for insinning

[selfconcept]

Gay baby jail #2.

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[insinning]

[Sinclair shakes his head]

...even if you say that, this isn't something I can let go either. There must be a way to keep your sense of self together for as long as you can. Mithrun was using our inbox messages to remember some things. Maybe...

[Sinclair breathes out slowly and frowns. But one thing at a time, bit by bit]

If Lily is a rogue AI that was born at the same time as Zelkova...what does Lily really want? Is he intending on recreating the events outlined in the poem? Or is that already set into the game's programming?

[selfconcept]

... I wish I could tell you, but I don't know the answers for those questions. If it was set in the programming, I have been none the wiser. They can do things that the head admin can't, so... that's that.

[ ... ]

I already looked through my logs and messages. I'm recording whatever is left of my memories too, but when I read them, I don't remember. It seems that some of you have your memories replaced, but I just have gaps in my memories. I don't remember what I did for the past two years before the beta test. Nothing that I read will return my memories to me.

[insinning]

[Ah]

...so it's gone that far for you. That...seems like what happened to Mithrun too. But, closer. He doesn't remember any of our conversations outside of Fragment. Like, he's only meant to exist 'here'. [It makes Sinclair sick]

...what do you remember then?

[selfconcept]

I remember how I was framed for killing a child when I was sixteen years old. Political smear campaign. My family ditching me. The years I spent as a homeless person... being an attack dog.

[ He shrugs. ]

I still remember a lot, but I never know what memory is gone.

[insinning]

An attack dog...[He rubs his cheek, remembering his venting session with Hien. Ah. He understands better now]...so the worst things you remember. [He's explaining himself poorly, maybe. But, he's thinking. If Hien only remembers the bad things he's done, then]Anything coloured with extreme emotions...Do you remember Ren and Renatus?

You said you still remembered our first meeting. What else do you remember here? What makes our meeting different?

[selfconcept]

You say that they're the worst things I remember, but that's just how my life went even without those things. Happiness isn't a right nor is it a guarantee for everyone.

[ Must have been nice to be born into a loving family, is what he thinks. He's a little jealous, but eventually comes to the conclusion that it's not something he deserved anyway. ]

Who are they? I also think it would be better if you asked me for something specific.

[insinning]

[Hien, why is your life so awful... Sinclair frowns, looking down. Ah]

Renatus is your room mate. Ren is your dog, a pomchi mine is based off...you told me that two weeks ago.

[Timelines, hm... And something specific...]

...do you remember Tylor and Hani? They wanted to have breakfast with you.

1/2

[selfconcept]

I remember Tylor and Tabibito.

[ He doesn't call them by Hani... sorry, Sinclair. This isn't a memory thing. ]

Awfully friendly, those two.

[selfconcept]

[ Though, there's some silence on Hien's end. ]

... This is when I would say that I never had a roommate nor a dog, but I was told that I had a roommate.

Apparently, he was someone that I deeply cared for. If someone threatened to harm him, I'd be ready to kill them on the spot. He's also a biology researcher in CC Corp, and the reason why I had this job as the Head Administrator.

... That said, I still don't remember any of it. Does any of it ring a bell for you?

[ He doesn't know how much Simclair knows about this topic, so he's just reiterating everything he was told. ]

[insinning]

You didn't tell me that part. But you also told me not to spread Renatus' name around or you would kill me for real. I just thought it was nice you named your dog after your room mate.

[Was it Sentimental? Sinclair will believe that even if it isn't true]

...I'm glad you remember Tylor and Hani. They like you a lot. [pause, considering:]

Was Lily responsible for the plague?

[selfconcept]

[ It was absolutely sentimental. Nothing wrong with naming a dog after the roomie who gave you the dog. Totally. ]

... Renatus must have been someone very important then, but I don't know who was responsible for the plague. I couldn't trace it back to anything.

[insinning]

But Lily is most likely responsible for the green shielded monsters then. Giving Misteaks, Levi and Uta the cores and data drain was his way of making them believe what he said was true. That their role was to 'save' and 'protect' everyone...

[ Sinclair frowns. They've both established neither of them need that. Neither of them want that]

Every thing happening is to force us to become dependent on him...

[But for how long has Lily been active? It's probably a silly question but]

What class did Lily appear as?

[selfconcept]

As I said, this environment is perfect for cultivating a cult for the weak-minded. As long as you understand the basic human psyche and have the ability to manipulate your surroundings, gathering "cult members" is laughably easy. Perhaps it also goes to show that if Lily is an AI who started as a blank slate and learned from observing human behavior, then perhaps he's just an messed up bundle of traits that he inherited from the playerbase. Despite this fact, he's gotten quite a big head about it, thinking that he's better than humans despite having learned from humans.

[ He scoffs. ]

What a joke. A brat is what he is, like a child who learns how to open a jar of cookies and suddenly they think they're the king of the world.

[ Hien crosses his arms. Yeah, he's peeved about Lily. ]

I couldn't inspect him due to the defense mechanism, but assuming he was without a blatant costume skin, he looked like a physical DPS class. Spellcasters have some version of a robe or cloak. He didn't.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair blinks and ducks his head to hide his smile]

...ten year olds tend to be like that. It's annoying.

[ It probably doesn't touch on how angry Sinclair has become about Lily, but that is not the time or place.

A physical DPS, huh...?]

I wonder...if he's the flick reaper who wielded twin blades. If it took awhile for his data to take shape, then...

[selfconcept]

Yeah. Children are annoying, but that's because they don't know any better. And since they don't know any better, they're annoying to deal with.

[ Anyway, Hien gets out a pencil and paper and does a quick sketch. He can draw?? Yeah, looks like he can. ]

He looks like this...

[ This is as far as the quick sketch goes before Hien drops the paper and pencil on the floor. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair reaches down to pick up the pencil and paper. Ah]

You're really good at drawing... Am I allowed to share this? With my guild at least?

[selfconcept]

[ There has to a reason why Hien just dropped the pencil and paper. When Sinclair looks back up, Hien has a hand over his face. The bandages that were wrapped around so tightly around his entire face start bleeding through the gaps from the top of his head, dripping down.

Hopefully Sinclair got a really good look at the art, because the pencil? It fizzes out of existence from Sinclair's hand. The paper with the sketch on it? It does too. The room known to the players as a jail rumbles and distorts.

There's a pulse that rings throughout the entire space--a heavy oppressive energy as if gravity has just increased tenfold, but it doesn't hurt Sinclair. It just makes it harder to move.

Chunks of the dark room starts to fall apart, revealing loads of static behind the supposed crumbling drywall. The small craters get deeper and deeper until they resemble actual craters that are at least three meters deep. Deeper and deeper, into the black abyssal void.

Perhaps Sinclair can get the idea that the supposed jail room is linked with Hien's status, whether physical or mental... either way, the ceiling caves in. Before anything can hit Sinclair, he'll fall inside a very wide portal beneath his feet.

He'll find himself back in Mac Anu, where the sunset is best viewable, just like before. ]

[insinning]

[ Ah.

He opens his mouth to call out in concern. But it's too late. Suddenly he's back in Mac Anu, back where Hien once placed him.

Oh.

He looks out at the sunset and moves to head down.

Time to go back to Moon Tree.]