A single golden ripple flowed outward from Gaia's body. In an instant, the air stilled, and the faint hum of her presence was replaced by a deafening silence. Her transformation was abrupt—shocking in its swiftness.
Where her humanoid form had stood, there now loomed an eldritch being that defied comprehension. Her head, once adorned with twin horns and cascading black hair, was replaced by a massive, singular demonic eye. It spanned her entire face, glowing with a searing golden light that pulsed erratically, like a heartbeat made visible.
Her limbs stretched unnaturally, her glass-like appendages now jagged and branching like the roots of a tree, leaking torrents of golden blood that evaporated before touching the ground.
Her towering form dwarfed the lunar surface and the secular view of the blue planet watching them as her massive gaze fixed downward, unblinking and all-consuming.
"How do you know about the Reality Core?" Her voice was no longer merely regal; it reverberated through existence itself, sending tremors through the moon's very foundation.
Forreal stumbled back, her breathing uneven, her movements shaky. "What the hell…" she managed to mutter, clutching her arms as if the mere sight of Gaia threatened to tear her apart.
In stark contrast, Surreal remained unmoved. He stood calmly, his arms at his sides, seemingly unfazed by the monstrous deity before him. "Now, now," he said, his tone steady. "You're going to scare my companion." He gestured vaguely toward Forreal, who shot him a wide-eyed glare.
Gaia remained silent, her enormous eye narrowing, the golden light intensifying.
"Do you remember the Nihil, Forreal?" Surreal asked lightly, as if they weren't standing under the shadow of an eldritch abomination.
Forreal tore her gaze away from Gaia with great effort, her voice trembling as she replied, "Y-Yeah... You mentioned it before."
"Well then," Surreal began, gesturing at Gaia, "Here's your textbook explanation: The Reality Core, to explain it with the lack of nuances, is one of the greatest contributors to the Nihil within this universe~
"And Gaia here? She's one of those Nihils."
Gaia's colossal form jerked slightly at his words, her enormous eye narrowing.
Surreal ignored her reaction, his tone slipping into a playful lecture. "You see, Gaia isn't some random divine being who just happened to exist. She's the product of collective consciousness—the amalgamation of every living being on Earth yearning for a motherly figure to represent nature itself.
"Humanity, in particular, contributed the lion's share. It's their overarching deep-seated faith, their cultures, their myths, and their guilt over exploiting the world that gave her shape and appearance.
"Although, as you can see, her form as of the current is more influenced by those perverted online illustrations you found on the internet."
Forreal's breathing quickened, her gaze darting between Gaia and Surreal. "So, you're saying... She's not natural? But isn't she supposed to be the manifestation of mother nature?"
"Exactly, my adorable student," Surreal replied with mock enthusiasm, as if Forreal had answered a quiz question. "Gaia is the manifestation of nature, but the irony is that her very existence is anything but natural. It's entirely conceptual, forged by none other than the Reality Core's influence."
His smile turned sharp as he looked up at Gaia. "As for the Reality Core itself, it's similar in nature to how the Psycheweave Engine was made into existence by the World Peace Corporation, just less tampered by any living being, since its creation happen at the same time as when the old Earth took a comprehensible after unfathomable years of nothing.
"As for its location, it's sitting comfortably at the core of the Earth. Convenient, isn't it?"
Gaia's massive eye dilated, her form trembling with an unspoken rage. Her voice thundered across the battlefield. "You—"
"—would have messed with it if I wanted to," Surreal interrupted, his voice cutting through hers with ease. His tone remained calm, but there was a chilling edge to it. "If I wanted to break it, I'd already have done so. But I didn't, and I have the intention of harming it.
"You can trust my words in its entirety, since I've drunk your conceptual concoction. Everything that I uttered should be devoid of deceit for the next week or so., no?"
Gaia froze again, her titanic form visibly hesitating for the first time. The tension in the air was palpable, as though even the universe itself held its breath.
Realizing further hostility would be fruitless, Gaia began to retract her eldritch form.
Her immense size shrank, her singular eye splitting apart to reform her human-like face. The glass-like limbs and swirling golden blood remained, but her terrifying presence subsided. She sighed heavily, the sound reverberating like a gale.
"I do not care how you came upon this knowledge," Gaia said finally, her regal tone returning. "As long as you are not foolish enough to tamper with the Reality Core, I will let it be."
As if nothing happened, the atmosphere of the moon returned to its serene and calm exterior.
At the same time, neither Surreal nor Gaia wanted to strike on a conversation. They were only awkwardly staring at one another. Given, one of them didn't even open their eyes in this discomforting staring match.
