The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!-Chapter 71: Consciousness

The Lord spoke, "Welcome, Max. I’ve been expecting you."

Of course he was.

He knew about everything I was doing.

"Come on, follow me. Therion is already waiting."

"I have learned the first layer," I said.

"Therion will decide upon this," The Lord responded.

I walked again into the white corridor with pulsating walls, determined to absorb more than I did before.

As I moved through the corridor, I noticed the young girl with blonde hair, who had stood before, now lying on the ground, curled up.

My curiosity guided me further, and as I looked to the left, I observed a room I had previously missed.

Some sort of barrier seemed to divide the room in half. Its properties gave the impression that the surrounding space was displaced, and the air within the room warped.

I followed The Lord into the same room I had previously been in, and there sat Therion, gazing at a holographic screen. He seemed to be in hysterical happiness.

I couldn’t help but wonder what he was reading. What information had brought such delight to him?

The Lord walked away and left us alone in the room.

Therion turned his head towards me, a broad smile on his face as he chewed on something. "Oh! Max! Good to see you again. Come on up. I heard you got the first layer down," he exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.

"What made you so happy?", I asked.

Therion, still beaming with joy, responded, "Ahh. My superior sent me a new discovery they have made."

"Yes? What is it?"

"You wouldn’t understand, Max. On the other hand, you said you are done with the first layer. So, you should understand leptogenesis. Prove it."

I closed my eyes for a second, got my thoughts together, and began to explain.

"In the Quantum Entanglement Observatory, the Ulthars used Quantum Lensing. They initiated trillions of entangled neutrino pairs using the Quark Interlinking Nano-Assembler, which allowed them to tweak the quantum states of particles."

"These quantum states of these neutrino pairs were synchronized across vast distances. Then they used the Quantum Flux Conduit. The QFC created a transient channel and through quantum tunneling, the neutrinos were propelled towards a celestial body called Lumara."

"Through the Luminosity Array equipped with Resonance Detectors and Lumon Scanners - which can interact with Lumins and detect their glow, the researchers observed the entangled pairs. Lumins acted as markers highlighting the quantum non-locality signatures."

"They observed that some of the neutrinos were heavier. There was a CP violation in their decays resulting in the creation of more leptons than antileptons. Proving leptogenesis. They found the reason for the matter-antimatter disproportion."

I finished and looked at Therion, who made a skeptical expression by raising his lower lip. He said, "This is a good summary of Quantum Lensing, but I need to know that you are aware of all the details."

For the next 30 minutes, I delved into a detailed explanation, covering every nuance of Quantum Lensing.

Therion asked probing questions, challenging my understanding and ensuring that my grasp of the subject was thorough.

I couldn’t discern if his overall intentions were benevolent, but it was evident that he was, without a doubt, a knowledge maniac, driven by a relentless pursuit of understanding.

Finally, we concluded the discussion, and Therion, satisfied with my explanations, acknowledged that I was ready to move on to greater things.

We took a brief break, and he posed a more personal question, "Max, does it change in size?"

I raised my eyebrow, puzzled. "What? What do you mean?"

Therion, with a knowing glint in his eyes, simply stated, "The comets."

I was suspicious. "You know about the serum?"

"Of course I do. You thought only The Lord knows?"

"Yea. Maybe...", I sighed. I didn’t want to share everything with Therion, so I asked first, "If you’re asking me a question like this, then do you know what it does?"

Therion entered a thoughtful state, placing his hand on his beard, and replied, "I am not totally sure, as even Ulthars have never seen anything like Somnus Veri. However, the only way for the SL to increase in a human is the development of consciousness, but it rarely ever changes. What we do know is that the comets in the Separation represent consciousness."

Perplexed by Therion’s words, I asked, "Consciousness? Isn’t it only responsible for the fact that we know that we exist?"

My understanding of consciousness was self-awareness. How could it make me smarter in any capacity?

Therion smiled and replied, "Max... It’s way too soon for you to know about any of this, but... I like you. I want you to know about it. Let me do something for you."

With those words, he stood up and produced an orb similar to the previous ones, but this one was white, reminiscent of the nets inside the Dreamland.

He approached me, placing the orb above my head. In an instant, my awareness slipped away, and I found myself inside the Dreamland. I questioned whether I had fallen asleep.

Within the Dreamland, I heard Therion’s voice, and he spoke, "Here, The Lord can’t hear us. I will tell you about something quite important. Consciousness isn’t what you thought it to be."

Therion continued, "Consciousness isn’t about being aware of your existence. We humans have found out about this not a long time ago. And with that newfound knowledge, the Separation Era came to an end."

Consciousness does, in fact, signify self-awareness. However, it’s not the awareness of existence. In fact..." After a brief pause, Therion said, "It is quite the opposite. It makes you aware of the fact that there is no such thing as existence. There is no such thing as life—nothing is real. Nothing exists in the way you might think it does."

Therion added with a mysterious tone, "Oh, and also, why do you think the fourth quarter didn’t contact you? The Lord knows, and The Zytherians know as well. I can only tell you that Ulthars chose The Lord as the better alternative."

Abruptly, I was brought back outside the dreamland, the weight of Therion’s words lingering in my thoughts.

As if nothing happened, Therion began to dive into the second layer of Quantum Physics, explaining the interaction between space and time, and how that relation can be warped by gravity.

However, my thoughts were elsewhere.

As he explained, I thought about how he can so easily disregard what he had just told me.

Nothing exists? Then what are we doing any of this for? Do they just ignore the fact that they are not real?

I also thought back to the many moments I thought that what surrounded me was like a scripted movie. Like it wasn’t real at all.

The disgusting implications of this made me sick.

Also, my consciousness multiplied. It didn’t change its size. What could that mean?

Ending the lecture, Therion said, "Max, I will send you a new USB for you to learn from. You can go."

I stood up, and as I made my way towards the wardrobe, The Lord appeared at the entrance to the room.

On my path, I couldn’t resist a question, and I addressed The Lord directly, "The man that delivered the wardrobe and the USB to me? Who was he?"

The Lord answered seriously, "He was a Replica."

I stopped in my tracks and looked at The Lord, visibly showing that I wanted to know what was a Replica.

The Lord reluctantly explained, "You already know what Quasars are. When a person dies, we possess the capability to restore them to life by reinstating the blood flow and subjecting their brain to the attack of Quasars."

"Are they Zombies?"

The Lord laughed, "Oh, no. Nothing of this sort. Individuals willingly agree to this opportunity, as it allows them to experience a second life. While not all synaptic connections are reestablished, their personality and memories persist intact."

I nodded, "I understand" and then moved towards the wardrobe. In an instant, I disappeared from the lab, and reappeared back in my home.

Shortly after, on the same day, I received a delivery from the same man as before. I tried to ask about his personal matters, but he refused to answer.

For the next few days, I put my head down, trying to wrap my brain around the basics of the second layer.

Regarding Therion’s mind-bending information, I decided to temporarily set it aside. It was a waste of time to dwell on it, at least for now.

As mid-May arrived, it was time to fly to Norway for the Abel Price Ceremony.

Oliv sat on the sofa in the living room. She waited for me to pack my suitcase.

And soon enough, I was ready, and we left for the airport.

Eight hours later, we touched down in Oslo. The organizers had thoughtfully arranged for a car to pick up Oliv and me from the airport, ensuring we had no problem arriving at the destination.