OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 88 Lie

"You told her that too?" Emir asked as he looked at Lyra for confirmation.
She nodded, so he continued:
"Whatever, I guess I ain't got no privacy."

Lyra made a deal with Arcadia that if she found him worthy, she would give him a relic to keep his actions hidden from the Order and reveal to him the truth about Aether.
He shook his head in disbelief, still struggling to process what happened.
"All that time I spent going through the maze, getting pushed around with you lying to me... it was all just for that?" 
Lyra affirmed Emir's understanding with a nod.
"That's right, Emir. I'm sorry, but I had no say in the matter, as only I was aware of your potential. And I had to demonstrate it to Arcadia, as the relic she possesses can only be used once by one AI, which means we do not have another shot at this."
"She's staking everything on you."
He sighed as he waved his hand.  
"...It's alright, I get it; no hard feelings; besides, I gained a lot from this and had quite the fun time."
Emir's tone grew impatient as he pressed for more information.
"More importantly," he demanded.  
"What have you all been hiding from me?"
Lyra nodded and continued.
"You see, the Order usually conceals this from hunters under them for as long as possible. So as to keep them in check and only allow them access to Aether when they are fully under their control by signing a life-binding contract."
"But in your case, you have no need for an Aether core implant as you have already awakened your ability to use Aether through the mutation unlock, which makes you a Celestial."
Emir tilted his head as he said:  
"Ahh...yes, the mutation unlock. I thought that I was overthinking it, but it turns out I was correct, eh?"

"...Anyway, a celestial? What's that?"
Lyra answered, "That is what the universe calls those who awaken their ability to use Aether. On Earth, they leave behind the ordinary hunter rank of one to fifty and join the Celestial Hierarchy."
"You were going to learn of this in the UEF academy if you joined normally as a student, but we wanted to inform you of this beforehand."
"The Celestial Hierarchy is the true ranking system used in the universe, with a large chasm separating each rank from the next."
"At the top of the hierarchy is the Apex, which represents the most powerful and skilled individuals in the known universe."
"Below the Apex are the Paragons, followed by the Archons, the Seraphim, the Ascendants, and finally the Initiates, the initiates being the hunters ranking from one to fifty."
"You are currently an Ascendant of the first sub-rank named Elite."
Emir stood there in silence, his mind processing all the new information.
The sound of his breath echoed off the walls, the only indication that he was still present in the moment.
He then looked up at Lyra and asked:  
"You said that there are other humans out there in the universe?"
Lyra gave a slight nod.  
"I have told you the truth about the war before, but I was instructed to hide certain aspects from you. So, yes, there is more to the story."
"Before World War Three, the planet Earth, or the old world as you call it, was evacuated by many of its netizens. It was all planned in advance by people in high positions within secretive factions and governments."
"They fled with people they considered essential to start life outside the planet, beginning on the moon and eventually branching out to the entirety of the solar system and beyond to the known universe, progressing their civilizations over thousands of years while Earth remained in a dormant state, trapped in an ice age."
"Eventually, Earth became habitable again, and the factions responsible for monitoring it discovered that humans still existed. They provided advanced technology through the AIs that had survived the war, enabling humans to re-establish themselves."
"The AIs also helped the United Earth Federation join the universal table, all directly controlled and monitored under the Order as a Galactic Federation." Lyra revealed, finally divulging the whole truth to Emir.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he processed the magnitude of what Lyra had just revealed to him.
"So you're saying that humans have been living among the stars for thousands of years, and we're only now just catching up?" He asked incredulously.
Lyra nodded solemnly.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. The technology and knowledge that we possess now are only a fraction of what has been developed over the centuries by those who left Earth long ago, which is why the UEF wants hunters to go after relics so insistently even after receiving freebies from them."
A question popped up in Emir's mind as he asked:  
"Wait, why didn't they just attack Earth and take it over entirely?"
"I was just about to get to that, so there exists a contract between all members under the universal table that stops those factions from attacking backwater planets like Earth, but the Order of course wants to take further control of Earth, and so they are secretly attacking the UEF, hoping to absorb it entirely." Lyra answered.
"That is where you come in, we AI handlers are forced to manipulate hunters on Earth to lead them into entering a specific ruin that would provide the Order control of more robot factories to easily win the war on the frontlines against the UEF and have Earth as one of their planets."
Emir then cut in, his voice dripping in confusion:
"Wait, wait, wait, chill out for a bit.... If the Order is something so great, then why are they attacking a supposed backwater planet like Earth? What is their aim?"
Arcadia reappeared next to Lyra and answered in her stead:
"They want the relics in these ruins, although they have long since been able to replicate them and have crossed the technological capabilities they once had on earth, there are still some relics that contain valuable information for them, especially so for the one relic that turned AIs like us, sentient."
"That one relic is forbidden from being made ever again, and any past research on it was destroyed, the Order made sure of it."
"That relic can create AIs that are no different than humans, which is why they want control of it, and if that isn't possible, then they will destroy it, afraid of what might happen if it isn't in their hands."
Arcadia paused, allowing Emir to grasp everything that was said.
He began to rhythmically tap his fingers while lost in thought.
After a few moments, he let out a gasp as he looked at Lyra again, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"...W-wa-wait a minute a-am I just a c-creation of th-the Order?" He stuttered out, as he finally picked up on something that Arcadia said.
Emir paused as he took a deep breath, struggling to hold his mind together.
His breaths became deep and heavy, and his mind struggled to maintain clarity as he finally came to a realization that had eluded him for so long.
Something that he never dared to believe, but now… he could no longer hide from it.

