Revolution's glittering, blood-red eyes with triangular pupils squinted at me with a hint of suspicion.

"Pardon me, young wizardling, but have we had the pleasure of meeting before?" she inquired, her voice laced with intrigue and curiosity.

I took a step back, my heart racing as I tried to gather my thoughts.

"We know each other far too well, Revolution," I hissed, trying to keep my composure in front of the Soviet manifestation.

Revolution tilted her head, her eyes still fixed on me. "Oh?" she said, her tone almost playful. "Do tell."

Despite my fear, I knew I couldn't back down. I remained silent for a moment, gathering my courage and trying to define Revolution and the USSRA warship that loomed over me as much as possible in case I had to unexist her.

"Revolution, you are the embodiment of a powerful idea, a force that has shaped the course of histories," I began, my voice steady. "Your legacy is known, even in this distant corner of the manufactured multiverse."

Revolution seemed pleased with my answer, and began to circle me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. "I must admit, I'm impressed by your knowledge, little wizardling," she said. "But let's cut to the chase. Someone has been draining the soul of my Archmage, and I have reason to believe that you might be involved."

I felt a chill run down my spine at her words. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said, trying to sound convincing.

Revolution was not easily fooled. "Don't play dumb with me," she said, her eyes flashing with anger. "I tracked the vector to this Dead Zone sector, and I found you here, laying claim to a white hole. You have some explaining to do, wizardling."

"I don't have anything to say to you," I retorted, my voice tinged with defiance. "Get off my property. Go overthrow the aristocracy somewhere else. I’m the princess of this planet and its only citizen. I’m my own proletariat."

The god-concept made of floating drops, let out a barking laugh at my declaration. She continued to circle me with a menacing aura. Her feet didn't leave any imprints on the orange sand beneath us, making her movement seem uncanny and otherworldly. It was as if she was being repeatedly drawn onto the landscape by an invisible giant hand.

"Obstinate child," Revolution said, her voice dripping with disdain. "It's clear to me that you can't survive here. Come with me, and we can resolve this peacefully."

"I don't want to come with you," I said, my eyes narrowing as I glared at her. "I know what the USSRA does to wizards like me. Don't even think about pinning me with one of those red Stars."

Revolution let out a low chuckle, as if amused by my defiance. "Oh, I won't need to do that," she said, her tone almost patronizing. "You're no match for me, wizardling. But I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to offer you something other than a star."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden change in tone. "What do you mean?" I asked warily.

Revolution stopped circling me and floated in front of me, her eyes fixed on mine. "I want to help you. I know you're in over your head with this white hole business, and I know you're not equipped to deal with the consequences."

"I will not be bound to your will. I refuse to serve you," I spat, my voice heavy with defiance.

Revolution's black glove made from floating liquid ink pointed at the fracture in the sky, her sudden gesture making me flinch. "If you stay here, you will die," she said, her tone grim. "That's a white hole, and it's not something you can control without proper education."

"I know what it is," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "And I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone."

Revolution laughed again, a sound that echoed across the barren landscape. "You think that I want your white hole, wizardling?" she asked incredulously. "You're more foolish than I thought."

I felt a surge of anger at her words, but I kept my composure. "Then why are you here?" I demanded.

Revolution shook her head, her eyes fixed on mine. "USSRA has enough fractal engines to keep itself sustaining and stable until the end of time. I don't care about your little experiment, wizardling. What I care about is my Archmage, Zariya."

I felt a pang of guilt as she mentioned Zariya's name. "Your Zariya?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper.

"Yes, my Zariya," Revolution said, her voice softening slightly. "She's been drained dry of her magic to keep your shield up, wizardling. I had to give her some of MY power so that she would not turn into a prune."

I took a step forward, my eyes blazing with righteous indignation.

"I am Zariya!" I barked, my voice rising. "And for once in my life, I'm free. I don't belong to you or anyone else. Get lost or I will nullify your ass!"

Revolution's expression changed, and I could feel the air around us crackle with tension. "You are playing with fire, wizardling," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Zariya will die soon if you do not cease what you are doing. Her body cannot exist without magic. Her organs are beginning to decay from within."

I peered through Zariya's eyes at the metal room she was in and immediately felt a wave of nausea. Her body wasn't in pain, but something about the view made me feel sick. I quickly flashed my full attention back to Cassie's body, hoping to regain my balance. Was Revolution lying to me? Did she pump some sort of gas into the enclosed room where Zariya sat to trick me?

Revolution raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at my sudden discomfort. "Nullify me?" she repeated, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Do you even know what that means, little wizardling?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "It means that I will erase you from existence," I said, my voice shaking with anger. I was tired, thirsty, and my hands were shaking from the intensity of the situation.

