Power play 1

The room they were given was nice and cozy. A clear view of the cosmos as the spaceship flew at ludicrous speeds through the void. 'Is it faster than light?'

Every time speed was brought up in any novel, especially those in space, the question of its maximum output was always the most asked. 

How fast is a spaceship to cross entire light years? Several times times its speed, something that should be impossible because of the law of physics, or did bent space move?

'I will interrogate Aur when I get the chance.' There was little he knew about those grandiose ships, and he would get to know every single detail of it, even if it took centuries.

'If can get to live centuries, that is.' Whether people lived naturally that long, or only some of them, was blurry for now. It required more studying on his part.

The childish, and wishful part of himself was happy with the amount of information at hand, and how much he would get in the future. 'I am no scientist, but I am a nerd?'

When someone delved too deeply into their passions, harder it was to distinguish interest from obsession. 'I guess I'm a nerd and a sucker for spaceships.' Who wouldn't be?

Great machines that could cross the void and reach another planet, another star system entirely. 'The long-held dream of mankind… to brave the space and beyond our star…'

Ellianor was living the dream of many, those who wished to see the stars, those who wished to see how other planets looked.

 It was almost unfair that he, of all people, was living that life.

'I would have it in no other way.' While the monsters and abominations would be the things of his next nightmares once he slept, there were more pros than cons now. 

A selfish desire to continue leading the life he has now. It came with its own problems but solved some of his old ones. A true fresh start. Almost perfect… almost…

With a side glance, he saw the one that stole his bed, they both got rooms in the spaceship, but she insisted on being in the same room as his, and thus she stole his bed.

'What an annoying girl.' Ellianor sighed as he rested against the armchair of his room, it was just as comfortable as his bed, for the little time he managed to lie on it.

She was smiling soundly, the marks of a few stray tears here and there, but her face was serene, with no trace of demons or storms inside her heart and mind. Ellianor smiled.

'Aur's words messed you up.' That was the difference between an experienced warden and them, who were green and without real-world experience. That universe's experiences.

'We will get better, I think.' While his stats were raised, a new skill was unlocked, and a new mechanic was added, Ellianor had no base to compare how good those things were in practice.

'They literally play a different game than mine.' It was because The Architect meddled and because it suited her needs for him, whatever those needs were, he would need to uncover it by himself.

On his hand rested the book given to him by Urien. Somehow, it was stored in his inventory but it didn't appear on the list, nor was accounted into it. 'What is wrong with that book?'

Even Testament's presence was attested in the inventory, but a mere book could not be registered or put there? 'What is the meaning of this?' 

He considered opening the book and reading its contents for a moment, but that will only last momentarily. 

The book was wrong somehow, Ellianor could feel it, but it was not added to the inventory.

'Better not mess with that thing.' Muriel was ominous about Urien, and their relationship seemed rocky, the book could be unharmful, or it could drive a wedge between him and Muriel.

The book was not worth the risk. 'There are many things I don't know about the system.' Like the prowess, and how it could be unlocked. He would need more, especially offensive ones.

'My lack of firepower against the abomination was a broken…' A broken he could fix, but also lead to another problem. 

Overall, the entire situation was laid with issues that required immediate fixing. If only he had the tools at hand to fix those issues. Ellianor rested his face against his hand, contemplative.

He was way less stressed than he had been hours prior. 'A day has passed at most. Just a single day since the corrupted space station was destroyed and we were rescued.'

A day since their deaths, and they were bouncing as if nothing happened. 'I guess we are really superhuman in the end.' Momentarily his gaze fell on the locket around his neck.

Opening it to see the reflective metal, a slightly distorted face stared back at him. 'She would make me endure innumerable deaths before letting me fail her objectives…'

[IT SEEMS YOU HAVE A GOOD MEMORY]

Suddenly his mind was flooded with information, flooded by her presence there. Ellianor's good mood was spoiled, as her laugh filled his landscape.

[URIEN HAS TOLD YOU ABOUT ME. HM. YEAH, I AM THE ARCHITECT, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT MEANS RIGHT NOW]

Ellianoor rolled his eyes, throwing the book over the desk of his room. The voice giggled amused at his antics.

[DON'T BE SO ANNOYED BY LITTLE OL' ME HERE. I CAN'T STAND WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE NEAR THOSE TWO MONSTERS, Y'KNOW. THEY WOULD NOTICE ME]

'So, back in the Crimson Void, I am safe from you.' Ellianor scoffed, as the laugh of the Architect died in his mind, no clever retort or sassiness came from her that time around.

[YOU ARE LUCKY I NEED YOU, OR YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ALREADY] 

She answered with spite, much to Ellianor's amusement now that he had ammunition against her.

[ANYWAY]

Suddenly, a sharp pain echoed through his nervous system, his body was paralyzed all of a sudden.

[I'M STILL THE ONE WITH THE POWER IN OUR PARTNERSHIP, ELLIANOR]