The Dragon of Dreams

Chapter 418: A Lost Voice

Unknown - Unknown : Acardi Research Facility | Eastern Draconic Continent (Bahamut)

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- The Logs of Andrew Borealis ~

Entry 1 of 18,761

- Day One: The Origin-Class creature.

I guess they didn't instill the fear of Origin-Class creatures when we were young for nothing. It's hard to imagine how such a colossal land-bound creature could exist, but I guess with sufficient mana, what we physicists understand as laws become guidelines.

Anyway, today was my first time in the facility, but after getting through all the security and being shown where I would be living, we got to work. They told us these notes were for just us, but could potentially be read by others if something happened and we needed to be replaced, so I will try to keep it professional.

Apologies in advance if that isn't the case in the long run, but my name is Andrew Borealis, a researcher from the School of Universal Understanding with a concentration in universal biomechanics and genetic trend construction and evaluation. I am a third party from the Main Sector workers in this facility, but am bound to similar rules. Nothing read in these logs can be shared outside of this room without direct orders from Agents of class V or above.

To keep things short, I am the one in charge of organizing and mapping the genome of the origin class creature here, deciphering the purposes of various sections of genetics and translating them into more familiar, or visual terms. According to the higher-ups, I will be in charge of the research done in this branch, however I seem to only be looking over the work of two labs in this facility.

We Shall See.

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Day Two...

Day...

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- Day Twelve: First Samples

Today, we finally got our hands on some raw samples taken from The Grave. We have been tasked with finding and mapping the entirety of the creature's genome, but in order to do that, we need to piece together countless long strings of genetic code, however, we very quickly ran into some problems.

Almost identically to the dragons of this world, this creature contains multiple genomes, one containing the blueprint for its full form, and another for what, at least at one point, would have been a more humanoid form.

Even without deciphering it, it is certain that this creature could not have used such a form, as its bone and muscle density would be denser than the core of a star, however, it still throws a wrench into the mapping process.

The issue arises when deciphering what genome we are looking at when we only find a small, broken or incomplete piece. Thankfully, throughout the samples, we found huge amounts of preserved genetic material, with only a handful of molecules that could have changed through atomic decay, which makes the initial mapping process quite easy, but finding the split between the humanoid genome and non-humanoid is.. a challenge...

On another note, while it seems like mapping everything will be a struggle, we did actually discover that the mountains on the creature's back aren't actually rock, or at least not entirely. After double-checking a few times, it appears like the mountains we believed the creature to carry on its back weren't regular sediment like some of the outer layers of rock, or at least not entirely.

More studies will be needed to confirm it, but its a fascinating development at the very least.

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Day Thirteen...

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- Day Twenty-Six: Scale Excrement

In one of our tests today, we managed to confirm that what we originally believed to be a section of surface rock that was sunk into the ground with the creature's fossil, was actually partially organic, being something closer to a solidified excrement from the creature's scales that would layer and act like thick armor that was far sturdier than traditional dragon scales.

This discovery has confirmed that the perceived mountains on the creature's back are indeed a part of it, even if the material is closer to sedimentary rock than the more organic compounds we traditionally find in dragon scales.

As for why it accumulates endlessly, or why the creature allowed it to accumulate to such an extent, we can only speculate.

Anyway, it's not what we're looking for, but a cool discovery nonetheless.

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Day Twenty-Seven...

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- Day Ninety-Six: Progress

I never thought I would say this, but it looks like we can finally start making progress.

Today, we found a golden sample, Sample K, with a nearly fully preserved active genome. As far as we can tell, the only parts missing are pieces we have documented and confirmed, so at long last, we can begin the endless deciphering to learn how its.. peculiar genetic code would be read and used.

Upon hearing this news, the higher-ups told us we only need to isolate and identify the genetics for the bone and muscle tissues, however, even after trying to explain it wasn't that simple since it used a different 'chemical legend' compared to everything we know of besides dragons, we were just told to get it done.

I can only hope things continue as smoothly as they have so far.

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Day Ninety-Seven...

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- Day Three Hundred Eighty-Five:

Today we received contact from a draconic containment facility supposedly housing one of the strongest dragons alive, and were provided the dragon's genetic map to use for reference for our studies here. However, the dragons seem to be almost completely unrelated, unlike what we've been expecting.. and are, at best, several hundred thousand generations apart which would massively predate the existence and evolution of dragons as they are now, in this world.

Our current best guess is that this dragon is an origin-class creature that arrived here from another world during the growth of primitive life, or perhaps even earlier, and after it was killed, somehow managed to force mutations in creatures that wandered too close to its grave with its own genetic material. This is assuming that the creature was indeed once at the surface, and that the creatures genetic material was somehow stable inside of the pool of mana the creature left behind.

