Seed of Titan-Chapter 143: The Ark of Genesis

"The Ark of Genesis? You mean it’s a boat?" Drai asked, a bit perplexed by the notion.

"It’s either a boat or a box, but it doesn’t matter much since the term ’ark’ is most likely figurative anyway," Madeleine replied. "What matters more is the latter term, ’genesis’, as its interpretation is rather straightforward—it means ’the origin’."

"The origin? Of what?" Drai asked again.

With a cryptic smile, Madeleine replied, "Of the System."

Drai’s eyes widened in shock.

Suddenly, Madeleine giggled, leaving Drai confused.

"Sorry, I’m just amused by your reaction," she quickly apologized. "Turns out no matter how much the world has changed, people are still easily baffled when they find out what the genesis refers to."

Drai scratched his head. "Well, it’s always been a mysterious thing that came out of nowhere. Although it’s been almost five centuries since the New Era, nobody has a clue what it is, or how and why it dawned on Gaia. It would be strange if anyone weren’t baffled by this."

Madeleine shook her head. "That’s where you’re mistaken, Drai. Since the dawn of the System, there have been plenty of hypotheses regarding these topics. And a few of them aren’t even theories but more like beliefs, including the legend which presumably inspired this symbol."

"But how come I’ve never heard any of them?" Drai questioned, his head tilted sideways.

"Because most, if not all, of them are quite unbelievable and totally unproven, which is why most academics dismiss them as complete nonsense. But honestly, I don’t entirely agree with the general view on these hypotheses," Madeleine admitted.

Drai raised an eyebrow. "So do you actually believe them, or at least, any of them?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I’m open to being convinced, regardless of whether there’s concrete proof or not. All these years, there have been people with unfathomable classes—who knows if any of them had an ability to unravel the truth behind the System? We academics really need to stop limiting our worldviews under the name of science."

Hearing this, Drai was suddenly reminded of Zar’s master. Feeling that this was a chance to confirm Zar’s words, he decided to ask about it.

"Uhm, Madeleine, do you happen to know of a prophet called Malrik the Foreteller? He supposedly created some kind of group a long time ago to work toward his goal or something."

"Malrik the Foreteller? Never heard of him. Why?"

"Your words reminded me of him. Someone told me that this person had a strange class that could foresee the future accurately, even up to several decades or even centuries."

Madeleine furrowed her brows. "If that’s true, he should’ve been quite a prominent figure. Hmm... History isn’t my strong suit, so maybe I just never noticed this person or whatever group he founded."

"It’s okay, I was just curious," Drai replied. However, he was secretly sighing. Since Madeleine was part of a mysterious group, he figured she might know something about Malrik or his secret organization, which would verify Zar’s story.

"So, about the legend behind the Ark of Genesis," Drai continued, "what does it say about the System?"

A wry smile appeared on Madeleine’s face as she replied, "I actually don’t know much about it aside from the fact that it is closely related to these three images."

"The System has something to do with demons?" Drai asked, squinting at the inscription.

"Not necessarily. These images could be symbolic. Take the scale, for example. Do you think it refers to an actual scale?"

Drai contemplated briefly before shaking his head. "I think it represents ’justice’, ’equality’, or something similar."

"I think so too. That’s why the demon-like figure could also symbolize something abstract or a malicious entity. But even if it’s depicting an actual demon-like figure, it doesn’t automatically mean that this entity is evil, as such a notion comes from our subjective perception based on human culture."

"Hmm... I think I understand what you’re saying," Drai said. "We humans see these features as demonic, but others might see it positively instead."

"Close," Madeleine replied, somewhat impressed that Drai’s comprehension wasn’t as awful as his appearance suggested. "But it’s not that rigid of a dichotomy. The term you should be using is not ’positively’ but ’differently’."

This time, Drai’s brain failed him, so he asked, "If it’s not viewed as something negative, how can it be viewed differently but not positively? Aren’t positive and negative opposites?"

Madeleine pointed at the human figures. "What do you think of this image?"

Drai examined it briefly. "The details are missing, but it seems to depict humans."

"And how do you feel about these humans?"

Her question left Drai confused. "I don’t know. They’re just random figures, so I don’t feel anything in particular."

"Exactly," said Madeleine smilingly. "You neither think positively nor negatively about this image. If you had horns and wings, you would think in similar lines when you see this ’devil’ figure. It would just represent an unidentifiable member of your species."

