"But first, you need to explain what happened to my world after my death. No need to be too precise to avoid consuming your energy," said Elara, her voice laced with grievance.
She faced this overbearing system, yet it lacked energy? Her transmigration was shaping up to be a rollercoaster ride.
It would even self-destruct if she refused directly, without offering any compromises.
All those pretenses and plans she'd devised were in vain. She'd been foolish to think reading so many system novels had prepared her to negotiate effectively.
Elara had gained brief knowledge about CRS that had been forced upon her. The system was a relic from ancient times - abandoned remnants of a civilization that could traverse multiple universes.
According to the tier classification she knew from Earth, their technology had reached what could be designated as godlike.
She didn't know what happened to that multiverse civilization, but the fact that it had drained the system's energy to near-dormancy, leaving only partial remnants behind, was chilling.
Nonetheless, Elara halted this chain of thought. Such matters were beyond her level. While planning her next steps to fight the inevitable, she realized nothing useful would happen without proper information.
Instead, she only gained extra burdens on her shoulders and unnecessary additional stress.
Elara stood adamant in her desire to know her mother Earth's future. She had expected the worst and tried shutting it off, but after hearing possible good news, the elated emotion merely grew.
Noticing her impatience, the Crisis Response System obliged. Listening to the narrative, Elara heaved a big sigh of relief and patted her imaginary chest.
The news was better than expected. However, there was a suspicious point in the aftermath of the blast: no nuclear radiation was emitted.
The scariest aspect of the nuclear bombs wasn't their destructive power, it was the everlasting fallout side-effects and harmful residues that would destroy ecology and living organisms.
To hear that no radiation occurred despite the huge blast expected from a tactical nuke, Elara immediately laid her suspicion on the system.
It should be no coincidence. At the same time, Elara inwardly paid gratitude for preventing the future horrors.
In the current scenario after her death, both defenders and their allies as well as her nation were perplexed.
The destruction hinted toward nuclear weapons which was an escalation for both sides. Yet, no one could prove the weapons belonged to the forbidden nuclear category.
Her nation also didn't confide anything, acting confidently in the guise of new bomb technology at the level of nuclear to deter the enemies, terrifying the defenders and allies.
So the bombs were ours after all. Elara stifled a bitter chuckle. Why deploy her team if the decision had already been made?
Just to confirm the targets' presence one hundred percent?
A closer analysis from the system's report revealed the division in the higher-ups. One faction keen on resorting to nuclear weapons, the extremist party. The other vouched for conventional battles with one beautiful victory to secure a bargaining chip for a peace deal.
Unfortunately, the latter was doomed to fail since the situation had continued to deteriorate nonstop without the slightest positive news.
So, without persuading the latter faction, who preferred surgical strikes at the enemy's higher-ups, the former launched a hypersonic missile directly with a tactical nuclear payload on purpose.
The plan was to spread radioactivity in the vicinity across three major cities, cutting off further reinforcements from advancing.
The radioactive zone would serve as a natural barrier allowing precious time to secure more lands which lost reinforcement.
The frontline would meet near the bombed cities and the war would end in their favor. Too bad, no radiation meant their original intention had failed.
When the damage was done, no fixture would do any good, leading to a compromise between the two factions.
The oddness of no nuclear radioactivity frightened both sides. From the defenders' perspectives, the new conventional weapon, on par with nuclear payload, was too deadly and no intelligence was found.
If another bomb exploded, the troops would be annihilated in a matter of time. Conventional weapons could never be restrained like nuclear ones under diplomatic understanding and unspoken rules. They dared not provoke further.
From the attacker's perspective, the nuclear bomb had somehow failed, which led to a terrifying conclusion among its factions.
Had all nuclear missile silos and other payloads no longer worked as intended? This was a horrible prospect since the country lost its only guarantee to deter other nations from intervening too much.
Their nuclear deterrence had lost its original meaning. This event must be sealed and investigated silently, with these errors fixed under the radar. The allies must not know about their defective weapons.
Anyway, nobody said anything and let the enemies guess. A comical peace deal was reached between the two sides.
Finally, her world was totally safe from the catastrophe fate had meant for it. "So, that's why you concluded I saved the world," Elara murmured and paused.
A glint in her eyes. Wait. Could her saving mean that the system wasn't absorbing the radiation?
Well, not completely on its own but through her? Even then, she shouldn't be considered a savior.
