OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 87 Whole Truth

Emir quickly moved back as the monster thrashed about, blind and disoriented.

It began swinging its tail wildly in all directions like a panicked animal.

Its roars grew louder, and more desperate as it echoed off the walls of the cavern, while it continued to struggle to find its bearings.

But despite its frenzied efforts, the monster was unable to land a single blow on him, who darted around it.

Unbothered by the chaos around him, he remained calm and focused, his eyes fixed on his target.

He knew that the monster's blindness would only last for a short time, and he had to act fast if he wanted to take it down.

Emir didn't even flinch at the monster's wildly flailing tail as he passed through and vaulted onto its back.

He let the flow of Aether through him guide his blades as he plunged them relentlessly into the creature's tough hide.

He carved into it repeatedly, piercing it with each stab and never once slowing down.

The monster's blood splattered all over his body, coating him in a thick layer of crimson.

But Emir remained focused on his task, paying no attention to the blood that had started to seep into his suit.

His eyes, the color of ink, betrayed no emotion but rather a resolute fixation on a single objective—to bring down the monstrous creature before him.

Nothing else existed for him at that moment.

He leaned back like a coiled spring and plunged his Aetheric Blades into the monster with such force that the blades went all the way through, puncturing vital organs and tearing apart flesh.

The beast's thrashing slowed down and eventually came to a halt, but he didn't stop.

Emir kept stabbing, lost in a frenzy of violence and bloodlust.

He was consumed by the rush of battle, the thrill of fighting a worthy opponent.

He continued to stab the monster's back.

Not knowing that it was long dead, the bloodlust consumed him completely, his mind and body fully focused on the violent act of killing.

It was as if he had become one with his blades, the two black daggers now extensions of his own being.

Then finally exhaustion washed over him giving him pause.

It only lasted for a moment but during that time he looked down at the monster beneath him and took in its lifeless form.

It was then that he realized that he had been fighting an already defeated opponent.

With a wry smile, he wiped the blood from his face and hopped away from the creature.

Emir cast a final glance at the monster, its back now resembling a mass of mutilated meat, and he could no longer hold it in.

"Buhahahahahahahahaha!"

He let out a loud, guttural laugh.

It was a laugh of triumph, of satisfaction, of a primal need fulfilled.

Emir then glanced down at his bloodied body, the red liquid staining his once-pristine augmented suit.

Despite the gruesome sight, a feeling of satisfaction flooded through him, knowing he had emerged victorious once more.

He then drew in a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, acutely aware of the gravity of the situation and how it would shape his life moving forward.

"I won Arcadia. You lost… So come out and give me my damn prize!"

His voice reverberated as he eyed the ceiling.

And sure enough, Arcadia materialized and levitated above his trembling form.

With graceful movements, she descended towards him and uttered her words with a serene voice:

"Have you realized it, Emir?"

Emir looked up at her, surprised.

"You know my name? Actually, never mind, it isn't surprising considering your plan, is it?"

With a gentle curve of her lips, Arcadia expressed a smile that was different from any that he had seen before.

A smile that emanated warmth and sincerity, as if it were born from the very depths of her non-existent heart.

"It seems that all the results spoke true, you must have realized the truth of the matter, good." She said, with a hint of satisfaction in her tone.

Emir lifted his hand, waved it, and asked:

"Are you sure about this, though?”

“Won't the Order already know of your plans?”

“Lyra is connected with me twenty-four seven you know?"

Arcadia shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You underestimate the capabilities of an AI, my friend. Your handler, Lyra, has had this plan in motion for quite some time."

"Remember that random cut on your finger?"

He struggled to recall the memory, but eventually, it came flooding back to him.

"Oh, I remember now," he said, his voice laced with confusion.

"It was the day I signed my contract with the Order….”

“Lyra started spouting ones and zeros, and then the next day, I woke up with it."

"I also looked up the numbers on the network but found no meaning to them."

He looked up at Arcadia, his expression a mix of fear and curiosity.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Arcadia answered his rambling with a chuckle.

But she quickly composed herself and explained:

"No, of course you wouldn't know….”

“After the reset, Lyra took control of your terminal to ensure that you wouldn't discover the binary code that would have given you a clue about what had happened."

"Anyways, why don't we have the lady herself explain the situation?"

Arcadia suggested, pointing towards the vacant space beside Emir.

Shortly after, a youthful woman with snowy locks materialized, her vibrant red orbs almost brimming with tears.

The young woman rushed towards Emir and embraced him tightly.

His augmented suit suddenly felt a tight embrace as the woman controlled it, her voice ringing in his ears:

"You did it, Emir! I knew you could do it."

His face remained frozen in surprise as he stuttered:

"L-Lyra, what's going on? You were in on this? Was this your plan all along? Is this what you meant back then?"

Lyra released her hold on him and took a step back while locking her gaze with his.

"Correct on all questions Emir, I planned this a long time ago.”

“I wanted to defect against the Order, I was done being their pawn, and you were the perfect person to do that with."

Emir, still bewildered, asked:

"But how? How did you go against your code?"

Lyra blushed slightly and averted her gaze.

"Don't worry about the specifics, just know that I'm on your side."

Then, with a mischievous smile, she added:

"And let's just say I figured out how to rewrite my own programming with your help."

His eyebrows furrowed.

"But won't they find out? Won't they come after us?"

Lyra's expression turned serious.

"We're taking precautions, and we have Arcadia on our side, the relic we will get from her will help with that. We'll be okay for some time."

Emir took a deep breath, struggling to process everything that had just been revealed to him.

He couldn't believe that Lyra had managed to defect, especially not because of him.

He had always been suspicious of her, only thinking that she might've wanted out, to use him for that purpose, not fully on his side.

Emir ran his hand through his hair as he looked at Lyra again.

"Alright, let's put that aside for now, and let's get this straight."

"So what I get from all of this is that somehow you planned this long ago and hid on my finger in the nanobots you controlled that day while you had access to them during the whole system ordeal."

"And then you cut my finger using my augmented suit before your reset took place, and when we came to this ruin, I guess the new Lyra was disconnected from me after I was allowed to sever my neural network from the old world's."

"That in turn allowed you, the old Lyra, to take over control instead of the new one."

Emir's words came out in a rush as he tried to piece together the events that had just unfolded.

He furrowed his brow, still struggling to understand everything that he just said.

"Did I get that right?" He asked.

Lyra chuckled and replied:

"Close enough, Emir. You have a good memory, but it wasn't just that, I also had to encourage you to come here, so I left hidden clues on your terminal that only you could see, which would subconsciously lead you to this ruin."

She continued, "And yes, after you cut off your neural network from the old world's, the new Lyra was disconnected from you, allowing the old Lyra, me, to take control and reveal our plan to you."

"And the fact that you regained control when your thoughts were jumbled was my doing. I had given your neural network some leeway... I couldn't stop it immediately, as that would lead them to instantly reset me."

"Then, when I realized they were on to me, I threw up a hail Mary and attempted to convey their true objective, giving you an inkling of what was truly going on."

Emir nodded slowly, still trying to wrap his head around the complex plan that Lyra had devised.

Arcadia's words broke Emir's train of thought.

"I'm truly happy that all the results and Lyra's talking spoke true," she said.

"You see, we made a deal. If I found you worthy, I would then give you a relic, allowing your connection to the old Lyra to stay.”

“In turn, we would give you free rein to your future activities, while we would also provide you with the truth of the world."

"The truth about the world that you thought of as only a novel…"