*Vitals stabilizing*
*Powerful elemental magic detected*
Before Victor's eyes could open, his consciousness was filled with the now familiar, emotionless sound. "Ugh!" With a slight pain in his head, his eyes slowly began to open. Through his blurry vision, he saw a bright source of light a few feet above him. It didn't take him long to realize that he was lying on some kind of metallic surface. As his senses slowly returned to normal, his nose immediately picked up a faint smell of chemicals placed some distance away from him. Just as his vision cleared, the bright source of light turned out to be a hospital lamp.
"You are awake?" Someone spoke in a soft voice with a hint of surprise in her tone. Victor turned in the voice's direction and found a woman wearing a white apron, standing a small distance away while holding a few papers in her hand. "We were worried this would take a while..." She continued while placing the papers on a nearby table.
*Earth element user detected*
The mechanical sound once again rang in his head. This sudden occurrence immediately reminded Victor of the last incident, along with a sense of utter confusion about the voice. He attempted to move his hands, but his strength proved to be insufficient to break the binds holding him tightly on the bed. A surprised expression washed over Victor's face as he stared at the binds. Suddenly, red lines appeared throughout his vision, quickly crawling over each object in front of him. Then, a few lines suddenly stopped on the binds with words appearing in his vision.
*Stage 7 earth magic detected*
*Attempts to break free are futile*
The voice spoke the same words written in his vision. At this point, Victor couldn't hold on any longer. The previous appearance of a powerful creature, the unknown voice in his head, and, lastly, his own unrecognizable vision challenged his ability to stay calm. The signs of the previous rage outburst still lingered in his heart, causing sweat to stream down his forehead as he attempted to stay calm.
*Host still facing the effects of berserk mode.*
The sudden mention of the familiar words strangely calmed Victor down. His mind quickly began reforming the scene of him killing the red creature. As swiftly as it had appeared, Victor's confusion quickly washed away, being replaced by concern and a number of questions. "Where am I?" he asked, turning towards the only person present in the room besides him.
The woman appeared confused; Victor's sudden shift from restless to a calm expression appeared to be hard for her to comprehend. "Uhh... You... are in a hospital," she said while adjusting her glasses.
Her words clearly entered Victor's ears, but his mind refused to accept it. "..And it is called?" he said while scanning the rest of the room.
Medical equipment, a white marble floor, and a glass window in the distance—all were obvious indications of her words being true. Victor's instincts warned him otherwise. He focused on his senses in an attempt to find any other living being beside her. To his surprise, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't sense anything.
"This is City Hospital A," she answered while her eyes intensely stared at Victor.
Victor's mind was in a turmoil of thoughts, but he showed nothing but calmness on his face as he once again turned towards the woman. "I see... How and where did you find me?" Victor asked, relaxing his entire body. This action caught the woman's attention, and her demeanor too appeared to be slowly returning to normal. "You were unconscious
*Host's mental state stabilising*
*Communication suitable*
Victor was alarmed by her apparent lie. However, he also suspected the reason behind her lie to be something substantial and forced his mind to stay calm. "I need information," Victor thought while taking a deep breath. He focused on his own body and found his usual strength present. 'These binds are not normal,' he wondered without moving his gaze.
*Correct. The binds are created by earth magic* *Disqualifying the definition of being normal.*
The voice answered his thoughts while red lines crawled all over the binds. Victor's brows furrowed by this sudden revelation. He felt more vulnerable than ever, as not even his thoughts were secret from the voice. "Why am I tied up?" Victor asked the most obvious question after a considerable amount of time, causing the woman's eyes to contract.
"Oh, apologies! You were acting strangely the last time you woke up. We had no choice but to restrain you," she answered.
Victor couldn't believe her. He chose the only other option remaining, 'Is she telling the truth?' He asked while the woman pressed a few buttons on a nearby computer, releasing his binds.
*That would be incorrect.*
*The host has gained consciousness only once after entering mode berserk*
Victor stayed silent for a brief moment, while he contemplated whom to trust. The clear signs of the woman lying and the incredible strength of the binds gave him no option but to choose the voice that had once saved his life. "I am tired..." Victor said, closing his eyes, while his ears eagerly awaited the woman's response. "You should rest, sir. You are free to go once we are sure of your condition," she said, walking away towards the door. Victor, now free of the binds, still felt uneasy.
He decided to lie on the bed without moving, focusing on the only probable task at hand. 'Who are you?' Victor questioned in his mind, clearly directing it towards the voice.
