Inside the cold and barren cell. A girl and a cat face each other in an odd confrontation.
"You!"
Sirin pointed at them with an accusatory finger, half in fear and half in shock.
"You just talk right?" She asked. Half certain and half doubt.
"Meow?" The cat tilted its head, displaying its confusion.
"No. No. Don't meow me. I heard it! You definitely talked to me!" She insisted.
Rather than focusing on the fact the cat can talk. Sirin is more fixated on the fact the cat can actually understand her words.
Actually, she would believe if the cat talking was a hallucination considering she had been hearing a strange voice in her head for some while now and she didn't really care much.
Seeing how the cat didn't seem to be afraid or likely to run, Sirin carefully inches closer and reaches for the cat.
Whether the cat can talk or not. All she wants now is just the cat's companionship.
———
(Ray PoV)
While he is being pestered by the overly eager Sirin, Ray is immersed in a mental discussion with Ego.
To get everyone up to date. Ego had actually revealed plenty of details in regard to an Outer God's reach in any material plane, aka a physical world.
Each world or universe is akin to a person, possessing will and consciousness. Although whether the will and consciousness is 'conscious' varies between universes.
For example, a world with active will and consciousness is the Fate world. With the Counter Forces Alaya and Gaia as the [Will] representing both Humanity and the Planet respectively while the planet itself may have its own consciousness like the manifestation of Archetype: Earth.
Each of these layers of protections will subconsciously oppose and deny the entry of an Outer God whose existence fundamentally clashes with the law governing the world or universe akin to antibodies.
The situation is akin to running 64-bit software on a lower-bit architecture. The system cannot interpret its instructions, nor sustain its structure. Likewise, an Outer God exists beyond the conceptual laws of the world, forcing reality itself to reject it.
So, the solution for this problem is to create adapters capable of running the higher level power on a lower level world.
The first part is to create an avatar. However, in his current state. His control of his power is basically nonexistent as a newborn Outer God and a reincarnator who in his previous life was just a normal wage worker. So, the avatar he created is also very low quality.
While Ray is certain he can wield his power enough to survive anything the Honkai world can throw at him. He is also helpless to intervene in the world's trajectory to fulfil his plans without accidentally destroying the world in the process.
So, the shortcut devised by Ego is to create a 'Divine Apostle' to basically act as his localised 'adapter' to wield his power in his stead and copy their mastery for himself. It's like giving someone a skill to level up and copy back the skill once it reaches certain mastery.
Naturally, the disadvantage of this method obviously is to find the person with the power he needed. However, that barely counts with his experience with the Honkai Impact 3rd story and Ego backing him up with Omniscience to patch up any details he had missed or forgotten.
So, that's the gist of it. Now, back to the present…
"So… what next?" I mentally ask Ego for the next step of the plan.
Immediately, the familiar voice sounded in my mind with its usual flat and mechanical tone.
"The current Sirin had yet to form a Herrscher Core and to intervene now may risk her ascension to become a Herrscher."
"However, forming a bond early may facilitate your later actions with trust in place. Especially when converting her into your apostle."
"Her present mental vulnerability and emotional instability is the perfect window of opportunity to exploit."
Ray listened attentively until the final part when he blinked and sent a questioning gaze at Ego.
"Somehow, you make me sound like a criminal trying to trick a little girl…"
He couldn't help but feel speechless. But, what Ego said next made Ray feel even more speechless. Yet unable to retort.
"That is just your one sided judgement and projection of your desire. Instead she will feel grateful as in her perspective, you are her life saviour."
"Knowing her future fated to be a tool for Otto's plan and her lingering will to assimilate as K-423 material to ascend as Herrscher of Flamescion, what you are doing right now is basically a life saving grace that spares her from her bleak fate."
Ray paused briefly before nodding. Unable to refute Ego since his explanations are basically backed by Omniscience. Not refuting the desired part before he added.
"So, now I just befriend her and become her pillar of support and wait until her Herrscher Core to form."
"Yes." Ego replied without any further explanation.
"Alright."
———
Back in reality…
After receiving no reply and response from the talking cat. Sirin thought this was her imagination after all and sighed.
At least, the cat didn't vanish and she could hug it as if it was real. Maybe, it's a real cat and the talking part is her actual imagination.
Even so, just having a companion by her side. Even if just a cat can make her suffering a little more bearable.
Just as Sirin was about to drift into sleep hugging the warm cat, she heard a familiar voice directly echoing in her mind which left her stunned.
"Hey… are you trying to suffocate me?"
"Also, did those damn researchers not even bother to maintain their precious test subject's hygiene?"
"When did you even last take a shower?"
Complaints ring incessantly in her mind which left her more and more embarrassed that she accidentally tightened her arms around the cat as she struggled to lift her weak body up.
"Damn, why is my sense of smell even this sensitive!"
"Ugh, this sour smell…"
The last one was her breaking point as her weak body suddenly gained strength enough to quickly lift her body up and release the cat from her hold.
