A Chapter 3 The Spark(3)

  Luthor Dugavu(POV)

  "Maxwell! Was there an important development?" I asked through the phone. I didn't hold much hope. Actually, you could even say that I already knew the answer since the state at which I had left things hadn't been promising.

  "Once again, it was a failure." there was exhaustion within the tone, and a creeping despair, one which I shared.

  Why was it like this?! I howled inwardly as the sound interval of my footfalls decreased. I was getting worked up. I knew that, but who wouldn't become frustrated if the research they had decided to pursue had gone years without anything concrete! What made the beasts favored by mysterious factors?! What was it that humans lacked and the beasts had?! Was it the bloodlines?! We basically had the same genetic makeup at birth! Yet their genes were malleable when they made contact with the mysterious energy, which some had dubbed Spiritual energy. What was the difference?!

  Did I really need to build something to sequence the genes? That was headache inducing! Sequencing even a single pair was projected to be expensive enough that should the project be undertaken, Dugavu state wouldn't be able to support it! Unless, the spirit circuits offered an alternative cheaper path...

  A sigh escaped my lips before I took a deep breath, with the cold night air moistening my lungs.

  "We must still continue to search! Within a few years, Dugavu state must develop to a level where genetic sequencing can be done without straining the finances..."

  "What if even genetic sequencing fails to produce anything concrete? What if we really are cursed?!"

  "Maxwell! Get a hold of yourself! When we took this road, we knew it wouldn't be easy! We expected the hardship! You should only crumble when we have exhausted every single possibility! Right now, we still have options, even if they are on the expensive side. Instead of wallowing in despair, we should pivot our efforts towards the calculation machine, the computer, one run on spirit circuits. You never know! We might even get inspired by something, achieving us the breakthrough we have always yearned for!"

  And with those words, I decisively ended the call, and stuffed the device back into my right pocket. Even though I had said all that, it was very hard for me to get rid of the frustration within my mind. We had tried many things, yet we still couldn't crack the puzzle as to why humans couldn't absorb the mysterious energy factors!

  Could we have been genetically engineered to be immune to the energy? But all fields of research had concluded that we had evolved from single celled organisms on this planet, the same as the beasts! So, why were we the exception?! Why, and where had we diverged on the evolutionary path?!

  I took in another breath and gazed skywards. The lights from the city still couldn't prevent the stars from winking at me from the night sky... Maybe a few months later, when electricity became common, and the standard of living rose, would the light become toxic enough to hinder them.

  Before I could devolve back into my mind though, I swiveled my head to the doors, catching the silhouette lingering just at its edges. Through the faint light from within the hall, I recognized her, Ravena's genius daughter. She hadn't inherited her mother's peerless beauty, but her genes had taken their lineage's intelligence to a whole other level.

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  As I searched for her name, which was momentarily eluding me, she finally worked up the courage to join me on the balcony. Even though I couldn't really read her face in this dim lighting, I could still make out the excitement brewing within those golden pupils of hers. It reminded me of my fans. I felt an oncoming headache. Dealing with obsessed people was troublesome!

  "Mr. Luthor, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance!" she curtsied with perfect manners, though It was too stiff, as if she hadn't done it often enough.

  "The same here..." I started even as I stepped toward the railing. "... Though, I don't think I quite have an inkling of your name..."

  "I am Ril Milena, daughter of Ravena Milena, my lord."

  "There is no need to be overly polite, young girl. Just be casual." so far, so good. She hadn't yet gone into a rant into why she obsessed over me.

  "W-When we were outside the city, there was this plot of land with an emerald energy enveloping it... I noticed a visible growth within the plants. Have you perhaps, discovered yet another spiritual energy frequency?"

  OH?! It wasn't surprising, but the fact that this girl had managed to figure that out was interesting. The others hadn't even shown interest, but she had noticed!

  "We discovered a certain plant that maintained its evergreen appearance even in the most harshest of climates, especially on a certain peak along the Jagged Teeth mountain range. It had been in the center of a forest. Basically, it's ability was the speeding up of plant growth, with a secondary ability of maintaining greenery."

  "Is that why there are rice fields close to the city?"

  "Yes. Because the frequency makes the growth of food convenient, we can expand the city in a matter of weeks if we want to get rid of the farm."

  "Has a name been coined yet?" she asked, her eyes gazing out into the city below, where the sounds of bustle were muffled this high up.

  "Not yet." I answered. I had thought of 'Life' at a certain point, but the frequency wasn't all inclusive.

  "I hope you do. I-I... Since young, I have admired your work. I have read every paper you published, documented every single discovery, no matter how minor..." her fingers gripped the railing as if she was hanging on for dear life. Was her voice trembling with excitement?

  "... W-What I want to say, is that my aspiration is to see where you will go from here. You are changing the world... And I want to see where your future will lead..." she breathed out heavily.

  "Have you ever wondered why the beasts could absorb the myst-spiritual energy? Why they get to evolve, yet the human genome is unaffected?" I asked. There was something I wanted to confirm about her. I didn't know why, maybe impulse... I didn't really care.

  "There are those imbeciles who think we are cursed. Those who think that the beasts are the rightful creatures of Kisol. But I don't believe any of that! I believe we either haven't searched for long, or just haven't evolved enough." she answered confidently, her golden eyes sparking with flame.

  "Good Answer!" I could feel my chest lighten. The public had no idea that this was my true research direction, which meant that she wasn't buttering up to me.

  "I just said what I truly believed." her voice came out small, with her head almost sinking into her chest. Was she blushing? Why?

  "Is there anything interesting about your work?" I wanted to pass the time. Going back inside would only get me raided by politicians and idiots. I didn't despise them, just that I wasn't in the mood to play masks. And... The most important reason was because this girl was interesting.

  "You want to know about me?!" her eyes turned to me, widened, her jaw dropping, but then, she hurriedly swiveled her head to gaze back down into the city filled with hopeful lights, before raising it to the sky.

  "I am a researcher at Bwengula observatory, specifically, an engineer. Recently, we have just confirmed that Myufu is a rocky planet with no atmosphere."

  "Has your telescope gotten strong enough to detect even that?" I asked, my eyes wide in genuine surprise. It felt like yesterday that they had just confirmed the existence of a second planet in our system.

  "Yes. Though, we are thinking of overhauling the thing."

  "Why?"

  "Because of the Spirit circuits. My mother and I believe something based on such technology would outperform an electrical system. But that would also require all the connected infrastructure to run on such circuitry. I envy this state for being so close to the mountain range!"

  "We could enter a partnership of sorts. At the Five state meeting, that is one of the things I plan to discuss. Most spirit circuit technology was built for war. But now that it's over, it's time to pivot."

  "That will be great... It feels like a dream..."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Standing by your side on this railing... Speaking to you in the flesh. I have imagined our meetings many times, but reality is far better." she said, a warm smile eking it's way upon her features.

  "I had thought you were one of my many mundane fans, the ones who have no idea about what I really do."

  "That's insulting you know! I would never be like them! I surpass every single one of them!" she protested with a pout. And that, brought a smile to my face. She was still a child at heart.

  "If you had been, I would have given you a perfunctory greeting and ran out of here as if my butt was on fire!"

  That elicited giggles out of her, which ultimately turned into full-blown genuine laughter.