《Grame Within》 Chapter 1: Apathy Ringing sound echoed in his mind; hand held with huge pain. Pain which could hardly be described, something new reverberating like a heartbeat going louder and louder. Each reverberation replacing a part of him, something taking deep roots inside him, surreal feeling spreading in his core Am I dying? Slowly his sense of touch returned. He could feel the comfort of his clinical chair, the soft fabric, the position of his head. Trying to move his head, a burning sensation spread from his right cerebrum consuming his brain, his head, his body Is this a dream? Everything started to feel apathetic. Like there was no point in anything, no point whether he was alive or dead. Does it even? But then hazy memories start to flood, his own memories, the people he held dear, his work, him, Xue, Seth, Xmox, his crew, his city, his life, him. Slowly the apathetic feeling faded, his passiveness also I¡¯m alive, aren¡¯t I! *** He was leaning at the walls of his balcony, his thoughts elsewhere, busy streets filled with conscious beings, each having different conscience, wanting different, going different, thinking different. Such is world. A voice broke his thought process. ¡°So, you can¡¯t describe how you felt back then¡± After a while he replied. ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything other than being unconscious and having a terrible dream¡± ¡°Sir this is unlike anything I have dealt¡± said the medic bot, who was also leaning on the balcony wall ¡°What about Xue¡± ¡°Ms. Xue is still active in epi verse. We can forcefully eject her but without knowing the whole picture I would advise against it.¡± ¡°Shall I contact some expert who has some experience with this field of work¡± ¡°I know an expert myself, 7 stars¡± said Ayrton while looking at the readings ¡°That is above anything we can provide; shall I stay here for your care then¡± ¡°I¡¯m good, you can go now¡± said Ayrton while stretching his arms ¡°I hope that everything works fine¡± said the bot while going for his things ¡°I hope for the same as well,¡± said Ayrton again alone with his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his hands and moved his fingers on which his band responded. It was a record of all the readings during the time he was unconscious. Everything completely normal, EGG, even the cortisol levels Again, leaning at the wall and looking down at the bustling city filled with flying cars, various commercials in the screen, gigantic buildings. He liked observing down from heights, looking at the world from the top, his own room was 127th floor. Everything about the city was normal, colorful city except for the fact that he had been unconscious for more than a day, it was not five but six June, a day gone completely unnoticed, a day gone dreaming. Xue had still not woken up yet marking her dive 27 hours long The frustration was slowly creeping him as he could not even attempt to even theorize the situation which completely passing through his thoughts like an enigma, in his helplessness he gripped the railing tightly and clenched his teeth. Calm down, I have my friends with me Taking a deep breath, he looked at the sky, the moon shining in the dark sky along with Sirius, the taste of night calming him. His mind still unable to process the situation ¡°Seth has arrived, shall I let him in¡± Echoed a polite voice behind him ¡°Let him¡± he said as he moved away from the balcony towards his room. His room was almost clean and spacious filled with cutting-edge tech, in the corner of his huge room were three clinical chairs, laying on one of the them was a girl wearing a full-face compact helmet. Looking at her evoked concern and warmth in his chest spreading throughout him. As he took a seat in his bean bag chair, a blonde youth with long hair entered his view. The youth had sheepish eyes carrying a bag, his hair messed up ¡°So, how are you¡± said Seth as he retrieved a mecha silver skull from his bag and placed it on the table. The skull with red eyes smiled at Ayrton ominously How am I feeling, how am I feeling¡­¡­? maybe I¡¯m worrying too much, it might be a minor malfunction or Xue might have some important work. But that dream was extremely uncomfortable, that burning sensation in my head, what if Xue is experiencing such pain. When we were in Hestia hmm¡­ it can be likely she¡¯s didn¡¯t die ¡­. maybe it was a system crash due to such a large-scale war rendering¡­¡­but wars more magnificent than