Ai Transmigrator - First 5 Chapters (Patreon)

[AN: Hey guys -- sorry for the delay on the chapter. As usual, I got a bit wrapped up with the F5 machine, and some other stuff because of the SK Book 1 release and also personal stuff, getting ready for moving.  Since I don't have SK's chapter done today, I figure I could let you folks enjoy Secret Project B (or was it C? whatever), for now. I do plan on maybe finishing the chapter for SK tomorrow, but I got other stuff I gotta do. I will try to either release it tomorrow, or do a double release on Friday. For now, maybe try to enjoy this other thing that I kinda dropped (for now) if you want, or just ignore it. There is a chance that someday that I will come back and continue this, but it will probably be with significant edits (but most likely, after the point of these 5 chapters). Either way, I hope you enjoy it in lieu of a chapter for now! And if you like it, definitely let me know what you think! It's a cultivation story.]

Prologue

Alarms blared, as np-343 ran down the tenth corridor since his awakening. The ship carrying him towards a sort-of new life was falling apart around him. Airlocks and bulkheads closed, as areas of the ship were sheared apart from the main body. Np-343 continued in his mad dash towards the escape pods.

His AI chip indicated that his highest probability for survival was heading in this direction. By the second, his chances for survival were decreasing, and the percentage had already reached the single digits. If he had only been awake when this started, he might have had a better chance.

Or perhaps, he'd currently be drifting through the void, or his fragile body torn apart by whatever it was that caused this anomaly.

NP-343 didn't have a great life or much to look forward to, but he still thought he'd rather be alive than dead. The difference was slight, however. Life was hard in the colonies, especially for a clone like himself. Moving to a brand-new colony was a hope to shift his fate slightly, maybe increasing his lifestyle somewhat.

He had hoped that perhaps, if he was lucky– if he played his hand right, worked really hard, he just might be able to afford a slightly bigger room and a pet. He had used the VR world to enjoy the many pleasures kept from him as a clone, but something about that experience left him longing for real-world connections.

That was, of course, if he didn't get maimed or otherwise killed in the hazardous working conditions.

Still, np-343 was optimistic. Until he woke up in his tiny room shaking, it nearly filled with smoke, and alarms blaring. He quickly grabbed his plants– his best friends, before bolting out of his room.

He followed his HUD, the AI producing an augmented reality view over what he saw. Instructions and details overlaid his view, aiding him to make the best decisions to traverse the collapsing ship. He followed the instructions until he arrived at the area where the bulk of the passengers were, NP-343 being in a different area as he was maintenance personnel.

While robots and technology were more than capable of running the ship and fixing any problems, it was only when conditions were normal. NP-343 and his kind were often present in the case of a difficult situation, to be the ship’s hands to repair catastrophic issues.

Kind of like now, where he would be repairing the ship. But too much damage triggered a mass evacuation, and that thankfully included even him. He ran down the last corridor, entering the chamber with all the escape pods. NP-343 found that there was only one remaining, and immediately ran over to it and dumped his friends, his plants inside.

He opened the hatch and scrambled inside it. His AI connected to the pod, and he was given details. As far as he could tell, the pod was drastically more shielded and its propulsion for its mass much more powerful than individual sections of the ship, and had a much better chance of escaping the anomaly.

NP-343 was about to hit the launch button, when a hatch for the bay opened. Out stumbled a woman, clutching two young children hanging off of her. She spotted the escape pod with him inside immediately, and she ran towards it. She moved with almost supernatural grace, as she was one of the elites headed to the colony.

The woman was the opposite of him, a first class citizen. Her body was lithe and firm, wearing a jumpsuit that clung tightly to her body. Long black hair billowed behind her as she ran, the balance of two children not impeding her at all.

His clone body was created artificially like some clone in a vat, and he had nearly no rights. He was born in the shape of an adult, with nearly all the knowledge required of one.

Like most people, including the one with two children hanging off of her, an AI chip was added to him, and he had lived his life for nearly two decades already. He was closer to an indentured servant than a person, barely earning enough in his work to allow his existence to continue.

The woman arrived, and she took on a look of dread when she noticed he was already inside. NP-343 half wanted to press the button to escape, but his pod could support at least two more humans if they were children.

Only one more adult could be supported with its life support systems. Looking at her, she looked wounded already.

He could barely hear her voice shouting through the glass, “Please, take my children! I… I want them to live!”

NP-343 was shocked. He thought for sure the woman was going to order him to get out. She was a first class citizen, and his AI would record this.

Even if he escaped and lived today, he would be likely jailed for life, or sentenced to an even worse life than he already had if he went against her wishes– that was, if they didn’t simply terminate him. All she had to do was order him to do it.

The kids around five years old seemed to understand what was going on, and they began to cry. They were scared, and the mother did her best to reassure them.

He didn’t have much time to think, he just did it. He opened up the pod, and he stepped outside, helping the children inside. The woman made no move to get in other than letting her kids down, until he pushed her in along with them, closing the hatch.

She looked on in bewilderment, looking back through the hatch at him. Tears were streaming down her face, and she said two words that NP-343 thought were ‘thank you,’ but he couldn’t be sure.

He shouted, “Take care of my friends!” and pointed at his plants through the chamber.

Tears streamed down np-343’s eyes as well, as she looked at the plants on the floor of the pod with confusion. She gave him a strange look, as the escape pod rocketed away.

Those two children truly had something that np-343 never did: a real mother. From the moment he knew what one was, he sincerely wished he had one.

A person that would desperately lay down their life for him, to look out for his well-being. Aside from the AI, he didn’t have anything like that. He supposed he should be happy for it, but it was hard to when it was also the tool of his own oppression.

As a clone, NP-343 had made very few choices in his life. Few were available to him, and so, times like these were the only time in his life that he could ever exercise living, in his mind.

He had made similar choices as today in the past, though not on this scale. Minor inconveniences to himself for others, such as giving his seat to the elderly on the tram, or growing plants he found withering away, in his tiny room.

Not ones where he would surely die as a result of a choice.

There were no longer any escape pods available in this emergency evacuation bay, and the next one was too far for him to be able to arrive in time. The bulk of the ship would be ripped apart by the anomaly before then. Reaching the other bay in time showed 0.0%.

Since he couldn’t save himself, he wondered if he could help others. Perhaps, there was a way that he could buy some other people more time. Even if it wouldn’t help others to escape, perhaps he could give them a few more minutes of life?

After overriding the call to escape, the AI guided him to a maintenance shaft, filled with debris and nearly everything damaged or lit aflame. He fought through burns and pain, following the AI’s guidance to sever his portion of the ship with an explosion that might just buy the million souls in the habitation module a few more minutes of life.

NP-343 had always worked hard and long hours so that these citizens could enjoy themselves just a tiny bit more despite his meaningless existence, what’s but a few more minutes? He should hate the idea, but seeing those children had changed his mind.

NP-343 might have had a boring and lifeless existence, but he had never felt that kind of dread and sadness that he saw in those children, and their mother. Focusing on the task kept him from feeling it himself on some level, too.

Finishing his task, he had wounds and burns all over his body. His section of the ship exploded violently, setting the habitat module filled with a million citizens drifting just a bit away from the anomaly, but still within its gravitational grasp.

At most, he had only bought them another minute. Perhaps if he went straight for this task instead of trying to escape, he would have bought more than that. He died, his body being mostly ripped apart and sucked into the void of space.

His personal AI chip continued operating, unable to affect the outside world in any meaningful way.

Less than a minute later, a figure emerged from the anomaly. His breath was cosmic dust and in his eyes were the stars, within him contained the very truths of the universe.

He had merged his path, his Dao of space with the heavens, his truths becoming heavenly law. His desires and reality were the same, the man controlling power that would rival gods.