As far as we know, this isn't something that is traditionally possible, however recent studies have hinted that mana could act like radiation against molecules as fragile as those in genetics, which would technically allow for it to be possible, while also being a possible explanation as to why female dragons overproduce MSC1. Given the mana levels their bodies contain, it would be evolutionarily advantageous for dragons with an overproduction to dominate the population since their young would be born with less defects.

I must add though, I have major doubts about that, as such an overproduction of MSC1 is likely unnecessary given the genetic material is initially constructed in that high-mana environment. At least in my eyes, it seems more like a trap to keep the draconic population from exploding, but is too far spread to have originated from the Sector.

Anyway, tomorrow we get another set of samples from the grave as well as some other species' genetic material from various areas around the planet. We hope it'll give us some insight.

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Day Three Hundred Eighty-Six...

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- Day Nine Hundred Forty-Four:

We found our second golden sample today, Sample X. From what we can tell its a piece of muscle, which was what we needed, and at long last the higher-ups have given us some direction. They want us to finish mapping the active genomes we found in our golden samples, mostly relating to skeletal structure, protein synthesis, and cell structure, before applying the genetic legend to other testable subjects in order to make sure its correct.

By the sounds of it, they seem interested in splicing this Origin-Class creature's genetics with something else, but since it uses a completely different legend from us, I can't begin to wonder where it will be used.

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Day Nine Hundred Forty-Five...

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- Day Two Thousand Three Hundred and Twenty-Four:

Looks like I finally passed the higher-ups tests. After cycling through my colleagues a bunch, I was finally granted the promotion of clearance needed to access to the information of the project we have been contributing to, Project Re-XK.

Although more than slightly ambitious, they wanted to take some of the genetic makeup of the Origin-Class creature we have been studying in order to splice it into an Acardi body. Although some of the details are still hidden, there have been some rumors that the sector began investing heavily into what was previously 'spiritual research' in hopes of letting us reach a realm beyond that of even mana.

The creation of a god of sorts.

As of now, it is completely impossible. The creatures of this world use an entirely different genetic legend from us, hence why even those with large amounts of mana in their bodies cannot ingest elixirs from this world. The high influx of mana will break apart their genetics and infuse that found in the elixir, but because the legend is different, it just causes their bodies to breakdown rather than evolve like we have seen with the human subjects other facilities have tested on.

However, it isn't totally impossible. If given enough time, it may be possible that we can translate our own genomes into this new legend, and make an artifact that would infuse a blend of our genetic makeup with the Origin-Class creatures.

Just allow me to preface that this is purely theoretical... Up until this point, we had never seen such a unique genetic legend, so it may not be possible, even if I wish for that not to be the case.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

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Day Two Thousand Three Hundred and Twenty-Five...

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- Day Four Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-One:

Just like every day over the past six years, we made essentially no progress on our main objective today, but we may be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Today we received word that another set of labs in the facility managed to reconstruct the entire creature's skeletal structure using our genetic map in a new algorithm, giving us our first look at the entire skeleton, including the head, which was missing.

By the looks of things, the creature had one of the largest and most complex brains we have ever seen in a creature of its class, however, that just went to add more worries to us. Such a massive mountain of bone stronger than the universes strongest alloys doesn't simply disappear, but it seems like the higher-ups do know something about it. Every time I bring it up in a meeting, they simply say it was done by a 'being we cannot offend' and forcefully change the subject.

It makes me wonder what else they are hiding that could benefit our studies, but for now, we can only take things one step at a time.

In any case, now that we have access to an algorithm that can at least somewhat correctly reconstruct a creature from a genetic blueprint with this genetic legend, we can move on to figuring out the other active genomes we found using a much faster, trial and error method.

We hope for good results.

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Day Four Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty-Two...

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- Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Nineteen:

At long last we have completed the genetic legend and have finished mapping the creature's known active genome. Although we are still missing the mapping of many organs from the heart to lungs and intestines, after studying more of the dragons in this world, we have found that many higher-class creatures find such organs unnecessary and shed them, or consume them at a certain age. We have made a formal submittal with these genetic maps, but ever since about a year ago, the higher-ups have been communicating with us less and less.

It also appears that Project Re-XK has some competition, but we have no knowledge of the competing group. As far as we can assume, its a facility that specializes in the soul, perhaps in an effort to reincarnate someone into a body compatible with our project's genetic splicing, but calling that a shot it the dark doesn't do it justice.

We have no idea.

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Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Twenty...

