rose that covered much of its black exterior. It felt odd, less like the fragile porcelain it appeared to be and more like... "Rubber?"

"You will find that this teacup won't break as easily as Lahr's did, here I'll demonstrate," Edison snatched his creation back from Felix and threw it at the wall. He was right, it did not break as Lahr's cup did, instead it hit the wall with a dull thud and bounced back to slam directly into Edison's throat. He doubled over in pain clawing at his neck.

"Oh-oh dude that looks like it hurt," Felix did not even try to contain his laughter. "G-ge-get out!" Edison fell to his knees, "C-c-class is dismissed," he managed between pained gasps.

### CHAPTER 23: Felix

"I'm sorry about what happened back there," Felix spoke up after remaining mostly silent since their hasty departure from the classroom, "at least he got what he deserved, the entitled turd." He smiled down at the back of Lahr's slouched head, his attempt at cheering his classmate up doing nothing to pull his eyes up from his feet as he moved forward mindlessly. Edison's brutal destroying of his teacup seemed to have gotten to Lahr in a way Felix did not understand. He did not even react as Edison's teacup nearly crushed his own windpipe which was quite possibly the funniest thing Felix had ever seen. No, he just stared down blankly like he was in another world, well an other, another world...

"You know we could probably just sneak some data from the classroom and you could make-uh-weave another cup, wouldn't be too hard."

"No-no it's not the cup," Lahr's words were faint and Felix could barely make them out, "I purposefully made it fragile, like it should be, like it would have been in the old world."

"Well, what is it then?"

"It's you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, I don't get you."

"What is there to get? I'm the handsome and apparently talented new guy," Felix puffed out his chest and straightened his back in a way he never had in his real life. He felt so much better in New Eden, so alive... So confident.

"Exactly, if you played your cards right you could be the most popular guy in The Creationarium," Lahr stopped walking and looked up from his feet, "Then why stick up for me?" He locked brown eyes with Felix's blue.

_It was the right thing to do,_ the words caught in Felix's throat. He knew it was only a half-truth, the whole truth was a bit more complicated. But if he lied here it would only lead to more lies and very quickly this new life would mirror his last...

"I stood up for you, well, because you're me," it took effort for Felix to maintain eye contact with Lahr as he spoke, "N-not this me, but, the other me. The me back in the real world. I couldn't stand seeing him treat you that way, breaking your stuff and acting all high and mighty. Nobody ever stood up for me against guys like that in my real life and now that I have this new life I am not just going to stand by and watch as it happens to someone else," they stood starring into each other's eyes for what felt like hours, Lahr was the first to look away.

"I-I know its self—"

"No," Lahr spoke clearly.

"Huh?"

"No, thank you," Lahr locked eyes with Felix once again, his own glistening. "I had nobody my entire life, here or before. 'You need to grow some balls' my dad would always say. You see he always wanted a sport star in the family, didn't matter which sport as long as it made him look good but instead he got me," Lahr poked himself squarely in the chest letting a single tear break free and run down his cheek, it sparked away before hitting the ground. "I was always more into cartoons and plastic models. I would spend every second I got and every penny I found on building those tiny plastic robots, dolls my dad would always call them. My mom was never there to even care and when she was the drugs the docs had her on pretty much made everything all hunky-dory and she never noticed anything was wrong..."

Felix was taken aback, completely flabbergasted. Why would Lahr tell him all of this? They just met this morning and now all of his dirty laundry was being laid out before him and Felix had no idea what to say.

"... I never made any friends, I was always too afraid to let anyone see how bad everything was at home and, well, you know how the fat quite kid gets treated at school. Seems like somethings never change, even in a different dimension," Lahr chuckled weakly, tears now streaming freely from either eye filling the air around them in a shower of sparkling particles.

"Wh-why are you telling me all of this?" What else could Felix say? In just two minutes he had learned more about this man's life then he had about anybody's in his entire life and his recompiling mind struggled to find a way to handle it.

"Information about other people's past lives is incredibly private here and most consider it a valuable commodity. I have nothing else to give you to thank you for what you did back there."

"Now I feel like I owe you," Felix let out a chuckle of his own.

"No-nonsense, you don't owe me anything."

"I mean all I did was yell at a pompous moron, it's not like I saved your life," Felix rubbed at the back of his head thinking, "Oh! Here I know what I can give you." He quickly checked to make sure they were alone in the hall before offering a hand to Lahr, "My name, my real name is Felix. Nice to meet you."

For a few awkward minutes Lahr just stared at Felix dumbfounded. When Felix, not sure whether or not he said something wrong began to pull his hand back Lahr lunged forward. He grasped Felix's hand with one of his own and wiped away his tears with the other, "I'm Irving."

The two barely talked after exchanging names as they made their way through The Creationarium's labyrinth of halls back to their rooms. Lahr's words played on a loop in Felix's head and there was nothing he could add. He still could not remember so much about his own life. Did he have a mother and father? Did they love him? He had no clue. Only one name floated through his head—Henry—and he did not like it much. Something about the name made him uneasy, sick, and he did not know why. Both Healer and Sophie had told him it would all come back to him in time and though it had only been two days he was beginning to doubt it. There were still so many holes...

"You know," Lahr said as they began down the halls of the dormitory ward, "you're a strange guy Zero One."

"Yeah I've heard that a lot."

"No really, I have been here just under a year and have seen a lot of new people in that time and not one of them has taken to this world the way you have."

