Chapter — Reduction
Yamiya Miekō's training was different.
Aoikishi placed a Glitched Artifact on the ground.
The object looked like a knot made from geometry. Every time Yamiya tried counting its surfaces, more appeared.
Aoikishi pointed toward it. "Get through."
Yamiya phased.
The Artifact phased with her.
She destabilized its outer structure.
It rebuilt itself.
She attacked its syntax.
More syntax appeared.
Yamiya tried again.
And again.
And again.
Kaosu eventually folded his arms. "Punch it."
Raiyo replied, "Please never become a teacher."
Nyxus nodded. "I'd take his class."
Raiyo stared at him.
Nyxus shrugged. "It would end early."
Yamiya stopped listening.
She stared at the Artifact.
Thousands of rules.
Thousands of redundancies.
Locks validating locks that validated other locks.
Countermeasures protecting countermeasures.
Complexity protecting complexity.
Yamiya frowned.
"Why?"
Aoikishi looked toward her. "Why what?"
Yamiya touched the Artifact.
"Why does it need all of this?"
Something changed.
The Artifact screamed.
Thousands of rules became hundreds.
Aoikishi's eyes widened.
Hundreds became dozens.
He knew that sensation.
He hadn't felt it in a very long time.
Dozens became four.
Aoikishi whispered, "Dark Logical Energy..."
Yamiya didn't hear him.
She was concentrating.
Four states remained.
She simplified them.
Two remained.
OBSTACLE.
DESTINATION.
Yamiya frowned.
"Still too complicated."
Two became one.
DESTINATION.
The Artifact didn't open.
Opening required there to be a meaningful barrier.
Yamiya had simplified away the distinction.
She walked through.
Silence.
Kaosu looked at Aoikishi.
Aoikishi was staring at Yamiya.
Kaosu asked, "Did she break you?"
Nyxus raised his hand. "Can she simplify taxes?"
Raiyo rubbed his forehead. "Please stop talking."
Aoikishi approached the Artifact.
He touched what remained of its structure.
Yamiya watched him carefully. "Was that wrong?"
Aoikishi looked at her.
"Do it again."
Yamiya blinked.
No explanation.
No smug little lecture.
No answer prepared twenty minutes before she'd asked the question.
Just—
Do it again.
Yamiya smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
After several more attempts, Aoikishi finally stood.
"For now, we'll call it Reduction."
Yamiya caught the wording immediately.
"For now?"
Aoikishi walked away.
Yamiya stared after him.
Nyxus leaned toward her. "That's his favorite way of not answering questions."
Yamiya nodded. "I'm noticing."