Sirin watched with equal parts embarrassment and surprise as the cat leaped away from her bed before making gagging motions as it continued to talk with someone she couldn't see.
"Huh? Damn. So, the reason why I only notice the smell now is because of the cold temperature?"
"Also, she has never washed up since the first time she entered Babylon Lab?"
"No wonder…ugh damn this body's sensitive nose."
Having enough of this insult towards her hygiene which she had no control over, Sirin lashed out with a sharp "You!"
"Don't you know it's bad to call a girl a stink?"
Ray simply stared at her and gave a retort that silenced her.
"Am I wrong though?" He said, giving her a sidelong glance that stroked her anger enough to make her grit her teeth audibly.
"If I could take a bath, I would have done it a long time ago." She spat, her fist clenched and glared at Ray with a gaze that would kill if she could.
Meanwhile, Ray nodded mentally. The first part of his plan had worked as Sirin now looked much more spirited compared to before who looked lifeless without will to live.
This goes without saying, his provocation is just a ploy to make Sirin open up for conversation instead of being pensive and giving up like earlier.
Although this might be a bit counterintuitive for the Herrscher Core to manifest inside Sirin. This little deviation is still within the limit foreseen by Ego.
When both sides finished their verbal spat, they calmed down and Sirin was about to say something when her stomach suddenly growled.
The composure she regained instantly vanished as she blushed and clutched her stomach as she winced a bit.
However, Ray with Ego's omniscience naturally understands that Sirin is actually starving.
For the test subjects locked up in Babylon Lab, they aren't given much food. Just enough to not die as keeping them well fed risks danger during the experiment.
For individuals with Honkai Resistance, as long as the Honkai Energy exposure did not exceed their resistance threshold, the Honkai Energy actually strengthened them.
As such, to not risk any complications with the test subjects. They are deliberately left perpetually at the verge of starving and only given enough sustenance to just stay alive.
There is also the factor of finance to lower the cost from feeding extra mouths. But that's beside the point.
So, he tentatively glanced at Sirin. Watching her clutching her stomach without much of a reaction despite feeling the gnawing pain inside her as she is already used to it and just waiting for it to fade.
Watching her like this made Ray feel pity and sighed because he can feel the painful sensation of her gastric acid eroding away at her stomach. A process normally too painful for anyone. But Sirin neither groans or frowns at it as if it's normal for her.
As someone that never driven to the state of starvation. He couldn't empathise with her. Even more so with his recent reincarnation into an Outer God which shed away his humanity. But that didn't mean he couldn't understand her plight as the memories that form his current cognition are still that of a human, his former human self.
Ray turned toward the bars of the cell and about to leave and turned around to say, "Wait a bit. I'll find something for you to eat." Before he vanished, ignoring the panic on Sirin's face as she saw him leaving her alone.
In the next moment, Ray reappeared in another place within the Babylon Lab. Specifically the pantry of the rest area for the lab's staff.
The reason why he didn't barge into the kitchen instead is because there are kitchen staff working around the clock.
While he could fool the security cameras by reflecting light off himself to stay invisible, it is significantly harder to manipulate the senses of others to keep himself undetected with his poor control over his power.
Meanwhile, the staff's rest area usually are empty during working hours and are plenty scattered around the entire building.
There are at least a dozen of such rooms, stocked up with easy to digest and energy rich foods meant to help keep the scientists energised during their work.
He emptied the entire room the moment he arrived and shoved everything into his shadow which also worked like a storage space.
While he is engrossed in his looting spree, debating if he should take along the fancy automatic coffee machine. Ray suddenly heard a short beep and immediately hid in the mirror dimension as he sensed the presence of humans behind the door.
Soon after, the door slid open and two scientists in white lab coats walked in, busy discussing something as they walked towards the coffee machine where Ray is.
"When is the next shipment of test subjects? The last few batches are too poor in quality. They expire too quickly and drop like flies after a few rounds of experiments." Said the hazel haired one with a well trimmed beard.
The other one, slightly younger but with a poor complexion, wearing glasses, sighed and reflexively reached for a paper cup and placed it in the coffee machine before tapping a few buttons to start brewing.
"I heard the field agents say we are running out of places to recruit more of those rats."
"Apparently the locals are becoming wary as few parents feel that they cannot contact or see their children anymore. Not even money can sway them anymore."
The bearded scientist gripped his right hand into a fist and slammed the wall.
"Damn it! The experiment is close to fruition and all we need is just more expendable rats. Yet that damn Otto refused to help!" He shouted in rage before quickly simmering down as he grit his teeth audibly.
"He wished to profit from our Stigma project yet refused to take care of this little trouble."
"Afraid this will tarnish the image of Schicksal HQ."
The younger one said nothing and offered a cup of coffee to the other angry scientist before they both left with a cup each.
Only after they left did Ray return while staring at the closed door, deep in contemplation.
—————
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