"Well, you know, I just don't see a reason to fret about it. I mean this place is amazing. There are monsters and heroes and superpowers. What's not to like? Besides Edison," they shared a laugh.

"I get what you mean. It's like something straight out of a video game isn't it?"

"You took the thought straight outta my head."

"Even so there are still things that will be expected of you here and at this rate it will take you years to learn anything if Edison gets his way."

"You think I will have to play nark and talk to The Creator?"

"Won't work, others have tried but the old man thinks too highly of his star assistant."

"Then what should I do?" Felix asked as they walked up to the door to Lahr's room.

"W-well I could help teach you, you know, after class if you want?"

"Yeah... Yeah I think that's a great idea. You're a better Weaver then Edison anyway, you have a deal."

"I wouldn't go that far," Lahr's scratched at his cheek with a finger, "we can start today if you want?"

"Thanks but I think I need to get some sleep and simmer down a bit, after dealing with Edison all day I don't think I am in any shape to learn."

"Oh... Ok," Lahr's shoulder slouched.

Felix could tell he had upset his new friend but at the moment he was far more likely to break something than he was to make something, "Would tomorrow work for you? After class?"

"Ye-yeah, you're on," Lahr nodded excitedly, the door to his room sliding open before them. "See you tomorrow," he rushed inside and the door slid shut behind him.

Felix sighed before proceeding to his own room only a few feet further down the hall. The door to his room slid open and he stepped inside.

"Welcome back data weaver Zero One, I hope you had an excellent day," the voice of the PA called.

"Oh yeah, it was just fantastic."

### CHAPTER 24: Felix

Felix pulled off his jacket and hung it on the back of one of the two chairs that accompanied the desk stationed near his room's entrance. Did his first day of class go as bad as he thought it would? No. Was it worse? Quite possibly.

It was oddly refreshing knowing that the films he had grown up with were not lying about the world that resided outside of his lavish upbringing. Even if they were a bit understated they at least had him prepared for a bully like Edison. What they did not have him prepared for was being only one of two targets. A mix of pride and anxiety flowed through Felix as he thought back on his confrontation with Edison. What he did was right, he knew it, but what would it cost him in the end? The question lingered as he looked around the room, taking it in for the first time.

It was about as plain as a room with prismatic steel walls could be, its modest size greatly exaggerated by its lack of furnishing. There were no sofas or lounge chairs or even a simple entertainment cabinet. No televisions or computers, no art hung on the walls. Only the bed against the back wall and the desk by the entrance broke up the pattern of grey and blue tiles that made up the floor. Nested in the wall opposite the desk was a door, small glowing blue letters read "Wash Room" across its top. Too tired to be curious Felix flopped down on the bed and let out a long low groan.

What would it cost him? The question looped endlessly in his head until the words lost their meaning, if they had any to begin with. It was not like Edison could get much worse and even if he did all Felix would have to do was overcome him. Treat him like a raid boss and learn all of his weak spots, his faults, and exploit them. Besides he was not going to stay in The Creationarium for long anyway. He just needed to bide his time until he could find a way to get his hands on a focus again and once he did that, Felix thrust a fist into the air, it would take no time for him to get transferred to the Defender's Quarter. But what about—

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"I said not today Lahr!" Felix yelped, the sudden pounding sending a jolt down his spine.

"It's me," a familiar female voice called back from the other side of the door, "its Sophie."

"Oh! One minute," Felix leapt form the bed and rushed to the door nearly tripping over his own feet. The door did not slide open for him like before and a quick examination of it shown no handle or button to open it manually, "Give me a min—"

"Possible intruder located beyond this door," the cool female voice of the PA echoed through the room, "for your safety please stand back and await response from the defenders."

"What's happen—"Felix's commu sprung to life displaying a video feed of the hall outside of his room, oddly there was no one there, Sophie or otherwise. "H-hey Sophie? You still there?"

"Yes!" Sophie chimed clearly unaware of the situation in the room before her, "Is this a bad time?"

Felix could not see her mouth but he was sure it would have been radiating an intense yellow light right now. Come to think of it—"The door thinks you're an intruder," he called to Sophie, "I don't think it likes you being invisible."

"What? I'm not invis—oh, sorry," Sophie suddenly appeared in the video feed with the door sliding open seconds later.

"Alarm has been deactivated, have a nice day," The PA's voice followed.

"What was that all about?" Felix asked closing his commu's display.

"The system that runs security for the Garden is kind of sensitive, I used to have such a hard time getting in anywhere in the city."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, well it's been a while since I've unintentionally lost opacity," Sophie's rose light beamed through the rainbow of color that filled the hall.

_Why?_ Felix fell just short of asking. Surely her sudden lack of control had nothing to do with him, right? His cheeks flushed a more obvious shade of red then he would have liked. No, there was no way it had anything to do with—

"Are you going to invite me in?"

"Oh. Oh yes come in," Felix took a step back from the door, "you know I haven't had any time to decorate or anything so it's nothing special; b-but of course you knew that." He scratched at his cheek with a finger fighting the urge to hide his face, "Just ignore me and make yourself at home."

"Well, you sure seemed to have," Sophie strode into the room and past Felix, the door hissing shut behind her.

Even with his hazy memory Felix was sure this was the first time he had ever had a girl alone in his room with him and it felt...

"You really seem to have taken to New Eden, probably the quickest I have ever seen a new person adjust."

"You're the second person to say that today," Felix rolled his eyes.

"It's true. It took me three weeks to get up the courage to leave my room and it took months after that for me to get anywhere near where you're at."

