The sun was setting on the forest, darkness was creeping in from all corners of the land. The lights in Diggix’s visual receptors were growing too dim to see far enough; the fog did not help with the poor visibility either. With the darkness came the cold too, during the daytime on Dessix, it was already very cold but plumited very quickly at night. Diggix could feel through his thermal sensors it was dropping by two degrees with every minute passing.
The shadows around him also grew immensely. What lurked within them was a mystery. The sounds of the forest died down, the little robot was able to increase the range of his audio receptors to its original setting. It seemed that all the animals were not adapted for the frosty conditions of the freezing cold that settled after the sun had disappeared. The only part of the jungle that seemed to have adapted was the trees.
Trying to maneuver through some of the undergrowth, the little robot brisked his hands across the trunks of the trees. Very faintly he could feel a strange heat resonating from the them, it was like the trees were generating their own heat. He studied it with great intent; there was nothing odd about the bark or any part that could be found. It was swaying with the high winds above the treeline; there was plenty of movement amongst its branches and leaves but not enough to generate any form of heat. No animal could be found anywhere close. Racking away some of the leaves on the ground around the trunk, Diggix was amazed to discover that the roots of the trees were glowing bright orange and yellow beneath the ground.
The little robot dug deeper into the ground to reach the roots he could see through the soil; he grabbed hold of one when he finally reached it. The root was extremely hot; the glow he saw was from heat generated from the roots. The root did not stay in his hand very long as it slithered out like a snake would and returned to the ground.
The trees were living creatures much like the Fargesrats and the strange glowing creatures he saw planting them. The spirit of the creature remained in the tree, making it a living, breathing animal. Amazed, the little robot stood back to look around him in his immediate area. Though none of the other trees’ roots were visible because of the dead leaves covering the forest floor, he could still see the rising mist come from the heated ground.
As fascinating as it was, Diggix did not have the time to explore anymore; he had a mission that he needed to complete but first had to follow the dim light in the distance. Moreover, he did not know what waited for him there; the entity's words were a mystery, one that he felt compelled to solve.
He had no time to waste; he traveled through the forest, not taking his eyes off the glowing light in the distance. It seemed to be embedded in his visual receptors as it glowed through trees and thick plants of the undergrowth. Although his proximity sensors helped him guide his way around any tree or thick plants, the journey took a while, but he finally reached his intended destination.
There were four stones similar to the pyramid-like stone that Thanatos had given him; they were smaller, though, but their blue lines glowed intensely in the dark of the night. The beautiful neon blue light drew him closer; he knew what to do but was unsure whether it was the right thing to do. His mission into the forest was to place the stones on the exact places Thanatos requested and to return to the Citadel. Although he had already been gone for an entire day, the mission was only supposed to take him a mere five standard hours.
A strange humming sound came from the stones, almost similar to those of the pillars, but its tone was different. Diggix ignored his concerns and approached the closest stone with great caution. Within the storage compartment in his head, he could feel one of the stones he was carrying vibrating subtly, he opened it up and removed the stone. It was the pyramid stone.
A faint light appeared in the middle of the four stones, Diggix understood that the stone within his hand was meant to be placed within that light. He moved closer and realized the engravings on the rock in his hand grew brighter, the vibrations became more intense. Finally, without hesitation, he placed the stone in the center, causing it to explode into its original size, almost immediately throwing Diggix back against a tree.
All the stones were humming profusely; Diggix was amazed by what he was witnessing. The pinnacles of the four rocks he had found released a purple beam of energy that met on the crown of Thanatos’s stone. The bright glow forced Diggix to cover his optical receptors in fears of damage. The humming grew louder and louder.
“You have found the Transcendental Stone.” This time a male voice resonated around him.
“We are the chosen of Nivshevus, the Lord of Destruction, The Master of Darkness. We live to serve. We live to be free.”
Something did not calculate right within his processes; he realized that he was not calmed the same way he was when speaking with the previous entity. This entity was different; it caused his programming to process erratically; he tried to suppress and managed to remain where he was.
“You are to travel to the ruins of your master, the place of his meditations. There where he communed with Nivshevus. You will find a dwelling there where the one who will save the universe can be found. But, though you travel there now, you will not find him; once you have completed your master’s mission, he will appear there.”
Diggix thought to himself then, what was the use of traveling there now if he wasn’t going to be there. It would be a pointless journey to a place that held no value to him.
The entity knew what his systems were processing; it listened to his internal thoughts; wary of Diggix, the little Robot could not understand how and why.
“You need shelter soon; your heart crystal is dying and needs rest; if you do not reach the shelter before you shut down, the forest will consume you.”
It made perfect sense to Diggix; he could feel the power in his crystal was depleting, he had maybe a few hours left to function, then he needed rest. Although he often heard Tomal speak of ancient ruins used by Thanatos that the old master became too fearful to travel to because of the threat of assassination, the old master was skeptical of the forest surrounding his Citadel. The were used often before the murder of his to advisors, then the murder of his son. The ruins were abandoned, never to be used for meditation again.
“Where can I find this shelter?” Diggix felt strange speaking out loud for the first time since he entered the forest.
“We shall guide you there.”
Diggix looked around to see if he could see a body manifesting somewhere just like before; there were none. He then looked around to see if another faint light would guide him through the forest as it did guide him to these stones. There were none.
“But first, we need to teach you your place in the grand scheme of this dangerous game. You have an organic essence moving with you; it has been implanted by your master. It is the purpose of your existence and how you shall reach full consciousness, though it is not the thing you most desire. But, nevertheless, it is what you will receive.”
Diggix had heard this before; Ilgo had spoken to him about the organic chip. The chip implanted in him was meant to transcend his Artificial consciousness to full consciousness, effectively making him a living being with natural thoughts not dictated by functions installed to his programming. Those functions mostly dictated his actions; even the Artificial Consciousness matrix was controlled by ever-evolving functions and classes. It was all simple programming that could be erased at a moment’s notice.
“It is no accident that you’ve realized the sins of your master; the Nihil moves and teaches all thinking beings whether they are organic or mechanic in nature. Look at us; we are the essence of the past, those who had been and still are but are no more. The only one who wields the Nihil absolutely will be able to free us from this state and bring us to his employ. That is the wish of the Priests and the Inner Council of Nivshevus. Our master still roams, he influences your master, and once we are freed, we will serve and influence your master too. Though the one to free us will become an offering to Nivshevus, to bring him back to the world you know as reality. You are the one that will lead him to the sacred temple and bring him to resurrect us. You are the one to take the stones that contain us, including the priests, to the temple where he will find us and resurrect us. The galaxy needs to be freed, and the only way that can be achieved is when we return to this realm and bring the rebirth of Nivshevus.”
The stones lifted from the ground and shrunk to a small enough size for Diggix to carry within his cargo holds. It fell on the floor, still vibrating gently. Diggix was confused; he did not understand why the entity had stopped talking; within his chest, a strange sensation came, his power crystal was draining; he needed to rest.
Within his head, the stones guided him, showing him the way to the old ruins of the master, he was not sure what he would discover there or what the little robot was meant to do there, but all he knew was he had to get there before his systems shut down.