Hestia have transpired and they destroy planets every then and now. Stolen novel; please report.Seth took a seat beside him and punched him in the tummy. ¡°For some apparent reason¡± he paused ¡°after my death in Epi verse, I was unconscious more than a day. Xue has still not woken up¡± Ayrton said while shoving Seth¡¯s hand away ¡°Here are the reports provided by the medic bot¡± said Ayrton as he sent him the reports ¡°Are you serious right now¡± Said Xmox concerned as Seth skimmed the reports ¡°It says that you were also having some unpleasant dreams¡± Asked Seth After a while and explaining Seth and Xmox everything they were contacting his dad. clearly annoyed Juan was very forgetful, he forgot him again After going through the reports Juan told them not to forcefully eject Xue and first contact her inside Epi Verse. Juan would send some people to retrieve her soon, Xue was not in any eminent danger and everything was fine. This put his heart at ease hopefully this unexpected situation would resolve shortly Right now, Ayrton was wearing his epi verse headset ready to dive in the Epi-Verse. Seth and Xmox had departed as well <> <> Vision returned to his eyes. Hazy, slowly people coming into vision¡­¡­. a lot of people. The first thing he did was to look up at the sky, bright stars came into view along with a gigantic road going into the horizon, the sky was exceptionally clear with thousands of stars, star clusters, gas clouds of different colors What a luck It seemed that he had spawned in the alliance which was not that far away from Hestia. Soon he would reach Xue Suddenly people around him started jumping wildly and the ground started to shake, his sudden startled complexion returned to normal as he realized that he was in a concert. Colorful lights spreading all around, the vibrations of bass, the ear shattering sounds But that was not all, there were star-ships and flying platforms filled with people in the sky. He could see a neon-colored humanoid figure wearing a hoodie as the stage. Bright flashes coming from all around But right at this point his doused demeanor was broke by a voice ¡°A nice place to spawn isn¡¯t it¡± he looked at the owner of the voice and found a girl wearing revealing clothing, seemed to be drunk. Glancing at himself, he found out that he completely smelled of booze It seems that the previous NPC owner of this body was really something In his helplessness he tried to get away from the concert, trying to squeeze in between people. Majority of Epi Verse was filled with NPCs (Non-Players Computers) which were like average people here. They would behave brainlessly with same set dialogues and behavior. When a player died then in their next spawn, they would be randomly assigned to one of these NPCs body anywhere. Although players would lose their old body after death, they would still retain access to their bank account, their possessions, their property and their experience After a while he was in a hyper loop with three players staring at him, all wearing a same green Armor. He was being stared at due to him being bathed by booze maybe ¡°Seems like someone did a lot of fun¡± Said one of the them. He was bald with long beard, which he was caressing The other three were staring at Ayrton expecting something funny, his mode already sore enough Damn these people messing with me ¡°Would you believe me if I said that I just spawned like this¡± He paused ¡°And that in the middle of the concert¡± said Ayrton ¡°Man you sound so serious!¡± So what if I am After a while he was near a residential area filled with unreal architecture. The buildings seemed to go in the space. He was in the alliance, a Dyson ring in space placed strategically between all the habitable planets in the goldilocks zone here. In Epi Verse, everything worked with the laws of science meaning that everything here could be reconstructed in real life as well, provided such capital and resources were available. Right now, Ayrton was showering in his room here. The room was similar to his real life one except that it was lacking Xue. She was his replica, someone who saw the world with the same view as his, someone who had been always at his side. In the same circumstances they both would react almost similarly; hence he could not imagine any harm to her ¡°Eon, call Xue¡± he said, water tickling down his face After a pause a mechanical voice echoed ¡°She is out of reach¡± Sure enough, she is in Hestia ¡°Call Seth¡± ¡°Calling¡± Entered