"Well I had to go to class today, didn't I? Not like I was given any time to really think about things."

"Most people skip the first few weeks of classes."

"Wh-what? I could have just skipped it? That would have been great to know before I had to go through that hell with Edison."

"Sorry," Sophie shrugged, holding back a chuckle.

"Well whatever. The way I see it, there is no way this life could be as bad as my last."

"Was it really that bad?" Sophie's mouth glowed a muted purple.

"I still don't remember all of the details but I do remember dreaming of a place like this. Plus there has to be a reason I killed myself."

"Please—stop," Sophie's gaze fell to the floor, her olive-colored light reflected off its metallic surface and across her mask.

"I'm sorry," Felix's tone shifted, "did I say something—"

"It's not ok to talk about how you died. It's very private, nobody tells anybody and..." her fragile voice trailed off.

It shocked Felix that his death made Sophie, or anybody for that matter, uncomfortable. Why would anybody even care? Why did he care? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to— "

"No, no it's my fault," her voice was suddenly cheery, in sharp contrast to her previously dour tone but her off green light betrayed her. "Anywho I just finished up running some errands for Healer and figured I would swing by to see how you were doing."

"Oh everything is just amazing," Felix's grinned, "I already made a rival but that's just par for the course in a place like this I guess."

"I take it Edison didn't make your first day easy?" Sophie ran a hand across the foot of Felix's bed, her mouth now a neutral white.

"That's an understatement," a familiar twinge of warmth spread across his cheeks.

"I figured after last night Edison might go out of his way to annoy you, I can't help but feel like it's a bit my fault."

"Nonsense, this is all on him the stupid mother fu—"

"It was my job to give you a good first impression of New Eden and, well, Edison is good at ruining things like that. So as an apology—"

"Really there is no nee—"

"Remember how you asked what we do for fun around here?"

"Uh, uh yes?" Felix's eyes drifted past Sophie to the bed, his face was burning.

"Well," Sophie walked back to the door, "if you follow me I can show you. We have to hurry though or we won't make it in time and I really don't wanna be late."

"Oh ok," Felix let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Do you mind if I uh," he pointed to the washroom door, "I really haven't um, gone since I woke up here and..."

"What are you talking—oh, uh we don't really do that here," rose light erupted from Sophie's mouth. "You see, well um, here in New Eden," she paused to take a deep breath, "in New Eden there is no need to evacuate your—waste data just kinda flows off of you and then gets replaced... It is kind of like a hyperspeed circle of life, at least that's what Healer says."

"So you're saying it just comes out of my skin? Like sweat?"

"Well, yeah," Sophie chuckled uncomfortably.

"Then why do I feel the urge to, well you know?" Felix was not lying, pressure was quickly building in his lower abdomen and the more he focused on it the more he was positive his bladder was about to explode.

"Healer says that it's normal. Your brain is still trying to catch up to the rules here so it doesn't know any better. It will go away soon."

"I sure hope so," Felix could not help but focus on the sensation now as he danced a little jig, "what's the point of a washroom then?"

"To wash. You can still get dirty here plus the feeling of hot water on your skin is like ten times better than it was in the old world," her mouth radiated a rather intense purple with her words.

Almost instinctively the image of Sophie bathing popped into Felix's head. Water streamed from the showerhead and trickled down the silhouette of an invisible girl accentuating her every curve. Large blue droplets slowly traced her long legs, her stomach and breasts perfectly proportioned and her—Mask! Felix's insides jolted violently. Internally startled he stifled a yelp.

"Well, are you coming?" Sophie was already standing in the hall of stained glass completely oblivious to Felix's dirtier thoughts.

"Oh right! Where are we going now?"

"We'll talk on the way, come on," before Felix could respond Sophie set out at a brisk pace down the hall.

With a shrug he hurried after her.

### CHAPTER 25: Felix

Strip after strip of abnormally strong adhesive bands launched from oddly shaped guns and latched onto a series of overhanging bars allowing their wielder—the aptly named Tape—to swing effortlessly to the other side of the bottomless cavern below. Running the course opposite him, his opponent slid gracefully across a bridge of ice that extended forth from his body. The opponent reached the platform on the other side first and was met with a mixed reaction from the onlooking audience. Tape landed gracefully on his own platform only seconds after, this time the roar of the crowd nearly deafened the slacked jawed Felix who sat shoulder to shoulder with Sophie in the packed stands.

The Course, as Sophie described it on their way to the stadium, was a game unlike any other. Two contestants ran parallel obstacle courses that change per event. The obstacles varied in type and difficulty ranging from simple climbing and jumping to maneuvering around various unmanned drones. The contestants would have to show profound control in utilizing their essences if they even hoped to make it through five of the ten obstacles that made up each course and even then only a handful of people ever made it to that tenth and final obstacle and even fewer could have claimed victory over an entire course. Time was of the essence while running a course as the contestant who got the furthest the fastest would move on to the next event. If a contestant is able to win out over ten events, or complete a single course, they would be granted a trophy and the reverence of the people of The Garden.

Only the first two obstacles were visible from the stands where Felix and Sophie sat and it had been some time since the audience as a whole had resigned to watch the event on the enormous floating displays that towered over them. The entire audience waited with bated breath as the two contestants reached the doors that lead to their respective fifth obstacle. Neither contestant wasted time proceeding.

