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Herta’s research involves that of “magic.” Through the use of light, she plans to show the world that magic does indeed exist, and that the mysterious force which could only be found in fantasy before actually exists in the universe, firmly rooted in reality. This is a transcript of her defense:
[In the Nous University Department of Engineering, thousands of students, professors, and professionals alike gathered under one roof to watch a defense they deemed ‘revolutionary’ immediately after reading Herta’s thesis. The subject of her research was that which could only be found in fiction: Magic. None could believe that this eccentric Genius achieved the impossible, manifesting a force that had only existed in one’s imagination.]
[Herta steps on stage, and the noise in the lecture hall swiftly quiets. She places her papers on the podium and sizes up the audience. With a soft cough, she begins her defense and demonstration.]
HERTA
Let us first define what magic is. Magic, from common knowledge, is a force that creates without consequence. Creating life from the non-living, returning the living to the dead. That is what fairy tales and folklore have taught us what magic is. However, what I present to you today, is the true essence of “magic.”
[Behind Herta, massive curtains draw back to reveal a never-before-seen machine. 4 meters in height, but taking up the entire span of the stage. Connected to it was a blindingly bright object, something that could be described as a mini-quasar. Herta’s assistants quickly cover it so as to not blind the audience.]
HERTA
Behind me is what I call the Photonic Mass Transference Instrument, hereby represented by the term “PMTI.” As conventional wisdom holds, light has no mass. However, if we impart a certain amount of dark matter unto the cluster of photons, the collision between two fundamentally opposite foundational particles will create a contradiction in the universe. Through repeated trials, we have found that the energy “created” by the universe’s correction of this error emits a new particle: one with a mass proportional to the average wavelength of the photons and the density of dark matter emitted by the PMTI.
[On the screen above the PMTI, a diagram showing the process of mass transference appears, next to a simple equation.]
HERTA
This relationship can be represented by the equation behind me:
Here, ‘k’ represents some constant of proportionality that we have yet to fully determine. While the amount is constant for discrete amounts of both photons and dark matter, as we continuously increase both inputs, the resulting particle fluctuates in value. This, however, is in line with the Observer Effect.
Now, let us define the resulting output. This output H, which I am inclined to name the Herton, carries an undefinable mass. However, when inputting a group of 1x10^83 photons with a wavelength of 8.3x10^-13 meters against dark matter with a density of 8.3x10^-21 kilograms per cubic meter, the resulting particle will be defined as having a mass-energy ratio of 1 Herta.
[The lecture hall stirs. Everyone knew how eccentric of a researcher she was, but to name an entirely new particle, nevermind a unit, after herself, left many in awe, amusement, and annoyance.]
– A Herta..?
– How in character for her…
– How pretentious!
[As the lecture hall clamors, Herta sweeps her eyes across the audience. Her cold, violet eyes offer one instruction to everyone–”Silence.” Nobody disobeyed, for the fear of ending such a revolutionary demonstration early greatly outweighed their disagreements with the Genius.]
HERTA
Ahem! With a single Herton, we can use “light” to create real, tangible effects in spacetime. Allow me to demonstrate with just 1 Herta.
[Herta places a deep violet key-shaped staff in a receptacle at the end of the PMTI. An assistant at the other end turns on the machine. The machine hums loudly as the lights in the lecture hall flicker. The light source at the far end of the machine, the mini-quasar, releases a bright beam of light. It illuminates the room despite having been covered by the assistants. Another assistant presses a button near the middle of the machine, and a contradictory feeling of both attraction and repulsion fills the room. They had begun to inject the concentrated light with dark matter.]
[Several seconds later, the room shakes. A shake that felt as if the world itself had been shoved around. This was the universe correcting the contradiction found in the machine.]
[At the end of the machine where Herta stood, a brilliant purple light shone, bewitching everyone in the lecture hall, including the assistants. Only Herta had gone this far with her experiment, not allowing her assistants to witness it, for she wished to amaze anyone with the eyes to see the results of her work.]