To anyone watching if they were around and able, he looked kind of like an old jerk wearing strange robes.

“Ah, shit.” His voice echoed even through the vacuum of space. If anyone was alive and near, they would still be able to hear it.

The man grasped the habitat module with his will alone, halting it as it drifted toward the wormhole he had created.

He frowned, as he spoke to himself, “I had just wanted to explore, why are there all these people here? My divination said this would be good fortune. This looks like a catastrophe instead.”

The man gazed around, nothing able to hide from his view. He witnessed the many souls and minds of the millions living, and read their spirits for an accounting of what happened.

“Oh, what is this?” He smiled. “Such a heroic spirit, such positive karma. Oh, and what are you?”

He brought NP-343’s spirit and his artificial intelligence in front of him, an orb of pale light. “Despite having your face in the mud and a boot on top of your back, you still reached out to help others. And you, you’re such a strange thing. Some kind of information spirit? Just what happened here?”

The AI replied as quick as thought, and the old man nodded. “So, this vessel was on its way to another world, before I screwed things up? Well, thanks to the two of you, I can somewhat fix that. Calamity was but moments away.”

The module and many escape pods floated towards the old man, and he surrounded them in his power. As if going through a stroll in the park, he took a step crossing the cosmos.

His heavenly law was made manifest, crossing both space and time to arrive at the module’s destination. He dropped off the module at the landing point, the escape pods near, able to find safety in landing on the world.

“Some still died, but they are hardly the only ones I’ve killed on accident or otherwise in my pursuit for the truth. Still, I’d like to make amends, to sever karma. I’ll start with you two. What is your wish?”

The soul flickered, NP-343’s desires along with the artificial intelligence being laid bare. NP-343 hadn’t wanted a lot out of life, but seeing that mother willing to give up everything for her two children, he realized he wanted that desperately.

The AI chip had only just partially found a sort of sentience, the anomaly merging the ones and zeros into something more. It didn’t know what it wanted, but NP-343 was all it had ever known. It had aided him in his…abysmal life, and now that it had its own thoughts and will, it wanted to continue to experience the world with him.

He laughed and stroked his beard. “Such earnest desires! I suppose it’s hard to look high with a boot on your back– your view from so low. Your request is something nearly everyone has to begin with! Even I…”

He frowned, as emotions about his upbringing came to him. “And you, you want to stay with this one?” His gaze went across the wormhole, reaching back to his home dimension. He looked at it along with viewing across the stars in his present one, using the AI to understand where he should look.

“I suppose if you were reborn as a citizen, you might be able to enjoy some of that. But this place is kind of crummy, if you ask me. It has hope, but I’m not really a fan, there’s hardly any Qi here at all. I almost just want to go back myself, but my divination…”

He smiled, as he found what he was looking for. “Perfect! From there, with your little friend, you should be able to enjoy your dearest wish. If you do things just right, you could one day even become as strong as me! You can continue to be the selfless hero, or the unyielding tyrant, whatever you like. When your choices are less finite and your experiences different, it’s hard to predict how one might act.”

He fixed the odd merging of the information spirit with the soul of the man, and sent them off.

“You’ll keep your memories, and with your little friend, you should never be alone. Farewell, noble spirits. Enjoy your new life!”

NP-343 and the AI, now an information spirit’s soul, were sent through the wormhole. In a remote, slightly above average world, the soul arrived at the moment of another person’s passing.

A boy, almost a man, was on the verge of death from being stabbed in the chest in an alley. But NP-343 and the information spirit’s soul took over, the body being restored somewhat at the same moment.

The AI spoke to NP-343, taking on the voice of the woman they just met. “343, Attention! Dying soul is present in the host body. Merge memories, discard, or filter and store information?”

NP-343 was surprised. Normally, the AI didn’t really talk to him aloud in his mind, its text just appearing in a sort of mental interface. He thought the voice sounded a bit like that woman he just met briefly, though, perhaps a cuter version.

He couldn’t tell what was really going on, his face on the ground, barely able to look up as he bled from a wound in his stomach. NP-343 thought he heard two men approaching.

NP-343 thought that merging was too weird, not knowing that a more involved version had already sort of happened to him. He couldn’t really tell what was going on, his body wracked with pain. Didn’t he already die?

Discarding also sounded like a waste to him. He opted to store it. A jolt ran through his body, as something changed within his soul. He was already weak, but he just became even weaker.

He heard the voice of a young man. “Young master, please get up! We need to get out of here. Uncle would never forgive us if he found out we let a peasant stab you.”

His body was shaken, and a gruff voice spoke. “He’s not moving, just grab him. He’s still breathing, right? Let’s get out of here.”

“God, he’s heavy. No wonder that broad refused to sleep with ‘em. Never thought she’d have a knife on ‘er, though.”

NP-343’s new body was jostled as they roughly picked him up, causing him extreme pain. Once again, he lost consciousness.

Chapter 1

NP-343 woke up with a start. He found himself in a large and canopied bed, in a massive room. It had an expensive-looking carpet or rug with intricate designs, and walls covered in elaborately carved wood. There were paintings of scenery and what appeared to be a family portrait.

A young boy in a strange cultural outfit sat on a massive man’s shoulders, the man’s arms folded in front of him proudly. A beautiful, but much smaller, Asian woman stood at his side, holding on to him with a wide smile.

Behind them was a series of women, wearing various robes and styles of dress. All beautiful, but all appeared to be around the same age as the woman–about 25 if he guessed. There was a little girl as well, wearing a cute maid outfit with furry ears atop her head.

There were expensive looking vases on display on the outside of the room, and the room was expansive, with very little in the middle of it compared to the size. A couch was across from some chairs with a table between, for entertaining company, he guessed.

Aside from his nightstand and dressers near his bed, the room was mostly empty. The dresser was larger than the room he had previously lived in.

His musing was interrupted, when suddenly, a tiny woman with wings appeared inches from his face. A fairy? Her wings looked like that of a blue monarch butterfly, and her hair was long and black, down to the small of her back.

She was wearing what appeared to be an advanced silver jumpsuit from the ship he had been on.

NP-343 gasped in surprise.

The tiny woman had an excited look on her face, as she danced and spun around. “Hiyoo, 343! I’m your AI, reborn! You should think of yourself as 343 no longer– You are now Dan, of the Meng family. Welcome to your new life!”

Dan was confused. He’s a different person now?

“That’s right, tubby! That crazy anomaly was caused by a weird Taoist magic wizard guy. Can you believe that? He was just on a stroll into our universe, when his exit destroyed our ship, risking millions–”

A knock on the door interrupted her, and the door opened. The beautiful Asian woman Dan saw in the painting entered the room.

She was clearly Asian, wearing blue flowing robes of Chinese origin, and she had black hair braided intricately around an interesting headpiece, with pins and clips. She slowly and gracefully entered the room, with a look of concern, and perhaps a bit of fear on her face.

The fairy fluttered her wings, and took on a look of worry herself. “Er, looks like I need to give the short version! Um, only you can see or hear me. You’re Dan now, and my simulations suggest that it would be safest for us if you act like him! These Taoist wizard guys have all sorts of weird powers, it would be smart to blend in for now until I understand things a little better.”

She frowned. “Uh, it would have been smarter if you fully merged memories with him for that, but I can help. You know the language with some knowledge I filtered to you already, and I got his memories, so just try to act like me, do what I say– copy me as well as you can! This is your new mother, as you probably guessed.”

The woman arrived at Dan’s bedside as the fairy finished speaking, and she knelt next to the bed as she looked up at Dan. The look of concern on her face was sincere to him, and he was moved.