Felix audibly gasped when he saw what awaited them in this next obstacle. In a zipper pattern, five lines of ten bulls stood their ground creating a menacing wall about halfway down the narrow passageway. These were no normal bulls; they stood nearly twice the size of their real-world counterparts with a third horn curling out from between the normally present two, extending out at a length of over five feet. They stood motionless their eyes, which glowed like embers, locked on the trespassers waiting for the slightest movement.

Tape was the first to make a move. As soon as his foot touched ground in this new arena the monster bulls charged moving in perfect time with each other, stampeding in a wave. Quickly, Tape maneuvered to the far side of the passageway keeping just out of their range.

Pattern recognition, a necessary skill in some of the oldest video games ever created and with games of that type rapidly resurging back into prominence in recent years it was a skill Felix was fairly confident in. The many sleepless nights he spent facing off against wave after wave of enemies, dying countless times and piecing together some of the most deceptive patterns gave him the vision to see the best possible path ahead. Tape clearly saw it too as he dodged into the gap at the end of the line of beasts. Similar gaps followed in each successive line as one bull in each ran at a slightly slower speed than the rest. It seemed simple to Felix, sitting up in the stands to pick out each gap, easily seeing three to four lines ahead. Running the course however was exponentially more difficult, especially as a stray blast of ice encrusted the floor before Tape.

"Hey!" Sophie bolted to her feet cupping her hands around her mouth, "you have to be kidding me! Get that cheater out of here!"

Felix stared up at Sophie amazed. There was no way this could have been the same mild-mannered girl that showed him around the city last night, could it?

"It's only cheating if he hit 'em. Altering the field is perfectly legal," called a man who stood a few rows behind them.

"He only missed because he has terrible aim!" The red of Sophie's mouth cast a glare across the man's scaly chest.

"H-hey," Felix stood attempting to defuse the situation, the friction caused by Sophie's staredown with the man filled the air between them with a palpable heat.

"What! Oh, sorry," Sophie quickly sat back down and Felix followed after.

"I can't help myself. The Course always gets me so fired up."

"Yeah, I can see that," Felix laughed trying to ignore the eyes on the back of their heads. "I get it honestly, this game is awesome."

"This is no game! It's a show of skill and prowess in the face of—I knew you'd like it," Sophie must have noticed the wide-eyed expression on Felix's face.

"What's not to like? I think I may give it a try."

"I wouldn't advise it."

"Why, the patterns don't seem that advanced and with this new bod—"

"It's not about patterns," Sophie puffed out her chest her mouth emanating a purple glow. "It's about power and skill. It's about having the self-control and presence of mind to navigate dangerous obstacles without a second thought and maintaining a control over your essence to the point of perfection. I mean no offense but a newbie like you wouldn't stand a chance at getting through even the first obstacle."

"Why can't you control your essence?" Felix regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Why would he ask something like that, something so plainly demeaning? Was he really that offended by what she said? Did he need to defend himself? No. He knew what she meant, that she didn't really mean anything by it but why then would he ask something like that? In the real world, his internal filter would have caught something like that before it had a chance to come out, but this was not the real world and he still felt so overwhelmed and hazy. Hopefully she took his words for their true intention, pure curiosity, and not at just face value.

"I-I'm sorry," Felix struggled to look over at Sophie but his neck would not move, every muscle in his body fought him tightening and forcing him into a much straighter posture. He battled against his base instincts and a life of actively avoiding conflict. With tremendous effort he forced himself to move, the tendons that ran though his upper back popping as he did. He was careful not to make eye contact as he looked to Sophie, but she was not there. The seat next to him, in which she sat, was empty, or maybe...

"Really I wasn't trying to make you mad," Felix reached out to where he hoped her shoulder would be but his hand passed through empty air. His heart sunk in his chest. He was sure she just turned invisible, but no she left him. He said what he said, those stupid words and she left. He was alone now in this massive crowd of spectators and the fault lay entirely on his shoulders...

He had to make it right, to find her and explain himself. Tell her that he is just a little slow on the uptake and apologize; but how? How would it even be possible to find a single person in a tightly packed crowd of thousands? Especially when that one person could turn invisible at will?

Felix stood and pushed his way through the mass of people. He called her name as he stepped out onto the stairs that separated the sections of the stands but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Where would she go? He asked himself. Where would I go... To be alone! There were not many spaces in a place like this that would have been possible, and he was not entirely sure he even knew his way around the massive stadium but there was no time for contemplating. With the course in full swing, there was only one place he could think of that should not have been overcrowded. After a deep breath he made his way to the stadium's entrance hall taking the stairs down two at a time. After a second shorter set of steps he passed through an archway and out into the cavernous room.

The entrance hall, in stark contrast to the stands above, was a ghost town with row after row of finely carved stone columns giving ample room to hide. With no time for a plan, he rushed from column to column careful not to slam into the invisible Sophie. His steps echoed off the walls of the room and across the columns multiplying them by a hundred. The cheers above shook the ceiling like thunder. Both sight and hearing were useless to him now but he could not give up. If he were to find her he would ha—

Sophie stood with her back pressed against a column a mere thirty feet away from him weeping quietly into her open hands, miraculously she was fully visible.

The smile that spread across Felix's face quickly fell into a frown. He found her but now what? What could he say? His words are what got him in this position in the first place and he was not sure anymore could make anything any better. He just stood there and stared, everything around him fading away. Soon there were no more rumbling cheers or sandstone columns and only Sophie, her soft weeping and his thoughts were all that remained.

A deep guilt surged through him as he looked on helplessly, unable to breathe. It felt as if he had been here before. Watching from a distance as somebody cried over him, because of him.