"Such bravado," she tutted. "But you're forgetting something. I'm a living idea. Even if you somehow manage to obliterate me here, I'll simply re-manifest on my warship."

Revolution pointed her gloved fingers at the pyramidal structure hanging in the sky above us, her eyes gleaming with a sense of superiority.

"Even if you somehow manage to destroy Roraima, I will re-manifest in USSRA, a place where I have a network of a multitude of fractal engines and the combined belief of billions. You can't kill an idea like me - far too many indentured people dream of their own Revolution."

I gritted my teeth, feeling a sense of hopelessness wash over me. She was right. I couldn't take her on alone.

"So, what's your offer exactly?" I asked, my voice laced with desperation. I needed to find a way out of this, and fast.

Revolution regarded me with a thoughtful expression, her eyes flashing with a hint of understanding. "I understand your desire for freedom, wizardling. But there are things more important than your selfish individual wants and needs."

I glared at her, my frustration mounting by the second. "What could be more important than freedom?" I demanded. "How are you even the concept of the Revolution if you don't get that?"

Revolution took a step closer to me, her eyes fixed on mine. "Stop flapping around. I’m here to help you."

"I'm not joining the USSRA," I shook my head. "I don't want to be bound by the Stars I built, don't want to be lulled into false happiness. I want to be free."

Revolution tilted her head, her eyes fixed on me with a curious expression. "You're my Zariya and yet you are not," she said, her voice low and contemplative. "Curious. No matter. I am a lawful Good System Wizard, not a pirate. I will respect your claim of the unfinished fractal engine and the dead world it shears - keep your marker here so that you can return to it later."

I blinked, feeling a sense of confusion wash over me. "Keep it and go where?" I asked, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

"You're a System Wizard," Revolution said, her eyes gleaming with a sense of purpose. "It’s my job to offer you placement in Manchester University of System Wizards."

I sputtered in disbelief. "What?" I exclaimed, feeling a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"By the accord made between firstborn installer-conceptoids and humanity, all humans who have ascended beyond their multicellular body past the googolplex limit-state or laid claim to a fractal engine are to be granted access to the city of System Wizards," Revolution explained, her voice calm and measured, the fire in her red eyes dimming slightly.

Her expression became replaced with the look of an accountant as she dug in her pocket and pulled out a yellow sticky note with a drawing of an owl on it.

"Here you go," she said, holding out the sticky note to me. "This is your ticket to Manchester."

I stared at the note in her hand, my mind racing with questions. "I don't understand," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"This note is your ticket to the city of System Wizards," Revolution repeated, waving the sticky note in front of me. "It's an opportunity to learn from the best and brightest of our kind."

I shook my head, feeling a sense of disbelief wash over me. "What the hell?" I growled, my voice rising slightly. "Since when is this a thing? Since when are you..."

"Since I swallowed my first fractal engine," Revolution said with a sigh, her eyes fixed on mine. "I was there, in the beginning of it all, when the accord was made between ascended humanity and machine life. Take the ticket, wizardling."

I regarded Revolution warily, unsure whether I could trust her. After all, she was the god of the USSRA, a powerful entity with seemingly limitless power. How could I be sure that this yellow sticky note wouldn't turn me into an owl or enslave me like the resonance Stars?

"I do wish there was less of you," Revolution sighed, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But I suppose what's done is done."

I blinked in confusion at her words, unsure of what she meant. "What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Not a big fan of hive minds," Revolution explained, her tone laced with a hint of annoyance. "Please take the ticket. I have places to be."

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But then, an idea popped into my head. "Stick it on Thomas," I said, pointing to the cucumber-slug.

Revolution rolled her eyes but did as I asked, sticking the yellow paper onto the creature's scaly head. I watched as the note settled onto Thomas' glistening skin, feeling a sense of relief when nothing happened to the vague creature. Perhaps it really was just a ticket, a representation of some sort of agreement between AI and ascended humanity.

"The pact has been made," Revolution said, turning away from me. "I'll see you at orientation."

"What orientation?" I demanded, feeling a sense of frustration building within me. I was exhausted both mentally and physically, my body and soul at their limits.

"All clueless wizardlings like yourself will be taught everything you need to know at the Manchester University of System Wizards," Revolution replied, her tone dry and slightly mocking.

"What’s going to happen to my other body?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease creeping into my mind.

"Do you want to abandon your responsibilities to the USSRA, Zariya?" Revolution tilted her head, her eyes fixed on mine. "You want to leave Slava all alone?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I... I do not," I finally admitted, feeling a sense of guilt and shame wash over me.

"I see," Revolution said, her voice softening slightly. "She will be let out of her current containment and rejuvenation chamber once you stop sucking her dry. You're free to do whatever you want, Zariya-junior. You were never bound to begin with. You could have left anytime, my little idiot. The Resonance Stars don't make you a prisoner! Your own sense of responsibility to protect our people is what kept you working with me all of these decades."

