If both the severed head and body regained full replacements, then whom was the fake?
An Fei’s pupils dilated in confusion the more she pondered upon the matter. She brought her body towards a nearby chair and closed her eyes to think, plunging herself into the sea of perception within a moment’s breath. There, she allowed the words to envelop herself within a bizarre storm of color.
A fully regenerative body divided into two, where both halves would replace all missing parts and grow new ones to compensate. A head gained a body and a body gained a new head – but that didn’t necessarily instantiate that the half that grew a replacement head lacked the intelligence of its counterpart.
It didn’t make sense.
Should complete regeneration occur, then the entire body – cells, DNA, and the atoms itself – would also be replicated to match the original. Since, by that logic, the neurons of the brain would experience true replication, then the intelligence of the half that grew a head would never be less than that of its counterpart, and vice versa. Even if the soul played an important factor in determining intelligence, wouldn’t that then be replicated?
There would be two individuals from one…
“The result would become two identical immortal beings,” Compendium affirmed her words.
“They would share the same set of memories, logical deduction ability, physical characteristics and impulse, as well as the same soul. Any action one would take, the other would replicate with perfect ease – even if they were standing on either side of the world with no means of communication. And yet, there resides the question – who is who?”
“An observer would never be able to tell the difference between the now two regenerated forms of the original immortal. Then, what about the immortal themselves? Each possess a functional intelligence, and can recognize their own habits reflected by the other. However, an identity is unique, and cannot be shared by two living creatures. Then, which one is fake? Surely one has to be fake.”
Each ‘half’ would instantly decide that the other was the fake – for nobody would willing admit to being a clone of anyone else. There was no other alternative that could be accepted, none at all.
“They would slaughter each until, or try to, until a single one remains,” An Fei crossed her arms as she gazed at the crystals adorning Xu Shen’s robe.
“However, that belongs on the premise that the two halves are forced to meet. If they are permanently isolated until the date of their death, then surely there should be no need to eliminate the other?”
The middle-aged man lightly quivered at the inquiry, and his countenance revealed a dark grimace shrouded underneath the brilliant glow exuding from the crystal at his chest. Compendium traced the invisible, overlapping layers of the Archives of Time with his fingers, and ultimately twitched his lips in defeat.
“Permanent isolation? How could that be possible?”
“Why would it not be possible? Immortals from the Realm can alter reality as they see fit, should they not be capable of producing such an environment?”
“Are they so capable?” Compendium retorted with a placid grin and turned around after lowering his arms.
“Who said that the Realm itself was a cold and silent place, ready for harvest at the Immortal’s whims? If it was so lifeless and malleable, how can distinct Constructs, how could objects with uniqueness be present?”
The young girl fell silent, and her heart sunk as Xu Shen’s smile became utterly ghastly.
“Regardless of any environment… designed for ‘perfect isolation’, there will always exist an omnipotent observer. Mortals are forever under the watch of Immortals, and Immortals are forever monitored by the Realm. The halves of the physical immortal may never meet on their own accord, but the observer will force the interaction. The observer has no choice but to force the two to meet and struggle, for it cannot sustain the necessary resources,” Compendium recited with a serene, almost intoxicated voice.
“Every being requires a certain amount of resources to exist, be it trees, ants, bacteria, or even mountains – whatever that can be identified requires the environment, or in this case, the world, to dedicate a portion of its resources to sustain its existence. As it constantly promotes the development and change of life, the world is constantly in a state of extensive and utterly delicate micromanagement of its resource allocation. Then, what should happen if an element abruptly demands for double than its allocated amount?”
A system that perpetually operated at its maximum potential?
The young girl’s lips twitched as she recalled the droning lectures and statements that had once been pasted into the depths of her brain. An Fei sunk into the comfortable fabric with her eyes riveted onto the book hovering besides Compendium, and began to think in silence. The pair of scarlet irises flickered with abstruse intent, and she seemed to have lapsed into memory.