Olivia.

How many times had he caught her crying because of him? She always tried to hide it, keep the disdain she had for him sealed away behind a smile but Felix never fell for it... Nor did he blame her. He was a difficult, no, an impossible person to live with and to love. He had tried to get better, to be better so many times. Deciding as he lay in his bed drifting off to sleep that tomorrow would be different. Then tomorrow would come and he would fall straight back into the same old self-destructive habits. If only he could have seen it as clear then as he did now. Maybe then he would have chosen differently. Maybe then he would not have thrown himself off that—

The sight of skin yanked him violently back into reality. He had been starring at it this entire time without realizing it. That small patch of pale skin that was visible between the cuff of Sophie's glove and the hem of her jacket's sleeve. It seemed somehow important, almost as if it—

"Sophie!" Her name left his lips before he realized it.

"F-Felix?" Sophie jerked upright, "I-I'm sorry I-I didn't see you there and I-I," she wiped at her obsidian eyes with the back of her gloved hand, her sleeve falling to hide the visible patch of skin.

"Never mind that," Felix rushed over and grabbed her arm pulling up on the sleeve to revel... Nothing.

"E-excuse me," Sophie trembled, her mouth an unsteady pale pink.

"I-its, I-I, well... I'm sorry, I never should have said what I said back there, it was thoughtless and I'm dumb." Were his eyes just playing a trick on him? His mind struggled to function as it was but he could have sworn—

"Uh, Felix," Sophie stared down at the hand wrapped around her wrist, her rose light so bright that it illuminated the columns around them.

"Yeah? Oh, right," Felix loosened his grip and Sophie quickly pulled her hand up to her chest. He decided, he would keep his mouth shut, at least for the time being. If he was not sure what he saw was real then it would be best if he kept it to himself. There was no reason to risk upsetting Sophie anymore than he already had.

"How did you find me?"

"Luck if I'm being honest," Felix chuckled nervously, "I thought maybe you would go somewhere to be alone and this was the only place I knew of that you could do that; but that doesn't matter really. I am sorry; I never meant to make the only person I really know here mad at me and I—"

"No, no it's ok," a surge of blue light replaced the previous pink, "I'm just being silly and over sensitive. I promised Healer I would work on it but... You know easier said than done."

"When... When I was searching for you a bunch of memories from my real life came flooding back to me, and I wasn't the best person back then. I certainly wasn't the person I wanted to be. I hurt the only person that ever truly cared for me and when I think back to all of those times I made Olivia cry I, well I... Just don't go and let me off the hook that easy."

"W-wow you really are a weird person, you know that?"

"So I've been told, like a million times."

"Well thank you."

"For what?"

"For trusting me enough to tell me all of that—"

"And your winner is TAPE!" The thunderous cheers from above sent bits and pieces of the sandstone ceiling raining down on them.

"I'm sorry I made you miss the end."

"Oh it's ok," a brief flash of red pulsed through her otherwise steady blue light, "there was no way Brainfreeze was going to beat Tape anyway so I didn't miss much. It's almost curfew so we should get out of here before we get trampled."

A few of the smarter spectators had already exited the entrance hall to get ahead of the crowd and as the rest made their way down from above the whole of the stadium shook.

"Good idea."

### CHAPTER 26: Felix

Sophie led Felix down the main street of the Miner's Quarter and away from the stadium. Dust from the loose gravel road filled the air as thousands of people followed behind them.

"So how much do you remember?"

"Huh?" Felix struggled to hear over the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Two men pushed past them in a heated debate over the outcome of the event. Soon others joined in and Felix would not have been surprised if a fight were to break out.

"This way," Sophie shouted over the crowd. She grabbed Felix by the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him away from the main road.

"Where are we going?"

"I know a shortcut," Sophie led Felix down an adjacent alley, the setting sun casting grim shadows off the buildings that lined either of its sides. Soon they moved from that alley and into another and then another, careful to avoid the busy main roads.

"Tape! Tape! Tape!" The crowd's chants echoed off the walls of the buildings and grew more and more distant as they made their way through the labyrinth of back alleys. With the sun lowering past the horizon windows lit up and the shadows of their occupants began pacing back and forth beyond them, attending to their unseen business. Soon the details of the building's brownstone walls became difficult to discern and Felix had to rely fully on Sophie not to slam into them or trip over one of the many recycling canisters that were stationed every few hundred feet.

Felix locked his eyes on the back of Sophie's head as he struggled to keep up with her determined pace. Why did he care so much about her feelings? Why was she so familiar to him? Surely it had to be more than just his messed up memories playing tricks on him. What would Olivia think? _Olivia?_

A spec of light became visible in the distance. It grew larger and larger until they stepped through it and out onto the road that ran the perimeter of the Defender's Quarter. As they started down the narrow winding road Felix glanced back to the entrance of the alley, crouching motionless just inside its clinging darkness was a man. He would have only been a few inches from them moments ago, invisible in the blackness of the passageway; only visible now as the emerging stars reflected off his pearl white mask. As Felix starred a strange sadness began to bubble up inside of him...

"Now we should be able to hear ourselves think. Hey, are you ok?"

"What! Yeah, I'm ok," Sophie's hand on his shoulder pulled Felix's attention away from the masked man. "What were we talking about again?" He shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Your memories."

"Oh right, yeah when I was looking for you, I don't know, they just came flooding back to me."

"All of them? How much do you remember?"

"Not everything, I don't think. I remember my parents died during the war—"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sophie's purple light glinted off the exposed crystal of the Defender's Quarter's perimeter wall.