Forreal, still trembling but regaining some of her composure, swallowed hard and took a cautious step forward. "If… If the Reality Core causes Nihils like Gaia, does that mean it's also responsible for black magic and the Psycheweave Engine?"
Surreal gave a faint chuckle. "No, not at all. Those are born of entirely different phenomena."
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Then what kind of an example of Nihil that the Reality Core put into existence?"
Surreal smiled knowingly. "Do you remember how I mentioned that the absence of alien life in this universe is a Nihil in itself?"
Forreal nodded slowly, her fear giving way to curiosity. "Yeah… you said it was a massive anomaly."
He gestured expansively toward the stars, his extra arms mirroring the motion. "The Reality Core is responsible for that, believe it or not."
"What?"
Forreal was struck by another one of Surreal's unexpected lore bombs. She glanced at Gaia to see her reaction to this, only to see mother nature silently gazing at her as if she had done something wrong.
"You see," Surreal continued. "Just like the birth of Gaia, albeit Gaia is more of a special case—the Reality Core can choose which ideal and concept to resonate with, and it just so happens that this Reality Core in this universe decided to side with humans specifically, since the insertion of their presence on Earth.
"And because of that, the Reality Core aligned itself with humanity, amplifying their influence to an absurd degree.
"The lack of alien life is one of its byproducts—a manifestation of humanity's historical and cultural egocentrism through their time on Earth."
"... What do you mean by cultural egocentrism?"
"Cultural resonance played a significant role in this case. Ancient beliefs, myths, and ideologies. Take, for example, geocentrism—the idea that Earth is the center of the cosmos. Aristotle, Ptolemy, and countless others contributed to this belief, which the Catholic Church further cemented during the Middle Ages."
Forreal raised an eyebrow. "So, what? The Reality Core just decided to kill alien life because humans thought they were special?"
"Partly," Surreal admitted. "But it's more than that. Humanity's collective fears, desires, and ideologies resonated with the Core. Myths about divine protection against 'outsiders'—chaotic entities, monsters, invaders—also played a part.
"Zoroastrianism, Norse mythology, Hinduism—all contain tales of gods or heroes battling otherworldly threats to protect the world. Even historical ideologies, like Manifest Destiny or Tokugawa Japan's isolationism, reinforced the idea that anything beyond their boundary to be a threatening subject of fear and conquest.
"The Core then amplified these concepts to its ultimate overture, creating a universe where alien life was systematically erased, leaving only humanity to thrive and conquer their environment.
"Surprisingly, this also resulted in many other Reality Cores being erased in the process, since the existence of more than one Reality Core in this universe would clash with the idea that humanity is special."
Forreal blinked, her mind struggling to process the weight of his words. "So… everything out there, all those stars, and galaxies… just empty?"
"I won't say that it is completely empty, since even a Reality Core has its limit," Surreal said simply. "But I can assure you that they are going to be very, very, very far from us, with the chances of us meeting them close to zero."
And just like that, Forreal had another baggage of universal truth that she must process and accept for the next few days.
"I must admit, you're indeed very knowledgeable when it comes to the nature of this universe, mortal," Gaia gestured her hand, though her expression remained cold and regal. "But what do you mean that me being a part of the Reality Core will eventually cause an extinction event for my children in the future?"
"Because Reality Core can be claimed," Surreal answered. "Anything, and anyone can claim it when they reach for it, whether physically or conceptually.
"And in its current state, the Reality Core is without an owner." Surreal slowly opened his eyes, revealing a white stark gaze as his overwhelming intent began to swallow the surrounding whole. "You, Gaia, are none other than the solemn protector chosen by the Reality Core itself…
"As long as you still exist, not a single one of your children can claim the Reality Core for themselves." His eyes were wide and unblinking, drilling deep into the soul of his primordial mother. "But what about those outside of this universe? Those foreigners whose sole purpose is conquest and destruction. They are not restricted, They can claim the Reality Core.
"And the moment they get their hands on it, they will force you, the unkillable, immortal protector of Earth, to perform a thorough cleansing of her own children. They will force you to bend for them, and serve them as you leave your own homeworld to rot."
Hearing those words that were uttered without deceit, Gaia narrowed her eyes as frowned her lips.
And now, for the truth of Surreal's action against mother nature.
"Why did you massacre my children?"
"To save the concept of humanity from extinction," Surreal quickly answered, unyielding as he was matching his aura and intensity with the literally godly being in front of him. "To awaken you from your semi-unconscious slumber, and ask for your undeniable permission to claim the Reality Core."