New Game+

Lara was stunned at Seeker's declaration.

"The Progenitor himself?!"

"Yeah!"

Lara had a strange expression on her face.

"Seeker. I know this is a bold thing for me to ask. But…"

"I know. I guess this is one more reason to stay as my fiance." Seeker smiled.

Lara blushed all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry. The truth is, this is just a big opportunity for me. This is the enigmatic Progenitor! That entity hasn't even made a personal move yet!"

"From what I know, he has. He's said to have made a move on various places around the world. The battle with the King Naga, the attacks worldwide, was used to cover up his movements."

"What?!" Lara was shocked at those words. She knew well just how many Pioneers she had to command to investigate the various mystery, but in reality, they were not the real thing? She risked moving down the Lingkaran without her techs to understand what happened. 

But it all turned out to be a facade to hide the real truth!

"That's what we heard. We don't know whether the battle is happening overground… but Harker theorizes that it should be in Russia. In the underground fortresses that Russia has built." Seeker explained.

"What about the vampires, werewolves… the attack in the Americas?"

"We don't know." Seeker sighed.

"The Progenitor told us that some of them were caused by the Lost Primordials and some were his doing. He's keeping us out of the loop in who our allies are. We don't even know which persona he will come in as! We know that he is confident that we wouldn't be able to identify who he is! Even the Lost Primordial won't! The Progenitor is confident that we would be talking with him or her, and we won't know that it was already the Progenitor!!"

"It would be important for me to get there." Lara pleaded with Zeek.

"Relax! You're already invited. But you may have to make preparations, though. I heard that Harker intends to host our wedding there. My dad and mom can visit me, so it's only there that I can introduce you to my dad and mom and be given away. What about you? Are you parents…?" Seeker trailed off as he hesitated to ask.

"If they can join, they probably will join! The opportunity to meet the Lost Primordial is something that we have to do! But Zeek… I have to ask… What exactly is the connection between the Lost Primordial and the Progenitor?"

"My guess? Based on the talks I've heard and the things Harker said he heard when the Progenitor blew up the moon, they are the same. The Progenitor and the Lost Primordial are indeed allies at one point in time. But the thing is, the battle in the Pacific was the Progenitor's victory. Harker's armies were destined to lose. This was part of his plan."

"What plan?"

"I don't know. What we are preparing for is to diversify our techs. The Progenitor seems to be leading us to create weapons and techs that can easily assimilate with other techs. He seems to have a way to steal the techs of others." Seeker shrugged.

It was at that point that Lara felt her heart froze. Those words startled her. She recalled that particular science that nearly all Presiders ignored. 

"Based on what I heard, I think the Progenitor is not only one of the Lost Primordial before. He or she could have been the strongest! Right now, we are in the process of leaking Harker's Programmed Slave info. We are hoping one of these families who saw that tech would make some noise in the Underworld. The Lost Primordial has these techs, but from what I heard, the Progenitor has a way of sensing them! In fact, he has been reprogramming several slaves! And these reprogrammed slaves is something that the Lost Primordial couldn't sense! Our leader is that confident." Seek explained in detail.

Lara felt a great sense of fear. If this was true, her very life would be at risk! She could not afford to trust any of the Planteds or Pioneers anymore.

"Is this for real? If… if these slaves can be reprogrammed… then do you have a means of sensing who these Lost Primordial's are?"

"Well, I was only allowed to show myself once the scans were made. Harker said that the Progenitor has an officer in this ship and has used a strange science to detect it. But don't worry. Your identity has been confirmed and proven. I think the Progenitor knows you're not a Primordial."

"Why-why do you say that?"

"Harker. For months he kept urging me not to make any communication with you. All of a sudden, he lets me move freely and allowed me to talk to you? I'm guessing the Progenitor already confirmed there are no baddies in this ship." Seeker explained.

A sense of great relief filled Lara's heart. Her worst fear was avoided!

"Seeker! Lara! The call to the SPU is about to start!"

"Oh! Right. I'm needed. Lara, will you still be here after this?"

Lara shook herself out of her trance.

"I- I might have to go back up to prepare."

"...Well, I understand." Seeker sighed.

"Lara. I have to ask… I'm not… regretful that I have to marry you. I knew that these things are usually something hard to put into consideration… but with the world falling as it is… I…"

"I'll teach you." Lara smiled.

"Teach me?"

"Just as it was in the days of old, kings and queens marry for political purposes. I've been raised as such. It sounds cruel… But it's not that bad. I can teach you how to love me." Lara answered with a bashful chuckle.

Seeker was stunned.

"I guess I'm counting on you. Shall we?" Seeker smiled as he pointed inside.

"I… have to hurry. My parents and the company is not yet prepared for this trip and if we want to move to go to the South Americas. Zeek. Can you ensure that I will go there?" Lara asked.

"It's a done deal. I think that's the point. The Progenitor wants to see who his descendant is marrying." Seeker explained.

"Then I have to hurry. I have to take advantage of this before the other families can take notice. If the other Pangean groups notice our sudden movements, they might suspect Harker of favoring the Diamon."

Seeker was startled at her sudden explanation.

"Miss Lara? The call is starting. However, since you finished your talk with Seeker, the craft leaving for the surface is ready." Scribs appeared and offered.

"What? You knew she would leave?" Seeker exclaimed.