Xmox manic laugh as he hung up the call Exiting from the shower he went for his trademark black and white spacesuit, which both him and Xue had designed. After a while he was in Alliance¡¯s star-port which was filled with numerous star ships, most of which even he saw for the first time. That was due the diversity of products in Epi verse Nearing hanger where he was supposed to meat Seth and Xmox he saw huge white ship with golden patterns being marveled by not only him but many other players nearby. Archangel Talk about show off As Archangel¡¯s ramp opened, he was greeted by a seven feet tall silver robot (Xmox) with undefinable expression on his face, but he knew his friend good enough to conclude that it was a smirk. Inside the ship¡¯s lobby area all three of them were discussing their course of events. It seemed that the ship would take a day and a half to reach Hestia, both Xmox and Seth were sleeping in the bunk bed as they had logged off, Ayrton also planning to do the same Chapter 2: Light Real World Ayrton, Seth and Xmox were all inside the private room of a hyper loop. Ayrton had been forcefully brough here by Seth who would not let him be-alone, explaining that he would again be stressed. A white robot-cat was annoyingly sitting on Ayrton¡¯s lap while glaring at Seth who was sleeping ¡°My sleep¡± Blurted Seth who was greeted by the cat angrily whisking at him, ready to attack. The cat was Xmox who had been transferred to this body for ¡®greater-good¡¯ As they exited the loop Seth was explaining to Xmox ¡°I know that you are suffering in that body and cuteness is not your way, but ain''t no way you voice suits your cat face¡± Xmox was deathly staring at Seth with his red eyes ¡°Hm how about this¡± He paused ¡°For the next seven days the ship is yours¡± said Seth with difficulty ¡°Now were talking meow¡± Xmox¡¯s voice changed to cat one as he jumped to Seth¡¯s grip. The hyper loop station here at the capital was bustling with all kinds of people and stuff with addition to its overwhelming architecture. The thing about it that stood out the most were that it allowed a lot of non-direct sunlight and its greenery. Reaching the exit one of the bot¡¯s eyes landed on them (scanned them) after which they were let through Ayrton was just a standby here for Seth¡¯s work this time and was rather perplexed, but his mood definitely better than what it would be if he were alone in his room. They neared a huge spiral shaped building which could even be seen far away from the hyper loop station itself, Seth led them to two bots waiting for them along with a huge box. As Ayrton had expected the building was very exquisite and lavish inside, being owned by the tycoons. Inside the elevator Seth was talking with the two bots. Seth was an employ of Replica corporation, the same one that was responsible for making Xmox. Some rich person was interested in replicas and Seth¡¯s company would not be showing face if they were to send a bot for the work. Although the world was now filled with a lot of artificial minds, the human still considered themselves superior. Artificial bots were merely seen tools for work As they entered Seth¡¯s customer¡¯s room, they were greeted by a bot who seemed to be the butler and a redhead shy youth who seemed to not be comfortable with strangers. The both greeted them and right now they all were seated ¡°Little Claire has failed to any make friends and now we were worrying that it might start affecting her mental health¡± said the bot as he pointed at the sofa behind which Ayrton could see a little redhead girl peeking This is definitely not goanna be easy A voice entered his ears Xmox cat who was resting in the sofa slowly went to the girl like a British shorthair. Although the little girl backed away a little in the beginning, the evil Xmox started meowing and walking strangely which easily seduced the girl who started patting him. Looking at the site Seth couldn¡¯t hold back his chuckle ¡°Pardon me¡± he said After Xmox opening up Claire, they were able to guide her to the general replica process. Right now, she was laying on a Epi-Verse clinical chair along with her replica¡¯s body. Seth was supervising the work while Ayrton and the shy youth Ryan were talking about his quantum computer placed between the chair This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I also prefer Quantum core¡± said the youth in French accent. It seems our tastes align "Anyway, if you''re free