Dzyl Archipelago, Island and Town of Duruk [Southern parts of the Spire Sea], local time [1794.04.17]

  The room transformed slightly while Sibi was trying to calm her emotions. Silently, robotic arms adorning the walls came to life. Part of the wall to their right opened up, and the arms retrieved two big chairs from inside before placing them beside the bed. The scene was a bit unsettling because everything happened within a second or two and without even the slightest sound. It was as sci-fi as it could get.

  But they both ignored it. In the first place, those ‘robotic’ arms were, most probably, enhanced to the limit of the materials they were composed of – being silent and swift was the least they could do.

  Instead, they both moved closer and sat in the provided chairs.

  They found it difficult to speak as the atmosphere was quite heavy at the moment, but they wanted to, at the very least, show support with their presence. Maybe people like Aisha could console the girl, but the two men sitting there stiffly could only wait silently.

  One could say: ‘typical men’. However, it really was hard to find any comforting words in this situation.

  Zeph could empathize with her to some degree. After losing her parents, crashing onto the sea of a lower stratum, and surviving a literal soul-breaking condition, she suddenly woke up in an unfamiliar environment. Then, the very person who supposedly helped her has arrived. And, as it turned out, she was in possession of very delicate information about him.

  It was a miracle that she even dared to expose what she knew. Most people would freak out and outright lie to keep themselves safe.

  Maybe it was the System’s presence, or maybe it was the fact that she had some faith in him, but she had decided to be straightforward and he understood how difficult that could be in such an unfamiliar, uneasy situation.

  “You know… I am quite impressed that you can be this forthcoming after all you have gone through,” he said sincerely. “I appreciate that. I really do,” he admitted quietly. “Let’s leave the System’s contract for later. I would like to know what you want to do in the future. You are a survivor. And I can relate to that feeling. We can support you, to an extent, but that depends strongly on what goals you have… No. Rather, what path leading forward you have in mind.”

  There was a moment of silence before Sibi turned her head to look at him. “You aren’t… curious about… Why are you not asking about what happened?” she finally found her tongue.

  Zeph shrugged. “You have survived, so it’s natural to first think about the present and the future. At least I think it is,” he said, scratching his head. “And it’s your tale to tell. I will not press for information. We weren’t attacked in those few days following your rescue, so it’s safe to assume no attack will come as long as we are away from that area. Although if that’s not true, I implore you to inform us. If there is danger, we can work it out if we know what we are dealing with.”

  She shook her head. “No… I think nobody will come after us anymore. They… they have… achieved their goal…” Her eyes began to water again as she said that.

  Zeph and Makani kept silent after that, waiting for her to regain her composure. At this point, it was obvious that she wasn’t simply a bystander to the events leading to the aerial crash. Thus, it was even more important to not push for explanations.

  First of all, people under pressure, under strong stress, weren’t cooperative. Assuming their mind wasn’t broken or their mentality externally influenced, but that was another case. It was a natural reaction of humans – to push against oppression or to try escaping, no matter how that oppression was manifesting. It could be noticed in everyday life – in interactions between family members and coworkers, or even whole companies and countries.

  That was also a part of the reason why people didn’t like changes. There was always stress and disagreement involved.

  As so, it would be unreasonable to demand anything from the girl. True, a System contract should make her feel safer, but she was interacting with that particular Onji for the first time. Not the best stress reliever. Especially because it was an Onji – a god-like being – she was interacting with right now.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long for her to come to her own conclusions.

  As her gaze hardened, she shifted in her bed to look directly at them. No longer scared or uncertain, it seemed she found her resolve.

  “I will… no, I can’t… I will keep the secret and… The situation isn’t… no…“ she instantly started fumbling with her words, her gaze turning down involuntarily as her cheeks reddened.

  But the duo waited patiently and without a word for her to gather her thoughts. Their composure seemed to help.

  “I don’t want to cause you problems,” she finally spoke in a full sentence, her voice quiet but steady. “You saved me… I don’t want to be disrespectful, so I should explain first,” she stated strongly, looking at Zeph. “I don’t think we are in danger… but I don’t know for sure. Mom seemed to be the target, but they still pursued—“

  “Now, now, there’s no need to hurry,” Makani said, raising his hands. “We know nothing about you and almost nothing about stratum-one. So please, start from the very beginning… if you are sure you want to share as much with us.”