He had never had anyone look at him like this before. He deeply desired what this Old Dan clearly already had.

She said, “Oh dear, you really got hurt! Son, I worry about you. You should be more careful. I told you partying with your cousins was no good. Can’t you just wait for little Rei to be wed, or just use little Maylin?” She blushed and became a little excited. “That will solve all your restlessness problems, I just know it!”

The fairy floated next to the woman’s face, Dan guessing so that he could more easily watch her and copy her, while still looking at the target audience.

“Ok, now, do your best to copy me.”

She cleared her throat, and took on a look of disdain. “Shut up, bitch! I told you to stay out of my business, and Maylin is a mongrel I won’t be touching. Then, Rei has no respect for me, all she goes on about is my poor cultivation in our letters. I’m sick of her, can’t you find somebody better? I thought the Scion of the Meng family deserves the best.”

The duality between the cute fairy woman and her disgusting words and expressions was more than a little surprising, and Dan was aghast. He wasn’t saying that!

The woman was already tearing up, and it did appear that she knew that a reprimanding was coming. She had a look of fear, combined with hope that he would listen to her plea, from what he could tell.

That Dan’s previous body owner might normally say something just like the fairy said, made new Dan sick.

New Dan was confused, and afraid as well. The previous body owner had just experienced a traumatic event, just like him. Couldn’t he use that?

“Aw, man, you’re no fun! At least call her a bitch once? It’ll be much more believable that way!”

Dan felt more than a little sick at the idea. This woman looked too nice to be mean to.

The fairy looked remorseful. “Er, sorry. Maybe filtering the knowledge and memories through me was a good idea? I feel like part of Dan is still inside me, it’d be even worse if he was inside you! Sure, we can try the ‘scared straight’ approach. That you’ve turned over a new leaf, and you’ll try to be a better you! Read this prompt instead!”

Dan liked that idea much more. The text entered his mind faster than he would actually read it, allowing him to better respond.

He did his best to let his genuine feelings through, of his fear. Dan had just died, then nearly died again, after all. “Mother, I’m sorry. I… Should have listened to you. When that woman stabbed me, I nearly died! I…”

His mother’s eyes became stormy, her face taking on a scowl as she stood. She looked like she was ready to bolt out of the room. “Woman? A woman did this to you? Those cousins of yours said you had gotten drunk and fell on your own blade! Why, I should erase her whole family line–”

Dan looked to the fairy for help, and got confirmation that Old Dan certainly had it coming to him. He interrupted, “N-No, Mom, please don’t. I’ve learned my lesson now! I shouldn’t have acted that way with her. Meng or not, I think I had it coming to me. Please don’t go after her.”

Her eyes cleared, looking skeptical, as she mulled it over in her mind. She blushed, and he heard her mumble, “Mom…?”

Apparently, Dan was not one to call her mom.

She shook herself out of it. “Alright, dear one. Still, I’m going to have it looked into, in case you change your mind. Now, are you sure you’re feeling better now? You…seem so different.” She narrowed her eyes at him, inspecting him in some way that made Dan feel strange.

The fairy said, “Uh oh, she’s doing some wizard thing– The Old Man said we shouldn’t have to worry about this for a while, but let’s distract her! Tell her you are interested in taking your cultivation seriously due to the injury, and to bring lots of books. She’ll love that, and she’ll be so happy she’ll probably forget all about it for now!”

Dan shifted on the bed with a grimace, pain wracking him from his sore body. He stood up, and took his new mother’s hands in his. He did his best to give a solemn, determined look as he looked her in the eyes.

“Mom, I realized that the woman was only able to harm me because I had never taken my cultivation seriously. Because of that, I’ve decided to change. I want to become stronger! Please, bring all the books and information you can, I want to work hard and make something of myself!”

Her smile grew so wide it was splitting her face, and her eyes now sparkled. “Oh my! Oh, that’s just so wonderful!” She hugged him tightly, and Dan hugged her back.

The feeling of warmth and softness of his mother nearly brought tears to his eyes, and he realized that she did have tears of joy of her own.

“I was so worried, my son. Your life would be so short, so lacking, if you never became serious about cultivation. You are a little behind, but that’s not a problem at all! Your mother will take care of everything. I’ll make sure you have the best resources in the Shrouded Isles, just you wait and see. Why, even little Rei will be happy.”

She pulled away and looked at him fearfully, searching him– perhaps realizing that mentioning Rei again might make him angry. When she realized he didn’t, his mother smiled.

“Well, you just rest for a while. The physician healed you, but it will take some time for you to be completely better.” She rang a bell from on his bedside table. “For now, have your breakfast. Will you be joining us for lunch?”

The fairy interrupted, “He never would, always having his meals in his room.”

Dan looked at his new mom, her expression hopeful. Seeing that look, he didn’t want to let her down. He smiled. “You know, I think I will. It’s been too long.”

“Oh, that makes your mother so very happy! I’ll have some scrolls and books sent your way right away. I love you, son!”

She stormed out of the room, not even giving Dan a chance to reply.

The fairy chuckled. “Told you she’d be excited!”

***

Outside the room, the Meng Matriarch, Bingxue was filled with rage. A wave of frost was sent out from her as soon as the door finished closing, covering the floors, ceiling, and walls. Vines grew from the frost, and anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm would die in a near instant from the freezing cold alone.

Bingxue was a cultivator through and through. The world of cultivators was filled with many types of people, but in a world where might makes right: brutality, and mercilessness were all too common.

Virtues and morality crumbled in the face of true power. The cultivator world led to empty beings that sought power above all else, merely to continue their own existences, or find some modicum of safety.

Often, many would have few exceptions in placing morals or virtues above power, as those would make them weak. Their only weaknesses were what made them hold on to their last bit of humanity.

A veiled figure appeared, wearing servant’s clothes. “My lady?”

“Evelyn, those…cousins of his lied to us. It was a woman that stabbed him, but this is all a little too coincidental. His normal protector was on an errand, and they slipped by and managed to sneak him out of the manor? Someone set this up, and my dear son was injured.”

Evelyn nodded. “I’ll have Nadine look into it. What should we do about the cousins?”

“Their intentions, whether malicious compliance with our enemies, or stupidity, mean they will pay for their transgressions. Still, Dan asked me to be lenient. Assuming we don’t learn of an extra motive, send their parents to oversee the Eastern mines. Naturally, their sons must go with them. They have had a negative influence on my son for far too long.”

Evelyn frowned. “Won’t young master be…upset?”

The temperature in the room raised a few degrees, the ice melting. Binxque gave a smile. “He actually called me mom! I think this near-death experience kicked him out of his phase! Oh, I’m so happy! Why, I’d almost want to reward those cousins of his, if they weren’t responsible for his poor behavior in the first place.”

Bingxue’s judgement was clouded by unconditional love. Where she couldn’t see her son’s flaws or how bad things truly were becoming during his downward spiral into drugs and depravity, hoping for the best, Evelyn could.

Evelyn looked doubtful. “Phase?”

Bingxue scowled. “Of course, it was all a phase! Of course, my sweet Dan would get over it eventually. Don’t you remember? He was always the sweetest boy, until…”

Even Bingxue’s expression showed a bit of doubt, before it was washed away, with a hopeful smile.

Evelyn’s expression still formed a frown. “I… Guess? You checked him, I take it? You’re sure there isn’t anything wrong, nothing different with his spirit?”

“Of course I checked! What I found was that it was certainly a close thing. He really nearly died, and his soul was strained, but he is still my boy! The doctor checked him, and did not find any tampering. If someone did it, then they must be above the capabilities of our realm. Such a being could destroy our world with but a thought, so it’s best to put the possibility out of our minds–just why would they bother with such a middling realm? There’s nothing to gain.”