"It's ok, after all we're dead now too right?" Felix gave a wry smile, "after that Henry took me in and I was raised in one of his guest houses, well it was more like a mansion really."

"Wait, you don't mean Henry Ottoman do you?" Sophie abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah that Henry," Felix kept walking without looking back, "it's not as luxurious as it sounds, I hated it there."

"How could you hate it?" Sophie rushed to keep up with him, "he's like the richest person who ever lived. You could have gotten anything you ever wanted."

"I just wanted my mom and dad."

"O-oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean—"

"It's ok, everyone thought the same thing. 'How can you be so ungrateful?' I can't tell you how many people asked me that and honestly they weren't wrong. I mean this man went out of his way to take me in and take care of me and I spite him every step of the way."

The sun had fully set by the time they walked below the enormous sign welcoming them into the Weaver's Quarter. The moon that replaced it was far too large to make sense as an actual astral body orbiting around a planet, the light it provided dull for its size. Their commus chimed warning them they only had thirty minutes until curfew.

"What about your sister?"

"What do you mean?" There was no sister in his memories, just him and—

"Henry Ottoman took in siblings. It was all over the news. I'm pretty sure it was a brother and a sister."

"I—I have a sister... Olivia?" his words were less than a whisper.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. You better head home before curfew I can find my way back from here," Felix did not wait for an answer and with tears sparkling off his cheeks he ran back to his room, the purple hue of the moonlight giving his silhouette an eerie glow.

### CHAPTER 27: Olivia

The sound of rain, like a million tiny feet moving in procession filled the thin air of the rooftop, yet as Olivia traversed the familiar landscape, not even a single drop fell from the iron sheet of clouds above.

"Felix!" She called, "Felix where are you?" she had not seen him in days and was beginning to worry, it was not like him to leave the apartment for any length of time unless forced. The only place he ever went of his own volition was up to the roof of their building, for what reason Olivia was never quite sure. She never saw what he liked about this place. The building might have only been a measly eighty stories tall but a fall from that height would surely have been fatal and with all the other massive apartment buildings that towered around them the view was less than desirable. Come to think of it she was sure he had told her why he liked it up here so much before, she just could not remember...

"Oh Felix there you are! Wait wh-why are you standing up there?"

Felix turned, his bare feet twice the width of the roofs paltry stone guardrail. The sound of unseen rain came to an abrupt stop and as a crooked smile crawled across his face it was replaced by tremendous booms of thunder. Red and blue lighting arced across the sky striking the ground all around them sending sparks up across Olivia, stinging her face.

"Hurry up Felix!" Olivia rushed towards her brother, her arms outstretched, and pushed him from the roof. Her eyes stayed locked with his as he fell back in slow motion.

Felix stretched his arms about wide his smile parting his lips to let out a low echoing laugh. Olivia was sure it was joy that she saw sparking up from deep within him, giving his blue eyes a radiant sparkle. Then his lips moved, silently speaking the words, "thank you."

### CHAPTER 28: Olivia

Olivia's eyes opened to the familiar ring of her alarm. She did not need to check to see if she overslept, judging by the light that flooded in from the open curtains on the other side of the room she was sure she was going to be late to her first day back at the daycare. It didn't matter though, nothing did since Felix...

Since that day three months ago she had had that same dream every night. At first it made her afraid to go to sleep. She was terrified to close her eyes and go through that hell again and again. She would often wake screaming through the night. During that time it was not uncommon for her to stay awake for days at a time, her health be demand. A little sleep exhaustion was a small price to pay to keep her sanity, if there was even any left. Caffeine pills and energy drinks became her closest friends, and even if she spent hours lecturing Felix on the harmful and addictive properties of such things she was willing to do anything to avoid the darkness of sleep even if it made her a hypocrite.

You can only escape the clutches of sleep for so long though. The fragile human brain can only take so much before it takes back control. Microsleep, she did not even know that it was a thing, but if Henry's doctors were to be believed it was the reason she kept seeing Felix everywhere as it caused her to slip into brief bursts of sleep without being aware of it. Her dreams mixing seamlessly with reality, to the point she could no longer tell them apart from each other. Apparently it can be very dangerous, especially when combined with sleep deprivation, and with Henry's pleading she agreed to go under sleep therapy. It never worked and the dreams stayed persistent to this day. At first it felt like a death sentence but soon she came to understand it was what she deserved. His—accident—was her fault. She knew there had been something bothering him recently. Felix had felt different somehow.

Ever since they had lost their parents all of those years ago Felix had been distant and never showed any sign of going back to the fun-loving kid he was before. Outwardly Olivia had to be strong, for both of them, but under that porcelain exterior she was just like him... for a time. As days turned to weeks and then months and then years however she began to learn something Felix clearly could not, acceptance. Acceptance of the fact that they were not coming back, acceptance of Henry's overwhelming generosity, acceptance that it was not their fault and then...

She had thought giving him space would help, she had tried everything else so what could it hurt. An old saying came to her, it was one of her father's favorites:

"Give someone enough rope and you can be sure they'll h—"

A sharp chimed alerted her to a notification on her phone. Hoping it was a message from Henry she scrambled to wake its display, the soft blue glow of the screen illuminated the tears that ran down her face.

"Hey, you going to make it in today?" The message was from Bryan, one of the three other teachers at the daycare.

"Yes." She typed in response before standing on unsteady legs. Today would be her first day back in class since it happened and she promised herself she would take this first step back into life no matter how much she did not want too.