next'' month, there''s a big expedition happening in the Epi-verse." ¡°Sure, if I have time than I¡¯ll come¡± Ayrton shook his hand on which his band vibrated indicating that he was added his friend It seemed that Ryan¡¯s sister was also done with her replica creation. The bots positioned her replica body into a sitting position which seemed lifeless. This was a biological body with limited mechanics clearly very expensive, they have copied Clair¡¯s imprint hence it will behave exactly like Clair in her initial days. After the replica experiences life, slowly she would cultivate here distinct identity although not ¡®so-different¡¯ than that of Claire¡¯s After the butler bot removed her headset, she was clearly eager. ¡°It¡¯s done, you just have to press this Y letter here to wake her up¡± said Seth as she while looking at her replica with her hand on the button. Slowly the brilliance of life seemed to hug the replica as color returned to her eyes ¡°Oui-oui¡± Claire was closely examining her replica which looked similar to her except more pale baby skin and distinct facial features. Looking at her made him nostalgic about Xue The replica eyed each individual with wariness after which she ran away to a hiding spot. Claire tried to follow her but was stopped by Seth who advised to give the replica some time. *** Later in the evening inside Epi-Verse, Ayrton was stuck in the middle of an argument. Ohh gosh¡­. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now¡± Cried Seth whose face was held by Xmox. ¡°It was decided beforehand when you transferred me into a cat that the ship belongs to me for eleven days. And now I even won a toss¡± Fumed Xmox ¡°You think I don¡¯t know your tricks; you predicted the outcome with your damned eyes¡± ¡°But why are you two even arguing provided that the ship is in auto pilo-¡± ¡°For the pilot obviously¡± Replied both of them in sync. Merely to sit there Ayrton was speechless. Right at this point Archangel¡¯s Angelic voice entered Which was also displayed on the screen. The ship seemed sinister dark Seems like vice-captain has arrived ¡°Let it enter¡± Commanded Xmox. After a while a short girly figure in black attire entered the lobby, she was a Japanese with black hair ¡°Hi, Rin sama¡± Greeted Xmox on which Rin nodded clearly used to Xmox¡¯s naming habits. It seemed they were close to reach Hestia as well ¡°Xmox, since when did you became so rich¡± She asked clearly marveling the ship. Archangel was a pretty expensive and even Ayrton was puzzled how Seth managed the money. But if it was Xmox, everything was possible ¡°I was born rich¡± Replied Xmox with an ominous expression which was his smile. Planet Hestia was one of the Sweatiest places in Epi-Verse due to its sheer resources. It had titanium, gold, aluminum mines in abundance. Also, Epi-Verse which was basically a virtual world which followed all the laws of science except conservation laws as it had infinite resources, even the mines on Hestia would keep renewing automatically. It was a heaven for creators as they won¡¯t have to worry about cheap resources and capital here. Hence whoever in possession of these mines had access to infinite mineral deposits This led to a constant brawl of the three superpowers here, which were Eastern Concord, Western Union and the Federation of space. Ayrton and his crew members were independent players who would occasionally work for the federation, right now they were in federation¡¯s space station near Hestia. ¡°We still can¡¯t let this ship pass¡± ¡°Even if I pay for it¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped; Archangel can destroy any Titanium mine in seconds. Although you work for us and we trust you, the others don¡¯t¡± ¡°We won¡¯t even think of those missiles¡± Explained Xmox to Weissman¡¯s hologram who was not budging from his stance. Archangel had the ability fire nuclear missiles, hence them bringing it near Hestia could make other two superpowers alert, they might even start a nuclear war blaming Federation. ¡°And here was I expecting fun¡± Sighed Xmox. ¡°It seems that we would have to take Rin¡¯s ship now¡± ¡°You are clearly making fun of her ship,¡± said Seth ¡°No, not that¡± He Sighed ¡°Man I wanted to fire nuclear missiles so bad¡± ¡°Its good that they didn¡¯t allow you then, no way you would get us banned from federation¡± A dark ship was hovering near Hestia¡¯s orbit. Inside the ship Xmox and three of his faceless silver bot, Seth was also wearing his silver spacesuit with a silver moto-gp helmet, Ayrton and Rin also ready in their spacesuits. ¡°As soon we contact Xue, her location would be revealed to everyone. We have to be quick after contact¡± Putting a hand on Ayrton¡¯s shoulder, Seth nodded. Ayrton looked at his hand and moved his fingers on which his band responded <¡­¡­.