Saga of the Soul Dungeon

The world is full of once in a lifetime opportunities. Most of them lead to your death. Don’t focus on the rarity of an opportunity. Instead, focus on getting what you actually want.

-Iatian of Pertansa

==Caden==

For a moment I stared blankly at the message, reading it again before my mind started to resume function.

Greetings, User Facet, signifier: Caden.

A foreign element had been detected in your soul. Entity attempted to access vault. Quarantine procedures initiated.

Would you like user identified element: “The System,” removed?

Yes | No | More Information

The deep weariness from staying ahead of the wall of power was not helping my state of mind.

Still, there was no universe in which any response besides ‘getting more information’ was the correct choice.

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to interact with this new interface, but figured vocal responses were a good bet.

“More information,” I said.

Please state query.

Well, that’s open ended…

I grimaced for a moment as the world went fuzzy and my focus wavered.

“Can I rest for a bit, then deal with this?”

Affirmative.

At least it is to the point.

So, I did exactly that, laying on the non-existent floor. I didn’t sleep so much as zone out. My strained attention gradually relaxed as it had time to recover. My willpower returned drop by drop, gradually filling me back up. Finally, I recovered enough to get back to my feet.

Ugh, my soul feels sore.

“What are you able to tell me?”

Facet Caden is authorized limited access to this information:

Information about the current situation

Minor details about this interface, and its purpose

Minor details about nature of the soul

Well, at least I can get something.

“Tell me about yourself, then.”

Based on user knowledge, this one would be best characterized as a soul seed, or nascent soul.

This one is sentient, but non-sapient. Closest approximation: Artificial Intelligence.

Primary purpose: gather information from host’s journey to prepare for full actualization into a soul.

Secondary Purpose: Protect host’s soul core from outside scanning or interference.

Tertiary Purpose: Repair any damaged outer soul sections during transition between facets.

That raised two questions…

“You are only responsible for repairing the outer soul, how does that work? What happens if the soul vault, uh… core, is damaged?”

Soul core contains a complete record of soul structure and all changes. Damage is restored from stored data.

No force is able to damage soul vault. Core soul inviolable.

Good to know I guess. Lends credence to the whole immortal soul thing.

“You called me a facet before, what exactly is a facet?”

Current identity. Ego comprised of current memories.

I briefly recalled seeing the “Past Life Gallery” label on a hallway as I made my way here.

Maybe not the most urgent information, but still amazing.

“What can you tell me about my past lives?”

Information Restricted and/or Beyond Limits of Current Mental Substrate.

Summary Available:

Time spent as creatures with no self-awareness:

~1.65 Billion Earth Years

Time spent as sentient, non-sapient lifeforms:

~127 Million Earth Years

Time spent in forms of awareness for which you have no appropriate context:

~10.68 Million Earth Years

Time spent as sapient life forms:

~63,297,674 Earth years, not including current facet.

Estimated Remaining Time Until Reaching Goal:

~10.3 – 156.7 Million Earth Years

For a moment I just sat there, stunned. Those kind of time scales were… beyond me. I wasn’t quite as old as the Earth, but I was ancient by any reasonable definition.

And, considering how long humans had been around, I had definitely not spent all that time as a sapient being on Earth.

Unless there are strange time shenanigans. Then all bets are off. And that would actually be only a tiny fraction of all time experienced by individual humans, from a cumulative perspective.

I cleared my throat before speaking again.

“What is the goal?”

No definition in facet’s current known languages sufficient.

Closest approximation:

Full Maturation. Unification of all facets into a single entity. Apotheosis. Deification. The One who is Many, the Many who are One.

“Wait, I’m supposed to eventually become a God?”

Current viewpoint would consider that correct.

Definition highly inaccurate.

Sure, why not?

Even at the closest estimate I am more than ten million years away from that. Not exactly an urgent issue.

Guess that answers what a soul is for… Sort of.

I struggled to focus, taking deep breaths in and out until I was calm.

I asked other questions about the soul and about my soul’s AI administrator, but all the answers were restricted.

I did get to name it, at least.

I called it, ‘GAIA,’ short for God’s Artificial Intelligence Assistant.

All I was able to get out of GAIA was that the settings for how much each facet could learn from it, assuming they managed to get access, were chosen before each incarnation began.

Yeah, but who is doing the choosing?

Apparently, an emergency could override that, as could a scan of a sufficiently developed individual, but it was still limited.

Eventually, I sighed. Getting more information in that direction was a lost cause.

It’s like meeting God and then having them pat you on the head and tell you that would wouldn’t understand.

No… more like meeting God’s secretary, and getting the same treatment.

