[Rise and shine, sweetheart!] called D3-V1.

Eon's eyes fluttered, opening to the droid standing before his capsule. She looked—dull, for lack of a better word. Her exoskeleton of Orion steel was muted, barely able to reflect the bright lights that caused him to squint from pain.

Has she truly honored her word? Eon wondered, staring at the capsule that was an exact replica of the one that held him in cyberspace. Even his clothes were the same, simple pants of white cotton that reminded him of a mental patient. Yet here he was; questioning his own reality. How far from the truth had he come?

But still, something was strange, and he couldn't place his finger on it. His body felt tired, exhausted. And his mind was no different. If she lied about giving him time outside the capsule, he couldn't tell.

[It's the sedative we gave you, helps calm the body while the implants override your perception. It'll wear off soon enough,] D3-V1 finished, noticing Eon's concerns.

Eon nodded, making his way out of the capsule. His legs buckled, but he managed to stay on his feet unlike last time. But as he stepped out of the capsule, the difference between the real ship he was in, compared to the reality they fed him, made itself known.

In cyberspace, his capsule was held in an empty room. Whereas now, seven were laid out before him. The models were the same as his capsule, with opaque screens that blocked the view of the person inside.

"Who are these people?" Eon asked, having only met three of the prisoners, one officially in Krieg.

[See for yourself,] D3-V1 said, as the capsule screens turned transparent.

The first person he noticed was Shark. Placed adjacent to his capsule, the Iron Fist second in command lay still with his head lulled to the side. Eon noticed his head was shaved bald, finally realizing the raiders had done the same to him.

"The bastard that ruined everything," Eon muttered, pausing when a glare on the screen reflected his face back at him.

Sighing, he moved to the next capsule, seeing Rat with a series of bruises on his face. So, he hadn't died?

"Are they implanted as well?" Eon asked D3-V1.

[No, the damage they received will interfere with their perception. There's only so much detail we can hide from the mind. Eventually, the sensation from their physical pain and injuries will seep into the neural implants.]

Eon walked to the next capsule, expecting none other than Giraffe. They were friendly once, associates that worked multiple contracts together. Now what were they? As he looked at her missing arm, he realized most of his anger had vanished. Replaced by a disappointment that one would feel for a child. She was delusional, he suspected. Sure that her mind had cracked, unable to bear the underworld of Estera.

"Why'd you save them?" Eon asked.

[Bosses orders,] D3-V1 shrugged. [He thinks he can find a use for them. I say otherwise. Two of them aren't even psionics. We'll waste our resources performing the Baptism.]

"Who is your boss…" Eon started, but he lost his train of thought, looking into the capsule beside the sedated Giraffe. "There's blood in this one."

D3-V1 didn't answer until Eon turned to face her. [Krieg,] she said. [Clawed his eyes out after his encounter with you. It seems your guess was correct, the behavior of your implant affects others. You really did a number on him. We don't have the resources here to grow his eyes back.]

Confusion marred Eon's face. Had he truly caused the bug man to inflict harm on himself, through a cyberattack? Now more than ever, Eon vowed to remove his neural implants. They were a time bomb that could detonate at any moment. But how could he remove them?

Eon looked at the two last capsules from afar, not caring one bit who they were. His mind now singularly focused on advancing. Narrowing his eyes, he gestured towards D3-V1, seeking the third demand he gave her. "Where's my Essence Crystals?"

Since allocating the last of his Energy Points into Dexterity and Spirit, Eon had wanted to replenish his stock. And for that, he would need levels. Arc Energy could be absorbed from the air to increase one's power, but the amount was miniscule, causing psionics to seek out Arc Crystals. And what better variety than the ones attuned to his energy natures?

D3-V1 beckoned Eon forward, walking into the cylindrical hallway of the Siren. Like the room that stored his capsule, it was the exact same as the virtual one he had walked through. The cleanliness, however, led much to be desired. Scuff marks marred the marble floors, no longer pristine, and other droids zipped back and forth, keeping their distance from D3-V1.

They even came across a mechanic, who, at the sight of D3-V1, walked back into the room he had stepped out of. An automated door shut faster than the previous doors Eon saw throughout the ship, and a loud click announced its locking mechanism.

"You're not that popular, are you?"

[Fear is sufficient; otherwise they'd be the one giving me wedgies—hey, did you just look at my ass again?]

"Shut up," Eon said, looking down the hall to distract himself. "And where are you taking me? I don't want this to cut into my time."

[Relax, we're almost there.]

They had walked ten minutes, well past the cafeteria that appeared to be filled with the Siren's crew members from the sounds of the commotion. By now, Eon's legs had regained their strength, allowing him to keep a pace with D3-V1's long strides. But it was at this moment that he started to frown, visualizing the maze-like forest that he had spent nearly two days in, dying by overgrown forest wolves.

Eon turned around, looking at the winding corridors they had passed through, sure in his belief that a set of stairs were around the next corner. In the trial, he had climbed a fallen tree, leading towards the top of the hill that housed the Artifact.

[Keep up,] D3-V1 said as she turned a corner.

Eon followed a step behind her, and only a second later his guess was proven correct. But instead of stairs, there was an elevator. "This looks familiar," he said. "Strangely familiar."

[Is that so?] D3-V1 said, looking at him as they waited for the elevator. [What could you possibly be referring to? Ah!] She cut him off. [It's here, in you go.]