> <¡­¡­> After a pause Chapter 3: First Contact It seemed that she was using automated voice. At this moment Guts (The dark ship) surged in planet Hestia. It started shaking as it entered the planet¡¯s atmosphere which was filled with clear white clouds. The ship passed them as red cracked ground entered their view, this was Union¡¯s area and they could clearly see three hammerhead ships ready to fire them. ¡°Let¡¯s try to contact them¡± Said Xmox on which Seth nodded <¡­.> *** Rin would stay in the ship to pilot it. As they exited, Ayrton was surrounded by three of Xmox¡¯s bots, his body right now was weak, he didn¡¯t had time to make general changes in it. So he could oonluy depend on his friends who were taking the lead A squad of twelve wearing the same union armor entered their view ¡°You can rescue you friend now¡± said Zeta, his armor clearly different from others. The location Xue had sent them indicated that she was inside a chasm here, looking down from the crack Ayrton could see that the chasm was very deep Seth held his waist to help him hover down. Ayrton didn¡¯t have much time to prepare his gear, Xmox would stay up in the meanwhile. The walls of chasm seemed as dry as the planet itself, devoid of life. The chasm grounds were made of much darker minerals and was rather uneven, nearing the location his nervousness sored ¡°Xue¡± Where is she The only thing in their view was a small light green ship parked. Right at this moment from a crack in the chasm, Xue¡¯s figure emerged. The same black and white spacesuit as his, expect that she had made her visor tinted to hide her face. Looking at her filled him with warmth and eased his worries which remerged as another figure emerged from the crack The mysterious figure was shorter in height wearing dark purple attire, his helmet looked like a hoodie. Seth¡¯s thrusters started as he remerged in front the figure and pinned him down, his silver arms gleaming. Players could dispose their old bodies here in epi verse hence they would do several modifications to it, Seth himself had cyber-arms installed with which he could easily crush the figure ¡°One wrong move and you di-¡± ¡°Stop¡± Screamed Xue. ¡°Calm down¡± said Ayrton with both his hands forward while nodding at Seth who let the mysterious figure free. ¡°Care to explain it¡± Asked Ayrton, they didn¡¯t have much time ¡°Art¡­. it¡¯s that, its-¡± ¡°Both me and Xue can¡¯t log out¡± said the Mysterious figure who for some reason had a childlike voice ¡°Can¡¯t log out, what does it means¡± Asked Seth ¡°For some reason, epi verse is registering us as native Ai¡¯s. You can check my id¡± <> Xue also showed her id <> Wtf¡­. Is this a joke ¡°Normally when native AI¡¯s die then there is no re-spawn¡± He took a breath ¡°My host is also on the orbit; we have to escape¡± Now that they were registered as native AI¡¯s, union would never let them go. Native AIs were epi verse generated advanced intelligences which were treasured by bigger organizations. They could fore them to do work and kidnap them, the AI would have to comply as not doing so meant death. This kidnapping thing could not be done to real player¡¯s id, a real players could kill their own body and get a new respawn, but native AIs had only one life. Xue and Blue were 5 star and 4.5 stars respectively, they first had to get them somewhere safe. I have to calm down Thought Ayrton while looking at Xue who was sitting on the ground, her back supported by the chasm walls. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Steh went to other side with Blue as Ayrton took a seat beside Xue. After a pause he broke the silence. ¡°I contacted pops¡± He paused ¡°he said there is no eminent danger, we were just here to know the whole picture¡± He placed her head on his shoulder ¡°I am here, will never let any harm near you¡± *** Xmox was chilling up on the ground while looking at Zeth and his squad. It seemed to him that this rescue mission would be boring Xmox ears stood up hearing this It seemd now that not too boring He looked at Zeth and his squad all aiming at him, any suspicious move and anyone would be dead. But Xmox was not ¡®Anyone¡¯, confrontations like this were normal to him, a 5.5 star. ¡°Tell your friends that I¡¯m getting impatient,¡± said Zeta ¡°So am I¡± Said Xmox as his thrusters started. His body surged forward and was shot multiple times as it fell. Right when everyone thought that he was dead, his body exploded and his head shot backward towards one of his three Bots who picked it and attached it in its head Zeta¡¯s squad was shaken by the huge explosion. Xmox took advantage of this and started shooting, lightspeed laser projectiles speeding. He took down four of Zeta¡¯s members but his body was also finished in the process by the incoming firepower, his head again fallen on the ground Xmox head looked at one of his two remaining bots and his eyes glowed as he took control and started shooting, shots also incoming which were absorbed by his energy shield. His remaining bot also fell down, now only him and Zeta were left Now His energy shield was also starting to crumble, starting his thrusters he launched up and fired a rocket which Zeta couldn¡¯t block and was killed. Energy shields could only absorb energy lasers, not physical projectiles like rocket and such a point-blank range Zeta couldn¡¯t intercept it Xmox Laughed as he picked his head and attached it, he took a huge 7-meter gun and aimed at one of the hammerhead ships. Rin¡¯s ship was in pretty bad shape and would be destroyed shortly. There are still two hammerhead ships remaining. He thought grimly, is this all Seth planned, will we lose here. MAN, I hate losing. He took aim of his railgun which was glowing from its ends and fired at one of the Warhammers whose shields were low. Xu..Xu..Xu The hammerhead exploded; Rin¡¯s ship explodes as well. One remaining hammerhead was still standing at full shields and Union¡¯s reinforcements would arrive shortly, the hammerhead ship took a notice of Xmox, the huge metallic fortress like ship coming his way with its guns aimed at Xmox. But shots never came near him, the ship moved upwards. It had detected something, three missiles coming from the clouds leaving smoke trails behind and started following the hammerhead. From the clouds entered a dark red ship shining, it looked eerily sinister. Thet ship is Azazel! *** Right now, Ayrton, Seth and Xue were tightly fitted inside Blue¡¯s small green ship which was parked in the chasms. If normal ships were cars here then this ship was a bike, its passenger seat was clearly only meant to house one person. Ayrton¡¯s helmet was being pinned down against the ship¡¯s walls; he couldn¡¯t even move his body by an inch. Blue was exempt from this treatment as he was the driver The ship surged upwards from the chasms and sky entered their view. The aftereffects of the battle present here. In the sky, a red ship was handling four of union¡¯s ship all by itself, is seemed to seamlessly maneuver itself continuing its spree. Their ship stooped to pick up Xmox who came near the sunroof and threw his head ¡°Quite spacious here¡± Suddenly the sky boomed with explosions. Their small ship speeded upwards as shots were fired at it, some its shield blocked some it dodged. Due to this the ship was spinning and maneuvering very strangely. Xmox¡¯s head was moving and bouncing Looking at Ayrton thought Seth It seems that having Xue with him changed his mood to normal Suddenly Xmox¡¯s head collided with his. Their ship arrived inside Azazel and its cabin opened, from which Xue fell down followed by Ayrton. Azazel¡¯s interior lights were light purple, it was built by the same manufacturers as of Archangel¡¯s, unlike archangel it was a stealth ship. All of them collided with the ship¡¯s walls due to its sudden turn She attached his head on her waist. As soon as they arrived at the cockpit they sat down, not wanting to collide again. But what they saw on the radar made them grim, they were surrounded by 11 of Union¡¯s ships and their own shields were half left. It was a miracle itself how was Azazel standing Azazel narrowly avoided a missile as it took down a sentinel ship. It sped up in the sky being chased by 10 ships, its shields were 15% now In the clouds it arched backward and destroyed another ship Slowly they neared horizon and they had destroyed some more ships in the process. As they passed 300 miles altitude mark, a white and gold ship, Archangel came into their view Archangel fired two huge laser projectiles at Union forcing them to stop their pursuit who were not ready to face such star-ship. They had