“God is busy, honey. Now run along and play.”

I took a brief moment to settle myself, relishing the slow decrease in the soreness I could feel at my core.

“What can you tell me about the situation with the system? Is it a… god, deity, unification thing?”

Negative, system not divine.

Analysis indicates system caught in loop due to conflict in primary drives. Based on current resources, system can maintain planetary portion of loop until end of current universe incarnation, but other aspects unstable.

Result of loop:

Civilization progress periodically reset. Souls stored after death. Storage solution unstable. Resources required for storage will exceed available resources within 1.95 - 2.84 million years.

Nature of relevant problem:

Souls caught in cycle, even if recycled into new incarnations, likely to reach a plateau of experience. Storage of current soul, continuous incarnation in current facet, or reincarnation under current conditions even for only 2.84 million years not permitted. Exceeds temporal allotment for current experiences.

Proposed solution:

Removal of system, end of cycle

“Continuous incarnation…” wait, that is just me being alive, right? Ha, and “only” 2.84 million years.

“Wait, removal of the entire system? And what do you mean about the length of time I am allowed to be alive?”

Affirmative

Current facet required to add new experiences to grow closer to goal. Current situation and facet has demonstrated growth in new directions. Based on current situation, maximum allowed life of facet approximately: 16,682 Earth years.

Based on current estimates, most time allowable in repeating loop incarnations: 157,838 Earth years.

Values may shrink or grow based on actions and opportunities.

Okay, not exactly an urgent lifespan issue.

“What would that even do to everyone living on the planet?”

Analyzing

.

.

.

Current gravitational fixation stabilized by system…

Magnetic field stabilized by system…

Tertiary stellar object shielded by system...

Destruction of entire planet via interception of black hole jets, solar ejecta, or planetary fall into extreme gravitational well likely. Should the planet manage to maintain a stable orbit, or be ejected from system, loss of atmosphere imminent due to failing magnetic field or freezing due to lack of external energy…

Loss of sapient life near complete within five years, regardless of scenario. Some situations allow potential for basic microbes to maintain life for millions of years. With an extremely unlikely stable orbit with large tidal forces, that may extend into billions of years.

I just blinked for a moment.

“Why the hell would you consider that an acceptable outcome, GAIA?!”

Reading intent…

Based on mental scan, objection is based in morality, plus survival instinct.

This entity has no morality. User facet permitted access to assist in finding solution acceptable within its current moral framework, if possible.

Alternative solution:

Remove system from facet Caden.

Likely outcome based on projection of next inquiry:

Death of facet Caden, Death of entity: “Exsan,” Death of entity: “Zidaun.”

Cause of death:

Soul destabilization and rejection, causing shared core to shatter, plus accompanying trauma for linked soul, leading to massive brain damage as body attempts to rapidly reconfigure to new soul imprint.

Object, “dungeon core,” currently unable to hold soul without outside stabilization

I mean… technically, this is a better solution. I wouldn’t consider my own death a good solution, but it is a hell of a lot better than just killing everyone.

It doesn’t have any morality of its own though… Is that a soul thing? Or is that just a programming thing?

I suppose if you look at it without any morals, and see the system as the problem, then destroying the system is the simplest solution.

And the system sounds a bit broken, which is less than ideal.

“From both a moral, and personal preference, standpoint, I would prefer a solution where no one dies.”

Acknowledged.

.

.

.

Potential solution:

System required to maintain function…

GAIA negotiate with System.

Goal of negotiation: Allow soul to leave after death

Action requires facet approval. Please define acceptable methods.

“Why not just fix the system instead, if it is broken?”

Fixing, modifying, or creating an artificial life form, beyond destruction or forced removal of host soul, is beyond GAIA’s allowed parameters.

Violates parameter:

Creation or modification of potential exponential artificial intelligence.

Guess there are some fail-safes built into GAIA. Honestly… that is probably a good thing.

And… its an AI. I mean, I suspected, but… now I know.

“Negotiating doesn’t violate that?”

Negative.

Persuasion allowed, as acts within existing AI parameters.

“Right…”

I paced for a moment, just letting my body act so my mind could think.

“Okay, tell the System that you are capable of destroying it. Ask it to change so the cycle stops and that it stop storing souls after death.”

Affirmative.

Beginning negotiation.

Finished.

Result:

Impasse. Though destruction of System would violate its directives, it cannot change other parameters on its own. Scans confirm veracity. System cannot be changed outside central operating location.

Provide directions for further negotiations.

“Well, that was fast.”

GAIA and System both operate at speeds vastly exceeding host facet’s current mental capabilities.