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- Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty:

Well, we were wrong. Twenty days have passed and there has still been no response from the higher-ups in the sector. It appears that our results have been pushed aside, but we aren't sure why.

Anyway, things are quite tense in the facility, a rumor has been floating around that the sector will be calling for a planetary evacuation soon, but I don't buy it. We still have so much to learn in this world, that I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were just taking the mothership to another nearby system for something. With the new quantum-entangled communication modules we have, we no longer need the mothership to be right next to us. With just the facilities we have on the planet now, we wouldn't have any trouble living without the mothership for quite a number of years while still being able to remain in close contact.

But I guess we will just have to wait and see. I just don't think it would make any sense.

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Day Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-One...

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- Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Five:

Well, so much for that.

Today they evacuated nearly all personnel from the facility, emptied the storages, and even mentioned that supplies would be cut off for some time. Those remaining in the facility, mainly the engineers, and those in my labs, will be fine with the rations we have, but have been told to wait for our private evacuation coming at some point today.

I have offered to stay behind in order to continue study, but the higher-ups don't seem to care.

In any case, I guess I'm just writing to vent. We had a world full of potential yet despite my messages, the higher-ups are pulling us all out.

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- Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Six:

The private evacuation ship never arrived. We have been wondering if it was destroyed and sent some of the engineers and researchers out in a crawler to see if the relay station under the planets crust will have any information, but even though they should be there by now, we've heard nothing.

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Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Seven...

Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Eight...

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- Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty-Nine:

I'm back...

Three days ago, a crawler from the facility in the mantle arrived to rescue the rest of us, however, when we got back to the facility in the mantle, it was mangled and wrecked. After the evacuation was called, all local security enforcement left, and with no one to protect the facility 'those things' wrecked the place, including the ship that was our escape.

The others, thinking if they got to the surface, they could signal the mothership for rescue, loaded a crawler with extra fuel and made a break for it, however, I decided had a different idea. Taking one of the crawlers that survived, I gathered all the food and water into the storages that I could and came back up to the main facility. At the very least, as long as I'm willing to make a few trips down there and the facility stays powered, I'll have enough food and water to comfortably sustain myself for the rest of my life.

At least here, I have means of communicating with the mothership regardless of where it was thanks to the lunar relay.

If I'm patient, I'll eventually get rescued, it's just a matter of time.

In the meantime, I'll keep researching the golden samples.

Its not a bad way to kill time, I must say.

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Day Seven Thousand One Hundred and Fifty...

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- Day Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Forty-One:

Huh... Not sure how to start this one...

Looks like the facility lost connection to the mothership.. and it hasn't come back online...

Over the past three months I managed to stay in steady communication with the sector heads, and after relaying them all of my research, they said I would be appropriately rewarded for my commitment after my rescue, but with attempt after attempt, no ship made it to the facility.

By the sounds of things, the mantle had been completely overrun by the 'spawn' after our security members were evacuated, preventing any ships from reaching me, leaving their only option as drilling into the magma vent we dug from the surface, which, in the heart of the draconic continent isn't exactly an easy task.

But they sounded confident, and well, I'm alive.. so that's good... By the sounds of things, my colleagues weren't so lucky...

For now I can only hope I can get connected to the Mothership through the server again soon. If not, I plan to back all these logs into a buffer so when connection is eventually reestablished, it will send the main server everything.

All I can do now is wait.. kill time studying the endless oceans of knowledge stored in the local facilities.. and pray...

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Day Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Forty-Two...

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- Day Seven Thousand Six Hundred and Eight:

What a fucking waste of time...

Its been a year since I lost connection to the mothership now, and still complete radio silence. Recently I managed to get a communication established between me and a few survivors in other facilities, but by the sounds of things, they weren't nearly as well off as me.. and one by one, they left for the surface, never to be heard from again.

The general consensus between us all was that the mothership just abandoned us. We got stranded and they found it more trouble than it was worth to rescue us, however, unlike them, I had managed to confirm that they at least sent ships to rescue me.. far more than I would consider myself worth.. just none of them made it to me.

Plus the connection to the mothership was broken in a very odd fashion. After studying the logs, there was a blast of static that ripped through the communications before the connection was broken. That oddity made me question if something on the mothership blew up and killed the communication module.. however, by now they would have fixed it...

In any case, there is nothing else I can do but wait. Tomorrow I'll make another food run and scout what is left of that facility for anything useful. Perhaps its logs can give me some insight as well.

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Day Seven Thousand Six Hundred and Nine...