Unless the real culprit responsible for the missing radioactivity was her all along. It made sense if she contemplated carefully.
After all, this overbearing system shouldn't resort to suicidal threats due to lack of energy if it inhaled all radiation, provided the nuclear energy was supposed to fill its stomach.
"System, you better explain my true state. You and I are now in symbiosis. You lean on me, I lean on you. It's no good if we continue to hide."
Elara felt a pulse passing through her without any reply. She pressed on: "You don't have to list everything. I just want clarification to further understand you and myself."
A few moments later, the pulsation vibrated but still seemed unresponsive. Elara said firmly again—"Show me what happened."
Meanwhile, she was testing the system's acceptance of her behavior. No warnings nor threats suggested her system was probably a good one without hypocrisy.
Somehow, she sensed reluctance and a little helplessness from the system. She didn't know if she saw it wrong.
There was a pause. Then a translucent pane slid out from the air, forming in front of her eyes, and a screen popped up with cascading information for Elara to read.
A sterile white report came to life. These were summaries of what likely happened to her.
[DEBRIEF REPORT: OPERATOR V=017 —INITIAL ABSORPTION EVENT]
Node log: CRS=00001.013a
Subject: Elara Volkova
Location of Event: Target Zone BRIMSTONE-7
Blast Source: Tactical nuclear Device, Approx. Yield 50kt
Concurrent Events: Two additional high-energy detonations registered 1400 km NE and 980 km SW
Observed Reaction:
— Subject positioned within 12 ft of warhead at detonation
— Initial energy curve redirected into Subject core
— Radiological decay signature fully absorbed
— Electromagnetic disturbance registered across 3.8 km radius
— Gravitational flux anomaly detected (Δt = 0.007s)
— Partial photonic siphon from concurrent detonations achieved
— Resultant entropy load: Δ6,21 Exajoules
— Subject coherence: 97% post-transmutation
Status: EXCEPTIONAL SURVIVOR due to unsolvable QUANTUM phenomenon.
Elara: ???
Reading large chunks of jargon paralyzed her fragile mental power. She suspected the overbearing system had posted these on purpose.
Except for the purpose of annoying her - because of her persistent curiosity - Elara found no other reason and silently recorded the notes.
She wasn't a scientist but an executioner following orders with some independent thoughts.
Apart from a few words matching her description, she had no idea what this report suggested.
Perhaps her malicious intent was detected, as the system explained without the slightest signs of being affected.
[You absorbed portions of three blasts. One directly. Two tangentially. You became the gravitational anchor in an unstable field.]
Staring at the report, Elara recollected her accusatory emotions. "You're telling me that I...stole the nuclear energy."
Somehow, she recalled her absurd state of fullness during the swish across dimensions, then snickered at her system's reluctance to point out how her existence changed the tide.
[Negative. You did not steal. You captured it. You did not explode—you converged. The system interpreted your death as a resonance opportunity. A rare one.]
"I would rather not have this opportunity," Elara expressed her reluctance.
[Understandable. Like it or not, the results won't change. At least, you have saved your world from great collapse.]
Miss Volkova agreed inwardly and felt fortunate. Though many might have sacrificed from the blasts, more tragedies which were worse had been avoided.
[The cities are erased. Physically destroyed. All organic life within five kilometers ceased. Fallout, however: zero.]
The system further clarified what Miss Volkova desired to know.
"In the end, it's me who took it."
[You housed it. You were converted in the process. Your soul was momentarily larger than the vessel of your death.]
Elara rolled her eyes at additional jargon and directly pointed out her suspicion. "And that's why you brought me here. For the nuclear energy in my body?"
[Correction: We did not bring you. You brought us the energy we needed to reboot this node.]
The lights flickered again—slightly brighter than the last time.
Elara didn't bother to care too much anymore. Although the system probably took her in for the energy, she had nowhere to go. Plus, given her knowledge and brain capacity, she might not survive across multiple universes or maybe die on the way.
At least, this Crisis Response System reported everything truthfully to her. Seeing her accepting the outcomes, the system hummed with joy.
Elara glanced at the flickering light formation and the technological pieces underneath from the corner of her eye with doubt.
Her intuition spoke that things weren't simple. She wondered if her senses had gone dull to oddly notice the system's mood.
She wondered if it was an illusion to sense relief because she didn't pursue further. Was there anything she missed?
