"Insolence!"
Punishment exclaimed ,extending his arm to project his neural force, the overwhelming force quickly enveloped David, creating an illusion of suffocation, but on a mental level.
Suddenly David jolted awaked, drenched in cold sweating he look around a bit disoriented, his ambiance was still dark, it didn't take him long to realise he was only hallucinating, but none the less, he still found it odd that he was drenched in cold sweat.
The Vanguard's anatomy was highly augmented to be even more efficient and capable than that of normal transendent, in battle.
The sense of fear wasn't taken out but irrational fear was not spared, fear allowed one to stay safe and not become prey to someone else, but irrational fear was a limiting factor that needed to be eliminated.
A phenomenon such as a cold sweat shouldn't be able to occur, yet the feel won't go away, David was perplexed and thought for a while, trying figure out and hypothesise what could be causing this anomaly,
"Maybe I am losing my edge, or is it because I just broke through, it might be because I dropped the facade"
David made all sorts of hypothesis, but suddenly his eyes glinted with awareness and he called out,
"Come out! I know you are there"
There was dead silence like always, from the perspective of the figure who put David in there, warden, David appeared to be speaking to himself and he was,
"Is he hallucinating again?"
David again intendeds to call out, but before he could, a voice resounds in his head,
"Enough! I will come out, stop calling"
The voice was familiar, it was Weiss, surprisingly he sounded very much alive and real, or rather existent atleast, it wasn't a hallucination, and David could tell.
"I thought you had dissapated from lack of energy, how come you are here now?"
David inquired with an authoritative tone, intended to get the upperhand, contrary to their prior interaction,
"Why do you think you are in the position to demand answers from me, I am the superior being here, if I wished I could forcibly take possession of your body forever"
Weiss said with even more condescending tone, obviously aiming to intimidate David, but David wasn't moved, smirking he retorts
"Then why haven't you?"
"Because your body is of inferior quality, I am not that desperate"
Weiss cleverly returns his retort, it was quite an understandable and sound reason, but David was no fool.
"I know from your earlier tone they you are afraid of me calling you out, when I called you the first time you were silent, meaning you were trying to hide, if you were confident on having the upper hand why would you want to remain undetected!"
After David explained his thought process, he finally demonstrates why he has the upper hand, he closes his eyes and recollects his experiences of the countless battles he fought, which had in some cases, grave PTSD on some strong half-step Vangaurds and even himself.
This action starred up his consciousness which was forced to relive those horrible experiences, the sudden chaos caused weiss' last trace of consciousness to shake and quiver, Weiss didn't have enough energy to stablize his consciousness which was now latched on David's,
"Please calm down, I will allow you to make demands, I can teach you ancient tecniques and even help you get out of here, lets discuss a compromise!"
Weiss frantically pleaded, bearly hold on to dear life, but the disturbance only worsened,
"Hmm, wether or wether not we make a compromise, it is not up to you"
David warned.
"Yes, yes, it is up to you, I will do anything, just calm down"
Weiss' superiority complex completely collapsed, he was practically on his knees begging, although this pleased David, he still found it pathetic for someone who was as old and used to be as powerful as Weiss would dispondently cling to life, even if it meant dishonoring himself, what is the difference between him and a simple non sentient animal, David thought, grinning maliciously.
"Now that grounds have been set, I want you to do something for me"
David immediately demanded without beating around the bush,
"Anything you want to know, I am the right person"
Weiss quickly replied like a scheming and shifty fellow, although he didn't appear physically, you could almost immagine that he had his hands clapsed together and his back bent, with a wide and obviously fake smile.
"I want you to create an illusion like you did the first time we met"
"Right the wa.... wait what?"
Weiss was startled by the request.
"You heard what I said"
"Yes but I....don't you think it... i don't have enough astral force to pull you into my domain"
He frantically tried to explain.
"It doesn't have to be a domain"
David assured
"Even if it just a normal illusion.."
Weiss retorted.
"I will lend you some of my neural force"
David cut him off , clearly ready for any escuse he might try to give.
"I require astral force, it is different from neural force, far different"
Weiss stated, trying to convince David,but David was determined and asked,
"Why can't you replace it with neural force?"
.....
There was silence for a while, then Weiss, trying to not come off as disrespectful answered,
"Every intergalactic race knows that neural force can only be exuded from the body as a means of attack, are you not aware?"
Despite Weiss efforts, no matter how one could possibly say it, it would still sound like mocking, realising this he quickly tried to smooth things out,
"Wait! I didn't mean it like that, please don't be displeased"
But David was unresponsive, their consciousnesses were connected and David knew for a fact that Weiss didn't lie to him, and it could only mean that either he was ignorant or the Human/Transendent race was ignorant, and if it was the former, that could only mean one thing
The neural link with the emperor didn't damage and decrease his lvl because the gap between him and the emperor was vast, but because the emperor intended to suppress him in this way.
The image of the emperor in David's head begun to crumble, the invincible and endlessly benevolent image started to be replaced by the insecure superior who puts down his subordinates so he can stand out, all be it slowly.
The more he thought the more he doubted, he held his head and started to panic, his breathing was heavy and unstable, and Weiss could also be heard in the background, exclaiming in horror
"no, no, no, i will do it somehow don't be agitated"
But David only answered with a scream and lamentations,
" No, no, it can't be true, this can't be true, I must be hallucinating, yes, yes, no,"
Suddenly a surprisingly soothing voice came to mind, a familiar and nostalgic feeling overflowed David at the sound of this voice,
"Do not doubt, do not think, truth is truth, your mission isn't to find truth"