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- Day Eight Thousand One Hundred and Seventy-Two:

I've finally given up the lingering hope I had about the mothership getting connected to the facility again, and honestly, it feels freeing... Perhaps my mind has just lost grip with itself, or I ate something I shouldn't have, but my mind has never been so steady. Today I sat down and read through endless papers talking about runic circuitry and, while I wish I had someone to bounce ideas off, I was reminded of my days in school, studying alone.

Such a freeing feeling that was.

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Day Eight Thousand One Hundred and Seventy-Two...

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- Day Eight Thousand Five Hundred and Thirty-One:

Today I managed to hack into another facilities logs and read up on the restricted parts of Project Re-XK. Supposedly it was a project meant to create a genetic template of a creature capable of housing the soul of a god. Even now, it feels like a total farce, but reading into it more had truly pulled me in deep.

I'll be spending my time looking more into it as time goes on. Perhaps after learning enough runic circuitry, I could create the artifact myself! Perhaps I can find a way to step into the world of godhood using the endless ocean of mana just over my head...

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Day Eight Thousand Five Hundred and Thirty-One...

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- Day Ten Thousand Three Hundred and One:

HAHA! ITS POSSIBLE!

I managed to create a working rune that adjusted the genetics of the skin on the tip of my finger today! Although it was quite painful, its a huge step in the right direction. Tomorrow, I plan to start going up closer to the Grave more often in order to try and absorb as much mana as I can, after all, it seems like mana really is the key to godhood and immortality.

But it will all take more studies.

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Day Ten Thousand Three Hundred and Two...

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- Day Eleven Thousand One Hundred and Seventeen:

Fuck... I got hit with mana sickness again today...

It looks like my body really just can't handle that kind of mana.. even if I'm not even at the entrance of the cave... It looks like my body can't quite adapt to the mana like the fauna of this world can...

But I don't plan on giving up there. Today I managed to get a breakthrough with my understanding of runic circuitry. Hopefully, if I keep pace, I can start making a blueprint of an actual prototype of the artifact the higher-ups wanted. If its something I can fabricate here.. perhaps I can experiment on my own body to refine it.

Perhaps I can defeat the flow of time as well! Perhaps I can be embraced by the gracious hand of mana just as this world has!

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Day Eleven Thousand One Hundred and Eighteen...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

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- Day Fourteen Thousand One Hundred and Sixty-Three:

It looks like my time is finally coming... I like to think I lived a good life... A productive one... But the last twenty years I have been only shrouded in silence.

Today marks the day I finally finished a complete prototype of the artifact, but just the same, I can no longer move my legs... Thanks to the experiments I did on myself to create the prototype, I struggle to move and can no longer retrieve supplies from the other facility, nor can I reach the fabricator on the lower levels to try and manufacture it...

As much as I wish to deny it.. I'm on the way out...

I will starve to death, with no one to hear my cries.. but perhaps that is for the better.

Over the last forty years, I've grown quite fond of this place.. with the gentle hum of the reactor putting me to sleep every night while the sound of rushing mana echoed outside... Even if rescue arrived now, I'm not sure I would be able to go. My body has deteriorated, and while I believe my mind is still sharp, it too has dulled with time.. even if I don't realize it.

So, without a body or mind able to continue my work is done...

Now it is just a matter of time for the Sector to return and find the treasures I left for them, or for them all to be buried and lost to time.

But I have no regrets either way... Or rather.. I have one... As I lay here at a desk, I wish I could see the surface just one more time... I wish I could meet the locals of this beautiful.. fascinating world, even if I was killed on sight.

Even if it would mean I would be tortured to death...

I don't care.. I just wish to see the sky one last time...

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Day Fourteen Thousand One Hundred and Sixty-Three...

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- Day Fourteen Thousand One Hundred and Ninety:

If someone other than the sector is reading this.. I apologize... I wish I and my people could have understood it sooner, but this world is alive.. disturbing the balance as we did was something that could only come back to bite us. Perhaps that is what happened in the end, perhaps this world ended us in that blink of an eye...

Perhaps it was all the work of fate...

In any case, this will be my last log.

If someone from this world manages to read this message.. I'm sorry... With every passing day, I feel more and more guilty about the things my people have done, however, I don't regret the path I took.

After reconnecting to the satellite array a few days ago, I shed tears... Seeing the planet intact.. alive and well... It made me so happy that words cannot do it justice...

So happy that I can finally lay my head to rest one last time.. not dwelling on a life of regret, but imagining I was the dragon soaring through the sky.. scanning a forest for food.. or a lizard on the side of a tree, basking in the sun.

If I am to have one final wish.. it is that in my next life.. and the one after that.. I hope I can repay the debt my race has accrued.

Even if I alone cannot repay it for a thousand lifetimes.

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