Limitless, John Gold [best novels of all time .TXT] 📗

wanted to get to the world my parents have told me so much about, the world where the people I care about live. And how did that turn out? The person who did more for me than my entire family was dropped into the most horrific situation imaginable. Grandpa, what happened to him? Why is there a total isolation shield blocking communication in and out of Earth? Why are Lunar’s security drones scanning the entire atmosphere looking for radio waves or ship communication systems? Why can’t I get in touch with anyone from the Azure August resort? I pulled shots from a satellite, and it looks like part of the resort is demolished, almost like there was an explosion. Did you take Sagie by force? Is he hurt?”

Miguel wiped away his tears. They’d ventured into the topic that hurt the most, and he didn’t know how Fiji would react when she heard everything.

“There’s nobody in the world who wants happiness for Sagie more than Akashi and me. And there’s nobody he hates more than us. But now, he doesn’t hate people; he hates all of humanity. The part of his identity that loved others, forgave them their weakness, and believed in their potential is gone—the good part that wished for peace and harmony.”

“You killed him?! Grandpa!”

“No, he destroyed part of the resort and disappeared, and we detected the first use of psionic ability.”

∞ ∞ ∞

In a first-order world, in an area hidden from wandering eyes, there was a tower made out of indestructible material without doors or windows.

The emergency meeting of the council of keepers had been called because of a death in the race. Thousands of snake-like creatures hovered in the dark, empty space. They were all talking with each other at once.

“Tser’Kareni Papir made a mistake in his estimation of humans.”

“There was no mistake. Working on the basis of the overall statistics for the human race, the possibility for error was less than one billionth of a percent.”

“The keeper’s death has been confirmed.”

“Confirmed.”

“Confirmed.”

“Confirmed.”

“Papir was experimenting to see how far humans can develop. He expanded their consciousness, forced mental self-control, and let them push their physical bodies to the limit. The result was that humans were found to be capable of exceeding their predicted future. Papir losing his character proves that human potential exceeds ours—their mental logic is highly adaptive, their physical bodies adjust when overloaded, and they can move beyond the limits placed on them by nature. Among all the races, humans have the best shot at reaching a first-order world and going through the final trial.”

“They can do what has remained inaccessible to us.”

“Find the path to the Fukai protorace that left for another universe.”

“Do our experiments violate the rules of the trial?”

“No. The compensation offered to humankind is commensurate to the harm done to them. Thirty years is the average time it takes for a human to reach their peak cognitive abilities, and if Sagie was a unicorn outpacing the entirety of humanity, they aren’t yet ready to find the Fukai. In that case, the six trials won’t make much difference in their progress through the Talzeur worlds.”

“Why was one of humankind’s chosen ones isolated from the whole world?”

“The first precept of the Fukai: ‘Planets are categorically protected from destruction. All guilty parties shall suffer the maximum punishment for their world.’ Races can be destroyed, and planets can be made inhospitable to life, but they cannot be destroyed. You can’t wreck the basis of the trial.”

“For humans, excommunication from society is the strongest form of punishment. It’s the cultural decline of the individual, a lost ability for personal development within the context of civilization, and forfeited relevance to society.”

“Can he leave the isolation zone?”

“No. If he does, however, all charges will be dropped—we have no right to judge those who exceed our understanding. That does not run counter to the precepts of the Fukai, and it even presupposes that line of reasoning and action. The death of a keeper proves that the Fukai identified our development potential even before we were able to do so, even before we were named the senior representatives of all Talzeur worlds. The rules assume that beings higher than us will be able to find the path to the Fukai and another universe.”

∞ ∞ ∞

A year passed after the portal to Papilio was unlocked. Most players, regardless of all the horrors Akashi described, decided to head up to the butterfly world. The news that we weren’t alone in the universe, that we’d long before come into contact with other civilizations, roused all of humanity. But there were plenty of unpleasant surprises in store for the players who made their way to the new world. The locals were much smarter, stronger, and well-developed than those in Project Chrysalis, and new characters were conscripted into the army, onto farms, by rogue sorcerers, and by the dark empire of Klaim. A large-scale war broke out for territory, resources, and political positioning. It was a harsh reality after the sandbox games that were played in Project Chrysalis, and lots of players outfitted their virtual capsule for long-term immersion and moved to the new world to live. Papilio wasn’t nearly as kind, bright, and beautiful as Project Chrysalis. On the other hand, it was far more realistic, interesting, and engaging.

One way of becoming a skilled mage was to join the Academy of Magic, which accepted new students once a year. Alternatively, you could find an instructor or teacher on the side, or even go visit the orc shamans. The variability and result depended on the choice you made.

Akashi had been telling the truth when he said that you could only become a good warrior by joining the army. It was demanding, difficult work that pushed you to the edge of your legacy and natural development. Good soldiers had to know how to use swords, shields, bows, and throwing weapons. Players who were drafted experienced all the difficulties of army life in the context of constant war. On the other hand,