Fayt's words echoed over upon themselves, an entreaty hopefully shouted against impending deletion. Starting at her fingertips and toes, Nel Zelpher's limbs had gradually started to glow yellow, separating into segments. Nel's character program was turning into bits of data, slowly fading away, and becoming nonexistent...
Nel hadn't really had time in the past to think of what being deleted might feel like, but she certainly didn't expect utter painlessness. It didn't even seem numb - it was nothing like what the rudimentary anesthesia in Aquaria provided, that dead weight that would creep up a limb. No, there was no weight here, just.. nothingness. Nothingness that crept up, up, and up... up until it reached her neck, her chin, her nose. One last prayer to Apris.
Deliver me...
And all was black. Was this nonexistence? If it was, then how come she could think? How could she be aware? If she was indeed able to think, then it would logically follow that some part of her existed, regardless of deletion. Yet it remained black like sleep, black like she was groggy and just didn't want to open her eyes. Well, if she forced herself to, then maybe she would. Discipline.
And Nel Zelpher struggled to open her eyes, only to find it quite a bit easier than she'd expected. And suddenly aware that not only did her body still exist, but it was warm and snug underneath a comforter.
This was deliverance indeed. But to where had she been delivered? She'd never seen walls like these in Aquaria or Airyglyph, and certainly not in her more recent travels. This was utterly foreign, Nel realized as she hoisted herself out of bed. There was a sleeping woman in the bed across the room. There was a set of grey garments with a strange symbol (too simple to be a rune) that had replaced her Aquarian special-issue uniform. And there were footsteps outside the doorway. Not a man, but a woman, judging by the sound of the tread. Not a military walk. No battle stance necessary.
Nel stood akimbo, facing the door as it opened.
A short, slightly plump woman let herself inside, absolutely beaming. “Oh, you're awake, Jeanne, darling! I'm so glad! I thought I was going to have to wake you.”
Nel raised her eyebrows, first at the name the woman had given her and then at the unusual cheerfulness the young woman displayed. “What...” It wasn't really a question. She certainly had questions, but there was no good place to start. And Jeanne? No. That wasn't right.
The nurse seemed to pick up on Nel's unease to some extent, though she missed the mark completely. “..Oh, I'm sorry! Ms. Dupont. You're one of those modern women, aren't you... Come along, now. We're off to the courtyard today!”
“I suppose that's all right,” Nel said, playing along. This woman obviously meant no harm, so the Crimson Blade figured asking questions wasn't such a bad idea. “So where are we?”
“Hum? Oh, oh yes, you're here in Landel's Institute, hon. You're here to get better,” the nurse said cheerfully.
...Get better? For the most part she seemed quite well, if a little confused. Her body looked as real as it ever had, and her mind was as sharp as it was before. Her runes were intact. “...What happened?”
“Oh, you've just had a .. a little problem. But don't worry about that, we'll fix you up good as new!” the nurse cooed, and contented herself to chatter about the weather.
And Nel let the nurse lead her off to the Courtyard. She could get answers from another.
Fayt's words echoed over upon themselves, an entreaty hopefully shouted against impending deletion. Starting at her fingertips and toes, Nel Zelpher's limbs had gradually started to glow yellow, separating into segments. Nel's character program was turning into bits of data, slowly fading away, and becoming nonexistent...
Nel hadn't really had time in the past to think of what being deleted might feel like, but she certainly didn't expect utter painlessness. It didn't even seem numb - it was nothing like what the rudimentary anesthesia in Aquaria provided, that dead weight that would creep up a limb. No, there was no weight here, just.. nothingness. Nothingness that crept up, up, and up... up until it reached her neck, her chin, her nose. One last prayer to Apris.
Deliver me...
And all was black. Was this nonexistence? If it was, then how come she could think? How could she be aware? If she was indeed able to think, then it would logically follow that some part of her existed, regardless of deletion. Yet it remained black like sleep, black like she was groggy and just didn't want to open her eyes. Well, if she forced herself to, then maybe she would. Discipline.
And Nel Zelpher struggled to open her eyes, only to find it quite a bit easier than she'd expected. And suddenly aware that not only did her body still exist, but it was warm and snug underneath a comforter.
This was deliverance indeed. But to where had she been delivered? She'd never seen walls like these in Aquaria or Airyglyph, and certainly not in her more recent travels. This was utterly foreign, Nel realized as she hoisted herself out of bed. There was a sleeping woman in the bed across the room. There was a set of grey garments with a strange symbol (too simple to be a rune) that had replaced her Aquarian special-issue uniform. And there were footsteps outside the doorway. Not a man, but a woman, judging by the sound of the tread. Not a military walk. No battle stance necessary.
Nel stood akimbo, facing the door as it opened.
A short, slightly plump woman let herself inside, absolutely beaming. “Oh, you're awake, Jeanne, darling! I'm so glad! I thought I was going to have to wake you.”
Nel raised her eyebrows, first at the name the woman had given her and then at the unusual cheerfulness the young woman displayed. “What...” It wasn't really a question. She certainly had questions, but there was no good place to start. And Jeanne? No. That wasn't right.
The nurse seemed to pick up on Nel's unease to some extent, though she missed the mark completely. “..Oh, I'm sorry! Ms. Dupont. You're one of those modern women, aren't you... Come along, now. We're off to the courtyard today!”
“I suppose that's all right,” Nel said, playing along. This woman obviously meant no harm, so the Crimson Blade figured asking questions wasn't such a bad idea. “So where are we?”
“Hum? Oh, oh yes, you're here in Landel's Institute, hon. You're here to get better,” the nurse said cheerfully.
...Get better? For the most part she seemed quite well, if a little confused. Her body looked as real as it ever had, and her mind was as sharp as it was before. Her runes were intact. “...What happened?”
“Oh, you've just had a .. a little problem. But don't worry about that, we'll fix you up good as new!” the nurse cooed, and contented herself to chatter about the weather.
And Nel let the nurse lead her off to the Courtyard. She could get answers from another.
Reply
Leave a comment