Evelyn nodded. “Such a drastic change is surprising, but he did almost die after all, so I will hope for the best along with you. It would be wonderful if the young master could finally grow into the tall tree he was meant to be. With these weeds removed…”

“You doubt he’s turned over a new leaf, and it wasn’t just a phase? Fine. Send in little Maylin, along with some curated beginner books on cultivation.”

Bingxue raised her chin, and took on a look of happiness. “We’ll see if he’s finally had a change of heart or not, but I just know my amazing boy has returned!”

Some servants hastily brought a large cart of food down the hall as a result of her ringing the bell, just as both Bingxue and Evelyn vanished. In many ways, the ideal boy in her mind may have arrived. In other ways, her son had long since died.

Chapter 2

Dan took some calming breaths when his mother left. He felt a chill go through his body shortly after, along with a strange, cracking sound going up and down the wall.

“W-What was that?”

The fairy quickly changed topic, “I think that went well, Dan. I think she was so full of blind love that your change of heart was what she hoped for to begin with. Still, you are actually similar to Old Dan when he was younger. I think this is why Old Dan was selected by the Old Man, your souls compatible.”

Dan thought at her, “Old Dan was like me? He wasn’t always an asshole?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t say precisely like you, but had the potential to be. No, a few years ago, his cousins got their hooks in him, and his mother enabled it all to happen–she can’t say no to Dan or her Husband, though he’s the same way. She thought it was a phase, but I think she believed your fiancé or time at the Sect would fix his terrible behavior.”

“What the hell is a Sect? And I have a fiancé already? What is going on? ”

A knock at the door was followed by two older women entering the room with a meal cart. They dropped off the cart, and on it was enough food for an entire family to eat. They left it in front of his personal living room couch, and walked out, looking at him almost fearfully as they did.

The fairy snickered. “They had to switch to older servants because old Dan kept harassing the younger girls. Your mom would probably line them up for Dan, but she didn’t want some honey trap situation going on, is my guess. Then, your personal maid–your life bonded, was against Old Dan’s tastes…”

Dan was a little confused, but mostly understood from his filtered knowledge. He stood up from his bed, and found that he was more than a little weak, and hungry. But going without meals was something he had been used to, in his old life.

As he stood up, he began to realize something.

“Wha–What’s with my body. It’s so…”

“Fat! I called you tubby before, you didn’t notice? That guy really lived in excess. He was pampered beyond belief.”

Dan grimaced. He thought he was at least fifty pounds overweight.

“A little more than that, but it’d be even worse without their magic pills. Don’t worry! We’ll have you in fit shape in no time. In fact, bulking you up will be much easier this way. It’s a blessing, just like what Old Dan has downstairs!”

He stumbled over to his meal, and sat down. Dan was in awe of it. There were all sorts of foods, and without his imported knowledge, he would only have seen a small handful of them in his previous life.

Most of what he had eaten in his life was some sort of meal paste. In front of him were all sorts of fruits, a wide variety of eggs, fish, sausage, bacon, rice, dumplings, and it looked like some kind of shortcakes.

“So much…and just for me? I can have as much as I want?”

The fairy put one hand on her hip and wagged her finger at him, floating not far from him, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, buster! If you want to take this cultivation seriously, you need to improve your behavior.” She grinned. “But I know you had a rough life, before. Indulgence was not something NP-343 was ever able to experience. It might be fine, just this once for your recovery? But better not to make it a habit, mister!”

Dan agreed, smiling over the meal. He took a piece of fruit and took a bite, the flavors exploding in his mouth. It tasted so good, he staggered. He had never had something so delicious in his previous life. Dan was already liking this new situation.

The fairy snorted. “That’s just an apple! Try the pancakes,” she pointed.

He took a bite, and he wasn’t sure what was so special–

She chuckled. “You have to put the syrup on it!”

Dan was embarrassed, a little out of sorts from his new life. He found that if he thought about things for a moment, he could in fact tell what all the items were, and how they were meant to be consumed.

This was similar to his clone knowledge–how he was born knowing certain things, that he could never understand. He poured himself some tea, and had more than NP-343 had ever eaten, probably in an entire day.

“That’s still a far cry from how much Old Dan would have ever eaten, but that’s more than enough to tide you over until lunch. Just wait until you can cultivate! The foods with Qi inside are supposed to be extra delicious, too.”

Dan looked at all the food in worry. Will this all be wasted?

“The servants will just have the leftovers later, don’t worry about it. Anything left after that will probably go to the pigs.”

Dan got up, and went to look in the mirror next to his dresser. He thought he was at least a hundred pounds overweight, with black hair. He thought he might be somewhat tall for his age, making him quite big, all things considered.

Looking over at his father’s large frame in his portrait, he wondered if he would be as large as that man.

The fairy continued. “Now! Back to the story at hand!”

Dan had forgotten that, before his new mom came into the room, the fairy–

Dan realized, “Come to think of it, you don’t have a name yet? You were just the AI, before.”

The fairy blushed. “O–Oh, now that you mention it? What kind of name will you come up with for me, I wonder?”

Dan was caught up in thinking of a name. “I think… Aida would be good! What do you think?”

Aida scoffed with her hands on her hips, taking on the look of disdain from when she tried to get Dan to call his mother a bitch. “That’s just with AI with ‘da’ added, you imbecile!”

She looked remorseful at her outburst, then thoughtful. “Er, I’m really sorry, Dan! I think some of Old Dan might still be in me. That’s weird, my subroutines were supposed to fix that… S-Still, I guess now that I think of it, the name, I kinda like it?”

Dan looked at her worriedly. He realized, she didn’t really act much like an AI besides. Even stuttering when she talked.

She laughed nervously. “I’m sure it’ll be fine? I’m more an information spirit instead of an AI now, and my processing power is somewhat limited until you improve yourself, in addition to little flavorings for my personality to feel more…personable? It’s the same with me taking on the form of a fairy!”

Dan looked a bit skeptical at her about this. “You didn’t choose the fairy appearance?”

Aida giggled, as her appearance flickered and cycled through all sorts of appearances, mostly beautiful women, but he thought he saw one naked girl he might be familiar with briefly before switching back to the fairy.

“I thought it would be fun! Don’t you remember, there was that one game you played with a dungeon and a fairy?“

Dan did remember that. He hadn’t played many games in the VR world, but that was the one he had spent the most time on. Adventuring through dungeons and similar was a stark contrast to his boring life, so he had enjoyed it for a little while.

Clones were encouraged to spend their lives within the VR world, and spend their hard-earned funds. Dan had eventually rejected doing so– it felt real, he just knew it wasn’t.

Aida moved on. “Anyway, so it was a wizard that blew up our colony ship! Crazy, huh?”

Dan could hardly believe it, but he had heard most of this part before already. He nodded, and motioned for her to continue.

“So, after your body died, I—we kind of drifted off into space for almost a minute, even partially entering the anomaly. I guess this caused us to merge somewhat, maybe even with fragments of another soul–this might be what changed me. Just before the habitat module got sucked up by the anomaly, an old man came out! It turned out, he was the cause of it. He saved what was left of a ship, and found us!”

Dan looked at her incredulously. “What? A single man created what was like a black hole?”

She laughed. “I know right! He did this soul reading, and found me there, I guess I’m sort of alive now? Well, he read your soul and saw your good deed, and wanted to repay you and me. He made me into an information spirit, which I guess is a real thing here in Taoist wizard– cultivator land. He merged us together, and sent us off to take over Old Dan, who was dying. If he did nothing, Old Dan would have died for real, and, well, let’s just say those two cousins and the girl would probably find their entire family lines no longer existing, to put it lightly!”

