"We're lucky that the reports inside the Hall of Blessings don't contain these data. Or Bishop Farnsworth would end up being the most reasonable senior you meet this evening." Father Vincent said while handing over Murray's report sheets. Mir looked at the old man meaningfully, eliciting a tired chuckle.
"Fine, since you're so curious to know, I suppose this is a good time to explain." Father Vincent rubbed his palms together as if preparing to discuss a subject that he didn't know how to approach.
"I wonder if you've heard rumors about a government funded megaproject called the Skyline."
Mir had to think for a moment to remember. "...Yeah, weren't there some posts about that project in several popular conspiracy forums last year? If I remember correctly, it was a project aimed at interplanetary travel by shrinking the space-time continuum. The original posters got trolled a lot, even by other conspiracy theorists. You're not telling me it's real?!"
"That's the gist of it, yes." Father Vincent nodded. "Just like the Skyline Project, every major faction in the United Empire has its own plan for interplanetary travel. Here, inside the Church of Lord Sunbreaker, the Shadowheart Faction is the one in charge of a unique travel plan. Out of safety concerns, I cannot divulge the details of this plan to you, my boy. You understand that, right?"
Seeing Mir nod with a dumbstruck face, the priest smiled in relief and continued. "But I have to tell you that our plan involves taking on some deadly risks. The Skyline is like a science-fair project compared to what we want to do. So eventually, the number of injured or killed Transcenders working on it has begun to make some waves in the upper management meetings."
"Bishop Farnsworth said hundreds have died," Mir muttered. "Is it worth so many lives? Humans haven't even conquered 90% of our planet's surface. Then there are the three unexplored oceans. Why do you have to go explore other planets?"
The old priest seemed to have expected the question, but he looked pained while answering. Glancing around at the other occupants of the cabin again, he said in a lowered voice, "Keep this clue to yourself for the next few years. I'm informing you out of sincere trust.
If humans cannot reach any of the two neighbouring planets within the next decade, our civilization could very well be doomed."
"...." Mir glanced at Murray, unsure whether this was a prank. Father Vincent didn't let him entertain that thought.
"Go through the recent news and you'll notice that every local government has been levying more taxes despite showing no definite sector to invest the money in. Maintenance work in almost every district has been practically abandoned. All twelve Churches have been conserving their publicity schemes. All the money is being dumped into these megaprojects. That's how desperate the top authorities are for a breakthrough."
Mir was muted by the ridiculous revelation. It had come too suddenly, not to mention how massive the scope was, and the implications it carried. His astounded countenance made Priest Vincent laugh dryly.
"I really shouldn't have told you. Even many church officials are still in the dark about how dire our situation truly is. You two are the last options I have left to earn back my footing inside the Church. I hope you won't betray the trust I have displayed."
"....This is too much to take in easily." Mir looked at Murray, who hadn't spoken a word since the topic came up. The lack of shock on his face made it clear that he knew about it already.
Mir spent the next hour inside the cabin mired in confusion and denial. Father Vincent refused to reveal more details, only answering his numerous inquiries with noncommittal grunts or silence. Murray recovered enough control over his limbs to walk slowly by that time. After a chat with the doctors, Father Vincent decided to escort them back to their home.
It was dark outside when they reached Yellow-lake colony. Their parents were jubilant upon learning that Murray had completed his first consolidation and awakened a mutant ability. Mir was a little suspicious at how happy they seemed. Their father had obviously been against Murray's choice of joining the Church and taking its help in his path of Transendence.
Their mother's reaction was more predictable. She became more worried about Murray's current affliction than anything else. She didn't even bother to ask what type of mutation he had awakened, or where he had gotten the money from. Murin surreptitiously tried to ask that very question, only to receive a death-stare from Mir halfway.
After Priest Vincent had taken his leave and all the excitement and anxiety in the house had gone down a notch, Mir snuck into Murray's bedroom with the diary.
"It worked," Murray said even before he could ask the first question. Mir jumped to sit on top of the bedside desk and opened the diary, going through the commands written there recently.
[ I can sense the breakdown of viruses in my body. ]
[ I can sense the energy streams generated from dying viruses. ]
[ I can control the energy streams fully. ]
[ I can sense which parts of my body are the most compatible for each energy stream. ]
[ I can sense how effectively the energy saturates my cells per collision. ]
Five commands in a row to fully control the process of consolidation, and the result was a success!
"Tell me in detail," he said, staring at Murray eagerly. Murray already had the manuscript ready in his mind, it seemed. After starting, he barely stopped to breathe before reaching the conclusion.
"So the 2% of wasted energy actually went into the diary!" Mir exclaimed. "It's insane if you think about it. You and the diary were separated by the walls of the consolidation box. But it still managed to absorb the generated energy without any problems!"
"2% wasted energy? Why the hell are you focused on that?" Murray grinned like a maniac. "Think about the details that actually matter now. I had to saturate only 6% of my cells to awaken the mutant ability. This means that everyone, every mutant out there has been following a flawed path of progress! Our way is more effective, requires less resource, and opens up almost twice as much potential in a human body!"
"Can't really blame them, there, Murray. We're just using a tool to effectively utilize more energy than they can. It's not like we invented a new path," Mir said.
"We did invent a new path." Murray rolled his eyes as he countered the argument. "Have you forgotten that I didn't use their exaggerated Energy Refinement Technique at all? It's a load of bullshit! You don't need to go through so many twists, turns and make the energy streams travel your entire body half a dozen times just to awaken a mutation on your back! It's a waste of energy, time, and resources."
"Aren't these Energy Refinement techniques all created by the twelve architects?" Mir asked, confounded. "They designed the human race and civilization as we see it right now. How could they make mistakes?"
"Never said they made mistakes," Murray muttered.
Both brothers fell silent upon considering the implications of that theory.