"What's happening!? I'm not doing anything wrong!"
This was his only defense: denial. It was flimsy at best since it assumed that Cyr couldn't detect the nature or extent of his abilities, but he simply had to play dumb and make it doubt that he was even using one.
"I CAN FEEL IT! DON'T LIE TO MEEEEEEEEE!"
Cyr's infuriated bellow echoed in his mind, threatening to knock him unconscious. This revelation was enough to make the engineer tremble, but there was no turning back. His only option was to insist further and further.
"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm only focusing on the book! You should be able to tell, right? And if I was using an ability, I'm sure you could tell which!"
This was the crux of his strategy, the strongest argument he could wield if he were to be arrested and put on trial. And just as he was racking his brain, the final prompt appeared.
[
Finally!
He accepted as fast as possible and waited for the process to finish. The longer this dragged on, the gloomier his chances of escaping were.
[The book is now being absorbed. Time remaining until completion: 24 hours.]
For a book this small, it sure took some time, which only reinforced his initial decision. Even if it was an enormous risk that was now spectacularly backfiring, he found reprieve in the fact that it was a genuinely complex piece which, given his limited time, wouldn't have been grasped.
But now began the waiting game, which Cyr had no intention of entertaining.
"Are you taking me for a fool?! YOUR INSOLENCE KNOWS NO BOUND!!!"
The already crushing pressure further intensified, now threatening to rip Lloyd's tenuous connection with reality. This was quickly spiraling out of control.
"I'm telling you I'm not doing anything to the book!!!"
Buy… time… All he had to do… was buy time.
If his memories were right, it'd take around 2 minutes before the return of consciousness, which was the lifeline he was clinging to. But even then, it'd be far from over, as he also needed to conjure an excuse as to why Cyr had sensed an ability in the first place.
As he desperately raced through various scenarios in his mind, a chilling sense of déjà vu began to creep in. The desperation, the life-or-death stakes – it was all too familiar.
"HOW DARE YOU SPOUT THIS GARBAGE AGAIN?! IF YOU HAVE AN EXPLANATION, NOW'S THE TIME!"
And at Cyr's command, a terrifying sight unfolded before Lloyd's ethereal form.
Amongst the sea of eyes slowly began to emerge giant golden spears, with tridents, pikes and halberds making the brunt of the force. Not only were they majestic and mystical on their own, but so were their auras, as they were also engulfed in crackling lightning that appeared even more vicious than the weapons themselves. It was as if a scene from some dark and divine scripture had come to life. This type of intimidation and terror was something he had never felt before, not even from the General himself. In this situation, his existence was but a mere thread, ready to be severed in the blink of an eye and forgotten through the sands of time.
So this was the power of an empire like Gruzia…
Yet amidst all this, there was a flicker of awe. This was a scene not even his wildest dreams could imagine. Someone, somewhere, had created this, and if he were to survive here, so would he. Riding on this newfound inspiration, he finally stumbled upon a scenario that, at least in theory, could get him out of this predicament.
"I… I might know what's happening!"
"FINALLY, SOME HONESTY, HAHAHAHA!"
As Cyr's evil cackle echoed loudly in his psyche, Christopher then felt his self getting drawn back to his body.
"Uh?! Did you just stop?! ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!"
Cyr's tone instantly shifted to one of ire and anger, with the spears inching ever so closer to their target. Any misstep now would undoubtedly result in his death.
"Please, allow me to explain! I think it's one of my passive abilities!"
"SO YOU ADMIT IT?!"
"PLEASE WAIT! As you know, passive abilities can trigger whenever their domain is stimulated. This was my fault for not mentioning it at the beginning."
"Oh?"
The Overseer's temper mellowed slightly, curious as to what could possibly escape it. After all, it had seen countless individuals in this room, including those shameless enough to try and trick him with supposedly undetectable skills. However, none had ever been so daring…
Once it mulled over Lloyd's possible explanation, Cyr concluded that it could afford to listen. Should it prove unsatisfactory, it could always execute him afterward. As for the scientist, this was where his new strategy came into play. His gamble hinged on the peculiar hypothesis that both of his skills were sharing an identical signature due to their absence from the database, which was quite bold and presumptuous. However, this was it, the only idea he had had during the fleeting moments he had been allowed, and now was the time to sell it with all his might.
"You see, whenever I fully concentrate, I have a passive ability that activates and makes me focus solely on the task at hand. Whether it's reading, fighting, learning… It doesn't matter. Let me demonstrate."
This was where the tricky part arrived. He now had to execute
"Hmm…"
Cyr's mumbling made Christopher's heart waver. Had he managed to fool him? Still, he remained sharp, as this was no time for complacency. After another long minute of flawless execution, he finally decided to drive his point home.
"As you can see, this is what happened, and I'm truly sorry for not mentioning it before. I just didn't think it'd activate here. Still, it was my mistake, and I'm ready to bear the consequences."
His mea culpa could be seen as shallow, but it was necessary nonetheless. Getting out of this unscathed was obviously the goal, but he still had to offer another less favorable avenue, which was still much better than imprisonment or death. He also figured that putting forward this option allowed him a certain level of control over the situation.
"What a cunning human, hehehe… It is true that your ability's signature didn't change, but that's only because I cannot discern its true nature."
Christopher's breathing stopped. Cyr's intelligence seemed to constantly prove him wrong, while being excessively hard to fool, much less undermine. What was he supposed to do next? His list of options was dwindling rapidly, with the worst outcomes becoming more and more likely. However, there still was the status quo where he continued to plead his innocence, which increasingly seemed like the most viable choice. But just as he had settled on this course, Cyr resumed.
"Ahhh… It's been awhile since I've been taken on a ride. I can already tell you'll continue to deny any wrongdoing, and since I cannot confirm that anything nefarious took place, you'll most likely be freed while I undergo 'maintenance'. It's an outcome that's neither good for you nor for me."
He was shocked. Was the Overseer trying to strike a deal?!
"That seems to be the case…"
His voice wavered a bit, eliciting a snicker from his counterpart.
"Here's my proposal: You leave and never come back, and I never utter a word about what happened here. How about it?"