*I have no identity.*
'...What are you?' Victor asked, somewhat expecting that answer.
*I am the result of the culmination of human information present in this world.*
*Created specifically for communication with the host.*
'...Like an AI?' Victor speculated from the emotionless tone of the voice.
*Correct. Similarities with artificial intelligence created by humans can be considered.*
'Are you inside my head?'
*That would be incorrect.*
'...Where are you then?'
*That location cannot yet be defined.*
'Why?' Victor asked, frustration radiating in his tone.
*The host's current state doesn't suffice for that information.*
Victor was left irritated and unsatisfied by the answers. But his hands didn't hold many choices in the situation, leaving the only option as asking further questions.
"Why are you here?" Victor followed in a calm tone.
*To make the host stronger.*
The response sent another wave of questions through Victor's mind, 'And why do you want that?'
*To prevent the destruction of this world.*
Victor's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He didn't even think of doubting the voice's words as the memory of the creature and its abilities once again reappeared in his head.
'What was that red creature? And why is the earth in danger?'
*The host must meet the elementalists of this world to get that answer.*
'Elementalists?' Victor asked, having a slight expectation of the upcoming answer. Sudden lines began appearing in his dark vision along with words.
*Awakened humans that can use elemental magic.*
*Classified into five different groups based on their affinity.*
*Earth, sky, wind, water, and flames.*
'Magic is real... after all.' Victor got an answer he had been chasing for a long while. Instead of being glad, he was worried and astonished by the implications of this truth. Memories of his past once again swirled in his mind. But instead of getting restless, Victor felt at ease after finally receiving some explanation.
*That would be correct.*
'My strength,... does it also come from magic?'
*That would be incorrect.*
*The host's strength does not originate from the five elemental magic.*
The answer surprised Victor. He finally felt as if holding the truth of the world in his hands, but that illusion was shattered like glass as swiftly as it was formed. Before he could ask further questions, he heard footsteps from outside the door. Victor opened his eyes and gazed at the door.
Suddenly, the door opened wide with a man entering with heavy steps. Victor's eyes scanned his entire appearance in seconds, noticing his long silver hair and the similarly coloured clothes he wore. The man had a serious expression on his face and stared directly at Victor. Without him speaking, Victor's instincts quickly were alarmed, causing him to be in an alert state of mind despite no visible movements in his body.
Then suddenly, Victor felt a strange presence behind him. He quickly gathered all of his strength in his hands and jumped off the table. The world around him appeared to have slowed down; he swiftly brought his hands into a batting stance, but his eyes were wide open and all movements were frozen as he saw the man stare directly at him. Victor slightly moved to the left and was left baffled as the man's eyes followed his movements.
Victor's shock intensified as he saw the surface of the bed morph into a sharp thorn that was positioned directly at Victor's heart.
"Marvelous," the man said while stepping forward. Victor's eyes couldn't look away from the bed as he saw the thorn slowly disappear and the bed returning to normal.
*Host's emotional state unstable*
*Analysing the surrounding…..*
*No threat detected.*
*Host is advised to remain calm*
Unsure of the reason, Victor strangely believed the voice, completely disregarding what he saw. He lowered his hand, and the world moved at a normal pace the next instant. The man's brows furrowed as he suddenly noticed Victor's calm demeanor. With a smirk, he said, "You are quite a peculiar one."
Victor remained silent as he scanned the man's entire body, searching for any threat. Fortunately, he found none. 'He has a strange presence...' Victor thought.
*Correct*
*This person is a stage 5 earth elementalist*
Victor understood some of the voice's information. He stared at the man, deciding to finally speak up. "What happened to the city?" he asked, his face serious. The man's eyes slightly widened with surprise. He slowly raised his left hand and gently grabbed his chin. "The city is in a better condition than you remember," he said as a blue screen materialized in front of Victor.
Victor didn't show any signs of surprise. He focused on the screen, carefully examining every corner of the city's view displayed on it. "This is footage of after the creature appeared," he remarked, his eyes fixated on a particular point.
The man in front of Victor wore a smile on his face. "Victor Bolt, I am Steve Beckett," the man introduced himself, stepping closer to Victor. At the same time, any sense of animosity vanished from Victor's heart. 'His weak points are revealed... He trusts me?' he thought, scanning Steve's entire body with his peripheral vision.
*Correct. Under normal circumstances, the host could defeat this man in 136 different ways.*
The man stopped right in front of Victor and extended his right hand. "Welcome to Facility A of the Pentagon," he said, and Victor hesitantly shook his hand.