Revelations (2)

"What I'm about to tell you sounds like madness, but you have to believe me and above all trust me." Maxwell takes a deep breath, "This project is you, Ben Allister. You are the new super soldier Chris Askai is trying to create. Ben this world is not real you are in an illusion. None of this is real. There is no Werchester. There is no such thing as this village and all its inhabitants. None of this is real."

As Maxwell says this, Ben begins to hyperventilate. He starts to shake. He gushes, "No, it can't be. You're lying. You are a liar. Nothing more. I knew there was something wrong with you and now you're trying to manipulate me." Ben tries to run to the door but his legs don't obey him.

"Ben it's no use. I've already started to lift the illusion. It took me years to find the weak points and manipulate them. Listen to me. In the real world, you're lying in a dark room, your vitals supplied by potions. I can prove to you that this is all an illusion. I have taken many steps to help you. First, we have held important conversations only in this room, as I have manipulated it so that from the outside, observers see only what I want them to see.

Second, the cards. They do not work because this is an illusion. Your body is not here activating the cards. The illusion is only playing this for you. I gave you these cards for a special reason. They allow you to escape. The teleport card brings you out of hiding. Even I don't know where it is. The inventory card has food and water for over a year and the equipment you can use. There is more hidden in it, but I put certain conditions on the card so you don't get suspicious and act rashly before I can destroy the illusion. The third card is an attack card, and one of the strongest available for beginners like you."

Ben tries to think clearly but can't. "But why do I..." "get a grip Ben" the priest yells at him. This seems to have worked and Ben asks " how should I know that you are telling the truth and why should I believe you. Your evidence is worth nothing all just empty words and why right now." Maxwell nods and calmly answers

"Why now? Because I'm running out of time. I am entrusted with the project and play the butler and here in the illusion I am the priest. The awakenings and purifications are real. Your body was covered with impurities because of all the potions and medicines they gave you for years. That's why I had to adjust the ritual and purge everything at once. That's the reason for this chamber, so that no one would get suspicious.

There is no ritual for awakening or ritual for activating the hero system. That was all part of the plan. You said yourself that since the purification, many things no longer make sense. I can tell you what doesn't make sense. Have you ever eaten something and really tasted it not the simulated but a real taste. Have you never wondered why the villagers avoid you?

Why you don't have any friends? It would be too complex. The illusion is without a doubt a masterpiece, if I may say so regardless of the subjects matter. That's why it took me so long to corrupt it. The goal of this illusion was to bind you. Soon "adventurers" will arrive and you should go with them and then bind yourself in the guild but in reality you would have agreed to a slave contract and Askai would have a super soldier who does everything the noble house wants.

Normally when you bind yourself a contract appears on your interface but they wanted to give you a written contract and once you sign it, in actuality you sign on your interface and become a slave. This is the great plan of illusion. Awakening you, hero system and then enslaving you, that was their plan. Everything around you was just a ruse to manipulate you and make you compliant.

Now some more information for you. The skills you learned were all implanted in you through the illusion and likewise the illusion influenced you in your thoughts. You just accepted everything and took it as it was. Now, before you answer, think about it. The ritual of purification was not easy and yes this ritual really took place. The synchronization of your soul and body was part of my plan to stop the House of Askai. The synchronization weakened the illusion. The synchronization made it harder to manipulate you. All these oddities are small flaws in the illusion.

Illusions always confuse the physical body and have no influence on the soul and that is exactly why you notice that something is wrong. I would not be surprised if you have received a quest from your system. The system is more powerful than you think. After all I've told you, think about it. We have a few minutes left, then I have to destroy the illusion or we'll fly up, and I for one will definitely take a fly."