  “I am more interested in the ‘first met the System Onji’ part, though,” Zeph idly stated. “I am aware of certain possibilities, but I only heard of… uncanny groups refusing the Onji.”

  “Hugh…” A strange sound escaped Sibi’s mouth. She seemed to be simultaneously confused, abashed, and apologetic. Makani immediately sent him a glare.

  “I… where should I start?” she asked weakly.

  “If it’s not too painful… why don’t try to start from your origins and situation?” Zeph asked, trying to be considerate. “Like, who was your family?”

  Makani’s glare intensified. He obviously failed to show any consideration at that very moment.

  However, Sibi didn’t seem to mind that too much.

  “T-then.. Umm… It starts with my parents, I g-guess…” she stuttered a little while organizing her thoughts. “My mom is… was”—it seemed she still was going to terms with that—“a distant relative of a greater lineage – the Durand House. I think… they are an important people on the Hiruk continent? Maybe…”

  Makani and Zeph exchanged glances.

  “You don’t sound... confident?” Makani asked.

  The girl shifted uncomfortably. “Mom didn’t like to speak about them. She was always insisting that she would deal with them herself... And she wasn’t using their name. But… I know that our land… We received it from that family. It was far from cities, but it was vast, and lush, and peaceful…” As she spoke, nostalgia started to fill her voice, her gaze going vacant for a moment.

  She grimaced after a second and shook her head.

  “But, that also meant we had responsibilities,” She continued. “Mom wasn’t connected to the Onji like everyone is. She had to practice old techniques that were invented by the ancestors before the System Onji has come… Also, dad wasn’t considered a part of the family… I mean, officially? I don’t understand that well… But I was to continue mom’s work, so I also wasn’t connected to the Onji.”

  “Ummm, I don’t think continuing her work is enough to keep you without System access from birth…” Zeph said when she made a pause. “You can require a disconnection after gaining access to the Interface, but before that…” He looked at the notification they were all seeing. “Maybe someone would be nice enough to elaborate? I am not sure what is going on?” he asked, glancing at Makani and seeing similar confusion in his eyes.

  An ‘Indirect Communication’? Is it something like those emotional warnings and clues I received when I made the first contact? Hmmm… But I already had an Interface back then? I mean, I didn’t understand them, but the System was writing to me in notifications… Zeph thought after reading the information.

  “Well, that…” Makani said hesitantly. “Doesn’t explain much…”

  “No, the System actually explained plenty,” Zeph disagreed, making the two other people in the room look at him with bewilderment. “They gave us selective information,” Zeph explained shortly, squinting his eyes at the notification. “I see what you are suggesting, System Onji. You left a lot of cases out, though? I know we don’t have direct power over our affiliations, but is it possible to waive our ‘Access Agreements’? Or their parts?”

  “What if parents aren’t connected to your system, Mr. System?” he asked, stroking his beard.

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  “And what about non-sentient races?”

  “If it’s cheaper than 10 000, then yes.”

  “Can we go back on topic?” Makani said, exasperated. “So what? Her parents decided she wouldn’t be born connected to the System and that’s it? How do you even do that? Is there a parental consultation office I missed somewhere?” he asked ridiculously, looking at the room’s walls in mock suspicion.

  “Eh? Umm… Y-yes.”

  “Indirect communication? Information con-conveyed?” Sibi asked silently, tilting her head. “But I… I don’t remember anything like that?”

  “That’s a given,” Makani said sternly. “Who in their right… No, I apologize!” he instantly corrected himself, finally remembering where he was and to whom he was speaking. “But asking a four-year-old child…”

  “Are you installing that Interface to every visitor, then?” Zeph asked skeptically, changing the topic. “And what’s with that ‘Individual Sibi’ speech? Actually… What’s your second name?” he asked, turning to Sibi.

  “I-it’s… not important anymore…” she said, her eyes glazing over once again.

  “Oh… I am sorry. Yes, you don’t need that old name! Yes, it’s… unnecessary,” he said in a slight panic, nodding vehemently but wincing in his head. His overblown reaction seemed to calm her somewhat.

  Don’t tell me… Even System has more tact than I?!

  Then, said System took his attention once more.

  Ugh, why did I even ask? Of course because it’s cheap and efficient… Zeph thought bitterly.

  He turned back to Sibi.

  “Okay. I see that your family was quite… unusual. Your mom was training you, correct?” He asked, curious how big of a role it played during her cascading Soul fragmentation and during her voyage through high Mana density.