[A purple particle, barely the size of a grain of sand, enters Herta’s keystaff. Herta walks to the other end of the PMTI and signals the assistants to leave the stage.]
[One assistant brings a target on stage, the size of an elephant. The target was made of a palladium alloy, specifically crafted by Herta for its durability.]
[With a swing of her staff, a swift violet beam is fired at the target. A brilliant explosion of the same color as the Herton fills the stage. After a couple seconds, the explosion settles.]
[Nothing remains.]
HERTA
And this, my colleagues, is true “magic.” With boundless potential for energy, weaponry, and so much more, the exact method for refining a Herton must be kept confidential. My sincerest apologies.
Seeing as how you lot are all silent now, I shall take my leave. Any questions can be directed to my automated ticket system. Thank you for attending.
[The audience starts at the empty space on stage as Herta swiftly takes her leave. The destructive power alone instilled fear into all who witnessed this new ‘magic’ that Herta created.]
[Herta, on the other hand, has her mind set on one person: Ruan Mei.]
Taking place at the same time as Herta’s defense was Ruan Mei’s. In the lecture hall of the Nous University Department of Alchemical Life, Ruan Mei prepared her defense.
Ruan Mei’s research has finally reached its end. For long years, she perfected her skills until she could finally imbue a “soul” into an artificial body. This is a transcript of the result of her research:
RUAN MEI
Scientists across eons have sought to perfect one thing: the creation of artificial life. What has eluded them up until now has been the essence of the “soul.” Today, I present to you what nobody has been able to discover for thousands of years.
Let us first discuss what makes up the human body: flesh, blood, bone, etc. While we can dive into the specific elemental compounds that make up each of these parts of the body, there is nothing corporeal that constitutes the “soul.”
Now, allow me to pose a question to everybody in this hall: What constitutes your soul? What makes you unique from all other humans?
AUDIENCE
– My soul…
– Our memories?
– Our unique chemical interactions?
RUAN MEI
As I have stated before, there are very few non-trivial differences in our brains that we can say make us “unique” from one another. Our dissection of several cadavers proves this. Taking the brains of several similar specimens, we found that the difference in their mass was entirely negligible. “Reviving” the brains and testing several chemical interactions resulted in the same conclusion. As such, across individuals of similar height, weight, build, and gender, we conclude that there exists no considerable difference in their brains’ characteristics.
So, then, that begs the question of where the soul truly exists. We know it does exist, evident in what is colloquially called the “human spirit,” the culmination of human emotion, will, and individuality. We also know that this “spirit” is not unique to just humans. Several species of animals form civilizations in which they exhibit the same “spirit.” They seek pleasure, mourn the dead, and exhibit individually unique characteristics as we humans do. We are therefore inclined to state that the “soul” is an evolved characteristic in which, given enough time, all organisms can develop.
We believe that the soul exists in a higher realm of existence, transcending time and space. Furthermore, we believe that the soul will only “inhabit” an organism once certain requirements are met. This realm of existence can be called the Fifth Dimension, above the Third Dimension of space, and the Fourth Dimension of time.
To demonstrate the development of the soul, I ask that everyone turn their eyes to the Microdimension on the table by my side. Captured in the Microdimension is the Fourth Dimension, allowing us to manipulate time as we please.
While my assistants implant several microorganisms and create a suitable habitat for evolution, I will be taking a few questions before the demonstration begins.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER
Madam Ruan Mei, how does this relate to your thesis? You claim to be able to create artificial life in your paper, yet there is nothing artificial about your demonstration. What you are doing here is simply a simulation of evolution.
RUAN MEI
Indeed, I am merely simulating evolution, for now. Everything else comes after the demonstration.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR
While the simulation is being prepared, I assume that you have the artificial body ready?