Wait...not right. According to the report and the system's words, CRS needed her more than she needed it!
Without her energy supply, CRS might be in trouble. So, it bound her directly to feed on her like a parasite.
Perhaps it couldn't access more than the residues and required more input, which Elara had no idea about the methodologies, but she could take a logical guess.
In order to proceed successfully, it entailed willingness from her to receive greater 'permission.'
Both were under countdowns of death. Instead of a battle of wits and patience, funny enough, Elara succumbed early and easily in front of the most ridiculous suicide threat owing to one-sided information.
Elara wasn't so pessimistic to stick to her regret. She thought her dangerous state also survived thanks to the system. Each party used the other.
At least, she learned a valuable lesson to pay attention to intelligence and its importance.
The slight disparity was enough to turn the tide of balanced circumstances. Nonetheless, Elara cursed to vent out her dissatisfaction.
"In the narrow road, the brave wins. You really won, System," Elara bit the last word harshly.
In spite of her dislike for the system, she didn't blame it too much because she was the one to become cowardly first.
The system only pulsed to express its response and remained quiet to avoid the edge. Elara also figured out that the previous overbearing attribute was gone. There must be more to the tale.
Just when she thought about testing further boundaries and digging deeper into the system's secret that raised her suspicions—she felt like being used without herself needing the other party—the system cut in.
[Assessment protocol active. You will be asked three questions like all other candidates.]
Other candidates? Assessment? Elara sneered. It should be she who examined the system, not the other way around.
"What's the point of asking questions when I'm already bound? You and I share life and death."
CRS didn't fudge and continued its emotionless tone. [There are no right answers. But they will be recorded. Our current relationship will change based on your answers in the future.]
"Like what? Me serving or you serving... Heck no."
[Negative, the bond between us will never be degraded. Please answer them with motivation as your responses are one of the deciding factors to inherit CRS fully.]
[Question One: In the moment of death, you thought of peace. Why?]
Elara hesitated. She forgot about her original intention of going against CRS, never expecting the inquiry to strike deep philosophy.
Nevertheless, Elara didn't think much as her mouth answered from instinct, not logic.
"Because peace was the only war I never got to fight. I desire to fight for the real peace, not the illusory ones disguised under the noble title to battle for resources."
Silence. The sphere before her vision rotated.
[Question Two: What do you fear most—failure or irrelevance?]
This one hurt. Not physically but deeply. Elara Volkova, formerly codenamed Valkyrie, a name lost in the tide of higher-ups' secret battles and decision-making.
In front of the nuclear bomb, there was no honor, no glory. Pure destruction awaited. She and her teammates would never be remembered apart from being considered as lists of cannon fodder that allowed the fallout to nearly happen.
"Irrelevance," she admitted. "I can survive failure. But to be forgotten? To mean nothing? That's death without the bullet."
"Besides, failure means you have tried your best. Doing nothing in front of the inevitable seems to not match my motto, nor yours especially when fighting against crisis."
A pulse of approval—something like it—rippled across the chamber.
[Question Three: If you must choose between saving one world you love, or many you will never know—what is your decision?]
Elara didn't answer immediately. Like the system had stated, there was no right or wrong here.
"I would save the world I know. Then find a way to save the rest. Even if it costs me. I hope that answers everything."
She wasn't satisfied with the response herself but that was the best and most meaningful and relevant to her.
The chamber went still.
Then:
[Assessment complete. Authorization sequence confirmed. Elara Volkova. Subject of Exception. You are now the administrator of Crisis Response System.]
[Congratulations! You have now been promoted from a simple avatar.]
"Alright, I'm still a small leader, no need for such fuss," Elara humphed pretentiously.
Though a nonexistent joy emerged from her heart, she knew nothing good came from nothing.
Every event had its meaning. Like now - for her to secure a great position, despite her lack of knowledge about how high the administrator rank truly was.
Regardless, her administrator position appeared like a false prize, just to sway her opinion. What was the use of a high position without subordinates below?
Unless there were hidden authorities and powers unlocked with this position. "What do I need to do next? Although I only know very little about your system, currently, there must be an adaptation period, correct?"
[Correct. New mission posted. Survive and adapt to a new identity.]
"Huh?"
[Prepare for the ride.]
And just like that, the light around her twisted and she fell forward—into something real. Elara felt blinded by a dazzling beam.