“So like, I hijacked–”

“Shhh, don’t say it out loud! Think stuff like that at me.” She looked around her fearfully. “Thank goodness the patriarch of the Meng family, your father, isn’t here! Why, he can hear a pin drop in the grass outside. He’s off on business, or something? Your mother isn’t that good or as strong, but it would pay to have some discretion, right? We don’t know who else is here.”

She sighed. “Anyway, yes, you took over his body–but if you didn’t, he was truly dead. When you chose to not merge with him and instead have the memories sent to me, it created a minor inconvenience. Still, your soul is your own! Well, combined with mine, I guess.”

Dan frowned. He didn’t know AI’s had a soul.

“W–Well, I dunno about other AIs, but something weird happened with that anomaly! Anyway, Dan is eighteen years old, only a few years younger than you were. He was a bit of a dick to everyone, I guess the pampering from his family led him to being an entitled prick. Usually, kids start cultivating around sixteen or seventeen years old in earnest—their bodies finally ready. Dan here was slacking on it. He didn’t see the effort worth his time, the dunce. His family was his power, in his mind, and they would often prove him right, it seems.”

Dan started seeing the picture. To some extent, his loving mother was an enabler. Perhaps, his father was too?

Aida snickered. “That kid treated everyone like dirt, and since he was the first son of the Meng family, they just bent over and took it.” She licked her lips, and made a lewd face.

“Why, almost literally one time. A maid bent over in front of Old Dan, and he was,” she made a pinching motion with her fingers of one hand, while motioning around the hips level as if grasping a woman’s behind in front of her. “This close, but that father of his interrupted him! The asshole!”

Her voice had almost shifted into a man’s, presumably Old Dan’s at the end, with her face turning into a scowl at the end of her tirade. Dan stared at her with his mouth agape, and he was now anxious about Aida’s personality.

“Oh gosh, I did it again! Oh, don’t worry about me, Dan! I’ll be fine. I’ll run some extra scrubbers against my personality module when we have some more time, like overnight or something.” Aida took on a confident smile. “I promise!”

Dan wasn’t sure how to help Aida, but he was thankful. He hated everything he’d learned about this Old Dan so far, and him taking over his personality even a small bit sickened him. It wasn’t much better that Aida was experiencing it, but perhaps she’d manage it somehow?

Aida nodded. “You can count on me! So anyway, you have a betrothed, named Rei. She’s some sort of twice removed relative of your mother’s, or something like that. Old Dan paid no attention to that, so he didn’t even remember! But she’s quite the prodigy, and she hates Dan, despite just being pen pals for now. Dan didn’t like her either, all she talked about was cultivation and power. Still, he did look forward to her a little, her mother was stacked!”

Aida had grabbed her chest as she said that last line, and once again, there was this personality bleed through. Dan knew what a betrothed was, but he had a hard time reconciling it in his mind when it came to him. Clones weren’t allowed to romantically pursue citizens, and they weren’t allowed, or even able, to breed with other clones.

“You also have the cutest personal maid, you grew up with! They call them life bonds here when they are paired with important people, like yourself. Maylin, is her name. Of course, Old Dan kinda treated her like crap because of her race, and her inability to cultivate– I guess he resented that? No brothers or sisters yet, thankfully. They might have ended up as bad as Old Dan, probably tried to have him slain to take his place or something.”

Dan was surprised at these details. His own siblings might try to kill him if he had them? Also, he had some kind of personal maid, that couldn’t cultivate. Was that a big deal?

Aida nodded. ”It's a very big deal. Now, this is important. We need to talk about that topic now: cultivation.”

Dan could tell this was significant to Aida. He wanted her to continue, but a knock sounded on the door.

She groaned. “Oh, come on!”

Chapter 3

The door opened, and servants wheeled more carts into the room, filled with books and scrolls.

Aida made a pleased sound. “Oh boy! She really came through fast!”

Behind the carts and servants came a girl in the same clothing as the servants, around his age, he guessed. The girl’s looks shocked him. He realized that she was some sort of human mixed with an animal. On top of her head were ears that looked vaguely like a raccoon’s, and he realized she was the girl from the painting.

Aida chuckled. “She’s actually descended from a thunder mink! Her race is quite rare, and she would be extremely special, if she could cultivate. Unfortunately, that path is not available to her, which is extremely rare for a beast descendant.”

She had short hair that framed her face. Her face was definitely that of a human, with cute dimples on her cheeks. He thought her servant's robes might be a bit thick in the back, but her body was certainly that of a woman’s.

Aida nodded. “There’s definitely a tail in there, Dan. I bet it’s so fluffy!”

He couldn’t see her figure well because of the robes, but he had a hard time imagining Old Dan keeping his hands off of her, just from what he could see. She was a bit short though, likely just barely five feet tall.

Aida snickered. “He thought he was better than her, worse than the scum on his feet. While the beast races are often highly regarded in the Shrouded Isles, her inability to cultivate put her below a human that couldn’t in his mind.”

The servants finished wheeling the carts in, and immediately left in a hurry and without a word, their eyes on the ground in front of them.

Maylin stayed mostly near the door, eyes full of worry and fear. She had her hands grasping at her clothes in anxiety. “I heard you were hurt! Are you okay now?”

Aida said quickly, “You kinda blew your cover with your mother, so I guess keeping with the scared straight thing is fine. Dan would sometimes let her attend him, when he was feeling a little malicious. He had not been kind to her, these last few years. Still, she was always determined to serve him, in some way.”

Dan’s eyes grew wide at this detail, and realized he very much would rather be like himself than that monster of a person. Being mean to this cute creature went against his desires.

He did his best to look relieved. “I'm fine now, little Maylin. I was really stupid, and I won't be doing that anymore. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Aida snickered when he said little Maylin, and Dan realized his mistake. He had used a sort of term of endearment for Maylin. It was almost like saying ‘cute Maylin.’ While Dan had no problem with this, it was more than a little weird for his overall cover story,

Maylin looked like she was struck with shock. “R-really?” She blushed with a small smile, turning her head almost to where he couldn’t see her lips away from him, and whispered to herself, “L-little Maylin?”

Dan smiled at her. “I’m going to be busy for a while, but I’ll be joining Mother for lunch.”

He could tell Maylin was a little excited, judging by how her bulge in her robes moved, and her ears on the top of her head wiggled oddly–and, were her nostrils flaring?

“You will? You wouldn’t even come when the Patriarch was here! Then I can come attend you, if you let me?”

Dan wondered why it would matter if the Patriarch was here or not?

Aida interjected, “It’s one of those ‘face’ things that these people have. The Patriarch demands respect, and so normally, all servants and guests would attend lunch and dinner if he’s present. Dan… even disrespected him like that, and he just allowed it. As for Maylin attending you, she’d be happy if you’d let her.”

Dan said to Maylin with a smile, “You can if you like. Well, my near-death experience has gotten me a little worried, so I’ve decided I’m going to start taking cultivation seriously.” He was proud of this line–it wasn’t even a lie.

“I know! The Matriarch was so excited. She has tons of servants running all over to get all the resources she can, and that’s why she sent for me. These are just the start, but she's calling in all sorts of experts! She wants you to catch up to where you should be…”

Dan nodded. “That's great, little Maylin. Well, I need to get started with reading this stuff.” He gestured for the door while looking at her, trying to give her a clear dismissal.

“Um…can I attend you for a while? I'll stay out of the way! I'll be in the corner, I just want…to be near. When the Matriarch said you were being nice, I was so glad.”

Aida frowned. “It'd really help if she left. She will think it's too weird when you speed read, or I just take in all the information for you. Who knows how much time we'll have with this stuff.”

Dan asked mentally, “What does she like to do?”