"Ooohhh..." Drai exclaimed as he nodded repeatedly, finally getting the picture. But seconds later, he asked again, "But isn’t the Ark based on a human legend? Then shouldn’t it be viewed through a human’s perspective?"

"Good question. It’s true that this symbol and the legend behind it stemmed from humans, but what about the System itself? It’s absolutely not a human invention. Therefore, the classes we have are only partially related to humans. So, assuming that the knowledge of the genesis comes from a class skill, it would likely incorporate variables not inherent to humans."

"I guess..." Drai replied without much thought. His brainpower was already at its limits. He truly wished Christo were here to handle this discussion and simplify it for him afterward.

Noticing Drai’s expression, Madeleine added, "But that’s just my conjecture. In the end, this demon-like figure might just represent evil and I’m just overthinking stuff. Still, I don’t believe that the System is governing us in isolation and not fueled at all by non-human interests."

Despite his exhaustion, Drai’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Madeleine’s last sentence. His class was, after all, totally fueled by another species’ last will.

’Is the System working for another party too? And are there others who inherit species-based classes like me?’ he pondered.

Madeleine walked back to the chairs and sat down. As she poured herself another cup of glacial spring water, she said, "Truthfully, these three images are insufficient for me to deduce the legend’s views on the origin of the System, which is why it has never interested me greatly."

Although Drai had grown weary of discussing the Ark, he appreciated his host’s willingness to share her knowledge with him, so he still replied, "Why are they insufficient?"

"Because a cube has more than three sides," she answered vaguely.

Despite his exhausted mind, Drai understood what she implied. Glancing at the Ark of Genesis, he remarked, "There are three more symbols?"

"Supposedly," she curtly replied before sipping her drink.

Drai eventually looked away from the inscription. He planned to hand over all this information to Christo after he returned, feeling that his friend could make use of it more than he ever would.

"Oh, right." Drai suddenly remembered. "Why have you never invited Max here? He told me he came here several times in the past."

"Why would I? When I first saw him, he seemed to have lived here for some time, looking all wild and scruffy. Also, I wasn’t as lonely as I am now, so I wasn’t desperate for company. It was after all my close friends had passed away that I stopped communicating much with the outside world, which had left me rather distressed," she said with a rather somber tone.

However, Drai ignored her bit of woe and questioned instead, "You can communicate with the outside?!"

"Of course. How else am I supposed to send my reports?"

Drai immediately leaned forward, his hands clasping Madeleine’s. "Please lend me your comm!"

Madeleine was taken aback, but she quickly replied, "Sorry, but no. I’m not using a communicator, and my device is also not something I can lend you."

"Please! I just need to message my parents!" Drai insisted, grabbing her hands tighter.

Pained by Drai’s grip, Madeleine conjured a fog that pried his hands off and swept him away, sending him crashing into his chair, which flipped backward.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," she coldly scolded, massaging her reddened hands. "My means of communication is monitored by my organization. It’s not worth bypassing protocols for someone I only invited on a whim."

Drai slowly stood up. He bowed and said with a softer tone, "Forgive me for my rashness, but please, I really need to inform my parents about the Crimson Order and my current circumstances."

"No," Madeleine replied, visibly annoyed.

Drai knelt down, banging his head on the stone floor. "Please—just one message. I’ll do anything you ask afterward."

"You’ve overstayed your welcome. Now get out before I force you to," she ordered, pointing at the door.

"Please..." Drai muttered, still kowtowing.

Refusing to entertain her guest any further, Madeleine waved her hand, filling the room with fog. All the critters in the room went frozen, either by fear or due to the skill.

The front door slammed open, and Drai was sent flying through it, landing a few yards outside the stone building.

As the door shut, Madeleine’s voice could be heard.

Farewell, child.

Still sprawled on the ground, Drai watched as the stone building faded into thin air.

He knew he had acted rashly, but this time, desperation had overridden his self-restraint—for the first time since he got here, his parents were within reach.

After taking one last glance at the spot where Madeleine’s house had stood, Drai slammed his head into the ground, hard enough to send patches of grass and dirt flying.

Anyone passing by right now would see a young man motionlessly kowtowing to an empty clearing.

At the same time, Madeleine was watching this scene through her fog screen, still sitting in front of the fireplace. Moments later, she dispelled the screen, returning to her routine.

***