  Sibi nodded but then paused. “I… am not sure… if I should talk about that…”

  “There is no need now, so don’t worry about it,” Makani instantly said. “But what happened for your family to be attacked?”

  “Um, so, one day, Mom said that it seems we won’t be needed anymore. That we will be free from our responsibilities… But because of that, our land… our home was going to…” she paused, evidently trying to distance herself from her memories.

  Zeph and Makani looked at each other, frowning in displeasure. That sounded more and more like the internal politics of Durand House. It was a disgrace that such a young kid had to suffer for it.

  In the end, she simply skipped that part in her story, wiping a stray tear with her sleeve. “We had enough money to buy land on a continent closer to the axis. Mom was also boasting that we will have enough… Unisale Points?” she asked herself, looking up in thought. “Something like that, I think? But, dad seemed worried when she was talking about that. I think, m-maybe they attacked because of that Unisale Points… but... I am not sure,” she shook her head lightly.

  “They sold it?” Makani turned to Zeph.

  “They were going to sell it,” he nodded without hesitation. “Hey, dear System, how does it work? In case a society – or however you call registered groups of people – are going to sell you an unknown Soul technique by sending their unconnected people, how is the reward calculated and spread?”

  Sibi made big eyes, shooting glances between them and the notification.

  “Huh? It sounds solid?” Zeph asked, tilting his head. “It doesn’t seem you can gain anything by killing others?”

  “Um… those rewards are… Unisale Points?” Sibi asked confusedly.

  “Universal Points, Sibi. Universal Points, Soul fragments, among other things,” Makani corrected. “We will explain it to you later, yes?” After she nodded, Makani turned to Zeph, “Maybe they weren’t selling those old techniques after all? Oh, right!” he exclaimed, smacking himself in the temple lightly. “Sibi, can you ask them?” he asked energetically, pointing at the notification.

  She seemed to be taken aback for a moment, but she recovered quickly. “System Onji, did the family of my mom sell you our technique?”

  “Gah,” she made another strange sound, flinching back before slumping over sadly in her bed.

  Makani also grimaced seeing his ‘great idea’ being heartlessly crushed.

  “Tsk, you guys are asking the wrong questions,” Zeph said, full of disappointment. “Sibi, would you give me permission to negotiate for you with the System here for a moment?”

  “Y-yes?” In her surprise, she asked instead of confirming.

  “System?” Zeph turned his head to the notification.

  “Good. Sibi,” he looked back at her. “I need the name of the technique your mother was teaching you. The full, official name.”

  She hesitated for a moment but quickly realized that it was only a name and nothing more. “The Flicher’s Empowerment.”

  “And at which parts of it are you proficient?”

  “Stage one…” she said, but didn’t give a name this time.

  “There! System-san,” he said, turning around with a big smile on his face. He added an unnecessary Japanese suffix because he felt like it, to the confusion of Makani and Sibi. “Please estimate the value of Soul memories containing the first stage of Flicher’s Empowerment Soul technique developed by the Durand lineage.”

  His smile grew even wider. “And why is this original technique paid so cheaply?” It really wasn’t much.

  “Wait!” Makani interjected suddenly, gathering their attention. “That can’t be right! She may be disconnected, and thus unaffiliated, but going by what was said, shouldn’t her knowledge be evaluated the same as other people from the Durand House?” It seemed he couldn’t come to terms with his own lack of critical thinking and reason.

  “Deep Memory Scan is required to confirm the connection.”

  Zeph and System answered in perfect synchronization.

  “She will be treated as an external individual until proven otherwise. Also, I think we can now openly talk about that technique of yours,” he said to Sibi. “I have some questions… But we should probably finish our previous talk. I have a suspicion they attacked because of the donation system.”

  “Donation?” the girl scratched her head.

  Makani, on the other hand, perked up. “You mean… They want to be the only people with access to it?”

  “Exactly,” Zeph nodded. “The rewards are one thing. Sibi’s mother could not only teach it but the System-revised Skill version will probably be inheritable. If the other people supplementing the data were told to donate it to the lineage…”

  Makani massaged his temples. “Couldn’t they form a contract or something?”

  “I think…” They turned, hearing Sibi’s weak voice. She seemed deeply depressed, not looking them in the eyes. “I think mom’s cousin who showed up had more reasons…”