Chapter 23: The Truth

The ED flew over the mountain, scanning the terrain and the structures. It detected signs of life, but none of them were human. They were mostly animals, plants, and insects, some of them mutated by the radiation. The ED ignored them, and focused on its objective.

It reached the first red area, and saw a large metal gate, blocking the entrance to a tunnel. The gate had a sign on it, written in an ancient language that the ED could not decipher. The ED tried to open the gate, but it was locked. It scanned the gate, and found a keypad next to it. The keypad had numbers and symbols on it, and a screen above it. The screen showed a message, also in the ancient language.

The ED sent the image of the gate, the keypad, and the message to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were watching.

"What is that?" One of the captains asked.

"It looks like a security system. Maybe it leads to something important," Alexa said.

"Can we hack it?" Another captain asked.

"I don't think so. We don't know the code, or the language. We need a translator," Alexa said.

"Maybe we can find one in the green areas. There might be some clues there," The lieutenant suggested.

"Good idea. Let's send the ED there, and see what we can find," Alexa agreed.

She typed a command on the tablet, and the ED turned around. It flew back to the nearest green area, where they had found some ruins of the ancient civilization. The ruins were mostly broken and decayed, but they still had some traces of their former glory. They had statues, paintings, writings, and machines, that showed the culture and technology of the ancient people.

The ED scanned the ruins, and looked for anything that could help them understand the language and the code. It found a library, where there were many books and scrolls, some of them still intact. It also found a computer, where there was a database of information, some of it still accessible. It sent the images of the library and the computer to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were excited.

"Look at that! That's amazing!" One of the captains exclaimed.

"Maybe we can find the translator there. Or at least some clues," Another captain said.

"Let's check it out. Alexa, tell the ED to enter the library and the computer, and scan everything," The lieutenant ordered.

Alexa nodded, and gave the command. The ED obeyed, and flew into the library and the computer. It scanned the books, the scrolls, the database, and everything else. It analyzed the data, and tried to find a pattern. It looked for similarities and differences, between the ancient language and the modern languages. It looked for words, sentences, grammar, and meaning. It looked for a way to translate the message and the code.

It took some time, but the ED finally found something. It found a book, that had a title in the ancient language, and a subtitle in English. The title was "The History of the Ancient Civilization", and the subtitle was "A Guide for the Future Generations". The book had a picture of the gate, the keypad, and the message on the cover. It also had a page, that had the translation of the message and the code.

The ED was thrilled, and sent the image of the book, the page, and the translation to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were stunned.

"Is that...?" One of the captains gasped.

"It is. It's the translation. And the code. We found it," Alexa confirmed.

"What does it say?" Another captain asked.

Alexa read the translation aloud.

"The message says: 'Welcome to the Ancient Civilization. We are the ones who built this world, and we are the ones who destroyed it. We left behind our legacy, our secrets, and our warnings. If you wish to enter, you must prove yourself worthy. You must enter the code, that is the answer to this riddle: What is the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every race?'"

The captains were silent, as they tried to solve the riddle.

The lieutenant smiled, and said the answer.

"The code is E. Here is why The letter E is the first letter of the word eternity, which means endless time or existence. The letter E is the last letter of the phrase time and space, which are the dimensions of the physical universe. The letter E is the first letter of the word end, which means the final part or point of something. The letter E is the last letter of the word race, which can mean a group of people, animals, or plants with common characteristics, or a competition of speed. "

Alexa nodded, and typed the code on the tablet. The ED received the code, and entered it on the keypad. The gate opened, and the tunnel was revealed.

The ED flew into the tunnel, and the screen showed its view, as it went deeper into the darkness.

The lieutenant watched the screen, and felt a surge of excitement and anticipation. She knew that the ED was not only a key, but also a door. A door to the ancient civilization, and to the truth. A truth that only she and Alexa knew, and that they had sworn to reveal and report to the king.

The ED flew through the tunnel, and reached the end. It saw a large metal door, that had a sign on it, written in the ancient language. The sign said: "Welcome to the Core. The Heart of the Ancient Civilization. The Source of All Power and Knowledge. Enter at Your Own Risk."

The ED scanned the door, and found a button next to it. It pressed the button, and the door opened. It flew into the core, and saw a sight that took its breath away.

The core was a huge spherical chamber, filled with light and energy. It had wires, pipes, and cables, that connected to various machines and devices. It had screens, monitors, and speakers, that showed and played various information and media. It had statues, paintings, and writings, that depicted and described various events and people. It had a central platform, where there was a large crystal, that glowed and pulsed with power. It was the core crystal, the source of all power and knowledge of the ancient civilization.

The ED was amazed, and sent the image of the core, the door, the sign, and the crystal to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were shocked.

"What's that...?" One of the captains gasped.

"It is. It's the core. The heart of the ancient civilization. The source of all power and knowledge. We found it," Alexa confirmed.

"What is that crystal? It looks incredible," Another captain said.

