Nova wasn't sure how long he had apologized to Kori. He slowly let go when he finally got the chance. Kori just stared at him. Would a Shiftie understand these sorrows within him? All he could do was pat his head.
"One day, you'll understand why I apologized…"
When he focused back on the memory, it continued. The scientists continued chatting amongst themselves until they stopped as they fixated their attention towards a familiar man entering the room. With his long brown hair and lab coat, Nova remembered him from Arcturus's memory, Nathaniel Hope. The scientists retained a poised stance as he walked towards them. He could tell they had the utmost respect for him.
"How is he doing?"
"He's ready to be activated, sir!" A female scientist exclaimed.
"Alright, then." Nathaniel took out a familiar yellow earring from his pocket. He knelt down and attached it onto Kori's left ear.
The scientists became still and a few clasped their hands together in order to pray for success. The memory's perspective started shifting from the omniscient to limited–to Kori's perspective. It was dark. In the midst of it, brightly colored words came to him, commanding him to awaken. He obeyed. He opened his dull blue eyes and the darkness became vibrant. His attention fixated on the group of scientists' gazes that were glued to him.
Nova sensed no emotions from this portion of the memory. It was as if Kori did not feel anything at all. It felt much different from Arcturus who felt an influx of shock when he had observed the memory of his birth. Babies felt warmth in their mothers' wombs and when they were taken out, the warmth was taken away, which shocked them–the cause of them crying. That was what he believed birth to be. For Shifties, the fact that they did not feel any emotions upon birth showed how much different they were compared to their creators' species.
In what way is this perfection? Nova wondered. All I can see is how inferior Shifties are compared to humans.
Nathaniel's subordinates were all jumping up and down in joy as their project was a success. The women were hugging and cheering. One of the male scientists removed his glasses and started to bawl with the other one patting his back to comfort him. Nathaniel just smiled as he knelt down.
"Welcome to the world, 541-RBT."
Nathaniel's words processed into his mind.
I am 541-RBT. Affirmative. This is the world of Terrenter. Affirmative. The being in front of me is the Creator–Nathaniel Hope. Affirmative. Today's date is MA 20-615, 9:20 pm. Affirmative. I am a Shiftie. Affirmative.
Kori reached a hand out to touch Nathaniel's face. Human skin is smooth. Affirmative. His pulse is the normal rate for a human. Affirmative. He has a regular body temperature. Affirmative. "You are the creator, Nathaniel Hope."
Nova had found Kori's robotic thoughts intriguing. This was a robot powered by a human soul in his body. It had thought processes like a human, but more robotic in execution. What Nova found most intriguing was the fact that Shifties were programmed to recognize who their creator was even before they were born.
One female scientist was amazed with Kori's intelligence. "He already knows that Mr. Hope is his creator. That's some advanced level technology–it surpasses the usual artificial intelligence."
The other female scientist inquired, "How was his programming done? All we did was put the pieces together while you did most of the groundwork. Maybe this programming can be used for other things in the future! Imagine how advanced the world will be and how much society will evolve–"
Nathaniel silenced her by gently placing his index finger to her lips. With a gentle smile, he responded, "I'm afraid I cannot say anything about it. I am contracted to keep mum about it. If I loosen my lips any more than this, it'll become complicated later on. Remember this, okay?" The female scientist was swooning over his mysteriousness as she immediately nodded.
Nova became deep in thought. If Nathaniel was sworn into secrecy, this had meant that whoever was doing this wanted to keep it a secret from the world. If word got out, it would cause chaos much bigger than the world's current situation. The Invader was someone who was able to defy all logic of this universe and was able to profit off of it. The thought disgusted him.
So, she's been giving me constant pain throughout so many years just so she can make money off of souls she pulls out from the Spirit Realm? The reason I have to keep numbing my body in order to conceal the pain was all her? She's horrible. We have to stop her no matter what, Souhait. We need to stop her, yet we are still so weak. We've only granted two wishes while her powers are limitless. In our current state, we'll be eliminated for good.
His heart rate increased. What can we do to stop her? Where is she even at? Our only clue is that she's sponsoring the Shiftie creation project, but nothing else is known about her. What if we can't find her? What if she's concealing herself as another person?
Doubts started welling up within him. What if…Arcturus is the Invader?
When Nova blinked, he found himself back in the default state of Kori's Realm of Desires. He realized why he had returned. Souhait forcibly ejected the memory in order for him to wash away his negative thoughts. He stared at his surroundings. Everything was still the same as it was when he had entered.
He noticed Kori staring at him with worry. "Are you okay?"
Bewilderment came to him. Kori had looked at Arcturus with such fondness and love. There would be no absolute way Arcturus would be the Invader. He even saw through all of his memories; that thought shouldn't have been made in his mind. He wondered why he had such a thought.
It is because we have yet to truly bond with Arcturus. Once we spend more time with him, the cloudy doubts in our hearts will surely dissipate.
Yes. Thank you, Souhait. The feelings of gratitude he felt were genuine. Souhait was always there for him and would always do so.
Once relaxed, he turned to Kori. "Let's look at your next memory, shall we?" He reached his hand out and the second snowflake showed up.