RUAN MEI
Your assumption is correct. As I stated before, this body must be suitable for the soul to inhabit. This simply means that the body and “mind” must be capable of processing an incredibly large stream of information, from emotions to thoughts and observations. A brain is not necessarily required for processing the information. Instead, I have implemented a Second Dimensional Microdimension, capable of processing trillions of streams of information simultaneously. To simulate what is commonly accepted as “humanity,” we have created a humanoid body for the Microdimensional Processor. The body consists of the same elemental composition found in humans, without the inclusion of DNA. Every part of the body is lab-grown, aside from the Processor. Without DNA, the body will be unable to regenerate cells, and as cells go through apoptosis, the body will begin to degrade. The estimated time of viability is roughly 81 days under moderate informational load.
Now, the Fourth Dimensional Microdimension is ready. If we set the rate of change in time to one billion years per second in our space, we should see rapid evolution, depending on the capabilities of the microorganism. Of course, we must simulate certain controlled disasters to stimulate evolution. After they have evolved bodies, we will move them to land where drought will be simulated, forcing the organisms to group together and pool together food.
[Ten seconds pass. The assistants closely monitored the microdimension and rapidly pressed several buttons, creating multiple world-altering disasters. Meteorites cull the ‘unworthy,’ droughts test survivability, and dimension-wide floods test adaptability.]
RUAN MEI
Now, after ten billion years, let us note this new species’ progress. After multiple disasters, they rose to form a dimensional empire. While they look entirely different from humans with their hard carapaces and abstract bodies, we see them as “intelligent” lifeforms because they embody the “human spirit.”
[Ruan Mei smiles at the microdimension with a hint of madness in her eyes.]
RUAN MEI
Moving onto the part of this demonstration that I assume everybody is here for, let us begin the “soul” implantation. In order to do so, we must extract every single bit of what we call “anima” from the dimension.
[The assistants carry the microdimension and place it into a grand machine, just now barely revealed.]
[Ruan Mei signals for the machine to be activated.]
[While the machine softly hums, a barely noticeable scream is let out from within the microdimension. Worlds, empires, and families begin to be drained of life. Every conscious organism is being consumed by the machine.]
[Ten seconds pass. For ten billion years, the machine slowly steals the souls of intelligent life.]
[Only hundreds of billions of lifeless husks remain.]
[Despite hearing the requiem of a dying civilization, Ruan Mei sets her eyes only on the resulting orb, swirling and shimmering with the billions of souls extracted by the machine.]
RUAN MEI
This conglomeration of anima is what we call an artificial soul, filled with the experiences, emotions, and intelligence of every being in our microdimension. The last ingredient of our demonstration is the aforementioned artificial body. We simply need to place the artificial soul in the Microdimensional Processor to process the lives of every individual organism in the Fourth Dimensional Microdimension.
At the end of this process, the artificial lifeform will inherit the combined wills and memories of every individual “harvested” in the process of creating the artificial soul. In this sense, through a careful arrangement of events and disasters, the artificial lifeform can be “programmed” to perform and/or learn certain tasks or behaviors.
I understand there may be a few of you in the audience who believe there may be ethical issues that arise from the process. I must ask you, would you care for the bacterium in the ground beneath your feet? The organisms we placed in the Fourth Dimensional Microdimension were nothing more than bacteria lying in the soil. If there are no qualms, let us begin the implantation.
[The lecture hall is silent for several seconds. Very few can believe that Ruan Mei feels nothing after wiping out an entire dimension.]
[Ruan Mei places the artificial soul in the Microdimensional Processor. The audience holds its breath for another ten seconds, until Ruan Mei breaks the silence.]
RUAN MEI
醒 (xǐng).
[The artificial lifeform finally opens its eyes.]
RUAN MEI
As you can see, this artificial lifeform responds to certain keywords, as “programmed” by my assistants.