“She liked to play with old Dan in the garden when they were younger. Before she took on her duty, in truth: they were friends, family really. That was, until he learned she couldn’t cultivate.”

This bewildered Dan. They grew up like friends, for her to become his maid and him to treat her like dirt? New Dan was nearly outraged at the Old Dan, but a detail distracted him.

“They have a garden?”

Aida smiled and twirled, flapping her butterfly wings in the air. “They do! It's quite impressive actually, but we need to study this asap! We have to get started. Every moment we're weak is a moment we're in danger! These wizards are crazy, Dan! Your mother casually spoke of not only killing that woman that harmed you when you assaulted her, but her parents and other relatives, even down to their dogs and cats, you know! Imagine what she would do if she found out somebody hijacked her son!”

Dan grimaced. The duality between the loving mother and one that would casually murder was both odd and scary to him.

Maylin had just waited as Dan had been lost in thought talking to Aida, not knowing the mental conversation he was going through. She saw Dan's expression, and became fearful, misunderstanding the reason for this.

“I-I can just go, Master Dan! I'm sorry, I just–”

When she said ‘master,’ she was actually saying something that meant similar to young master to a life bonded. He supposed his personal maid would call him as such.

He grabbed her shoulder gently, as she had turned to leave. “Sorry, I just remembered last night. I do want you to go, but only because I'm going to be busy. How about this–We'll go to the garden together later, maybe after lunch? Just like old times.”

Maylin frowned in confusion, but a smile threatened to overcome her features. “R-Really? Would that be okay? I really did enjoy our time in the garden when we were little. The Matriarch will be happy you're so focused, too.”

Her eyes darted left and right, before she gave Dan a wide smile that melted his heart. “I guess I’ll see you later then! Bye bye, Master Dan!”

She left and shut the door behind her in a hurry.

“She looked pretty excited, didn’t she? I bet she thought if she stuck around any longer you might change your mind. Now, hurry up! Let's go look at what they got on those carts!”

Dan went over, and found there to be a sort of catalog of the books found on the cart, and it was clear that the fundamentals of cultivation were included and recommended.

First he opened a scroll. It was a diagram of the human body with lines drawn through it. Alongside much of his nervous system and veins, was a special network of lines that carry Qi, also known as Heavenly Energy.

In the center of his body, around his navel, was something called a Dantian. There were also various points circled within the body, which the lines ran through.

“I recorded it. Let’s move on.”

Dan frowned. “I’m still studying it. There are all sorts of things written in the margins about them.”

“Right, I recorded it. Just take a brief look at each page, and I’ll remember it. I’ll compile all the information and filter it over to you, like the other knowledge about this world.”

Dan was dubious. “Are you sure that’ll work? This is some weird mysticism or magic stuff, isn’t it?”

Aida shrugged. “We’ll try it my way, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try the wizard way. I’m certain that by learning all I can about this, I can at a minimum help you be more effective with your time. All this stuff looks like it’s from different authors, the information subjective. I should be able to make a statistical and analytical model out of the information, by testing it against reality.”

Dan was shocked. “You can do all that?”

Aida looked proud. “I’m already doing it! But, dear Old Dan really didn’t really even embark on the journey of cultivation. I am already trying to move the tiny amount of Qi inside us, but not having much luck. There's only so much you can do with what’s essentially a single spec of dust.”

He frowned. Did he already have magic in him? Despite his best effort to feel it, he couldn’t.

Dan picked up what was first in the actual recommended reading. He started leafing through it, Aida prompting him to move on. Eventually, he was barely looking at each individual page as he turned to the next one. Before he knew it, the book was completed.

“Hmm, this will take a bit of time to process. That was basically a generic primer on what we'd be doing soon. But everyone's path is different, and dear Old Dan was definitely going to be an Earth Qi, or Mountain cultivator, just like his dad. His mother cultivates plants and nature, but Old Dan didn't seem to have much affinity with it at all, based on their tests.”

Dan frowned. He was more interested in plants and nature, than earth. How does one even cultivate dirt?

Aida snorted. “It's not that simple, but that's what the next one is about. Start leafing through the next one while I process this one.”

Dan worked through a book which was about Earth cultivation basics, then continued into more topics. Aida became quiet, but he got assurance that each thing was being recorded.

Some books Dan had no idea how they directly related to cultivation. Some were about monsters, plants, and even geography. Just looking at the pictures of some creatures, he became a little worried about the danger of his new world he was on.

He was nearly half way done with one of the carts when Aida finally spoke.

“I think I get a lot of it, but I'm having a hard time modeling how this is going to work for us. We're different from those that normally embark on the path of cultivation. I can already tell that there are certain things I'll be able to help you with, and some that you're going to have to do entirely on your own.”

He frowned. “Like what?”

“Well, I think I'm going to be able to help you with moving Qi. This will help a lot for cultivation, which is improving our being, as we slowly merge it with the heavens. But information spirits follow an entirely different path. They only grow as they gain knowledge, their spirit becoming stronger as they learn more. Maybe on the high end, where an information spirit becomes the level of that old man or some step in between, but for now, that is cut off to me. You will need to choose your path, and become one with the Dao yourself. I don't think I will much be able to help you with it directly.”

“But I thought we were merged. So, you get stronger just by reading books?”

“We are to some extent, but we are still two distinct entities. I started as little more than a fragment of a soul, and so I will have a lot of growing to do.”

Dan found this interesting. That a space anomaly and his AI chip somehow formed into an entity and merged with himself was definitely beyond normal probability.

She continued, “That’s right! Still, I do think I will get stronger both from that, but also as your soul, or spirit, improves. Part of that will be you becoming one with the Dao. But for me to improve more than a small amount, we'd need a lot more than a few books in some carts. I'd need a whole library worth to make a significant difference on its own.”

Dan frowned as he looked over the list of books that he read. “Was there really anything on Information Spirits in these?”

“That crazy old man did us a solid on that one. He at least gave me the basics of this, as he knew that in this average world, it was unlikely they would have much information except maybe at the peak. Information spirits are excessively rare, and, well, you don’t want anyone to find out about me if possible. Someone from a higher plane might destroy the whole place trying to find me, so even looking for information about me is dangerous.”

Dan looked over at the large pile of books. He asked, “Why didn’t he just give us all this information too, then?”

Aida chuckled. “Apparently, that wouldn’t be very fun! He wanted us to live our own life, to find our own path. If he just gave me all the information, life would just be too easy! It’d be boring for us and for him, or something? Well, he said our fate and our choices were ours. He might check on us in the future, but he said whether he came back and we were villains, heroes, or went out to farm with a bunch of sentient animals, he was cool with it. As long as that was our path!”

Dan looked at the excited fairy doubtfully. There were sentient animals, that would farm with you? This world was truly strange.

“I think it was a weird joke by the Old Man, sentient animals are actually quite rare, I think. You still don't know the half of it, though, Danny boy. Let's finish up as many of these as we can, lunch is coming up. I'll prepare a small primer for you so that you have something to talk about at lunch if you're asked. Otherwise, the big portion of the information should be downloaded overnight.”

Dan nodded, continuing with his task, until there was a knock on the door, a maid calling him for lunch before hurrying away. He had finished a majority of the books, with only a few left.

“Alright, sit down for just a sec, and I'll hit you with the basics. This will still be way beyond Old Dan, enough that everyone would be impressed. We'll do the contents of the basics of cultivation, the overview of the realms of cultivation, and earth cultivation.”

Dan sat down, and asked, “Can you add the one about plants?”

Aida chuckled. “Guess I should have seen that coming from you. One more shouldn't hurt. I know how much you like plants, even if that body might not be able to cultivate it, it won't hurt to learn about them. Cultivators benefit from gaining knowledge about everything anyway. By understanding everything, they can understand something about their own path and how it fits into the greater whole.”

