Hector was sitting on a chair. It was a simple chair, and he recognized it as the one that stood in the Royal Oracle’s chamber. The windows were not covered but were open, letting the suns' light fill the room and glance off the grey veined ivory marble floor and walls. Birds tittered faintly from the Castle gardens outside. And sitting across from him was not Freia, but a man.

He looked to be still in his mortal span, no signs of greying on his shortly cropped auburn hair. He wore the same grey uniform that Hector had witnessed in his vision, lacking any heraldry save for two black chevrons upon each shoulder. He had his hands clasped in front of him on the small round table, his pale verdant eyes scrutinizing him as if he were an open book. He gave a thin lipped smile, and said, “Hello, Hector. You must have questions upon questions.”

Hector recognized his voice. It was low yet soft spoken, akin to his father’s. His accent was something Hector did not recognize, something otherworldly. He closely resembled him as well, a long bridging nose with broad cheekbones and stern eyebrows permanently furrowed.

“You’re Conrad,” Hector stated, turning his head around the room. “And this is a vision. A dream.”

“This is a dream, of sorts. A construct, if you will believe me. The construct is created out of what would best put the host at ease, dramatically decreasing the likelihood of psychosis upon awakening. I am here to explain what is happening to you, Hector. You are currently undergoing an extensive advanced cybernetic neuro enhancement. Or A.C.N.E for short. The acronym is a play on words, a sordid joke if you will.”

Conrad grimaced. “The Scholars always did love their acronyms.”

“I don’t understand,” Hector said. “Are you a spirit?”

“I am not a real person, if that is what you think. I am a collected consciousness gleaned from the mind of your ancestor, Conrad Raen. Datamined and stored in Farm 117 before your late forefather Celdan awakened me. Think of me as Voicing to you as Freia would, except taking all seven senses.”

Hector strangely felt no urge to get up from his chair, as if he were weighted down by air, an odd euphoria spreading throughout his body.

“What is happening to me?” he asked.

“Fail safe measures,” Conrad said as if he were explaining matter of factly. “If you were to violently reject the construct the nanites inside your body would cause your brain to discharge dopamine, serotonin, and any other chemicals that would keep you pacified. Something completely normal, given your situation.” Conrad sighed. “Fighting this will not help, Hector. This initialization will take longer if you do.”

Hector frowned. “You speak as all the others, talking in winding turns that bears no clear answer. Speak plainly, spirit.”

“I… will try. What your body is going through is magic brought from the Holy Land to the world of Orr. You are being altered. Enhanced. This was a ritual Soldiers from our world would undergo to increase our prowess. I came from the Holy Land, and all that were deemed worthy, our souls were stored for safekeeping to be used by others in the future for guidance.”

“Where are you now in this world?”

“My original died a thousand two hundred and twenty-three years ago. My soul has been in stasis until approximately five hundred and forty-two years ago, when your forefather came.”

“And now you commune with me,” murmured Hector. “How can I be sure you are not some demon seeking to take over my mind?”

“I have gleaned your mind already Hector. That is why it is possible we are having this conversation. There are… rules instilled in my being that would not permit me to cross past your mind. It would be impossible for me to take over your mind regardless, as without you I would not exist. I can only interact with you and Celdan.”

“Were I to awaken, what would happen to me after this enchantment?”

Conrad smiled wryly. “Your mind would be shielded from the Voice, unless you allow it. Your reflexes would be heightened to the sharpest degree. You will never be able to forget something, and be able to access the deepest of your memories. And I will be here to guide you, with all my knowledge and experience.”

“I did not ask for you to inhabit my mind, spirit.”

“Unfortunately it is not your choice. As my most recent descendant the laws which govern me force me to guide you. I can see how far humanity has regressed, as I feared would happen. It is my duty, my reason for existence to guide you. I am a part of you now, Hector. Just as I am reliant on you, the knowledge you seek lies with me.”

“Show me then. If you are who you claim to be, my ancestor from the Holy Land.”

“Very well.”

Conrad waved his hand and the windows disappeared, the room suddenly void of light. A zenith of stars glittered above the ceiling, constellations and colored clouds of radiance swirling in the darkened indigo and orange sky.

“What is all this?” Hector asked in wonder.

“The great black sea we journeyed from the Holy Land.”

The mirage coalesced into a single entity; a round sphere of greys, browns, and blues speckled with white. Conrad pointed at the sphere, turning ever so slowly.

“This is the Holy Land, our homeworld, approximately fifteen light years away from Orr. Its name was Earth.”

“Was?” Hector questioned.

“Earth was dying. Our populations had grown so immense we fought to claim what little resources of our world was left. In answer, the United Quinate sent out great arks, large enough to house entire cities, to each of the distant livable worlds we had discovered. By the time we had awoken from stasis upon reaching Orr there was no communication, save for one message.”

Glyphs formed on the ceiling, shining in white light.

TO THOSE BRAVEST OF US, THE BRIGHTEST OF US, THE LAST OF US. DO NOT RETURN, FOR YOU ARE OUR REMAINING HOPE. MAY YOU LIVE WITH DECENCY AND REMEMBRANCE, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT REPEAT OUR MISTAKES. GODSPEED- Ewan Cyrus, Secretary General of the United Quinate

The glyphs faded, and Earth reappeared as a broken husk, black and dark dotted with fiery reds.

“Earth had become uninhabitable in what would be known as the Last War,” Conrad said firmly. “Knowing we may be the last of our race we stood united in our existential struggle. The Sky Cities you saw in my memory settled on each of the three continents of Orr, designated Opulentissimus Rimans Regius. We then discovered the first sentient life forms, hominid sylvanaes. What you know as the sylven. We lived in peaceful coexistence. But mankind is paranoid even amongst itself, and we splintered into our own ideals of what we believed how we should live going forward with the sylven. The two main factions were the Gaian Republic and the Forma Confederation. The most radical of the Forma wished to terraform the planet into a recreation of Earth. The process would destroy all life on Orr. Genocidal zealots, the lot of them,” Conrad’s mouth twisted in disgust. Images moved and morphed across the table with each event he recounted.

“There were many that supported the Forma, and took us by surprise when they grew powerful enough to set a military coup within our own ranks. Their first strike left us leaderless and reeling from their coordinated attacks. Communication between the Sky Cities was cut off, now becoming isolated warring states. We were losing the war. In desperation we created the Neo Virus, a bio weapon that would suppress the genetically modified DNA that granted us our powers. It is what gives the mages their powers.”

The ruined Earth morphed into a roughly hewn spiral ribbon, thin strands intertwined with each other that glowed a soft cloudy white. The complex form descended onto the center of the table, rotating at its axle.

“Think of all life to its smallest degree. Within all of us lies this code that is responsible for making us who we are. We had mastered the art of altering ourselves. There is no Mythic, Hector. That was something I believe was created long ago by your mage order. Religion has been a powerful tool throughout the history of humanity for the deceitful and corrupt seeking to exploit the just minded.”

“Enough! Release me from this enchantment you use to hold me.”

“There is still much you do not know, Hector. Do not shield yourself with ignorance. You know it in your blood to be true.”

Hector gritted his teeth. “Release. Me.”

Conrad pursed his lips.

"Very well.”