"Going home after coming so far away brings a truly unique feeling," Rita mused as the spaceship slowly ventured beyond the star system of Zora.
"They say love doesn't care about distance. That's so wrong," Sauvik commented.
"Oh! So now we have someone who can quote poetry," Robin laughed.
"Maybe I should give it a try," Sauvik replied, suddenly serious. This left everyone dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on him.
"You want to become a poet or something?" Ravi asked.
"Maybe. We'll be going on long journeys soon, so why not?" Sauvik said.
"You're a specialist in Java engineering. Now you want to completely change your career?" Robin asked.
"As I said, we have too much time on our hands," Sauvik replied. This surprised everyone, and even Robin was taken aback by his best friend's words. But then he said, "Just kidding," taking pride in the fact that he had fooled everyone with his acting skills.
This elicited laughter from everyone, and later Sauvik suggested that he should seriously consider pursuing an acting career. They continued to enjoy this banter on the bridge of the spaceship, with Lumis and Captain of the Shining Guards standing on the side.
The Captain's name was Water. Yes, you heard me right. His name was simply Water. According to human culture, this name should have belonged to a woman, but here, the Captain appeared to be the epitome of masculinity among their species and wore the name proudly. Robin was tempted to ask him if he had been mistaken for a girl when he was young, but he thought better of it, fearing it might be an unintended insult.
Though there was no explicit patriarchy among the alien civilizations of the galaxy, there was a clear division of roles. Males and females each had their designated roles in society, and they didn't engage in the kind of conflict seen among humans, where one gender often sought dominance. Of course, these societies had their own problems, but they were not primarily rooted in gender differences.
This didn't mean that there weren't civilizations with problems related to gender. Some were matriarchal, others patriarchal. So, no one group could claim to always be in the right, and problems persisted in various forms throughout the universe, despite significant advances in technology and knowledge, even in the context of the broader universe.
It seemed that ignorant people were a constant presence.
Lumis and Water were somewhat taken aback by how friendly the High Elder was, and how he interacted just like any other guy with his friends. Everyone had this peculiar image of a High Elder as someone lofty and grand. Yet, here, the High Elder was anything but.
Water had been a Shining Guard from a young age, so he had seen his fair share of High Elders, even those from other galaxies. But the way Robin acted made both of them understand that not all Evolutionaries were the same.
The ship would take some time to reach its destination, so they had the freedom to do as they pleased over the next few days. Lumis joined in their human-based games and was a little taken aback when he learned about board games like chess and sports like football.
"Why is creativity so limited in the universe?" Robin asked as they played chess, and Lumis watched his pieces being captured with increasing dismay, even though Robin refrained from using his Light-based abilities.
"I don't understand, Sir," Lumis said.
"I've explored games from across the universe. Why are there no truly exceptional ones?" Robin queried.
"No exceptional games? Have you tried Space Patrol? That's my favorite," Lumis said. In this universe, gaming was beloved by all, as half of their time was spent in virtual reality. It was even utilized for exercise in specialized VR scenarios where a person had to work out in the real world, mirroring their actions in the virtual realm.
"I've gone through the top 10 games, and I'll be honest. They don't even come close to the 2D games we play on our planet," Robin stated, maneuvering his Queen piece to a position that would soon trap Lumis's King.
"Sir, is that truly the case?" Lumis inquired, while moving his Rook piece to shield his King.
"You can check it out after we finish this game," Robin replied.
"Agreed, Sir," Lumis said, shifting his King piece once again in an attempt to save himself. However, in the subsequent moves, all of his defenses crumbled, and he lost the match. Lumis let out a sigh and quietly pondered whether the rules of chess were biased in favor of the High Elder.
Of course, he wasn't going to voice this thought and kept it to himself. Robin then guided him to a gaming PC and showed him the 2D games they played on their home planet. Robin considered it and decided to introduce Lumis to Skyrim.
In the VR world, people adored adventure games, and Space Patrol, as it was called, was more of an open-world experience with no distinct storyline. Therefore, Skyrim seemed like the right fit for Lumis. And so, Lumis's journey in Skyrim began. Initially, he wasn't fond of the graphics at all, having never played a 2D game before in his life. With 2D games becoming obsolete as VR took hold in the universe, Lumis had to train his fingers to effectively play the game and issue commands.
However, once he got the hang of it, Lumis started to relish the game, and everything changed for him when he heard the famous line.
"Hey, you're finally awake."
The more Lumis played, the more captivated he became. The way he had options to do whatever he wanted, the way he first fought the dragon and won, then he got to meet the Greybeards and went on to search the various dragon souls.
This game had Lumis so captivated that he even forgot to eat and sleep properly. His attendants had to bring him food and remind him to eat at the computer table.
After five Earth days of continuous playing and catching some sleep when needed, Lumis finally completed the game. He was so engrossed that even the patterns on his skin had shifted in color ever so slightly, a testament to his deep involvement in the game. Once the game was over, Lumis appeared to be in need of some rest, spending almost an entire day sleeping and lounging around.
On the sixth day, Lumis finally joined them for lunch. Robin always encouraged people to gather for lunch if they were free, and even the Shining Guards would come to sit and eat together. This fostered a sense of camaraderie, and Robin and his friends learned more about the upper echelons of Luminary Collective society from the guards.
"You look like you've been through quite an ordeal, Lumis," Robin remarked as he ate from his plate.
"Hahah.. What can I say, the game was so good I couldn't stop myself. Sir, you're absolutely right. The VR games can't even come close to the game I just played in 2D," Lumis admitted without hesitation.
"See, I told you. Now the question is, why is there a lack of imagination in the universe? And I'm not just talking about games. I've read through fantasy and even regular novels from this world, and they seem seriously lacking. Why is that?" Robin pondered.
"Sir, are you suggesting that humans have superior fictional novels?" Lumis inquired.
"Indeed," Robin affirmed.
This caused Lumis, who had been eagerly devouring his food, to pause and look at him. He also glanced at Robin's friends and realized that Robin was indeed serious, and the game served as evidence to his claim.
"I don't know, sir," Lumis confessed, genuinely unsure why the games fell short. If any VR company could create even half of what Skyrim was, it would become the best-selling game in the world, surpassing everything Lumis had ever played.
In fact, this 2D game itself would gain fame throughout the universe, challenging world gamers to think differently and not become entirely consumed by the VR world for gaming.
"Well, it doesn't really matter. Since the world lacks a robust gaming industry, humans can gradually dominate the field," Robin stated, igniting a spark of excitement in Lumis as he could already envision the enormous success potential of human games.
"Are all games like Skyrim?" Lumis inquired.
"Of course not. Skyrim was unique when it was released, and to be honest, no other open-world game might ever be as good as Skyrim, although there have been strong contenders over the years. However, we do have compelling fictional stories that could make excellent games if given the chance. Due to constraints, funding shortages, and technological limitations, some games couldn't be developed to their full potential. The universe will open up opportunities for humans that they never would have anticipated before," Robin explained, dropping a hint of what he was implying.
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