"Of course. It is as she said. Since she is a Diamon and not a Pangean descendant, we can reason to the others that hiding her is necessary to hide all alliances. If they realized that the Diamon family is our ally, it might limit trades. But of course, the real reason she has to leave is to prepare for our departure. I'm sorry, Miss Diamon, for not telling you earlier. We are still acting in the highest protocol, and so we had to tell you this at the last minute. Please follow me to your craft." Scribs explained as he began to move ahead.

Lara was surprised that the plan was to get her out immediately.

"I… I understand. Zeek. Or… should I call you baby or... something?" Lara gave Seeker a bashful look.

"Let's stick with first name basis. We can decide on whatever cringey nicknames to give each other on our private time." Seeker laughed as he nodded his head towards Scribs.

"See you in South America… Love." Lara giggled as he followed Scribs. 

"Ew. I prefer Baby! See you!" Seeker laughed as he waved.

Lara followed and soon disappeared from view.

Seeker looked and could sense Lara moving towards the elevator and moving upwards.

"Great misdirection!" 

Lynd's figure suddenly emerged next to him as he undid his cloak.

"You made that lie about Russia to send the Presiders to focus their efforts there. The one place where we haven't done anything yet! They will expand great efforts and even mind-control people but won't get any info about us." Lynd laughed.

"Not to mention you also gave away details about the battle here but made it something that they have to ignore as they need to prioritize finding what the real move of this non-existent Progenitor is!"

But as Lynd praised Seeker's plan, Seeker was in deep contemplation.

"Strange. Her body changed. It's no longer the same as an Aragarian. She managed to switch it…" Seeker pondered.

"What do you think, Lynd?" Seeker asked.

Lynd was startled at that question. Through his memories, he confirmed the strange state of Lara's body.

"Now that you mention it... I can't sense anything weird from her. I can't even do tech copy. She was really cautious. That talk of yours was full of emotions, and it should have allowed me to sense it. And you're right. Her heart is in the right place. She doesn't have the biology of an Aragarian. But her expression was all over the place when you mentioned that the Progenitor has ways. This means she was without any techs. But at the same time… She was still genuinely afraid. Which mean that whatever that being was, whether it was Lara Diamon or Zeraphine of the Presiders, it was still afraid of being captured."

"I'm guessing this is a science that involves hypostasis displacement. Just like how the Christian faith believes in the Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ, wherein He is two beings, God and Man at the same time, that Aragarian is Lara and Zeraphine at the same time."

"Hypostatic Union? That's my word of the day. You mean, Lara is in the Three dimensions, and Zeraphine is on the Beyond Dimensions, but the two have a physical locality in the form of Lara's body?"

"Dude... what?" Seeker gazed at Lynd and made a bewildered expression as Lynd said something someone only crazy or stoned people would say.

"Be more serious, Zeek!"

"I guess that's one way to put it. And that's impressive considering she's escaping our senses. This mission ought to be our deadliest. What do you think she'll do after this?"

"With what we talked about, she might be luring more Presiders in. That's why she was so hasty to leave this place. She is informing her allies of the changes in the South Americas and how this Lost Primordial will appear."

"And enemies," Seeker added.

"What?"

"There is a possibility that Lara will contact a Presider with who she has no amicable relationship. The plan we showed her of allying with the SPU inspired her to do the same. She probably thinks that one among the Presiders has betrayed them. So if she has any enemies who she is certain to have no connection with the traitor, then she will ally with that person."

"And that means another Presider in the South Americas. You said this was a break, but it's getting more and more dangerous by the minute. By the way, you said that the Progenitor is confident that he wouldn't be found out. You plan to make them think that the Progenitor would be among the Presiders?"

"Yes. We will also be putting some rather interesting individuals."

"Like who?"

"Erick Loudde."

"Who? I don't know him…" Lynd scratched his head. He had Unlocked memory, so it was rather embarrassing not to know who this person was.

"Exactly. He's some random dude who invested in Unlocked Industries and bought stock. He's not rich or anything, but he will be invited in the Underwater city at the recommendation of Unlocked Industries."

"What?"

"We also have that famous influencer, Opel Rainner."

"The famous girl who reacts on various things from movies, music, and even game competitions in ViewMe?"

"Yup. We also have Dialfronz Chezkrick."

"I don't know that name. Is that a politician or in the military?"

"He's a very interesting dance instructor that my Grandmother likes. He teaches dance and does one hell of a Zumba routine as my Grandmother would put it."

"I get it." Lynd nodded.

"I don't." Cliff emerged. He had been eavesdropping inside the room and used Realm to hear the conversation.

"We put these rather unimportant people inside to make the Aragarians suspicious. It redirects them. They know we are with the Progenitor and because they know that, they won't investigate us. And that allows us to complete our mission." Seeker smiled.

"Are we going to nuke the city and get out to kill as many Presiders as we can?"

"No. We frame them for being traitors. It's going to be fun. If all the Presiders inside that sunken city are all accusing each other of being traitors, it will do more harm than killing a Presider."

"Oh. Makes sense."

"There is one more thing, though, Zeek. Lara's reaction when you said that the Progenitor could copy techs made her heart skip. It was probably the part that scared her the most. What do you think?"

"It proves Arthur's theory. The real Lost Primordial, our Progenitor, had the tech to copy or steal the techs of Aragarians that are even stronger than Presiders! If she is afraid, this means that it is possible for a Presider to have this!"

"We need that." Lynd's expression turned serious.

"Indeed.. If we have that, we can finally create it! The last person who can take the mantle of the third part of the Messiah. The Life!"