By the end of Jessa's story Megan was completely overwhelmed with sadness and a sense of great loss. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Her race, Humans, gone. Would she ever be able to find anyone of her own race?
But here she was, a Human. Alone. What could she do?
Megan searched her soul for an answer. What did she want, well one thing she didn't want was to be enslaved or beholden to anyone else. She wanted autonomy to choose her own path and destiny.
But what would that destiny look like without others of her own species. What if she wanted to procreate? She supposed technology would go far to support that kind of thing. But that wasn't the same as having other Humans, would it?
Megan had seen families of others with a father, mother and children. Did she want that? Could she have that with other species if they were not Human? Then again, she had no idea what it actually meant to be Human. Sure, she had strange memories implanted in her mind of a brief history of Humanity and the circumstances described by Jessa, but what did she really know about being a real Human?
She knew Humans adapted but also seemed quite prone to violent outbursts, erratic behaviours and unsustainable ethics. Yet they also appeared altruistic, were empathetic and valued loyalty and kindness.
What possible authority did Megan hold to make these decisions on Humanity as a whole when she was only one person.
Then again, if Megan was the last Human, then she was the only one qualified to make these decisions. Megan felt it was way too early for her to decide.
Then she realised, if she was the last Human left then she could make a difference. She could decide on the future of her own species. Not just return Humans to the universe to take over like before. But to bring a united race of altruistic beings to make the universe a better place.
Why shouldn't Megan change not only her own destiny but the very destiny of Humanity.
There really was only one thing she needed to do this. Power. Megan needed to be so powerful that no one could harm her or her family. First, she needed to gain power, then she could search for the remnants of Humanity or use technology to bring them back from the dead. Then she could teach Humans the value of community, working together for a purpose, for a future for all.
Direction decided, Megan's sadness retreated and was replaced with hardened resolve. She would find Humanity and she would bring them back, better than ever, flaws corrected and geared to protect instead of exploit, preserve instead of destroying.
First step, learn as much from Jessa as she was willing to teach. This was a golden opportunity to learn lost knowledge. Queen Jessaleanna was an immortal after all, surely, she knew more about cultivation than anyone else she knew.
Megan's tear-filled gaze looked up into the golden eyes of the Queen of Harpies, she then fell to one knee and, for the first time in her life, asked for something just for herself, "Queen Jessaleanna, please teach me what you know? I want... I want to help my race, I need to help my fellow Humans, I can't let them just die, I cannot let them suffer, they need my help!" Megan lowered her head and pressed it to the ground in supplication, "Please your majesty? I am begging on behalf of my people, for Humanity, please help me?"
Silence. The only sound was the soft patter of teardrops from Megan's eyes hitting the ground, pat, pat, pat. A softly spoken voice broke that silence, "Megan, before I accept the role as your teacher, I must know, what are your intentions for Humanity?"
Megan looked up questioningly as Queen Jessa knelt and assisted Megan back into her chair before sitting down again herself as she explained her reasoning for asking, "Humanity has always been... conflicted. Individually I have met and interacted with many Humans and the majority of them are highly motivated to assist and support others, regardless of race, gender or spiritual orientation. But there are other Humans, especially the ones that believe they are special. Sometimes this peculiarity is due to environment, sometimes this trait is specifically taught either in the open or secretly. It is this penchant for delusions of grandeur that cause Humans to become unmanageable and mutinous to the cause." Jessa shifted uncomfortably, "So Megan, what I am trying to ask is, do you want to bring back Humanity just for revenge and taking control? Or for any other reason which will bring harm to the innocent?
At first Megan wanted to immediately refute this suggestion. But stopped so she could determine her reasoning behind why she wanted to bring back Humans. She could lay low, cultivate and slowly gain power just for herself, probably make a pretty good living from it as long as she tried to avoid conflict and stay away from most well-developed civilisations then she could likely get away with it and live a relatively simple life, but a safe one. She flinched as she thought about this kind of life and it all added up to one thing, how boring!
Megan considered the other direction, she could gain power, track down other Humans or bring them back through technology and then she could conquer and dominate everyone that would do Humans harm. Track down the Enemy, destroy them too, then subjugate and enslave everyone, rule with an iron fist, kill the unworthy and the rebellious elements and maintain absolute control. To direct Humans and not allow them out of line or without direction, make sure every talent was utilised for the greater good, anyone that complained would be wither brainwashed or discarded. No one would be allowed to question; no one would be allowed to innovate without supervision.
This option did not appeal to Megan either.
There must be a way. Some kind of common ground, a compromise even. She would need to be smart; she would need to use her head and be diplomatic. Build relations with others and garner mutual respect. She needed to bring back Humans, but better than before, more empathetic to others but not be pushovers; teach them the value of being altruistic but also where to draw the line and how to maintain that.
Megan hesitated, then decided, firmed her will and declared, "I will bring Humanity back better than before. I will make it my goal to not just bring Humans back but bring them back united. I do not want to control the universe, I just want a place to belong, a family to support and be loved and valued in return."
Queen Jessa studied Megan and her conviction for a while. Seemingly coming to a decision Jessa nodded decisively and said, "Very well Megan, I understand the need for companionship and family from members of your own species as well as the next Progenitor so I will help you to the best of my abilities."
