Chapter Sixteen: Mechanical Immortality

The bright chimes echoed throughout the realm of the gods, awakening Ael from her slumber.

Ael opened her eyes and gazed down at the Divine Transformation Pool constructed by Kass. To adorn this empty divine realm, Kass, as the first ascended deity, had undertaken nearly all the architectural work; the pool was among his creations. Originally, newly ascended gods would manifest their forms mid-air, but Kass, having experienced this himself, found it cold and undignified, detracting from the realm’s grandeur. With Ael’s approval, he built the pool, so the newly ascended would now gather their divine bodies there.

“Aton? The Child of Light and Darkness.” Ael recognized the familiar figure at once. As the earliest disciple to follow Kass and the first starborn to blend the powers of light and darkness, Ael naturally knew him well.

Hearing the chimes, Kass entered Ael’s temple. After a respectful salute, he stood aside, waiting for his disciple.

Ael collected information from the mortal realm and shook her head. The master and disciple, in their ascension, had both lost their physical bodies.

“Kass, since he is your disciple, you should explain things to him and reassure your other disciples as well.” Ael withdrew her gaze. Having understood the events, she was aware the High Council was now in turmoil; letting them stew was a timely reminder that stagnation must be avoided. They must not become like the previous era’s loathsome High Council.

Kass understood at once. He approached Aton, who was condensing his divine form, and imparted a brief message to him, then sent another to the three Lohanna sisters.

On Karathi, after Aton sacrificed himself to aid those present, the High Council was compelled to bring the Dark Templar to Ael, and the matter quickly became public knowledge.

Thus the Dark Templar entered the spotlight; the entire Starborn Empire discussed the event, and Aton’s sacrifice caught everyone off guard. Especially among the Preservers present, who declared they had not collected Aton’s memories—this angered many of his admirers, who demanded the High Council provide an explanation.

In response, the High Council convened for three days, also sending emissaries to invite the Chief Preservers, for Aton’s passing was a momentous event for the Empire. Yet the messengers reported that the three Chief Preservers were listening to the divine oracle and could not attend.

The elders of the Council, upon hearing this, actually felt relieved. Receiving the oracle at this moment must surely concern Aton; with divine intervention, a favorable outcome seemed likely.

After three days of debate, Mardonis finally received word from the Chief Preservers: Aton had ascended to become the God of Twilight.

This news sent shockwaves through the High Council. Aton’s ascension meant the Dark Templar had spoken truly—they had indeed received divine guidance. Had the Council become too rigid? Yet soon their thoughts turned to the great Kass; mistakes may have been made, but there was still time to amend them.

On the fourth day, the High Council enacted a series of new decrees: it renamed itself the Council of Light and Shadow, added Nerazim representatives, incorporated the Dark Templar into the Templar order, and appointed Nerazim engineers to the Imperial Engineering Institute. These measures officially announced the Dark Templar’s presence to Starborn society.

As expected, few were willing to join the Dark Templar, yet their emergence served as a renewed reminder for the Empire to self-reflect and remain vigilant.

With the addition of Nerazim engineers, the stagnant technology received fresh inspiration. In the year 4300 of the Karathi calendar, the Empire’s engineers invented a Will Matrix—a device capable of housing Starborn souls, allowing them to persist after bodily death.

This invention astonished the Empire. It had always been held that only ascension granted immortality, yet now ordinary folk could achieve eternal life. However, as Starborn lifespans are long, and those with higher psionic levels live even longer, the initial surprise soon gave way to indifference.

It was not long before this technology proved its worth. The Empire, founded four millennia prior, now saw some elders nearing the end of their lives. After voluntarily signing consciousness transfer agreements, the engineers embarked on the first soul transfer experiments.

Karathi calendar 4330—High orbit above Edeon—Research station, Sebros

“Executor Corolarion, thank you for joining our Purifier Project.” Wilmot’s cherubic face betrayed no emotion; now a research director, his childlike visage still made him seem less than authoritative.

“Lord Wilmot, I am honored to join the Purifier Project. I have fought for the Starborn Empire across the stars, long since disregarded life and death. To now persist eternally is the greatest honor. Proceed.” Corolarion lay before the experimental platform, smiling as he closed his eyes.

As the Empire’s first carrier commander, Corolarion’s legend was unparalleled. During the War of Ages, he had always guarded Kass. Later, he stood out among pilots to become the first carrier commander. Though the Empire had not encountered other intelligent species in millennia, his carrier still achieved remarkable feats: he quelled the havoc wrought by the Fang King’s fanatics on Ael and, under his command, the carrier never suffered mishap.

With Wilmot’s actions, the stasis chamber shone, and Corolarion’s consciousness slipped into slumber. The next step was to transfer his mind into the prepared Purifier body.

Unsure if machines could connect to the communal mind, the engineers equipped the Purifiers with a mechanical consciousness platform for message exchange—a backup system.

As the Will Matrix glowed blue, the Nerazim’s dark crystal tower shimmered green. To transfer a soul from flesh to machine required the union of both technologies.

With blue and green merging, orange psionic energy wrapped a soul, drifting out from Corolarion and entering the matrix. To harmonize with this fusion, the Purifiers’ energy cores were powered by cutting-edge solar shards.

Bathed in the glow of solar shards, the mechanical construct began to stir. Wilmot and his team watched anxiously; the success of the Purifier project hinged on this moment.

“Executor Corolarion, how do you feel?” Wilmot asked the awakened Purifier, and Corolarion swiftly responded.

“It feels strange. I cannot sense my organs, and my limbs are heavy. I suppose I will need some time to adjust.” Corolarion paused before replying.

“That is likely because the mechanical body lacks internal organs,” Wilmot continued, “Can you still sense the communal mind? Can you wield psionic power?”

Corolarion rotated his right hand; his orange eyes gleamed. “I can feel the communal mind’s presence and channel psionic energy, but the power matches what I possessed in life and appears unable to increase.”

Wilmot pondered. “That is because psionic power is fundamentally mental. No matter how strong the body’s capabilities, your psionic level remains unchanged. The mechanical form grants immortality but forfeits advancement. I will report these findings to the Council.”

Once Corolarion adapted to his new body, the Institute subjected him to a series of tests. The results were mixed: the mechanical Purifier body granted tireless endurance—so long as the core held, it could fight indefinitely. Yet its psionic performance was mediocre; after conversion, the psionic level matched or even slightly declined from life and lost the potential for growth. Still, Purifiers could connect to the communal mind, and through the Will Matrix, their consciousness could transfer to new bodies if destroyed, achieving a form of immortality.

The original communication platform was upgraded into a system that enhanced cooperation; when Purifiers fought together, their powers increased. This enhancement could not activate individually due to an overload mechanism, but group combat mitigated the risk.

These findings returned to the Council of Light and Shadow, which deliberated and unanimously agreed: Purifiers remained Starborn, for their souls persisted within the machine. They then announced the project’s results and designated the Sebros station as the Purifiers’ headquarters.

Upon receiving the news, most lost their inflated expectations for Purifiers. Only the elderly or those whose hopes for restoration were dashed opted for transformation, pledging to guard the Empire forever.