A system occupied at maximum potential… meant that it had reached its maximum entropy – whatever the defined constants could be. Should it be pushed beyond its boundary… In any isolated system, breaching the laws of entropy would be cataclysmic.
“No, before it could be pushed beyond its boundary, the system would act to eliminate the disruptive elements… but if not?”
Murmurs leaked from the young girl’s lips. Some were coherent whilst others were muffled behind the impermeable veil of confusion, but the scarlet irises began to blaze with accomplishment and reason.
“Physically immortal… can age to death, but cutting down will not eliminate it. Tearing them down to their fundamental properties as a means of elimination… elements, atoms, the fundamental properties beyond… since its root is the system itself, they cannot be terminated…?”
“Indeed. The definition of basis for the physical immortal is comprised of the world itself, thus the world cannot eliminate it. Nor can it ignore the disruptive element, for that would overthrow the system and cause it to collapse,” Compendium clasped his hands in approval.
“The world will disrupt the halves of the physical immortal to incite them to fight amongst one another, to struggle, to eliminate the other as a means of their individual survival. Certainly, they cannot kill or eliminate the other, but they can maim. The more they mutilate, the more ‘parts’ are created, and greater the struggle for uniqueness.”
Decapitating the head and separating it from the remainder of its body would generate two identical manifestations of the immortal. Likewise, if an arm was to be severed and isolated, what prevented it from regenerating… an entire body? A finger?
As the “original generation” fought to reclaim their identity, the wounds inflicted would morph and regenerate into “generations” of themselves, and join the ensuing fight…
…and al the while, the universe would treat all of them as disruptive elements and earnestly seek their destruction.
Further conflict would ensue, guaranteeing the creation of more and more “parts” of the physical immortal until the universe collapsed on itself. The universe could not simply watch it become destroyed by the physical immortal’s replication, but any action it taken – including inaction – would hasten its own destruction.
“The world will not take it likely that there are more… copies of the immortal. There will be retribution from amongst themselves, and judgement from the world.”
The young girl gestured with thinly pursed lips. As Xu Shen strode towards the drawing table to rummage through the stacks of papers, her fingers abruptly clenched onto the armrests with as much strength they could exert.
“No… the world would never permit its own destruction. Neither will the Realm.”
A pure bead of sweat trickled down An Fei’s cold nape, and splattered over the crystalline floor. She sat in the chair as she stared absentmindedly into the book hanging besides the middle-aged man’s waist. Her eyes remained shut to block out the world, but the words continued to hammer at her heart.
You are inflicted with an insidious curse by the name of <Jolt>…
“Everything in the Realm, including the mortals who live in the mortal worlds created by our – the Immortal’s – hands, are unique.”
A curse that bites deep into the soul and is unable to expunge…
“A mortal can die and reincarnate, but the properties of his soul remain the same. The information written into their soul are all external values. He can perish and suffer for all he wants, have his mentality and psyche broken as many times, have his physical body carbonized into mere atoms or spiritual essence, but everything will be reset upon death and reincarnation.”
Take for example, a physically immortal being. He can age, but cannot be killed…
“The memories of a mortal soul are wiped, but the soul remains unchanged. But if the soul was shattered by external means – shattered into a million, perhaps a billion or even a trillion fragments?”
Who are you? Why are you here? How did you come about?
“He who has seen himself shall question his existence. He who has seen his true self shall seek to eliminate it.”
Are you… really you?
“A life-or-death battle that cannot kill, governed and mandated by the cruel and unforgiving Realm. The crown bestowed by the curse <Jolt> is worn by the unforgiveable sinner – the Shattered Soul.”
Their existence itself throws the Realm into turmoil, and to eliminate it, all means will be adopted to enliven the paradoxical nature…
“Those inflicted with the <Jolt> will fight an embittered battle against the world and against themselves.”
After all… who are you?
