[32nd data self-check complete. No anomalies detected.]
The mechanical, synthesized voice echoed in the empty room. The girl standing before the control panel glanced at the results, then quietly initiated the 33rd self-check.
The screen in front of her, taller than she was, began running the same program it had run countless times before. The flowing code shimmered, reflected in the girl's emerald green eyes.
Absorbed in her work, the girl didn't notice the sinister figure that had materialized in the darkness.
Soundless, breathless, the figure drifted towards her like a ghost. It stopped directly behind her, still unnoticed.
Seeing the girl so engrossed in her work, a cold smile crept across the figure's lips. It raised a pale, serpentine hand, reaching for the girl's neck.
But just as the figure was about to strike, the lights in the room flickered on.
"Dr. Mobius, I know you can see in the dark, but please turn on the lights when you enter." The girl's voice was tinged with exasperation, suggesting this wasn't the first time this had happened. "Also, please don't disturb me while I'm working."
The outstretched hand froze mid-air. Mobius clicked her tongue, annoyance flashing across her face. "Can't you have a little sense of danger, my dear Klein? What if it hadn't been me, but an enemy?"
"But Dr. Mobius, as long as the Elysian Realm's firewall hasn't been breached, the only person who would come here is you."
This was the control center of the Elysian Realm, responsible for maintaining its operation. Because it was independent of the Realm's program, most of the Flame-Chasers wouldn't come near it.
And after the severe incident during Mei's trial the previous day, the trial grounds' operating programs had been sealed off and handed over to Klein for maintenance. The only person who would come here at this time was Mobius, the researcher.
"Boring." Seeing the girl's serious expression, Mobius snorted, not bothering to argue further. She swiveled her floating chair, her gaze falling on the screen in front of Klein.
"So? Have you found the cause of yesterday's malfunction?"
Klein stepped aside, giving her space. "I've analyzed all the data from the past 72 hours, including the trial grounds and the Elysian Realm itself. But apart from the unknown signal that appeared at the time, I haven't found any other anomalies."
"Can you determine the source of the signal?"
Klein shook her head, pulling up the records from that time. "I'm sorry, Dr. Mobius. Aside from confirming that the signal originated from outside, there's no useful information. I can't even determine when the signal first appeared."
"Outside… World Serpent?"
"Probably not. The connection to the outside world was temporarily severed after Raiden Mei entered the Elysian Realm. Theoretically, the only way to contact the organization is through me."
"So, an external signal bypassed the Elysian Realm's security programs and entered directly." Mobius's breathing quickened, a flush of excitement rising on her cheeks.
"That's just a hypothesis. She's the first Herrscher to enter the Elysian Realm, so there's no previous data to analyze." Klein, oblivious to Mobius's excitement, displayed the footage from the trial.
In the footage, Raiden Mei, like a descended deity, bathed in lightning, killed the beast with a single strike. But the next moment, her eyes lost their light, and she collapsed.
"A Herrscher…" Mobius's pink, serpentine pupils narrowed. She licked her lips, like a snake preparing to hunt.
She paused, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.
A signal that can bypass the Elysian Realm's programs, a perfect Herrscher body… Perhaps this is the opportunity I've been waiting for. A thought flashed through her mind. Mobius instinctively looked at another screen in the room.
This screen was different from the others. It monitored the connection to reality, not the data within the Elysian Realm.
While serving as a massive database, the Elysian Realm also functioned as a trial ground for World Serpent cadre, requiring data exchange with the outside world. The control center was designed to establish this connection.
But the Flame-Chasers within the Elysian Realm had their own personalities. It was impossible to guarantee they wouldn't use the control center for their own purposes. To prevent this, control of the center had been given to Klein.
Klein wasn't human, but an armed puppet created by Mobius before the destruction of the Previous Era. As long as it had sufficient energy, it could operate indefinitely.
Another reason for choosing her was that an armed puppet wouldn't disobey its orders. The directive to maintain the Elysian Realm had been given by the real Mobius. Not even the memory constructs within the Elysian Realm could usurp her authority.
"Klein, have you ever imagined… the outside world?"
"…Dr. Mobius, your thoughts are dangerous." Klein was taken aback.
"Dangerous? I don't think so."
The screen displayed only data composed of 0s and 1s. But Mobius's eyes reflected a different landscape. It was as if she were looking not at a screen, but at a closed window.
"After all, there's no sun in the Elysian Realm. The light we see is just the Elysian Realm adjusting the lighting to simulate different times of day, to prevent us from losing ourselves in the flow of time. We've all been in the Elysian Realm for fifty thousand years. Who can guarantee that no one has become curious about the outside world?"
Seeming to sense her longing, Klein remained silent for a moment before speaking in a serious tone. "Dr. Mobius, I must remind you that the Elysian Realm is a database composed of the memories of the Flame-Chasers. Including you, Dr. Mobius, we are all memory constructs formed from the memories of the Flame-Chasers who existed in reality…"
Before she could finish, Mobius cut her off with a dismissive wave. "I know, I know. After all, most of us died fifty thousand years ago."
"But who can guarantee that the Mobius who remains in the outside world… is the real Mobius?"
Leaving behind those meaningful words, Mobius left the control room.
In the dim room, only Klein remained, staring blankly at Mobius's retreating figure.
And at that moment, Klein didn't notice that a string of garbled characters had appeared within the code, which had been confirmed safe 33 times by the monitoring program.
This extra string of code didn't affect the operation of the Elysian Realm. It simply added something akin to a chat room.
Anonymous (Red Font): Her name is… Raiden Mei.