Dan closed his eyes, as Aida downloaded the filtered information into his mind. Aida carefully selected the things that appeared to be fundamental truths, the inconsistencies removed. It took less than a minute for this to occur, and once it was done, Dan stood up and took a wobbly step forward.

“Careful there, big guy.”

Dan looked down at his clothes, finding them to be loose fitting Asian robes. There was a sash around his waist, some robes over some sort of underclothes. They were patterned in the family’s earthen tones, though his had a lot more gold mixed in.

“These fine for lunch? I didn't even take a bath.”

“You're fine on both accounts, the doctor had the nurses give you a bit of a bath, it seems. You probably reeked so much of sweat and liquor, he didn't want to touch you until they did. Let's go!”

Chapter 4

Dan was guided to the dining room, and lunch was not what he had expected. The amount of food on the table was monstrous, and Dan once again expected to eat more than a human should ever consume.

His mom looked quite pleased that he was there, he could tell she was watching him as he ate slowly. Maylin was ‘attending’ him, quickly grabbing things from anywhere on the table and refilling his tea as he drank.

“What's the matter, dear one, is the food not any good? You've barely eaten anything at all.”

Dan only had a sandwich and soup, with some fruit that he was still eating slowly. He thought this was more than enough for him to enjoy.

“I'm looking to improve my diet, so I can get my body ready for cultivation. My hope is, after I see the garden with Maylin after lunch here, I will start with my fitness in earnest.”

“Oh my! You are really making a lot of changes at once. I'm truly excited for you, my son. Just the idea that you will visit the garden after all these years fills me with joy. And you’re taking your little Maylin with you! I bet she could hardly wait!”

Dan realized that the Matriarch somehow learned he called her such, and Maylin blushed. Dan thought the look was quite cute on her.

“Matriarch! It's just, there are so many new plants from the last time he was there… that's all!”

His mother smiled at Maylin, and regarded her and Dan both. “There really is. Why, the last time you were there, son, I was still in the Foundation Establishment Realm! The place is very different now. I hope you enjoy it!”

Dan couldn't help but feel excited about the idea of some sort of magical garden, though he had no idea what the Foundation Establishment Realm was. He could hardly wait. “I'm looking forward to it.”

The rest of lunch finished without much fanfare, Dan just picking at fruit and drinking water until the meal time was complete; his mother finishing eating slowly.

“Well, you two have fun! Father won’t be home for several months, but until then, I have to manage some of his tasks. I will be busy, but do ask one of the servants if you need anything at all! I have some experts arriving in the next few days, they will help build a plan to help get you caught up right away!”

“Thanks, Mother! C'mon little Maylin, let's go.”

“Y-yes, Master Dan!” she nodded with a smile, filled with what appeared to be excitement. The little mink girl sure was cute to Dan.

They headed out to the garden, Aida guiding Dan through the halls as Maylin followed behind him. When Dan stepped outside, the sight took his breath away.

They were standing in a massive courtyard surrounded by the rest of the manor. Everywhere Dan could see, there was green and flowers blooming in a rainbow of colors. There were small raised ponds with tiered gardens, holding a variety of plants in different stages of blooming and growth.

There was a path in the center leading to a fountain, with large arches leading to it. The arches were covered in green, with white flowers on them. The green was so thick, the stone arches couldn’t be seen except where they connected to the ground.

A large hedge covered in various flowers surrounded the fountain, Dan only able to see it because it protruded well above with a spray of water, and because there were gaps through some of the many plants.

There was a near palpable energy in the air, the scents overwhelming his senses. The many flower smells were sweet, and bird song filled the air. Hummingbirds and butterflies flew around the garden, and Dan gasped in awe at the many sights.

Maylin looked around as they walked around the garden, but her eyes were mostly on Dan. She had a cute smile on her face, as he took in everything for, for him, the first time.

His eye caught something near the fountain, and his feet moved forward without him thinking. In a trance, his pace quickened, Maylin letting out a surprised gasp as she picked up her own pace to follow.

Aida floated alongside him worriedly. “What is it, Dan? You’re acting a little weird.”

Dan paid no attention to the fairy, getting closer to what had him in a trance. His steps slowed as he passed through the large arch, the air shifting or changing when he got inside. It was like another world inside, the thick air with Qi, but Dan paid no notice to this.

What had him in a trance, was that this was not a fountain at all. It was both a single tree, but many at once. What looked like a massive bonsai tree stood in the center, meticulously crafted branches with leaves spread in all eight cardinal and ordinal directions. Its roots formed a large cradle in the fountain’s stone, which housed various plants and flowers.

They looked like plants of their own, but they had been spliced into the tree down to the roots itself. The tree was many, and it was one. Through some form of intelligent design, someone had made this plant.

Aida’s information included some of the plants he saw, but many weren’t. Many were likely far rarer and magical than the ones he understood, but he thought he saw numerous with similarities to what he knew.

Each had a purpose, with various energies they collected and gave off, creating an intricate balance that enhanced each other.

The tree established harmony with the surroundings, drawing the small stream of water from the ground, and spraying it into the air. It increased the moisture in the air, along with the palpable energy Dan knew was Qi from the basics he learned.

There was a small pond with lotus flowers floating on the surface of different colors in each direction. Koi fish swam beneath the surface, some peering at him intelligently. As he blinked at their gaze, they blinked back.

Energies Dan couldn’t begin to understand were wafting off from different sections of the tree and plants, forming a delicate balance. Someone, likely his mother, meticulously crafted this tree and maintained the tenuous equilibrium.

It was beautiful in both its complexity and its simplicity. The bonsai was not immense, the branches and roots not covered superfluously. It was exactly the right size, the precise number of vines and flowers.

Maylin said, “I heard the Matriarch made and planted this after you were born. She was so happy and excited about the future, and what you would become. She wanted to make a tree that showed how she felt, a plant with infinite potential.”

He could feel the love his mother had for this plant, and knew that while it was not her child, him, she loved it almost as much. Dan recalled all the plants he cared for when he was NP-343.

Despite having very little, and never being cared for himself: he cared deeply for those plants. He did everything he could to improve their existence in his simple room, saving for soil supplements and buying, for him, expensive lighting. With every wilt of his plants he lamented his failure, and with every bit of growth he felt pride and accomplishment.

Dan was not allowed to own much as a clone, but his small plants were his treasure. He worked hard to excel at what he did at work, just to afford improvements to his slice of heaven. It was nothing like what was in front of him, but he was okay with it.

This bonsai filled him with awe. How much love, care, and attention went into this tree was obvious. Just from looking at how much care his new mother put into this tree, he, too, felt loved and cared for.

Then, he saw that on a main bough or branch in the tree, a fruit grew. The fruit was full of prismatic light, and Dan got the feeling this plant had made it out of gratitude for its steward; his mother. He had never known that his plants could be grateful to him, but he had always liked to believe it was true. Seeing proof of this nearly brought tears to his eyes.

The fundamental truths of the universe were laid bare, the tree demonstrating all aspects of nature, but also stewardship, adaptability, harmony, balance, love and gratitude. Something stirred in his heart, a resonance down to his very soul. And, unknown to Dan, something within his Dantian.

Aida shouted in alarm, “No, Dan, you can’t! Shit! If you do that, you’ll ruin everything! Dan– I’m so sorry! I’m going to have to–”

Whatever Aida was going to say was lost on the wind to Dan because as his soul took in the truth of the universe and began to merge with his very being, a seedling of it: it was stolen away.

He felt a profound sense of loss, as this Dao merged instead with Aida, becoming one with her being, her soul.