The elevator took them up several flights in an instant, opening from the opposite side they had entered. Before he could ask a question, D3-V1 skipped out of the elevator, walking faster than before. But she had only crossed two corners on the new floor they were on when she stopped in front of an automated door.

[Your room,] she said, ushering him in.

Eon eyed the droid then stepped forward, and the automated door opened to a dark room. It was as if he stepped into the void. Dark purple highlighted a black drop of nothingness, until lights flickered into existence, revealing a spacious chamber.

Was this…

[Uillourn's old room,] D3-V1 said, reading Eon's mind. [To the winner goes the spoils. What's his, is all yours now. Including that smelly bed over there. You might want to clean it first.]

Indeed, there was a smelly bed. It sat opposite a set of windows that showcased the bright streams of hyperspace. On the outside of the starship, bright energy flowed. It was as if he looked through a stream of Arc Energy, watching galaxies zip past at imperceptible speeds.

But what captured Eon's attention the most, was the silver case placed in the center of the room. He had seen one before, a case with a magnetic seal that contained the energy of Arc Crystals. However, the current box was far larger than the one he had taken from the smuggler on Typhon.

Eon opened the chest to reveal twenty F-grade Essence Crystals. Ten crystals were lightning-attuned, judging by the sparks that flashed in their depths. The other ten crystals were void-based, dark with a faint glow of purple. Eon could feel the power rolling inside the crystals, sensing the energies as if they were a part of him, able to be directed with a single thought.

Reaching out with his mind, he called upon the energy, willing it into his body. The condensed energy resisted his call and stopped the release of the trapped essence, but his will increased, and the energy flowed out. But unexpectedly, all the crystals released a torrent of energy, rushing into Eon's outstretched palm. The force pushed him back, slamming him into the desk on the far side of the room.

Rubbing at the pain on his lower back, where he had dented the desk, Eon turned to D3-V1. "Don't say anything."

[My lips are sealed!]

Wincing, Eon walked to the case and grabbed a single Essence Crystal. This time the process was far easier. Lightning-attuned Arc Energy accepted his call, entering his body at a simple command. With each second, he felt more powerful. Calming his breathing as the energy churned through his veins, invigorating his cells.

Eagerly, his body devoured the lightning essence, nurturing his affinity until five hours had passed, and he opened his eyes to an empty room. The droid had left, allowing Eon to process the crystals in silence. And process he had. The Essence Crystal had completely fused into his cells, enhancing his vitality.

Now, in full, he was a true psionic—astral beings that cultivated the mysterious energy of the multiverse. Untold power lay in his grasp, and he had just taken that first step towards Ascension. The peak of power where a psionics will ruled like heaven's mandate.

Just a few more levels, and I'll reach the first stage of Ascension, condensing my energy to the power level of an Adept.

Eon chose to grab a void-attuned crystal this time, closing his eyes to immerse himself in the breathing technique A'steri had taught him. Over the course of an hour, his mind stilled, but the flow of void energy interfered with his concentration. The smoothness he associated with lightning was nowhere to be found, making him realize how low his void affinity was compared to lightning.

The implants… Eon finally said, remembering what D3-V1 had told him. They merge my affinity as one on the status screen. But in reality my affinity is probably 100% Lightning, and 30% – 50% Void. Welp, this is going to take a while.

Eon continued to absorb the Void Essence Crystal, frowning as veins popped out on his forehead. He managed another hour, when he gave up, distracted by a lingering sense of hunger.

Looking around, he saw an intercom system embedded in the wall nearest the door and decided to give it a try. By sheer luck, he managed to order food from the cafeteria, and a droid arrived at his door in under five minutes.

"Thanks," Eon said to the droid, grabbing his pizza pie and placing it on the desk.

The meat lover's pie caused his mouth to salivate, as if all his taste buds rejoiced for feeding on something besides Quamgrum. He was in the middle of grabbing his first bite, when the droid spoke up.

[Payment, please.]

"Um…" Eon said, turning to the short droid. "I don't have any money."

[Those will do,] the maid droid immediately said, racing to the case of Essence Crystals.

"Hey, wait a second," Eon hesitated, unsure if he could stop the droid. He knew he was favored by D3-V1, but he still hadn't met her master and couldn't predict how the man would react if he smashed the droid to bits.

But to his irritation the droid pushed him aside, and he willed [Void Hunter's Flash] to activate, only to be disappointed when his energy fluttered then instantly winked out. His wave pattern was lost, tied to his virtual body.

Perhaps given enough time, he could channel his energy to activate the ability on his own. But that was a perilous path. Danger awaited those who messed with forces they didn't understand. And right now, he would rather not get trapped in the void.

In the second Eon hesitated, the droid was already out the door with the essence case, it managed to move so fast that the automated door hadn't had time to close. Grabbing the void crystal off his desk, lest someone steal it, Eon chased after the droid. By now he was sure the bastard was a thief, its tiny motorized legs racing through the corridors of the Siren. He would have lost it over a dozen times, if D3-V1 hadn't set his trial up to match the layout of the Starship.

"Hey! Get back here, you little shit!" Eon yelled as the droid reached the end of a hall. It neared a corner, then bumped into none other than the battle droid. Her tall stature, knocking it over with ease.

Bending down, D3-V1 grabbed the essence case and placed a foot on the struggling droid. [Do you want to give this one a wedgie,] she said to Eon. [Or should I do the honors?]