I landed in the outer layers, the door behind me dissipating already. First thing I noticed was the impeccable appearance of the Eastern Garden, a carbon copy of my memories.
The second, that the grand castle in the distance lording over this place with mythical dignity stood strong still.
I felt relief rushing through my veins. Seven towers, seventy-seven floors, seven hundred seventy-seven enchantments of the highest order.
My masterpiece, Aethernum, had successfully endured the passage of time even with me gone! No doubt, others must've stumbled upon this place.
Grinning at the memory of a foolproof security system I'd covered the whole place with, every damn nook and cranny, I could only laugh at such fools.
Might've thought to stumble upon riches only to encounter certain death. Strolling through the Eastern Garden featuring a wide variety of herbs, I took notice of how great an increase in value this pace had been subject to.
"Just how long was I gone for...?" I'd thought something along the lines of a few centuries... but merely this many years didn't quite increase the quality of my garden by one—no, two triers!
The value of this very garden in the past had already been astronomical, but now? I couldn't even begin estimating its worth!
"Turtle Mirtle... here, hold this." I broke off a lush twig full of purple shining peppercorns the shape of its namesake I encountered while passing through, holding it up for her to catch.
The youth didn't make me wait long, for her curiosity had no limit. She grabbed the twig, inspecting it with odd gravity.
I took this as another one of her many peculiarities and no longer cared. So came I couldn't stop her in time once it became evident she'd end up eating the peppercorns.
"Shit..." Bracing myself for another bloody retaliation, I ultimately ended up waiting in vain. Taking her from the spot on my head she'd so happily claimed, I studied her curiously.
She stared back, her eyes big and expression inquisitive too, while munching on the peppercorns with relish. "To each their own..."
For some reason I felt oddly tired, opting not to comment on her preferences. What didn't kill her only made her stronger.
I was steadily approaching the central pathway leading directly to the castle when I encountered a gardener.
An automaton easily two stories tall and decked out with hundreds if not thousands of tiny tentacles all extending from its four arms and torso.
Various pipes were affixed to its lower end, each an outlet to dozens of compartments filled with several unique nutritional liquids hidden in its humongous body.
Where its chest and head were supposed to be, a giant multi-faceted crystal took the place, oscillating depending on the light falling onto it. I was left somewhat surprised.
My model back in the days didn't include the disgusting tentacles nor exposure of the core that was also so violating to the eyes. Nor this exaggerated size.
I saw the practical advantage of this design... "But it's ugly as fuck!" I muttered under my breath as I continued onwards.
The gardener's limited sensory perception spotted me. The automaton stopped its work, turning my way.
Or at least I got this impression. It was really hard to tell when the thing lacked a head and chest. I didn't think much of it.
"Matching failed. Subject entry: Enemy." I stopped dead in my tracks, turning my head ever so slowly back.
"Central synchronisation complete. Commence eradication protocol!" Without giving me much time to accept reality, the automaton came running my way, tentacles forming all sorts of weaponry.
Drill heads, scissors, hatchets, trowels, spades, forks, watering cans, pruning saws, hedge shears, rakes, axes and more bloated up its appearance into an even more grotesque one.
"Initiate protocol 9, forced recognition." There was no way my failsafes wouldn't end up saving the day. I mean, this was *my* creation after all... *My* genius!
"Verdict, negative." This made no sense because I was looking exactly the same as before! "Initiate security measure: Essence recognition."
I got a hunch it hadn't been the brightest idea returning home. Worse still, the Great Consciousness seemed to agree!
"Verdict, negative." The robotic, cold voice dashed my hopes. I didn't understand, yet for the time being, I could only run away.
Though I was leaking essence all over the place, now less than before, this didn't hinder proper recognition. I mean, it didn't matter if a container was full of water or almost empty.
Water was water! In a last-ditch effort to turn the tables, I grabbed the booklet affixed to my belt, holding it high above my head.
"Unique object detected." This sounded promising. "Recognition... successful." Now, this nightmare was finally coming to an end.
"Verdict: Irreparably damaged. Owner's demise confirmed." "What?!" I blurted out as soon as the meaning of these words became clear.
"Initiating protocol zero." I could swear the automaton's monotone voice was fuming with wrath. "Alert, alert. Code black."
The sound came from everywhere, promising hell on home. "I repeat. Eastern Garden Central Node proclaims code black. Dispatch!"
I heard terrible noises from all over the place zooming in on me. Without a doubt, a whole army of furious gardeners was just let loose on poor me.
"How the hell... this makes absolutely no sense!" Wasn't this my home? Or did someone else hijack everything? Was that it?
Questions after questions flooded my mind while I tried my hardest to come up with the original blueprints of this place.
Regardless of the true reason, if I didn't find a blind spot in the surveillance, the gardeners would turn me into fertiliser!
"Death to the impostor!" I almost spat blood. "Death to the impostor!" A chorus of jarring voices was repeating this one sentence.
"Death to the—" "For fuck's sake, I'm the owner! Your creator!" The automaton behind me exhibited signs of frenzy.
"Death to the impostor! Torture to the insultor!" I was tearing up for real. This wasn't how I imagined reuniting with my homey centre of power would turn out.
Yet it fit perfectly into my long streak of misfortune. "Bloody hell. What to do? What to do!!!!" For the time being, running was the correct answer.
Perched atop my head, the youth laughed her ass off while holding my sensitive horns like the reins of a pony. And I dashed.