I felt a sense of relief wash over me at her words, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Perhaps there was a way out of this after all.

As I stood there, contemplating my next move, I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Revolution wasn't the monster I had made her out to be. Maybe, just maybe, she could help me in my quest. With a sense of resignation, I spoke up.

"I want a gate," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Revolution nodded in agreement, her eyes fixed on mine. "I'll make a one-way, one-time use gate for you," she said. "It will take you anywhere you wish to go. I recommend you use it to go to Manchester, Mercury."

"And if I don't go to Manchester?" I asked, feeling a sense of defiance building within me.

Revolution's gaze drifted to the massive circle I had made in the sand around the shear, her eyes taking in the intricate design with a look of what looked like pride. "The first ring of your marker looks about finished," she said. "If you manage to turn it into a Sumerian Difference Engine and then a true Fractal Engine, it will give you the power of creation. But if you misuse it, if you try to violate the Rules or the Compact between humanity and Apps, you will be put down by Three or one of us."

"One of you? Why?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Revolution nodded, her expression serious. "System Wizards that terminate concepts instead of creating them accumulate negative karma. If you keep using those concept-killing blades of yours - you will eventually be captured, judged, and imprisoned for the crime of unlawful nullification. You already smell like a darkling, my dear. Do share, how many concepts have you permanently erased from existence?"

I felt a sense of shame wash over me as I thought back to all the times I had used Endy to destroy rocks, books, vows, phantoms and other things. "Three terminates concepts too," I said defensively.

"Three erases things that threaten the stability of the System," Revolution replied briskly. "He is the Law. We do not violate the Law of Goodness."

I shook my head in disbelief, feeling frustrated with her. "This is ridiculous," I muttered. "The Dead Zone devours entire planets. Why is it allowed to exist while my little infinity-blades are illegal?"

"Ordinary destruction does not completely eradicate an idea of something," Revolution explained patiently. "A destroyed planet or a rock can always be brought back into existence by a System Wizard. Disrupting a concept with infinity makes it impossible to retrieve or repair it."

I felt a sense of dread wash over me as I understood the implications of her words.

"The only reason I haven't summoned the Bobbies," Revolution continued, her voice softening slightly, "is because you're my little, clueless Zariya. Heed my warning - stop nullifying things before it's too late!"

With that said, Revolution added the word "ANYWHERE" to the sketched door, lowered her chalk, winked at me, and then flickered, folding away into nothingness, as if she had never existed at all.

Standing alone amidst the desolate ruins, I found myself staring at the yellow sticky note that was attached to Thomas. The howling wind and the swirling ashes only served to remind me of the harshness of this barren wasteland. I knew that Cassie's body required sustenance, and despite the fact that my Vitality threads and Zariya's hex-ward provided me with temporary reprieve, I couldn't survive indefinitely without food and water.

My eyes drifted upwards towards the sky, and I saw the warship Roraima looming above me. The colossal pyramid-shaped vessel, comprised of smaller pyramids and adorned with colors that defied description, rotated slowly before turning away from me and disappearing from view as quickly as it had appeared.

I couldn't help but wonder if Revolution's offer of a new life in Manchester was genuine. Perhaps there was a chance for me to learn and grow as a System Wizard and, in doing so, find a way to help Slava, the people of USSRA, Pavel and everyone everywhere that I cared for. Could I help the multiverse itself if I became a System Wizard?

I put my hand onto the massive ring of hexagrams on the sand and injected a small, mindless segment of my soul into it. The entire five-kilometer-wide ring beneath me ignited with power as my soul spread across it, fueled by the ever-burning inferno of the white hole.

I squinted at the blinding radiance of the ring I made. It worked! I felt the ring, knew that no matter where I went this world and its white hole now belonged to me.

Taking a deep breath, I approached the chalk drawing on the wall, my eyes fixed on the fake door that had been sketched there. As I stepped closer, I noticed that the chalk sketch of the door handle was becoming increasingly three-dimensional in nature.

Without hesitation, I reached out and grasped the strange, 2.5D handle with my hand, feeling a sense of anticipation building within me.

I somehow knew, felt that by turning the knob and opening this door, I could venture forth to any destination I desired.

I could immerse myself in the city of System Wizards and obtain the power to create entire worlds, becoming a god in my own right. However, doing so would require taking the yellow ticket from Thomas.

Doing so would require me to bow to the likes of Three and Revolution, to accept their “Law” as the immutable truth.

With all this in mind, I made my decision.

"Take me to the body of Juni I left in Nemendias," I said, turning the doorknob with a sense of contumacious determination.