[The artificial lifeform begins gathering objects on stage. It carefully grabs sharp objects, such as pens and pencils purposefully left by Ruan Mei’s assistants.]
RUAN MEI
Now, the artificial lifeform is gathering weapons for “war.” Its civilization must have been quite the imperialistic one. Now, 终 (zhōng).
[The artificial lifeform stops in its tracks. It collapses, and its body begins to fall apart. The first to break down was its skin, revealing the musculature beneath. Hundreds of thousands of strands of muscle fibers, intertwined, are the next to fall apart. Like hair flowing in the wind, the muscles disconnect from the artificial skeletal system. As the cells approach their deaths due to a lack of energy supplied by the artificial soul, everything appears to “disintegrate.” The last system to fall apart is the skeletal system. No longer able to sustain itself, several bones collapse in on themselves. What remains of the artificial body are the artificial soul and the Microdimensional Processor.]
RUAN MEI
With that command, its life reaches its terminus; the artificial soul is ejected from the Microdimensional Processor, and with no source of energy, the artificial body rapidly expends its own energy until all cells go through apoptosis. Yes, the artificial soul is a source of energy, as well. I will be taking no further questions; the demonstration speaks for itself. Thank you for attending.
[Silence fills the lecture hall as Ruan Mei’s heels clack against the floor.]
AUDIENCE
– Just what the hell was that?
– That artificial lifeform… I know several others attempted it, but that thing… It had life in its eyes!
– A programmable consciousness? It can learn while its life is on a set trajectory? The possibilities!
[With her defense and demonstration wrapped up, only one person lingers in Ruan Mei’s mind: Herta.]
Herta and Ruan Mei left their lecture halls at the same time, steps rapidly increasing in frequency. For the past eight years, they had left their feelings toward each other unconfirmed as they gave their entirety to their research. Finally, at the pinnacle of their careers, they could seek answers that science could not give them.
Under the archway at the Nous University School of Psychological Studies, the pair locked eyes. After eight long years, they had finally locked eyes with one another. Ruan Mei’s eyes, while seemingly a cold shade of jade, glistened with hope and desperation. Herta’s brilliant violet eyes softened immediately. No longer was she the eccentric Genius the world thought she was, but instead a former prisoner freed from the shackles of her research, reuniting with the love of her life after nearly a decade apart.
“Haa… You…” Herta was panting after her long stretch of speedwalking.
Amidst her gasps for air, she asked exasperatedly, “Do you know how long it’s been?”
“Eight years, one month, eight days, and…” Ruan Mei glanced at the watch Herta gave her before they separated for their work. The wrist strap was a darker shade of purple, one that strayed not far from black. Its casing was a pale shade of gold, with the dial being made of jade resembling Ruan Mei’s eyes. This way, Herta had said, the watch wouldn’t stand out too much against Ruan Mei’s fashion.
“Three hours, on the dot.”
Herta stood there, incredulous.
Ruan Mei looked at her in amusement, then placed an object in her hand, saying, “There are some things I need to wrap up before we go, wait for me at this spot.”
Herta stared at the slip of paper in her hand.
Nouspore Park, beneath the Grove of Epiphany.
Herta ran as quickly as she could in an effort to arrive before Ruan Mei. For eight years, she had pushed her feelings aside to further her research into “magic,” and now that her effort had paid off, she wanted to be the first to lift her feelings off her chest. The university’s evaluation of their dissertations could be set to the side for now, for there were far more important matters at hand.
Nouspore Park was contained in a massive underground facility, so as to dedicate as much space as possible above ground to state-of-the-art research facilities. In the park, several biomes were maintained, creating a miniature world. In the center of it all was the Grove of Epiphany, a unique cluster of trees whose canopies were interconnected in a manner similar to neurons so as to create consistent shade. Inlaid in the trees were shelves upon shelves, holding microdimensions that, when combined, contained the sum of humanity’s collective knowledge.