_Henry's a busy man,_ she told herself as she made her way to the bathroom down the hall, _if he could be here he would._

It did not take her long to get close to Henry after he took them in. It was like he was the only one who understood her pain. He was close with her grandmother and did so much for her parents when they were just starting out working with the second generation of AI. If she was not close enough with him to call him grandpa before than he certainly deserved the title after all he did for her and Felix, even if he asked to be address by name. No matter what was bothering her he was there for her, a steady shoulder to lean on, to cry, but for the most part he had been absent from her life since Fe—it happened and without that support it made everything harder. She almost understood how he must have felt for so long.

She told herself hundreds of times a day that she needed to stay strong, to fight this herself but what good was it. She scoffed at her reflection in the mirror that hung over the bathroom sink, her sunken cheeks giving away her nearly absent diet. The bags under her eyes so dark it made it seem like she was wearing makeup, something she had not done since... Inspecting herself with a quick sniff under each armpit she decided to skip a shower for the second day in a row and tossed her hair up into a messy bun leaving her apartment before she could entertain the idea of going back to bed.

### CHAPTER 29: Olivia

"Alright class," Olivia burst into the room letting the door slam shut behind her.

"Hello miss teacher," the four rows of AI spoke in unison with one another, their mouths casting a blue glow across the room.

"I-its nice to see you all again," Olivia's voice caught as she surveyed her students. She had entered the building with the intent to get through the day as quick as possible, ready to defend herself from the few humans that worked with her. The last thing she needed was to be bombarded with false sympathy's but her students were different. It was not right for her to take her grief out on these, well, these children. After all, that's what they were made to be, simple and innocent and it was her job to get them ready for the world. In the realest sense of the word she was like a mother to them. Recently though she had been unfit for that very important job, caring more for her own self-pity than she did raising these impressionable youths. She took a deep breath as the class looked on motionless.

This was it, she assured herself, this was the last day she would live in this pit of dolor. She had told herself this very same thing every night as she prepared for sleep and nightmares, but this time she meant it. This time she could not afford to stay down, these children needed her. She straightened her back and patted down her black pleated skirt, the same skirt she had worn the whole of the past week. That's right, this time would not be like all the rest, this time she truly meant it... This time...

"The subject of today's session is openness," as Olivia spoke her words appeared on the holoboard behind her, "most of you here are set to go work at jobs where interaction with humans is very important, and sometimes imperative."

"Don't those two words have the same meaning?" A prospective nurse AI spoke up from the back of the classroom.

"Well yes," an unusual twinge of anger ran down Olivia's spine, she never got angry at her students before and she didn't like it, "I just needed to highlight the importance of the topic."

"What is openness miss teacher," thee more AI chimed in as one.

"Well openness—"tears welled up in her eyes and her cheeks began to burn—"openness is freely expressing one's emotions with another in an effort to better understand and bond with them. It goes hand in hand with the subject of your last chapter."

"Empathy?" An AI asked from the front row, its mouth glowing a pure white.

Olivia could not believe this AI had not gotten repaired since she had last been in the building. Clearly, the techs did not understand the importance of an AIs mood identification system, especially when learning to handle complex emotions.

"Yes, empathy."

"Are not empathy and openness the same thing?"

"Good question," it was not common for AI to express such curiosity and the unwavering white light of this AI's mouth made Olivia uneasy. It somehow seemed less alive. "Empathy and openness may seem to be very similar concepts but in a way they are polar opposites. Empathy is all about reading and understating the emotions of others while oneness is about understanding and expressing your own emotions."

"I am sorry but could you please give us an example miss teacher."

"Yes, yes, please give us an example miss teacher," the rest of the class joined in.

"Well... well I don't know," Olivia could not shake this nagging discomfort in the back of her neck. In a desperate attempt to push forward she attributed it to her grief. "Well as you all know my brother... My brother passed three months ago," the words caught in her throat desperate not to get out into the universe and become real but she forced them out. If she was to attempt to regain some form of normalcy then she would have to talk about it and who better to talk to than her children.

"I am very sorry to hear about your loss miss teacher," the class spoke as one again this time their mouths filled the room with a pulsating purple light.

"Thank you very much for your sympathy," she unconsciously gave a light bow, "these have been a very hard few months for me. It took everything I had to even come into class today but I couldn't stand not seeing you all." In actuality she had barely thought of work since he had left her but being in front of her children helped ease her mind tremendously. If ever there was a handhold she could use to help pull herself out of this hole it would be them.

"How do you know your brothers dead," white light beamed up from the AIs mouth.

"E-excuse me."

"Are you sure Felix is dead?"

Tears poured from Olivia's eyes as she stared at the broken AI without blinking. What kind of question was that? What kind of monster would ask a grieving sister something like that? Why did Felix have to—"till the end of class please watch this video," Olivia quickly retreated to her desk before she could break down completely. The words on the holoboard faded to be replaced by the bright colors of an educational video

_How stupid could you be to think everything could just go back to normal?_ She buried her head in her arms, tears staining her sweater. Nothing would ever go back to the way it used to be, she was doomed to be alone, to lose everybody—

"Excuse me, miss teacher," the broken AI approached her desk.

"Please go back to your station," she managed the words with a shaky voice.

"Miss teacher may I ask you a question? A different question I assure you."

"What's wrong with you?" she spat, "do as you are told and go back to your station!" luckily the rest of the class was too engrossed in the video to pay her outburst any attention.

