Elegy from Another World

The command room was deathly silent, save for the faint hum of the instruments. The sudden disappearance of the red garbled code brought not joy, but a deeper sense of bewilderment and shock. And all of this seemed to be related to the bizarre brain that had returned before them.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Needless to say, my expression at that moment must have been filled with astonishment and confusion.

The thought came calmly from my mind, as if it had already anticipated our reaction: "You must have many questions. Ask away, and I will answer them."

There were too many questions, a jumbled mess filling my head. I suppressed my most instinctive question, "Who are you?" and chose the most urgent one: "Where is the 'Guardian'? How did it suddenly disappear?"

[The official response was to withdraw it.] The brain's answer was chillingly concise.

"Official?" I frowned.

The company that creates and operates this 'world'. You can think of it as... the game's developer and administrator.

The word "game..." struck me like a hammer blow to the heart. Although I had vaguely suspected it before, being confirmed so directly still made me feel dizzy.

"Wait!" Tia exclaimed in surprise, her face turning deathly pale. "You mean... the world we live in, everything we've experienced... is just a... game?"

Yes. The mind remained completely still, contemplating a highly realistic, massively multi-dimensional virtual reality immersive game world.

Tia staggered, grabbing the control panel to steady herself, her eyes filled with the shock and pain of her worldview collapsing. To her, this "world" was the entirety of reality.

Just then, the command room door slid open, and Noreljon strode in, manipulating a magical puppet: "Where did those bastards outside go? What happened…?" His words trailed off as his crimson electronic eyes stared intently at the floating brain. "Who are you?"

The brain turned to him: "I am the embodiment of Doctor Jiezhou in the lower-level narrative. You can call me Zhao Fang."

"Doctor Jiezhou?" A questioning static came from Noriljung's speaker. "Who is that?"

[They are the ones who brought Liscia's consciousness into this world.]

Those words struck me like a bolt of lightning! I looked sharply into my head: "Was it you... or that Dr. Jie Zhou you mentioned, who brought me here? Why?"

The other's thoughts remained calm: [In short: After your death, Dr. Jie Zhou intercepted and transferred your consciousness, channeling it into this observation container called 'Jasmine.' The purpose is to collect data on the various injustices, corruption, and crimes that occur in the course of this world's operation, and to release this data to the public at an appropriate time.]

I froze, a chill running down my spine: "So... all along, I was just... a tool being used? A sensor used to gather evidence?"

Yes. The other party's confirmation was cold and direct.

A profound sense of emptiness washed over me. All my struggles, pain, and efforts, the sacrifices I made to protect others, even the heavy responsibility of being crowned king... was it all just a pre-programmed drama, a performance for some "higher-level narrative"? Was the "reality" I had always believed in, the bonds I cherished with Tia and Edessis, merely virtual data?

I fell silent, my mind in turmoil, unsure of what to say or even what to think.

Tia seemed to have recovered slightly from the initial shock, and she was more concerned about her safety in reality: "Then... will that 'Guardian' come back? Will the authorities send something else to eliminate us?"

"No, it won't happen again," Fang said definitively.

Why?

Because the outcry was too great.

The semi-transparent screen projected itself again from the front. This time, instead of complex code, it switched to a familiar network interface—the real world! Countless video windows played simultaneously, all featuring me! There were scenes of me leading Utopia against monsters, clips of me battling heroes, my coronation speech, and even blurry images from my past life! Below the screen, a torrent of comments and bullet screen messages scrolled by:

"Expose them!"

"This game company is so shady!"

"Support Liscia! Expose the truth!"

"People eat people, money buys money, thieves become officials, and officials become thieves... Is this the world they've created?!"

"The authorities must provide an explanation!"

"Shut down! Investigate and punish!"

Protests, denunciations, and calls for the truth were deafening. Tia and Noriljoon, staring at the unfamiliar text and boiling public opinion on the screen, were clearly unable to fully comprehend it, only feeling bewildered. Only I, looking at the familiar language and topics, understood what had happened—Jiezhou had succeeded, or rather, our struggles in this world had become the final force to pierce that veil. The pressure of public opinion forced the "officials" to temporarily halt this "world" and recall the "Guardians."

A while later, Zoimem, Kawi, and Edseys returned to the command room. They were clearly extremely confused by the disappearance of the "Guardian." Tia and Noreljohn began to explain to them, in as simple a language as possible, what had just happened and the "truth" of this world.

I stood silently to the side, my heart filled with complex emotions. I had always believed this world was real, something I fought for, suffered for, and even aspired to rule. But it turned out to be a meticulously crafted "game." This collapse of faith almost suffocated me.

However, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. Although it was a past life, and we shouldn't have any further contact, that connection couldn't be easily severed. I looked up at the other side, my voice a little hoarse, and asked, "My family from my past life... my wife and son... how are they?"

"They are doing well." This response eased my tension slightly. "Dr. Jiezhou ensured their peaceful lives, and anonymity provided ample protection."

"That's enough..." I murmured. At least, my last concern had been resolved.

Edseys walked to my side and gently took my hand. Her eyes were still pure, filled with concern: "Lady Lydia... what should we... do now?"

I shook my head, feeling more lost than ever before: "I don't know... I really don't know." I looked in the distance, then at my companions around me, who, though essentially data, possessed real emotions and memories. "You... you should all ask it. For now... we can only take it one step at a time."

The truth of the world has been revealed, but the road ahead is shrouded in even deeper fog. What will become of us, those trapped in the "lower narrative"?