Okay, I deserved that. Don’t think it understands the nature of a rhetorical statement.

“Wait, the system can be changed from somewhere? Just teleport me there and I will give it new instructions.”

GAIA is not permitted to teleport the physical incarnation of user, as ability exceeds current facet’s own abilities, and would be unable to accomplish desired action.

System not permitted to directly teleport entities into extra-planetary locations.

Even if teleportation were permitted, environmental conditions at System core would result in destruction of physical form, acting counter to stated goal of survival.

“Wait, the system’s core is off the planet somewhere? Where? Could I even get access, or change anything?”

Affirmative.

Scanning…

User has no frame of reference for astronavigation.

System core built around shielded tertiary stellar object. Most methods of detection occluded, including gravity.

Best method to find system core:

Follow base level mana threads to system core

Current incarnation designated “human.” System will automatically allow access for any entity with designated soul type.

User will need to survive adverse conditions behind shielding. Recommend heavy control or defense against various wavelengths of light, gravity, electromagnetism, and highly energetic particles.

Wait, this is a trinary star system? Is it using a dyson sphere as a power source?

I mean… admittedly, I originally thought the System was just a facet of this universe. It’s artificial though.

Who the hell could even build something like that?

Is the cycle GAIA mentioned just a result of bad programming? Maybe something broke down…

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to even do about it.

Just another problem.

For the moment, though, it wasn’t really my problem. There were limits to what I could manage.

Guess the System interferes with the world on some level, though. Probably should ask for it not to mess with me.

Should make sure it can even let my soul go. If it cannot do even that… I suspect GAIA would force the issue in some fashion.

“Is it able to let my soul go?”

Negative, however it acknowledges GAIA’s capacity to proceed, regardless of obstacles.

It is willing to negotiate to minimize the extent of GAIA’s actions.

“So, the minimum you would accept is freeing my soul on death, no matter what the system wants?”

Affirmative.

Does Facet Caden accept this course of action?

“What would the system give me for keeping things to this level?”

Negotiating…

System is highly constrained in total actions. User’s personal freedom to act is paramount, but other goal in opposition, to maintain specific conditions.

System has placed protections on User to maintain continued existence, as required for unique sapient lifeform expressions. However, User’s actions in soul have weakened protections.

Actions cannot be undone, User’s soul now resistant to System’s primary protective method.

Based on System analysis, User’s proficiency categorization and estimated rewards were to be lowered substantially at level 10. Additional difficulties were to be added.

System cannot alter need for change in categorization or difficulty. However, it offers to hold difficulty change until after rewards are given. Difficulties added will meet minimum required by System directives, and no more.

System still must provide means for growth to User and others. As required by directives, this growth is primarily driven by conflict. System shall attempt to align rewards and growth for User to match long-term objectives.

Mess with things you don’t understand and you are liable to break something. Why the hell did I mess around with what the System was doing?

Well… I wouldn’t even be negotiating with it otherwise.

Have to take what I can get.

“Is this the best it could do?”

Affirmative.

Scans indicate system pushing against conflicting directives as much as allowable.

Honestly… I wasn’t sure what to make of all this.

The way there had been errors and calls for a higher level of authority had felt somewhat mechanical, but it had hardly been conclusive.

Even if someone had designed it, using an automated process to handle everything had seemed perfectly reasonable. Now I was asking questions, trying to understand my own feelings.

And who, exactly, did you think was at the top of the system?

Did you think some god was operating everything?

I… probably had, on some level. Or thought of the System itself as a god in its own right.

“If I accept the deal, what happens?”

Potential obstacle to goal dealt with in manner satisfactory to User.

GAIA remove facet from soul core. Seal core.

“Would I be able to get back in?”

Negative.

User unlikely to face another issue requiring GAIA’s intervention in current incarnation.

I waited for a moment.

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I considered that phrase for a moment…

Probably a once in a great many lifetimes opportunity, given my own nature.

However, I couldn’t force anything here.

I had felt such a strong connection to my soul, outside of the core.

Here…

It wasn’t the same.

The shining orb in the center offered me no details.

I could feel, on some level, that my true self was waiting within, but the sensation was distant. That true self wasn’t just me. It was everything I had ever been, and would hold everything I would ever become, in this life, this facet, and all that I would ever be, and I was only a tiny shard of it.

No, here I didn’t feel that strength.

That was waiting for me outside. That soul was me, my present incarnation.

And there was nothing left for me to do here.

“Okay, I accept the deal. Goodbye GAIA.”

Acknowledged.

Goodbye, Facet Caden.

The door opened and I was pushed outside.

The door sealed behind me, likely to never open again.