"You're correct in your assumptions," the Holy Mother's voice was gentle, "I can see some of Murphy Darkholme's thoughts and ideas through mental coordinates."
"This man is the most selfish, arrogant, and vile soul in the world."
"In his heart, there is room for no one but himself. He does not regard others, not even the world itself. He treats this place as his playground, the stage for his story, where he sees himself as the protagonist. You, I, all of us, are merely side characters in his grand adventure."
"I have seen into countless minds, but the extremity of this man's selfishness and vanity still shocks me."
"Tom Riddle, in your eyes, he seems like a respectable teacher?"
"But that is merely his performance."
"He is a skilled actor, a clever scriptwriter, an outstanding director, but above all, he is a liar, a con artist of the rarest kind."
"What you see is always what he wants you to see. In your eyes, he is a mentor, a seer, a great idealist, but in reality, all of that is a facade he weaves to accomplish his selfish 'grand mission.'"
"He has no interest in saving the world, nor does he care about the fate of humanity. What he desires is endless power and the endless authority that comes with it!"
"And you, poor Tom. You are now merely a tool to him, a plaything."
"Look at what you have become. You have lost your ambition, like an animal caged, nurtured by him, turned into a slave at his beck and call. You have forfeited your own great destiny, willingly become his vassal. You even discarded your identity, transformed into a girl, became a lonely wretch without a home, and all because of his lies."
"Tom Riddle, have you never doubted?"
"Your fate is being manipulated by him; you have become his puppet..."
"Are you done?" Suddenly, Lucas interrupted the Holy Mother, "You better say something I don't already know. We don't have much time to waste on you. And don't call me Tom Riddle again, I am Lucas now."
"Foolish, utterly foolish... Your eyes have been blinded by lies..."
"Let's go, Professor."
They left the corridor where the Holy Mother was confined and entered Athena's computer room through another hidden passage.
In the constant temperature and humidity of the computer room, hundreds of black cabinets were neatly arranged, with countless signal lights blinking rhythmically, housing a data flow far greater than the sum of the nascent internet outside.
"I have written a neural network model on Athena," Murphy said, "with about a billion parameters, as close as possible to the real neural network structure. This is the best brain-like software system we can make with our current computer architecture. It's untrained and surely can't match a real brain in sophistication."
"However, once you transfer over, you can adjust and optimize the parameters yourself. I believe it should be more useful than the notebook."
"Thank you, Professor," Lucas said softly, her head bowed.
Murphy turned around, "Look at me, Lucas."
Slowly, Lucas lifted her head to meet Murphy's gaze, but she averted her eyes the next moment.
"I guess you have something to say to me," Murphy said.
But Lucas remained silent for a long while before finally speaking, "We should proceed with the transfer. We don't have much time."
"Exactly why we need to address the most pressing issue first."
"Isn't killing the Holy Mother the most pressing issue?"
"It's somewhat troublesome, but I probably already have an idea of its essence," Murphy said. "At best, it might just be a watchdog."
Lucas suddenly frowned, "Then, what am I, Professor?"
Clearly, the Holy Mother's words had greatly affected her.
She needed reassurance.
"What do you think?"
"Don't ask me that again," Lucas said.
"..."
Murphy frowned, wondering if it was his imagination, but why did Lucas seem like a teenager?
Though—she probably was.
"You can't push this question onto me. It was you who took me from the orphanage, taught me what love is, brought me here, revealed the future to me, and gave me that mission. You created the me I am now. You can't ask me what I think because everything I consider is what you've instilled in me, isn't it?"
Lucas lifted her head to look up at him. For a moment, Murphy almost thought she had realized the story was false.
He felt slightly panicked, almost ready to cast a charm, but something in her eyes softened him, and he decided to have a sincere conversation.
"Do you think I've deceived you, Lucas?"
She averted her gaze and remained silent.
"Alright, then do you believe what the Holy Mother said? That you're my slave and puppet?"
Still silence.
"Perhaps, you also agree with it, that I'm an extremely selfish and arrogant lunatic? A self-deceiving liar?"
Lucas lifted her head, "I didn't say that."
Good, there was a response.
Murphy smiled slightly, "But, you still feel you're being used by me?"
Lucas sighed, "I just want to know, what do you truly think of me?"
Murphy raised an eyebrow.
This was not a typical thought of a subordinate towards their superior, nor even the emotion of a student towards a teacher. Perhaps, to some extent, Lucas saw him as a guardian, an elder, or even a family member.
He remembered, long ago, when creating Lucas's story, reading memories in the diary, and seeing Tom's admiration for Dumbledore.
He understood now.
After all, this was a child who lacked love.
And as Lucas's creator, he felt a special affection for her, different from his other subordinates.
But he didn't want to create a son or daughter for himself, as that implied responsibility and obligation, meaning a heavy emotional burden.
At this moment, Murphy almost felt like he was playing a simulation or dating game, facing an important dialogue choice.
If he made promises or gave more positive feedback, their relationship would deepen into something intimate. On the other hand, they would maintain a proper distance.
Surely, the former might make it easier to control her, but manipulating someone's emotions was despicable.
"Lucas, you are important to me," Murphy decided to be honest, "But to be frank, I don't want to shoulder your future. Although as your teacher, I'll guide you, give you advice, help you, your life is yours to decide."
"I'm not your creator. Maybe I want to guide you at times, but you're not my creation. You became who you are may have my influence, but what defines you is the 'spark' within you, your soul's essence."
"Maybe I've deceived you, maybe not everything I said was true, sometimes, I might have had my own motives," Murphy coughed, "Like that guy said, maybe I really do have a bit of a performative personality, using my words to influence others' decisions. Maybe I am a super selfish control freak without realizing it."
"However, no matter what, you can be yourself, and not just follow the path I've set for you. My words aren't important; what matters is what you hear. It's not
that I taught you what love is, but you learned to love. It's not that I revealed your mission to you, but you chose and accepted it."
"You're not a puppet, Lucas. Trust me, even if the world is lying to you, even if you live in a complete lie, you can still choose to be your own master."
"Don't entrust your fate to anyone. Including me. I hope we can be comrades moving forward, but I don't need a blind puppet."
"Do you want to know what I think of you? Hmm..." Murphy smiled, "You're my student, I hope you can become my companion, beyond that, I have no preconceived notions about you."
Lucas seemed to relax, looking at Murphy, "Then... can I be your friend?"
"Friend?" Murphy was slightly surprised, "Hmm... okay. Then, as a friend, can you tell me why you were upset earlier?"
Lucas's expression darkened again, "I killed someone."
"Later, I found out it was Sirius, I know he's Harry's godfather."
In fact, the protagonist is not engaging in PUA; he might think he is, but actually, he isn't. He's indeed trying to influence the other person but still respects and encourages their independence.
I hope everyone can meet someone who speaks similar words to you, and I hope everyone can treat the people they love with kindness.
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