Something new

"What are you talking about?" - Aria's response was relentless and swift, but Arlok did not fully grasp everything around him.

"Was it an illusion?" - his hands touched his own face and then his shoulder.

"Your metrics haven't changed until this moment. Your pulse has increased," - Arlok's forehead began to sweat.

Arlok tried to understand everything that happened to him, but nothing came out. The hum was becoming more intrusive and powerful, and he could only see the last scene again: the girl, himself as a child, and the Supreme Enturion.

"Key... Is there anything in your database about the key held by the Supreme Enturion?"

"No - I provide a list of items allowed for all Enturions to carry and exceptions."

Arlok quickly scanned the information, but there was no word marked "key."

"Now show me their visualization."

"Executing," - again, nothing. Karnage did not see the same strange object.

"So, Grand Admiral's database won't help me!"

"I can assume that our data is outdated," - Aria adjusted to the situation.

"Why couldn't you appear in the Core?"

"Your Core is unstable, and I don't have enough energy for that. Also, I didn't even notice when you entered the Core world. Your body was never out of your control - I didn't take over it," - Arlok lowered his hands and began to look around.

"Why couldn't you warn me that something was wrong with my body?" - he examined himself.

"After receiving the code and its immediate decryption, your body was not significantly affected - no significant changes have been observed since the launch."

"Stop, so that signal was encrypted?"

"Not exactly, but yes. There was a code, but its form was unknown, as if someone revealed the entire content of the signal, attempting to destroy any hints of the code beforehand."

"So, they read it?"

"Yes, but there are peculiarities. The recent Crystal of Eden сlass D, was numbered with primary digits: 881 *** *** *** ***."

"So..." - Arlok didn't finish.

"There is a probability that we are in the future. To reach the mark of '992' from '881,' you need to send about a trillion messages, which is about 200 cycles of the stellar calendar," - he nodded, struggling with the hum.

"So, we haven't been here for at least 200 cycles. This may explain the emptiness inside my Core, but how did I survive?"

"The shuttle had 'storage' capsules, but even so, it's impossible to survive for 1700 cycles."

"Where does such a huge value come from?"

"I compared my energy reserves before the 'memory loss' and considered that you restarted me..."

"Aria, what the hell, are you saying that I lived for almost 2100 cycles?! I should have died at least twice; my body without implants wouldn't have lasted that long," - Arlok looked at his body. - "Retrieve data about my organism and scan it."

An impulse ran through the man's body, and his eyes saw new screens with a blue tint. There, the body was visible - bones, internals, even individual organs were incredibly clear.

"Heart!" - he clutched his left chest.

"How did it appear in my chest?! Aria, did you make a mistake?"

"With an 82% probability, the diagnosis was successful; your body did not resist the impulse for failure," - Arlok's eyes stared at what was beating in his chest. He began to feel it contracting and expanding repeatedly.

His heart was with his younger sister as a sign of his love and faith to the Council and his sister. Using the Eden Technique of 'Replacement,' the sister placed a 'substitute' in Arlok's body, taking away his original heart without violating the laws of Eden—this object couldn't be detected by any scanner. Destroying Arlok's original heart would cause his death—for this reason, the heart was kept in the Zero Sector of the Alliance, the most protected place in the universe, on humanity's home planet, Earth.

"18% chance that the heart is not there?"

"Negative, your heart," - Aria brought one of the screens closer. - "Possesses the original qualities, the same tissue structure as when it was removed. Therefore, the probability that the heart is yours and is in place is 100%."

"So, what constitutes these 18% errors? I don't see a single symbol or word on the screen that could point me to the source of the problem," - Arlok tried to stand straight, although the hum was tearing him apart from within.

"Strange fluctuations, something opposes the energy flowing from your Core to the body; it disrupts the analysis's accuracy in some areas. It's especially challenging to analyze your lungs; it's as if Eden's Corrosion has started to form there."

"Corrosion... I thought that was impossible with my body," - Arlok looked around, trying to find the source of this strong hum.

"Correct, theoretically impossible given your limitless Eden reserves, but now you're 'hollow'; you've stepped onto the fifth level."

"And the Corrosion appeared due to the enormous amount of time I've lived and impacted this lack of strength?" - he looked at the crystal on his left hand.

"There are numerous theories, but we need to check everything with equipment that can more accurately and precisely assess your body. Corrosion, untreated, is dangerous, especially since we don't know the exact location of the disease—it's not just the lungs; your power doesn't allow me access to other areas."

"I would have died; no shuttle is equipped with machines capable of treating Corrosion for 200 cycles..." - he paused and continued with difficulty. - "No, 1700 cycles! Corrosion would have destroyed me."

"Correct, so we weren't just on the shuttle."

"Assumptions?"

"None, sir; there are so many probabilities and variables that we wouldn't have enough time to list absolutely everything."

"Not enough time?" - his voice was sharp and surprised.

"Considering the presumed number of cycles lived and the likelihood of the onset of Eden's Corrosion, our time together is limited."

"Are you saying I'm dying?" - except for the hum, he felt fine.

"No, at least the probability is too low: around 3%. Your metrics are normal; we need more equipment for further analysis."

"So, the reasons for the heaviness in my body are found. Aria, do you hear the hum?"

"No, sir," - Arlok tried to ascend, but his legs seemed to restrain him.

"This is a problem. I was just inside my Core, but you didn't notice," - Arlok took a step and ascended.

"Too little information; the 'enemies' are surpassing us by multiples!" - he continued flying towards the towers.

"Sir, may I ask why you consider them 'enemies'? According to the rules, such a declaration of war is prohibited, even for you, Grand Admiral. Moreover, the sight seems primitive and not posing any danger."

"It's hard for you to understand a human; I felt something inside—repulsion and danger. As if they are contradicting humans—the same feeling as with Arphons and Haalians, those disgusting algae that killed billions of people," - hundreds of white particles emerged from his cloak and formed a strange object in his hand—a grenade that could truly be called a bomb—it was one of the few 'Little Masterpieces of Lucy' in the shape of a coin.

"So, you want to use your title of the supreme commander and defender of humanity to declare another great war against another race?" - he tucked it away in his pocket.

"Hopefully, the race doesn't exist, and these are just solitary individuals..."

"It's impossible... everyone we've encountered seemed infected—they weren't scanned by Eden, at least not all of their parts."

"This changes everything, Aria; if these creatures can't be detected by Eden, they become the most dangerous enemies themselves, it's terrifying to imagine the war that awaits us! But whatever it is, I will fulfill my duty as the strongest and protect humanity!" - various creatures died as Arlok flew past them; he felt that strange repulsion and danger towards all of them.

Arlok closed his eyes; he was already close when he suddenly felt not only repulsion and weak danger but a culmination of everything in one—a tremendously huge entity at a single point. But as abruptly as it appeared, it disappeared...

"Unbelievable; he felt me from such a distance!" - the redhead man was moving away at an incredible speed from the towers.

"I can't believe that such a monster can exist in our times; we need to inform the other 'Notes'!" - he ran, becoming smaller and smaller until his trail disappeared for Arlok.