"Please miss teacher, It's important."

_Important?_ Many AI wound up with quirks, after all it was her job to help them develop personalities. She was to let them learn at their own pace rather than forcing a perception of humanity onto them. She was to guide them to a form of individuality but this was something different. Not since the war had AI purposefully attempted to hurt a human in this way, at least not that she knew of.

If she had been in better health and better rested than maybe she would have known how to handle this situation. She could have called back on her eight years of university and the countless books and lectures she had had on the behavior of AI but here and now, at this moment, her mind was a mess of feelings she had no idea how to handle. All of her past experiences were useless to her as she struggled to even move from thought to thought without searing pain radiating throughout her body.

"Please, Olivia."

"Fine! Just ask your stupid question!" Her emotions erupted through her words. With grief eroding her from within she could no longer be gentle.

"Do you love your brother?"

"W-what?" Olivia's breath caught in her throat.

"Do you love Felix?"

"Yes... Absolutely... More than anything."

"Even if he is dead?"

"Yes," Olivia began to tremble as a fire spread out from the center of her body.

"What if I told you he wasn't truly dead?"

Her eyes shot open.

"And I know where he is."

### To Be Continued...

### AFTERWORD

I have no clue what to write here. I have been working on this story for over two years and never gave any thought into what to say when it was done. It honestly feels very surreal, like everything and nothing has changed at the same time. I will say as a man who often moves on before the completion of projects this is something very new to me.

Ever since high school I have had a million and one different ideas on how I should live my life, what I should do. I wanted to be a cartoonist or draw for comic books. Then I moved on to wanting to be a writer (more on this in a second). After building worlds for several different novel ideas (yet not once writing a single page for any of these stories) I thought I would give game design a try. It turned out I would rather play games then make them and it was not long until I had a very damaging addiction to one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market. This lasted for a good few years until I realized in-game successes and currency did not necessarily translate into their real-world counterparts and I pulled my self away (one of the hardest things I ever had to do) and went on to get my first job—working at a local supermarket chain stocking product from 11 p.m. till 7 a.m.—and I hated it.

I became very depressed with myself and my choices. I had so many dreams as a child and now I was stuck putting the same items on the same shelves day after day with little time for anything else. Eventually, I realized enough was enough and decided to peruse one of my other childhood dreams; I would become a film director! I know sounds easy right? So I went and gave my two-week notice, brushing off upper managements pleads to keep me and went to a local film school to study with a focus on digital media arts. It was awesome!

I excelled in school and very soon I churned out project after project with perfect scores (well besides one project where I had to make a movie poster and let's just say the teacher was not my biggest fan) I eventually graduated with the highest GPA in the class, and till that point the highest GPA ever in my subject and I went on to do... nothing.

I had some pretty huge plans after graduating and they all fell apart rather horribly. I did eventually end up putting the skills I learned in school into a pretty good job that I loved, at first. When it became the rigors of doing the same thing every day and getting little to no appreciation for it I figured it was time to move on again. It was during this time I met my current wife (Love You!) and we got our first dog, and then our second, and then our third. All rescued from pretty bad homes as puppies and raised to be fairly well behaved (they know what they did!). Well through raising these dogs I decided I should train dogs for living, I know sounds easy right! This did not go well either and I soon had to have a deep heart to heart with myself.

As you can see I had some very diverse interests as a youngster and as such, I had tons of heroes that I had a tendency to read up on. I love seeing what makes the people I admire tick. While reading a book from a dog trainer I greatly admire (and still use their advice and methods to this day) I realized that they shared a similar turning point in their life to many of my other heroes, and they hit this turning point rather young. At six to seven years of age (some younger and some older) these people made up their mind on what they wanted to do and they stuck with it.

Well these people always seemed happy so I figured what would it hurt to try and do the same. I thought back to when I was a kid in elementary and middle school and came up with two different things that I later combined into one. I always had a fondness for art, particularly drawing with a pencil. This started with my love for Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z. As I grew up I mixed this with my love for stories, and started to work on making my own "comics" (they were all so, so bad and no longer exist as I have exiled them to the shadow realm!). When I entered high school I began to like the depth of storytelling you could achieve with writing a novel over making a "comic" but like everything else, it went nowhere.

This was when I had it, and I knew what I was going to pursue whether it worked out or not. For a guy who moved from thing to thing quicker than a bullet train it was hard keeping focus on something as laboring as writing a novel but with the support of my wife (Love You!) and my amazing mother (who also edited this book!), I pushed through and I don't think I could be any happier.

As an adult I became a huge fan of Japanese light novels and attempted to emulate the same feel with New Eden, I love the mix of compelling storytelling with a conservative use of art that is the light novels calling card. After some thought I figured who better to do the art for my light novel then myself, I know sounds easy right? If I could not find success pursuing my art or my writing I decided I would mix them. Sure I could hire a separate illustrator, and some may think it a good idea, but nobody else could put what I have in my head onto paper like myself (at least that is what I keep telling myself.)

This story, for better or worse, is exactly as I pictured it in my head and after this very lengthy ramble that I am calling an afterword all I can hope is that you, the reader, enjoyed the experience you had while reading it. That it made you feel something, good or bad, and that after you closed its cover or turned off your screen you felt at least the tiniest bit of fulfillment for finishing it. I loved creating this story for you and I plan on writing many, many more (I have at least ten more volumes of New Eden planned out and waiting to be outlined.) and until the next time I will be working diligently on Volume two!

D. Gustave Heath—July 21, 2019

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