Herta arrived as quickly as her legs could take her, which wasn’t too fast, considering the size of the campus and the park itself. Still, Ruan Mei had managed to arrive before her, despite her prior responsibilities.
“How did you…”
“‘Magic,’ of course.”
Herta’s right eye twitched. She had arrived, shimmering with sweat, and Ruan Mei sat in front of her leisurely with not a semblance of fatigue in her eyes.
A sigh was let out from Herta’s mouth. She had given up completely on beating Ruan Mei, except for one final competition. The moment Herta opened her mouth, Ruan Mei opened hers.
““I love you.””
“You..! Can you not let me have this one thing?!” Herta’s cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of crimson. Ruan Mei simply laughed.
“You’ll have to try harder to–”
Herta ran up to Ruan Mei, pulling her head in with her hand on the back of her waist. She leaned forward and locked her lips with Ruan Mei’s. As the scents of lavender and plum blossoms mingled, Ruan Mei’s eyes widened as her heart began racing for the first time.
When she had confessed her feelings to Herta, she felt no stirring in her heart because it felt so natural to her. For the past twelve years, she had long come to terms with her love for Herta; it was as if she was telling her something so trivial even an infant could figure it out. Of course, she still wanted to tease her, so she set up an elaborate meeting to watch Herta’s heart flutter.
Now, it was Herta’s turn to make Ruan Mei’s heart flutter. As she held Ruan Mei’s head close, she half-opened her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ruan Mei’s vulnerable face. However, the sight was far from what she had expected. Ruan Mei, who always wore a cold expression, occasionally slightly smiling only when Herta was around, appeared to have melted. Her face was redder than Herta’s, with a glisten in her eyes nobody had ever seen before. Seconds turned into minutes as the pair fell to the ground, with Herta laying atop Ruan Mei.
At this moment, the entirety of Nouspore Park was empty, save for the two Geniuses. Everybody had remained in the lecture halls so as to digest and discuss the demonstrations they witnessed.
Ruan Mei pulled Herta in closer, hugging her waist tightly. Herta had no reason to not oblige, so she leaned in and went for a deeper kiss. Ruan Mei let her hands wander and trace Herta’s back, sending shivers down her spine. Herta retaliated and bit Ruan Mei’s lip, causing her to pull Herta in even deeper.
After several minutes, the pair took a break to breathe properly.
Ruan Mei stared at Herta as she sat atop her, saying softly, “Your lab coat… It leaves quite a lot up to the imagination.”
Herta’s lab coat covered her up completely. Of course, this was a necessary measure to protect her body from any damage during the demonstration, but to Ruan Mei, it was only an obstacle.
Herta blinked twice before slowly unbuttoning her coat, revealing her shoulders beneath. As the eccentric Genius she was, she always wanted to dress her best despite having to wear the lab coat all day. Today, she wore an elaborate corset dress with hints of purple and hibiscus flowers discretely placed on her chest and waist.
Seeing this, Ruan Mei couldn’t resist pushing Herta down and climbing atop her. Herta welcomed this, embracing Ruan Mei as she placed her lips on Herta’s neck. She stifled giggles as her neck was tickled by Ruan Mei’s soft breathing, then flinched as Ruan Mei took a bite.
The bites continued, wandering around Herta’s bust. Her shoulders and chest were marked by Ruan Mei along with her neck, leaving no patch of open skin untouched. Some tears fell from Herta’s eyes, partly from the pain, but largely out of happiness. Ruan Mei paused, wiping the tears from Herta’s face.
She shifted her weight off of Herta, laying by her side.
“After eight long years…” Ruan Mei couldn’t resist letting out some tears of her own, as well.
Quietly crying together, they stared at the canopy of the Grove of Epiphany. Thousands of branches, linked together, standing strong after years underground.
After what felt like hours of staring, Ruan Mei was the first to speak.
“I’m sure my dissertation garnered more applause,” she whispered.
“You–!”