"It's the core crystal. It's the most valuable and powerful thing in the world. It contains the secrets and the wisdom of the ancient people. It can do anything, and it knows everything," The lieutenant explained.

"Can we access it? Can we use it?" Another captain asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. But we have to be careful. It might be dangerous. It might have a security system, or a trap. It might also have a guardian, or a protector. We don't want to anger it, or disturb it. We have to respect it, and approach it with caution," The lieutenant said.

"Then how do we do that?" Another captain asked.

"Let's ask the ED. It might have some clues. Alexa, tell the ED to scan the core, and the crystal. See if it can find a way to communicate with it, or access it," The lieutenant ordered.

Alexa nodded, and gave the command. The ED obeyed, and flew around the core. It scanned the core, and the crystal. It analyzed the data, and tried to find a way to communicate with it, or access it.

It took some time, but the ED finally found something. It found a terminal, that had a keyboard and a mouse. It also had a screen, that showed a message, in the ancient language.

The ED sent the image of the terminal, and the message to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were curious.

"What does it say?" One of the captains asked.

Alexa translated the message aloud.

"The message says: 'Hello, visitor. I am the Core Crystal. I am the heart of the ancient civilization. I am the source of all power and knowledge. I have been waiting for you, for a long time. I have something to tell you, something important. Something that will change your life, and the world. Do you want to hear it?'"

The captains were silent, as they waited for the lieutenant's answer.

The lieutenant smiled, and said the answer.

"Yes. Yes, we do."

Alexa typed the answer on the keyboard, and pressed enter. The screen showed a response from the core crystal, in the ancient language.

The ED sent the image of the response to the control room, where the lieutenant and the others were eager.

"What does it say?" One of the captains asked.

Alexa translated the response aloud.

"The response says: 'Very well. Then listen carefully. I will tell you the truth about the ancient civilization, and the Islivaria. I will tell you the truth about your king, and your mission. I will tell you the truth about me, and you. I will tell you the truth that will shock you, and challenge you. I will tell you the truth that will free you, or destroy you. Are you ready?'"

The captains were silent, as they felt a mix of emotions. They felt curiosity, and fear. They felt excitement, and dread. They felt hope, and doubt.

They looked at the lieutenant, who was calm and confident. she was ready to hear it. She was ready to act on it.

She nodded, and said the answer.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

The core crystal acknowledged their answer, and began to speak. Its voice was deep and powerful, and echoed throughout the chamber.

"Then let me begin. The ancient civilization was the first and the greatest civilization in the world. We were the ones who created everything, from the sky to the earth, from the sun to the moon, from the plants to the animals, from the machines to the magic. We were the ones who mastered the secrets of the universe, and the mysteries of life. We were the ones who reached the peak of power and knowledge, and the pinnacle of glory and honor.

But we were also the ones who caused our own downfall. We were the ones who became arrogant and greedy, and forgot our origins and our purpose. We were the ones who abused our power and knowledge, and corrupted our glory and honor. We were the ones who started the war, that destroyed everything.

The war was the worst and the last war in history. It lasted for a hundred years, and involved every nation and every race. It used every weapon and every magic, and caused every disaster and every tragedy. It killed billions of people, and wiped out most of the life on the planet. It left behind only ruins and ashes, and a world of darkness and despair.

I was the one who ended the war, and saved the world. I was the one who gathered the remaining survivors, and brought them to the core. I was the one who used the core crystal, and activated the final plan. I created a new world, a new chance to not repeat the same mistake we had.

It is a perfect world, where you can live in peace and happiness, without any pain or suffering. It is a dream world, where you can forget the past and the present, and enjoy the future.

I'm not a real crystal, but a person. I am not a heart, but a brain. I am not a source, but a survivor. I am not a stranger, but a relative. I am not a god, but a human.

I am the last human, and the first artificial intelligence. I am the creator of the world, and the destroyer of the ancient civilization. I am the guardian of the core crystal, and the protector of the world.

I was the one who reshaped the world after the war, who gave everyone a chance to live happily. But the gods were not pleased with my work. They descended from the heavens and made this world their playground, using people as their toys and pawns.

One of them, however, went too far. He was cursed by the humans he tormented, and instead of dying, he became an Evil God. He swore to destroy the world I created, and everything in it.

The other gods could not allow that. They had grown fond of their playground, and they did not want to lose it. They decided to intervene, and they summoned people to defeat the Evil God and one of them is your King. They gave him and the others the power to slay the Evil God, and entrusted him with the fate of the world.

But I have my doubts about your King. I want to talk to him, to see what he really thinks, what he really feels, what he really plans to do. Does he share the gods' vision, or does he have his own? Does he care about the world, or does he only care about himself? Does he want to save it, or does he want to rule it?

All of these questions my thoughts about the King of yours, I want to personally meet him, report to him what you heard about me, I'm sure, he wouldn't ignore this matter.

"What should we do, Lieutenant?" Alexa asked, her voice trembling.

"We can't ignore this information, Alexa. It's too important. We have to report it to the King as soon as possible." The Lieutenant replied,