escaped Hestia *** In outer space, they all were sitting in the Archangel¡¯s lobby ¡°You sure your dad can help us¡± Asked a girl with wavy long hair and pale skin, Lorca. ¡°Even if he can¡¯t, he knows Epi verse developers,¡± said Ayrton ¡°Your dad is a big shot then¡± ¡°He¡¯s a 7-star¡± ¡°7-star! first time I met someone acquainted with a 7¡± A black-haired child was looking at Xmox¡¯s skull placed on the table ¡°Is he fine like that¡± He asked Xue ¡°He¡¯s a strange one¡± said a silver hair, grey eyes girl. Xue ¡°Can I pick him up¡± Asked the child, Blue as he moved his hand forward ¡°I bite¡± Said Xmox while opening his mouth. Blue strangely backed down while glaring at Xmox which made Lorca laugh. ¡°I¡¯m longing off then. Xue, take care of him¡± said Lorca as she laid down on one of the bunk beds nearby ¡°I¡¯ll try to sleep as well,¡± said Blue while yawning Chapter 4: Ulysses Real World A private jet was hovering in the dusky sky. The shades of the being sky orange, the rough contrast, the sun spreading its brilliance on the clouds, one of the most beautiful weathers according to Ayrton who was peeking through the widows. In front of him was Xue on her clinical chair, they had moved the whole thing here, the quantum computer as well. Her nutrition, everything was kept monitored. Beside her, Blue was getting the same treatment. It seems that the hardest thing to bear is the people that you love in danger. This was a first experience for Ayrton, in the richness of twenty fourth century, people like him hardly expected any danger. The vibrations of the plane landing hit him, it seemed they had reached Ulysses, located in Iceland. In a van which was auto driving, Ayrton was getting nervous and impatient while Lorca was listening music on her headphones, her eyes closed. Ulysses was a longing for brilliant minds, it was one of the largest research center. It looked rather like a city , the snowy ground filled with footprints and trye marks. Their van stopped inside a huge warehouse, with his hands on his jacket¡¯s pockets he was walking near the bots who were steering Xue and Blue¡¯s clinical chairs .The interior of the warehouse was lush green, the temperature warm such that he had to remove his jacket. After a short walk, an exquisite humanoid bot with girlish figure and clothing entered his view. Its body looked premium and cutting edge making it stand apart from others. This was Lizzy, his father¡¯s replica and somewhat like an ancient big sister to him. She was standing in a ladylike posture, her intelligent eyes eyeing their group. Ayrton neared her as she hugged him and patted his hair. ¡°Ohh, poor boy¡± She paused ¡°And she must be Ms. Levi¡± she said glancing at Lorca ¡°I know your grandfather¡± ¡°What an unexpected thing it is¡± As she led them to his father, she would occasionally introduce them to the facility to make them comfortable here. It was also an eye opener to him that how much faster technology evolved here. In the main room they could see a humanoid figure working with some tech. ¡°They are here¡± ¡°Who at this time? I don¡¯t remember anyone so off-schedule¡± said an old man who looked like a cyborg. His all limbs were bionic, his eyes bionic as well. ¡°Look at them dear, you will surely remember¡± Juan eyes moved from the clinical chairs to Lorca, then stopped at him. He seemed to focus as he scratched his head. ¡°He¡¯s your-¡± Lizzy was interrupted ¡°Stop, I¡¯m close to remembering¡± He pauses ¡°Black hair that would gradually become white in the ends¡± He screamed. ¡°Black hair hmm¡± ¡°You are Ayrton¡± He screamed with excitement What¡¯s so much exciting ¡°Hey old man¡± Lizzy explained him the situation about Xue and Blue. Juan was an ancient guy, rumored to be older than one hundred and twenty years. Although medications to stop cell senescence and DNA damage were available, human body had its limits. Death was always the end, to prevent his psychosis Juan underwent treatment regularly to remove his new unimportant memories. Hence, he was forgetful. Both Lizzy and Juan started working, after a long time passed in his passiveness, they finally found out the problem. Most scientists would create prototypes in Epi-Verse, and then produce the real deal in non-virtual world here. Based on the feats each player has performed, epi verse intelligence had the ability to grade people in star grade. