Chapter 468: “You evolved”

When Number 3 called out, she unknowingly used the new mental channel, the strange connection she now had with Aiden. She wasn't really aware of it though, in her agitated state she did actually think that she called out to him in a regular way.

Only when she saw the shocked, incredulous face of the boy when she turned around, did she feel that something may have been amiss. Still, even then she wasn't aware that she was relying on her psyche, instead of her vocal cords for communication.

'Aiden…' Though she didn't understand why he was looking and reacting in such an exaggerated manner, Number 3 pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She had more pressing matters to focus on to bother with this boy's peculiar behavior.

'Aiden, could you please… help me?' Noticing that there was no response or any sort of reaction from the youth, she called for him again. This time she also gives a short description of what her wishes were.

Yet, there was no response this time either, Aiden kept staring at her with a seemingly perpetual shocked look.

Already agitated and slightly unstable, this lack of visual stimuli, however, irked Number 3 to no end. With annoyance, she sighed, revealing a frown as she called out, this time with even more power behind her tone. 

'Aiden! Could YOU please… Woah what the…' She asked again, with a bit of ire and a visible annoyance plastered on her expression. Before she could finish the thought though, most likely due to her heightened emotional state, she added a strand of her own power in her mental voice, causing her voice to thunderously rage inside both of their heads.

This also, finally caused her to notice the mysterious new form of communication she was instinctively utilizing. Only now, did she understand the boy's reaction, even joining him and was staring at him with utter shock.

'What the…' She exclaimed mentally, still under the shock of the groundbreaking revelation.

'Master…' Finally, after so long, Aiden's voice came, this time through the same mental channel that they had. 

Hearing his call, Number 3, turned to look at the boy with a scrutinizing gaze. 

'How?' Was the only word she could muster, focusing on the connection, trying to make sense of all of what was going on.

Seeing her, Aiden could only sigh and reveal a wry look. Though he was still surprised at how Number 3 seemed to be natural at using her mental abilities, he assumed it was just the result of her origin and her family traits. Her sister and her niece Sara were after all, powerful in the field, feared and respected by those who were in the 'know'.

Though the system, for some reason, couldn't have any control over her, that didn't bother Aiden in the slightest. On the contrary, her case was the first sign of true hope, a potential path towards a future without these scheming higher powers to alter fate and destiny for their own amusement. 

Taking a deep breath, as if to calm himself and also to give leeway in taking control of the flow of conversation, Aiden sat down cross-legged on the ground, just like how she taught him before. 

Without saying a word, he smiled warmly, signaling for her to follow suit as the story she was about to hear would take some time.

Understanding the boy's nudging, Number 3 followed suit, though she seemed all-too careful and deliberate in her actions as she slowly bent her knees and lowered herself down on the ground, making sure that none of her movements were sudden, or not calculated. 

She seemed to be afraid, caring about something, making Aiden raise a brow, but ultimately deciding against asking about it. He could guess that her strange action would be related to the request she wanted to ask of him multiple times by now.

Aiden waited calmly, patiently as Number 3 took her time to settle down, and relax slightly before opening her lips to speak.

"Before we get into it, let me tell you that I am so happy to see you fine and healthy, Master." He greeted with a happy, warm smile. "I also need to ask, what is the last thing, the last moment you can recall? Try to think back, no matter how hard it is, we need to know!"

Number 3 frowned at the boy's questions. Before acquiescing to it, and causing her more of the surely awaiting headache, she asked.

"I will get to that… but first…" She pointed to her chest as she asked with a slightly raised tone of voice. "What is exactly this thing doing in me? Why is it seemingly active? Am I… actually…" She gulped as she took a bit of time to gather her willpower to finish her thoughts even if it was clearly difficult for her. "dead? Am I some sort of construct?"

"No. You are very much alive. That I can assure you." Shaking his head, Aiden answered promptly with a thin smile. Not wanting to hurt her any further, Aiden made sure to start with the topic that most weighed on her. 

"On the other hand…" His expression turned stern in the next moment, causing Number 3 to startle at his sudden shift and focus on his words with even more attention. "…I am not sure what you have become." He sighed, giving only a moment before continuing.

"As you are aware, Master, humans are the only species as far as I know that are by birth missing any semblance of a Core in their bodies, thus making them incapable of following the natural order of the world, being the only race not to evolve as it reaches its mortal limits."

Number 3 nodded at his words.

"Yes, that is correct. Still, that doesn't necessarily make humans weaker than others." She added. "We can just use this to our advantage and train our bodies, minds, and spirit to gain more and more power. We can also use our ingenuity to invent tools to extend our reach. Humanity is not the most dominant race on Eora without a reason." She finished, summarizing his thoughts on the topic in a clear, concise way. 

Aiden didn't refute her claims, he simply nodded accepting them instead. Giving a few breaths of time for her to collect herself, he spoke again, pointing at the center area of her chest.

"What you said is true, yet it no longer applies to you. Master, in case you have not realized it yet, you are no longer human. You changed."

Seeing the shock that settled on her face as a direct consequence of his words, Aiden could only sigh and go on, explaining what he said further.

"Before I can answer the rest of your questions, and make you understand what happened, why, and how, we need to talk about what you can actually remember. For now, let it be enough that you are now someone that's center of power is like the rest of the world: You have a Central Core, a Crystal continuously generating and also, storing the new source inside your body.

Master, you evolved."

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