"First, I need to give you an explanation of what I found when I investigated your current cultivation and body refinement." Jessa shifted uncomfortably for a moment and continued, "Now, some of what I found is pure speculation at this point as it appears there were advancements made to the Human genome after I was incarcerated here but it shouldn't be too difficult to surmise with proper experimentation and testing."
"To begin with, your cultivation has all the hallmarks of being manipulated by the Pyramid of Purification you encountered in the desert biome of this dungeon. It may not surprise you to learn at this point that this dungeon, dubbed the Dauntless Dungeon, originally created and grown by the aptly named Dauntless Empire. This empire, which was one of the three remaining Human empires after the initial purge by the Enemy, built this place to raise and train soldiers to fight for their wars and conflicts."
"That being said it has been a very long time since this dungeon was utilised for its intended purpose and much has been lost to the ravages of time. Then again, sometimes time is the dividing factor. Much in the cultivation world requires time. Meditation, cultivation of energy, learning Skill-arts, Abilities and Augments, all of these things require time. Additionally, the best cultivation resources are the ones that benefit from the passage of time, a spiritual herb takes time to grow and accumulate energy and some objects that absorb energy to grow and evolve require thousands of years to become useful even after maturity and get more powerful if they are allowed to continue to flourish."
"The Pyramid of Purification is one such object. In normal circumstances the pyramid would only accumulate enough energy over a ten-year period then be ready to administer the raising of one person's cultivation. First by breaking down any cultivation already present that does not meet it requirements, then forcefully layering a solid foundation in the recipient and finally raising the cultivation level to the end of Core Forging and the very start of Focus Formation. When the soldier passes to the central core of the dungeon they are then gifted their Comm-Core device." Seeing the question in Megan's eyes Jessa explained, "I see you do not recognise the term Comm-Core device, they are a companion AI core that assimilates with your Cultivator Core in Focus Formation and are renowned for making the best cultivator core foci in the universe. Comm-Cores are highly sought after and gave excellent versatility of use and make cultivating energy less of a chore and a lot more enjoyable."
"Now Megan, when you arrived at the Pyramid of Purification you describe it as being a small black pyramid with a hollow apex point that is ringed by four pillars meeting together in the middle?" At Megan's nod Jessa continued, "That is not the description of the Pyramid of Purification I know, the pyramid I remember was the size of a small moon and made up of substance called Pure Spirit Jade, which is a rare material which is used to manipulate pure core energy and is a distinct white colour." Jessa looked confused for a moment, "Your core though, it is beyond anything I have ever seen. The energy it produces is exceedingly pure and your genetic markers have been not just triggered for maximum efficiency they are working on a level I was once told would be impossible to reach. In addition to this you seem to have had your core gene sequence optimised beyond what even I can understand as well as having adaptability for Human technology which is not just surpassing the scale I thought was the limit, it absolutely blows the scale out of the void altogether."
"Even in the time I came from you would be considered to be unique and the potential you hold is just so astronomical that it defies definition."
"That is just your potential for cultivation. Megan, your body, it is flawless. There was an extremely rare physique that I think would be the closest to describing your body right now and that was called the Flawless Golden Heavenly Body that every cultivator dreamed of attaining but was only really partially obtained by a very select few of Human elites. Your body refinement right now surpasses that physique and just like your cultivation potential is seemingly limitless in its potential for growth and innovation. Here, let me show you." Jessa reached forward and gestured for Megan to give her one of her hands. Megan presented her hand for Jessa then was astonished when Jessa casually extended one of her claws and forcefully slashed it across her palm. Pulling back her hand with a cry Megan crushed her hand in her other hand in hope to stem the bleeding she knew would be gushing from such a wound inflicted by a being way more powerful than her then hesitated a moment, confused; there was no pain. Yes, she felt the slash, she felt its power and if this was before her transformation on the altar of the Pyramid of Purification the refinement in the Chamber of Ascension, she knew her hand would have been severed in half. Looking down at her hand now she could see a deep scratch across her palm but there was no blood, and the scratch was even quickly fading before her eyes. Megan sat staring at her hand, mouth agape, not comprehending what she was seeing. Looking up at Jessa, she questioned, "H-how did this happen?"
Jessa sat in contemplation for a few minutes considering and then replied, "I can only hypothesise on the reason, but I have a theory, and it involves the Chamber of Ascension. Now although the Pyramid of Purification most likely had its limiters degraded over time and a war between the Crosschip Scorpions and the Hellcrag Snakes. The cultivation acceleration engines and dedicated intelligence modules would have still worked the same, despite the amount of power that must have accumulated over the years. Now after somehow surviving that ordeal and obtaining a unique physique then it is due this that the Chamber of Ascension's body refinement process has worked beyond what the creators originally intended it for. Unlike the pyramid the chamber has been working to full capacity due to the ministrations of the Jamos maintaining it."
"But still, despite how you obtained these cultivation boons, without proper training and development, it is all for naught. Like putting a being trained to drive a hoverbike into the cockpit of an interstellar spacecraft without the proper instruction you are more likely to hurt yourself and others while you fumble around learning the basics all over again."
Jessa clapped her hands together decisively which startled Megan from a slight doze she had fallen into due to exhaustion. "Right, so Megan, follow Brent to a place to rest and recover, tomorrow, we train!"