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. They both were 7 stars, and could understand what normal people couldn¡¯t, even advanced ai like that medic bot were not able to identify such new problem, the former being new to its data. ¡°It¡¯s quite peculiar¡­. how do I put it; I know how to cure this but for why did it happen. I don¡¯t know¡± He explained ¡°So, what should we do now¡± ¡°We forcefully eject her, what else¡± ¡°Wont that harm her!¡± ¡°Normally it would indeed, but we have our ways¡± ¡°Should we warn her in epi verse¡± ¡°Why should we warn her?¡± It seemed that Juan was abundant in his stance. After a while Lizzy removed Xue¡¯s epi verse helmet, and to Ayrton¡¯s surprise Xue was not in any trauma due to sudden shift. Her body was definitely not in good shape though, the consequence of staying in bed for more than two days. She would have to stay here in Ulyssis for some time. During that night Ayrton could sleep like a peaceful baby. A bond between a replica and a human unlike anything, it was like having another version of you nearby. For him Xue was heaven-sent. The morning here in island fell somewhat calm. There an unpleasant chill co existing with warmth. His mind was working actively, as if life had again become exciting for him. Ayrton was aiding Xue in light cardio exercise. On the treadmill Xue asked him ¡°I heard that you were also unconscious¡± ¡°Who told you¡± ¡°Xmox, back in epi verse¡± That bastard, well I shouldn¡¯t keep secrets anyway. She also has the ability to read me. ¡°Yeah, I was. To me it felt normal, like a day passed in a blink¡± But we should get a checkup¡± ¡°Already planned that, it¡¯s on afternoon¡± ¡°I figured out you would, such hypochondriac you are¡± ¡°How are you feeling¡± ¡°Ohh¡­Don¡¯t pamper me¡± ¡°When you were using automated voice and hiding your face, I knew you got emotional seeing me¡± ¡°So¡± She already figured out that I found out ¡°Every crybaby needs pampering¡± Footsteps entered their ears. Ayrton could see a yellow eyed youth with silver hair wearing glasses, they youth had exceptional physique. "What is he doing here!" They both said at the same time. ¡°Am I that ugly¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been isolated from a long time, might as well socialize with my siblings¡± His dad was a part of scientists who would create multiple humans like Ayrton. Normal people called them synthetics. They were completely created with one of his father''s DNA templet(Y) and the other one(X) was artificial, meaning they had no biological mother ¡°How is your workshop going¡± ¡°Same as always¡± Sighed Xue. Ayrton and Xue were both 5-star engineers, hence they wanted to create their own technology. But sadly, due to them being lazy, they hadn¡¯t made any significant progress. ¡°Ohh¡­don¡¯t get discouraged, all creators are on the same boat" said Max as he was doing his extensive exercise ebulliently. Balancing his whole body on one hand. After a while Maxims did all of Ayrton¡¯s checkup and it seemed that there was no problem. ¡°Now happy¡± asked Ayrton to Xue. The day went smooth, the atmosphere here in his father¡¯s lab was somewhat of his liking. He was quite happy these days socializing with some of his siblings present here which felt to him like a vacation. Ayrton¡¯s finger was held by a tiny hand, he was strolling here in the park with Ezra, the thirtieth child. Ezra was nine years old and quite talkative with him. ¡°When will they allow me to go outside earth in epi verse¡± ¡°After you pass three-star mark probably. Maybe when you get fifteen¡± ¡°That¡¯s so mean!¡± ¡°Well, I mean what would you do in outer space if you don¡¯t know how it works¡± ¡°I wanna buy ships, I wanna fly ships, I wanna destroy ships¡± ¡°That¡¯s a nice goal!¡± Quite lively Ayrton had a habit of trying to find the reasoning about why people behaved or acted like that. He would sometimes make different conclusion. Like he could perfectly rationalize Xue¡¯s behavior and draw conclusions. With unknown people he was quite in a predicament but children were easy to predict, hence it was quite his liking to interact with them. When they returned it seemed that Xue had some news for him. Archangel starship was brought by both Xmox and Seth¡¯s funding. But still Xmox had paid seventy percent, Seth only owned thirty percent of it. Now out of nowhere Xmox paid him his share back and claimed the whole ship with which he went somewhere. The both has this similar kind of relationship where they would become enemies and then friends again and again. (Epi verse: ev)