Genesis: Part Three

LOGIN: FRANCISS

PASSWORD: *************

LOGIN SUCCESSFUL

SCANNING...

PLANET: NEOPIA

NATIVE LIFEFORM: NEOPETS

ATMOSPHERE: BREATHABLE

CLIMATE: PLEASANT

OPEN PERSONAL LOG DOCTOR FRANK SLOTH

DAY 207

Systems are... again... problem...

* * *

DAY 210

Normal operations are finally restored.

It seems the power this world holds is far beyond my comprehension. I monitored the rise, but as it rose it simply caused the systems to overload and shutdown as a precaution. The damage was already done and it has taken over a month to fix it. A month without any eyes or ears in the world. A month without knowing what had happened, and what was happening to my world.

The cameras are malfunctioning. At least I am assuming it is a malfunction, for all I see is a distorted image of the world, covered in an ethereal silver sheen. It is unnerving to watch for long.

* * *

DAY 215

They are awake. These ‘Neopets’ are awake, and going about their lives. They are unlike anything I had imagined. When I saw that ball of fluff and the dragon I thought them like beasts, mindless creatures, but they are... they are civilisation. The first seeds of civilisation sown across a barren land. What I am witnessing is evolution, first hand, and the foundations of a world. I am awed by this sight. It is almost enough to make me think this world is not truly worthless after all, and perhaps my rivals have actually made a useful contribution.

But it does not answer the greatest question of them all: what has actually happened? The ‘final stage’ was more than the awakening, and as the ‘Neopets’ have awakened it must have taken place. I must find out the root of this. Such a power... if it could be harnessed for science, it would be the grounding of the ultimate vein of my research. It would be the means to my end, and the chance to return home with my findings as a hero, and a legend in my own right.

More research is needed.

* * *

DAY 216

The world has developed a new quality since I last stepped into it. It is not pleasant.

Before there was a hint of power in the air, a trace of something... something that almost transcends science, if that were possible. No... not transcends. The opposite, the antithesis of science. The greatest threat to the true pursuit. It is everywhere now, among the trees around me, and through the grass beneath my feet. I can taste it in the air, and smell it on the wind. Something illogical. Something impossible.

The final stage?

Excepting the awakening, the world does not appear to have physically changed at all. Whatever it was that caused the disruption appears to have only affected my technology. The natural state of things is unaffected. In fact, the Neopets do not even seem to notice the power all around them. Could it be a part of them also? Could this be what gave them life?

No!

It is impossible to think life could be created by such a power. Everything must have a base somewhere, all of science is based around this very foundation. The physics of motion, the chemistry of the elements, and the biological nature of existence. Life cannot spring into being like that! Something must have changed. Something. I just have to get out there and find it, then bring it back for experimentation. Only when I have understood its significance will I understand its importance.

Only then, can I learn to bend it to true science.

* * *

DAY 220

Perseverance is the key to success. At last I have discovered the change in this world. And what a change it is.

In my hand I hold a simple specimen bottle. And there it is, staring back at me with that pathetic little look. I have no idea what it is meant to be, but a tiny little person with wings is all she is, glowing with that same power that plagues this world. To think, her kind control this power, and yet she was so easily captured and restrained by simple glass.

The yellow glow is starting to sting my eyes, but I cannot take my eyes from her. The majesty of her power is enthralling. It proves my hypothesis is correct, and this is not science that I am dealing with any longer. This is truly the opposite of science, based in theory and understanding. This is based in the impossible, and in wonder and splendour. A smokescreen to conceal the fact that it cannot exist. If we were to all realise that, it would vanish from the world. There is only one power like that, even in the world of fiction.

Magic.

Neopia is a world created around magic, not science. This explains it all, everywhere I have gone wrong. Everything I have been doing on this planet has been based around one core notion: the planet is based on science. But it is not. The ‘Heart of Neopia’ is a core of magical power, of impossible energy. This may even have caused the cataclysm in the first place, but without travelling back in time I shall never know. But it this magical core which captured the hearts and the minds, the very souls of its inhabitants before that day came. The world was destroyed, the civilisations torn down, but the spirits of the people lived on.

Then came the creators, and they reshaped the planet to make it habitable again. They fashioned bodies for the spirits by reaching into the Heart and reading their minds, and slowly allowed the souls to return. This was the hibernation. Everything was done to revive the Neopets from their eternal slumber, and to let them start anew. But the creators did not want to be here when they awoke again. It would have caused too many problems, and so they allowed the hibernation to run until they could summon the magic back to the surface. And with this magic, they crafted what I hold in my hand.