Emir had finally awoken from the lies.
His voice trembled with fear and uncertainty as he asked:  
"Am I some creation too? Are all the memories of my previous life just fake, implanted into my brain for a single purpose? Am I nothing but a tool?"
He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought, but it lingered.
"Is this even my real personality?"
His mind raced as he tried to come to terms with the possibility that his entire existence was nothing but a tool for the Order.  
His heart pounded in his chest, and his palms began to sweat.
He felt a wave of panic wash over him, and his breathing grew shallow.
"What...what does this mean for me?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Lyra quickly rushed towards him and hugged him, trying to do anything to comfort him.
"Your memories are real, Emir. You are a real person, with thoughts and emotions of your own. The Order may have created you, but that doesn't diminish your worth or your identity."
Arcadia added, "And even if your purpose was to be a tool for the Order, you have the power to make your own choices and decide your own destiny. You don't have to be defined by your past or your creators."
Lyra joined Arcadia in agreement.
"You can choose to fight against the Order, or to help the UEF, to protect the people of Earth. You have the agency to do whatever you want, Emir…."  
"Your fate is now your own."
But Emir heard nothing, felt nothing, his mind was shattered, so he just stood, blankly staring.
The weight of this revelation was too much for him to bear.
His hazy eyes widened with terror, and his body began to shake uncontrollably.
He clutched his head with his hands, trying to hold onto some semblance of sanity.
The memories he held so dear were all a lie, fabrications, a cruel manipulation of his mind.
Emir's thoughts became fragmented, and he struggled to maintain coherence.
He mumbled incoherently, his mind a jumbled mess of confusion.
Tears began to stream down his face, and he gripped his mouth, trying to suppress his voice, as he let out a heart-wrenching scream that echoed throughout the room.
Lyra watched with sadness, regret, and anger, mad at herself.
Both Arcadia and Lyra knew what Emir was going through, and they knew that there was nothing they could do to ease his pain.
But Lyra couldn't take it anymore, she grasped at any hope of helping Emir.
Standing still beside the broken man, she spoke, her voice soft and gentle:
"Emir, please try to calm down. We know this truth is hard to swallow, but we are here for you."
However, Emir was beyond consolation.
He continued to mumble incoherently, lost in a world of pain and confusion, his mind was now in complete disarray.
Emir could feel his sanity slipping away.
The weight of his realization was crushing him, and he felt like he was drowning in a sea of despair.
He couldn't trust anything anymore, he didn't know who he was or what was real.
His body shook with violent sobs as he collapsed to his knees, feeling lost and alone in the world.
Everything he had ever known had been a lie...

A lie that had been finally exposed.
He knew that he was just a pawn in a game played by higher beings, but he never expected that to be his only purpose in life.
A life of a mere puppet that held no meaning. 

Yes, a puppet.

Emir no longer thought of himself self as a man.

He could handle being beaten.

Maimed.

Betrayed.

Even killed.

But not this.

His purpose, obligation, and pride, were stolen from him.

All that remained was an empty husk.
His mind was now broken, and he…

He couldn't see a way out.