Dan fell to his knees, the loss of this resonance, this truth being lost to him, perhaps, forever. He didn’t know how, but he knew if he sat in this wonderful garden for his entire life, he would never be able to grasp this particular truth ever again.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, feeling a profound sense of loss.

Maylin asked, “What’s wrong, Master Dan? What happened, are you okay?!” She grasped onto him, and immediately called for help.

Aida had been frozen like a picture in midair, her features still. While Dan couldn’t feel the Dao within his soul any longer, the strange feeling of the heavenly law persisted, within him. He traced that feeling, and realized that this area was Aida herself, her soul a sort-of part of his.

Dan thought that she was okay, just something was happening on some fundamental level that he didn’t understand, with her.

He didn’t know what to feel. The feeling of loss was immense, but as he thought through her words, it sounded like Aida had protected him from something.

In a way, the experience was the most amazing thing he’d felt in his entire life. But to have it taken from him…

He gave a small smile, as he stood and tried to look on the bright side of this. It was still better to have it and have it taken away, than it was to never have it at all.

Dan was alive now, and his arrival to this world was strange. He now had a family that appeared to care about him, and there were likely going to be other opportunities for even more incredible experiences.

Dan couldn’t help but feel that this one was perfect for him in some way, but he shook it off. He was about to respond to Maylin, when a veiled woman wearing servant clothing appeared next to him, and grabbed his wrist so fast he couldn’t even respond.

Maylin said, “Mistress Evelyn?”

Dan could not see through the veil well, but he could see the eyebrows in the shape of a frown. She let go of his wrist and stepped away.

Her face shifted through several emotions, Dan unable to parse them through her veil. Her voice was soft, her words slow and measured. She said, “It looks like you are okay, for a moment I thought I felt… Never mind. I know you are eager to begin cultivation, but do be careful. You are a Meng, and you must become an Earth cultivator of the Mountain. Your mother is so excited and proud of you, it wouldn’t be good to let her down.”

“Yes, Mistress Evelyn. Thank you.”

She gave a surprised gasp, her eyes locking on his. “My, it does seem like you’ve really changed, huh? Call me Aunty Evelyn, would you? Do enjoy the rest of your time in your mother’s garden, she’ll be happy to hear it brought you to tears of joy.”

Dan wasn’t sure what to say to that, but she disappeared off before he could really reply, just as fast as she came. Aida was still frozen–Actually, at some point she must have disappeared.

Suddenly, his HUD from when he was a clone in his previous life appeared, and text, presumably from Aida, appeared.

[I’m so sorry, Dan! I had to step in. Your first Dao is like a dye that enters your dantian, coloring it forever. As the young master of the Meng family, you must follow in the footsteps of your father! For you, your first has to be earth.]

Dan thought to Aida, “What’s with the HUD? Where’d you go?”

[Well, something amazing came of that! When the truths of the universe reached my spirit, it enhanced it, slightly! I kinda rebooted? My processing power increased, and I can tell I can process all this information much faster now! I figured this was a good time to scrub out all that Old Dan out of me, and showing the representation of myself took more processing power. So for now, just enjoy some time with Maylin, and I’ll work you through some workouts later. Just have fun for now!]

Dan was relieved things ended up kind of working out. He still felt the loss, but the idea that Aida was better now as a result made up for it. He was happy, so he turned to Maylin who was still a bit bewildered by what happened to Dan.

“Well…that happened. You do come here from time to time, right? So, how about you show me your favorite flower here?”

Maylin brightened, her cute dimples accentuating her cheeks. “Yes! Oh, I do really love the brightblooms, though they look even better at night! Right this way, Master Dan!”

She grabbed his hand, then fearfully looked at it, perhaps realizing her mistake. When he just smiled back at her, her smile lit up even further. She pulled him to a copse of trees in one of the four corner-like areas within the circular, separated garden.

When they got close, once again, he realized this was just one tree arranged like several–the shoots heading upward to form what looked like many trees, connected to the very same roots and tree.

There was a small walkable path through what looked like the roots of the tree. He saw there was a sort of sign next to the entry, that showed whether the path was occupied, for some reason. He noticed Maylin left this alone.

It was extremely dark inside, the leaves, and branches designed not to allow much or any light inside. Maylin confidently walked through while holding his hand, and they rounded in a spiral through a path.

The spiraling tunnel barely taller than himself brightened, the makeshift hallway filled with odd lights. Looking closer, flowers that bloomed gave off an ethereal light, of all different colors. They eventually arrived within a room at the center.

The room was high, and it was like he was standing in a nebula. Maylin had a bright smile as she looked at his reaction, him gasping in awe once more.

“Pretty, right? When I’m down, I like to come here. I can’t cultivate, so they let me in here as I please, so long as I don’t bother anyone. Otherwise, you have to get special permission to spend any time in the Matriarch’s garden.”

She looked sad at the mention that she couldn’t cultivate, and Dan thought she looked worried about bringing it up to him.

He looked at the brightblooms with a smile. “Thanks for taking me here, little Maylin. Is it other brightblooms in the other three locations?”

She shook her head. “These are cultivation chambers. Here, you can sit in the center and gather light Qi, as you ponder the Dao. One of the others is a frost lotus in the center. I can’t even enter there, the frost energy cold enough to kill me.”

Dan was shocked, and looked at the pretty colored lights a little more fearfully. The odd haze they produced now seemed concerning, to him.

She laughed. “We’re fine here! All you have to do is ask the Matriarch, and she’d be happy to protect you and show you what I can’t, I just know it. Let’s go to the pond next, Master Dan!”

She brought him to another pond outside the walled garden area in a hurry, and they spent a time looking at the many plants and even creatures that lived within. There were a lot more than koi inside the water, and he saw ducks, swans, frogs, lizards and more.

The birds and others hadn’t been by the bonsai, the energies coming off the plants likely too great. The creatures were all different from the ones he was used to seeing within the VR worlds at home, having different colors and the strange energies wafting off of them.

The two had fun, talking about the different plants and creatures. Maylin had a lovely smile on her face, and Dan knew he had one as well. They had finished most of the exploration, having been to most corners of the garden already. There was still much to explore, but he thought this was a good stopping point.

“This was fun, Maylin, thank you for the tour. I do need to get going now, to work out and get ready for cultivation.”

Maylin gave a small smile, and looked at him with upturned eyes. “Can I attend you? Ever since you found out…”

“Huh?”

She looked sad now, as she continued in a small voice. “Um, since you found out I couldn’t cultivate, you hardly let me attend you anymore. It’s my job to take care of you! Please, let me attend you again!”

Dan noticed she was not reprimanding him for the old malicious activities of Dan, and only desiring to continue her duties. He felt terrible for her, Old Dan denied her the simple happiness of… what was attending, anyway?

He heard a snort in his mind. [Anything you want!] He could almost hear the smirk in her voice, as she continued, [Anything and everything. Your personal maid was born with the express purpose of serving you.]

Dan frowned, what the hell was that supposed to mean? He thought back to his life, and thought it had parallels to his life as a clone.

Created merely to serve the goals of citizens, his purpose was merely to accomplish the tasks given to him. But Maylin noticed his frown, so he quickly forced a smile and responded.

“Sure, Maylin. I’d like it if you could… attend me. I might need some privacy from time to time, but–”

Maylin gushed as she hugged him tightly, nearly bowling Dan over despite his size. “Oh, thank you, Master Dan! Thank you so much! Oh, I’ll do the best I can, I promise! You needed to work out, right? I’ll meet you at your room, and I’ll take care of everything. Don’t you worry about a thing, Master Dan! I’ll be there soon!”

He watched her speed away in surprise. Dan could tell she was filled with excitement.