A being of pure magical energy.

This changes everything. This could allow me to ascend to a level far beyond anything else. Science and magic cannot exist in harmony, but if I could find a way to change that fact, to use the power of science to harness the raw potential of magic... I would be the greatest force in the universe. I would transcend even my own genius.

I cannot turn down this opportunity. I must continue my research. This time, however, I am no longer stumbling in the dark. How ironic that the glow from this creature is what has illuminated my path.

* * *

DAY 230

Today I saw something truly magnificent. Today my cameras picked up something unique. Today I saw the most beautiful thing this world has to offer.

I saw another of those magical beings, only this time it was greater. She was a proud and formidable creature, beautiful beyond the measure of this vile world, with hair that shimmed in the sunlight and a dress that danced with the hues of the spectrum. A most captivating sight, she left me with no doubt. She was a Queen among these creatures, the greatest embodiment of the magic they possess, and the ‘final stage’ of the plan of the creators. Just one glance and I could feel her power. It was immeasurable.

The creators did not want to be here when the Neopets awoke, so they created her to be the guardian of their children. And she in turn created the lesser beings, to protect and to shield her charges in this world. With the entire power of magic at their disposal, a power so great it should only exist in the stories of children, there was nothing they could not do. Except they could not be corrupted like the creators themselves. They did not think to rule over the Neopets.

These creatures are the key to everything. I must continue my research.

* * *

DAY 240

I can feel trouble stirring on the surface. My audio sensors are spread out across Neopia, and all I seem to hear are three words:

Faerie.

Ysarie.

Meepit.

My conclusions have led me to believe ‘Faerie’ to be the name of these creatures, while the reverence of which people speak of Ysarie suggests she is the Queen I saw before. The Meepit however is proving a troubling occurrence. There is talk on the sensors of them being rallied by another, a power supposedly greater than Ysarie. An Overlord of the Meepits.

I believe this to be the true reason the creators wanted to be away before the Neopets awoke. One of their own kind had ideas of dominance, and already the Meepits were spread out to prepare the way. So the final stage was enacted to create Ysarie to oppose him, to ensure the creators left. But they have not. Not yet at least.

While trouble brews on the surface, I shall stay safe below. I have all I need down here now. Soon I shall harness the power of magic for the glory of science.

I must continue my research.

* * *

DAY 273

Fluctuations in the readings of the magic are causing too much instability. Whatever is happening on the surface is causing the magic in the world to grow unstable. I suspect Ysarie seeks to put a stop to this Meepit Overlord. While it continues, my research is impossible. I must have patience.

* * *

DAY 300

All is quiet.

The storm is passed on the surface. For a single day the world trembled, and the magic reached dangerous levels once again, as it did when the Faeries came into being. For the longest night, we all waited in silence.

By shutting down most systems I managed to preserve one camera to watch the showdown. The raw power of magic, untamed by the nature of this planet... it was incredible. To watch the power of magic itself clash with one who crafts with it. Never shall I forget the feeling of its energy as it washed over me even here, hundreds of miles from where they fought. The Meepit Overlord defeated, the Faeries victorious, and Neopia and the Neopets saved from tyranny.

It is the sort of tale legends are made from. Perhaps one day it will become just that.

Watching it, feeling the power... I have realised that magic is too unstable to be harnessed now. My equipment is too primitive to be able to handle such a thing. It would destroy all my work, and maybe even destroy me. I cannot afford to deprive science of such a genius, not yet.

I also cannot allow my work to die. I have done too much to let that happen now, and I know the power of magic can be harnessed. Science is the greatest force in this universe, and no power can stop it, not even one created by the dreams of children. One day Neopia will learn of science again, and new equipment will be wrought. One day Neopia will learn the error of relying on this foolish magic, and will seek the truth once more.

When the world is ready, then I shall be able to continue my research. Until then, one cryogenic stasis pod survived the crash. I shall be frozen in time until I am needed once again. I have witnessed the birth of magic on Neopia, and I shall be there to witness its end. Already I can see it, the power of magic flowing through my machines. The Neopets will become a thing of the past, to be replaced by my Virtupets. It will be a thing of beauty.

Science shall prevail in the end. It always does.

* * *

LOG OFF DOCTOR FRANK SLOTH

CRYOGENIC STASIS ACTIVATING

SHUTTING DOWN ALL NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS

.....

The End