"Would you believe it if I told you that there are infinite dimensions and universes besides our own?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes," Kojo replied.
"I know it's hard to believe, but—wait, really?" Lloyd asked. Kojo nodded.
"You don't have to play along; I can prove it," Lloyd insisted.
"You don't have to prove anything; I'm from another world," Kojo said. Lloyd looked at him, then sized him up from top to bottom with a skeptical expression.
"Oh, really now? Prove it then," Lloyd said. Kojo walked toward him.
(Do you really think it's really okay to just tell him? You haven't told anybody.)
"It'll work out."
(You're being too naive and careless.)
"Yeah, yeah."
Kojo stood in front of Lloyd and put his hand on his head. Using his ability of Data Manipulation, he downloaded a few scenes from his old world into Lloyd's head, adding a few scientific theories here and there. Lloyd collapsed, falling to his knees.
"I see now," he said, getting up and picking up his notebook and mumbling under his breath, jotting down some more notes.
(You sure it's a good idea?)
"Well, I do think having a mad scientist in your corner is gonna be very beneficial in the foreseeable future, you see what I mean, right?"
(Of course, I am in your head after all.)
Lloyd closed the notebook and casually walked up to Kojo before grabbing him and shaking him more.
"I need more information. Please tell me more. I need to know why. What is a computer? I need to know more about the theory of relativity and the concept of there being a way to calculate—"
"Calm down," Kojo said, putting his hands on his shoulders.
"I came here because I wanted to know about why the hero disappears along with the warring demon lords," Kojo said.
Lloyd let go of Kojo and adjusted his lab coat and pushed Kojo onto a seat.
"Okay then, let's exchange knowledge. I'll tell you about this universe, and you tell me about yours," Lloyd said, picking up a book and going to stand behind a table in front of Kojo.
"In order for you to understand why, you need to understand how," he said.
"If I wanted to know all that, I could just ask Sysia," Kojo thought.
(Let him talk. You did say you wanted to form a kind of relationship in order to proceed with our future plans. Also, it'd be neat to see the extent of his research and compare it with data from the Babel Archive.)
"Unlike my fellow scholars, I believe in the concept of a multiverse. They believe that existence is limited to only the Heavens, Hells, and the NexusCosmia, which they think is the center of existence, and to some extent, they are not wrong. But everything is much, much bigger.
"In the vast expanse of existence, the NexusCosmia serves as the central axis, a realm of finite time and space. Surrounding this core are Heavens. The Heavens are divided into three planes: the Celestial Realm, the Realm of the Gods, and the Realm of the Angels. The celestial world is the realm of reincarnation. The Realm of the Angels is the dwelling place of the Seraphim. And the realm of the Gods, well, that one's self-explanatory. It houses the seven Deities. Conversely, three hells exist: the Demon Realm, the Abyss, a realm similar to the celestial realm but reincarnates those who lived worthless lives into lower life forms until they either reform and level up or be damned eternally, and the Underworld, the celestial jail for unspeakable monstrosities.
"The NexusCosmia, unstable as it vibrates at multiple frequencies, generating alternate dimensions. Subspace, a void-like realm, separates these dimensions, facilitating traversal and interaction between them.
"Perpendicular to the NexusCosmia lies the plane of Eternity, a realm where time has no hold. Outer planes, such as the Spirit Realm and the Astral Plane, operate within Eternity, unfettered by temporal constraints."
"This dude really knows his stuff," Kojo thought to himself.
(I confirm with the Archives. Most of his info is legit.)
"Are you listening to me?" Lloyd yelled at him.
"Yes, sir," Kojo responded, sitting straight and looking forward.
"The NexusCosmia's temporal limitations give rise to the multiverse's vast array of possibilities. Every decision, event, and action creates new branching realities, diverging from the central world like fractals. Convergence occurs when parallel realities merge, reforming into new, singular timelines. Various principles such as The Law of Cause and Effect, Resonance, and Energy Transmutation govern the multiverse, ensuring balance and consequence. The Octagram, a group of eight powerful nations, maintains order and stability within the NexusCosmia.
"The Libra System, a vast, interconnected network, serves as the voice of the world, monitoring and regulating the balance of the multiverse. This sentient system serves as a regulator which creates a state of equilibrium throughout the entirety of existence. Though it's just a theory, and no one actually believes a sentient AI is controlling everything," Lloyd said.
("You have no idea.") Sysia and Kojo said together.
"Yeah, you'll have to tell me more about these AIs from your world," Lloyd said, wiggling his fingers and drooling as he looked at Kojo, his eyes lighting up.
"Creepy," Kojo said, shifting away.
Lloyd took a sip of his tea. "And now the part you've been waiting for."
Kojo adjusted himself on his seat.
"The war between the two demon lords was so chaotic that the System would have rebooted. I have a theory that even though there are convergences that birth newer universes, there are occasions where Incursions occur where, instead of merging to create a new one, they react with one another, causing a chain reaction capable of affecting other realities. Due to this, I believe there's a measure I dubbed the Reboot Protocol, where the system purges all universes that have reached such a critical state. Remember also I said that we're in the central world, so a reboot wouldn't destroy this one, but it would rewrite history, removing all the elements that could make the incursion occur, then reset the world back to day one. I think it has already happened."
"Damn," Kojo said.
"It is unknown whether the souls of the people will be reincarnated or erased altogether. Not wanting to find out, my ancestor fought both demon lords," Lloyd said while reading from a book.
"It says here that she used two forbidden spells in order to alter the reboot process. She linked both of their souls using Soul Link magic and, using herself as a catalyst, used the skill Time Dilation to banish them to the edge of eternity; one to the beginning and one to the end of time, though the strain of using two God-tier spells caused her physical body to disintegrate. According to the legend, her soul should have reincarnated by now," Lloyd said, rubbing his chin.
"Or my calculations were off," he opened his notebook and began to write something down.
"Okay, now I know the stakes of this thing, and I gotta say," he took a deep breath.
(Deciphering: Babel Archive 65.3%)