Utopian System

Elio stood in the center of the chaos, directing the symphony of destruction with casual confidence. His enhanced magical power and the effects of the curse giving him a new satisfied face.

As the chamber cleared of smoke and residual energy, Elio couldn't help but appreciate the irony. He'd spent so much time months earlier worrying about facing such numbers, only to find that now, they were barely a challenge.

♢♢♢♢

"The next element is titanium," Dionz began confidently, then paused at the part he'd been dreading. "And its representative is... well... a tardigrade."

Elio waited expectantly. When no further explanation came, he raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Right, so..." Dionz fidgeted with his divine robes. "It's this incredibly resilient creature that's... um... really small."

"How small?"

"Smaller than..." The god looked around desperately for a comparison. "Smaller than a grain of sand? No, that doesn't help, does it? Okay, imagine the smallest thing you can see."

"Like a speck of dust?"

"Much smaller! So small you'd need special tools to see it that don't exist in your world yet and I'm realizing this explanation isn't helping at all…"

"You are controlling the atoms of the elements, those are smaller and… Wait, right… that's just a mental image I gave you to make the magic possible…"

Emberg and Poison Stinger watched with evident amusement as the god attempted to explain microscopic life to someone who had no concept of microscopes.

"Okay, forget size. Focus on what makes them special. Tardigrades can survive almost anything, extreme heat, extreme cold, no water, no air, even the void between stars..."

"The void between what?"

"Never mind that part! The point is, they're nearly indestructible. They can go into this state where they're basically dead but not really dead, and then come back to life when conditions improve."

Elio's expression suggested he wanted more.

"Look," Dionz created a magical projection of a tardigrade. "Maybe I should have picked something more conventional, but I really liked the symbolism! Titanium is incredibly strong and resistant, just like these little guys. The barriers in this challenge will be the toughest you've faced yet."

"And the monsters will look like... that?" Elio pointed skeptically at the projection.

"Well, yes, but bigger. Much bigger than real ones. And made of titanium-infused mana, obviously. They'll be nearly indestructible like real tardigrades, but you can use titanium's properties against them. When you heat titanium just right, it becomes more reactive. Same with these creatures."

Elio was still staring at the projection. "And you say these things actually exist somewhere? This isn't just something you made up?"

"They're real! They were everywhere! You know what? Let's focus on the challenge itself. The important thing is that you'll be facing 128 titanium-enhanced, magically enlarged versions of these perfectly normal and not at all terrifying creatures."

Poison Stinger clicked its pincers in what sounded suspiciously like laughter while Emberg created tiny flame tardigrades that waddled around comically.

"Your invocations seem to get it," Dionz said hopefully.

"They're mocking you," Elio pointed out.

"...yes, I'm aware." The god sighed. "Just... just remember that titanium becomes more reactive when heated. And since you were making fun of me too I created some in this world just now… so you're actually covered in millions of real tardigrades right now…"

"I'm WHAT?"

"Nothing! Good luck with the challenge!"

♢♢♢♢

The memory showed daily interactions developing between Nala and young Elio.

This version of him was noticeably different, healthier, not so slim, more carefree, without the weight of responsibility that defined his current self. His life seemed unconstrained by the limitations Zara knew he faced in their present.

"Okay, what exactly am I watching here?" Zara's consciousness prodded as Memory-Nala spent another afternoon talking with young Elio.

"I'm probably observing human behavior from a closer distance now," Nala insisted, though her memory self seemed unusually animated for mere observation.

"Really? Because it looks an awful lot like you're flirting with him."

"That's absurd!"

"Yes, you are ninety-eight years old, you crib robber! Why do you still look the same as I did at eighteen?"

"That's... that's my unchanging avatar's fault but I'm not a "crib robber" and also not flirting!"

Zara's disbelief was palpable. "Sure. That's why you're blushing every time he smiles."

"I am not…" Memory-Nala touched her cheeks, betraying her future self. "That is purely academic interest."

"Academic interest in his face?"

The scene shifted to show another day, another interaction. Young Elio was explaining something, his enthusiasm making his eyes light up.

"Hold on," Zara interrupted. "Did you steal Elio in a past life? Is that why you took him now? Some kind of divine jealousy thing?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Nala scoffed, but there was uncertainty in her tone. "These memories can't be real. They don't make sense."

"They fit something though, don't they? Look at how natural you are with him. No hundred-year-old shut-in awkwardness at all."

Memory-Nala was indeed different from her usual self. She laughed more freely, moved more naturally, seemed more... human.

"This is clearly some sort of fabrication," Nala insisted. "A trick of memory or..."

"Or what? Because from where I'm sitting, well, existing as a hijacked consciousness… it looks like you had a thing for teenage Elio about five million years ago."

"I did not have a 'thing'! I surely was conducting important research on human behavior and emotional patterns!"

"Is that what they called dating back then?"

The memory showed young Elio bringing Nala a gift. Her face lit up with genuine interest, not just her usual scientific curiosity.

"I don't understand any of this," current Nala admitted. "These memories don't align with what I know of myself."

"Maybe because what you 'know' isn't actually what happened?" Zara suggested. "I mean, there you are in the past, making googly eyes at one."

"I do not make 'googly eyes'! I am a divine being!"

"A divine being who apparently had a crush on my Elio."

The memory shifted to show Elio bringing Nala another gift. The joy on her face was undeniable.

"This is impossible," Nala muttered. "I wouldn't... I couldn't..."