Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Nyra hesitated at first...

The air around her seemed to still, as if the world itself held its breath. Before her stood a woman whose beauty was not of this earth; she was radiant, silver-white, and shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

Her presence was both soothing and unnerving, like the calm before a storm. Nyra felt the weight of something ancient, something vast, pressing against her chest. This was no ordinary being. This was... something beyond comprehension.

For a moment, doubt clawed at her. Her instincts screamed to run, to flee from the unknown. But Nyra was not one to back down. With a sharp exhale, she steeled herself and sat down, her crimson eyes locking onto the Lady in White with a fiery intensity.

"Alright," Nyra said with her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "So, are you finally going to tell me who you are?"

This time, her tone was firm, less wary, and more commanding. She wasn't asking. She was demanding.

The Lady in White chuckled with a sound so soft and melodic it seemed to dance on the air. Her amusement was palpable, as if Nyra's impatience was a delightful little quirk she found endearing. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

"As I've already said, little one," the lady began, her voice like a gentle breeze, "I have had many names over my short millennia of existence." She folded her hands elegantly in her lap, her movements fluid and deliberate.@@novelbin@@

"Some have called me the Celestial Pearl. The boldest of adventurers have whispered my name as The Starry Companion. The dreamers, the poets, those with souls touched by art, have named me The Muse."

She paused, her lips curving into a small, almost nostalgic smile. "And most recently, a little child I met not too long ago called me The Lady in White."

Nyra blinked, her expression being unreadable. Then, in true Nyra fashion, she crossed her arms, gave a slow nod, and said, "Mmm. Never heard of you. Yep."

The Lady in White laughed with a warm, genuine sound that seemed to fill the space around them. It wasn't mocking; it was affectionate, as if Nyra's blunt honesty was a rare treasure. Her gaze softened, becoming almost maternal, patient, knowing, and filled with an infinite understanding.

"I'd be surprised if you had, little Nyra," she admitted while tilting her head slightly. "But… I had thought some of your people might still remember me."

Nyra's brows furrowed. "My people?"

"Yes."

A heavy pause hung between them, thick with unspoken meaning.

"Wait," Nyra said, her voice being sharp. "You mean humans?"

The Lady in White's lips curved into an amused smile, and she rested a delicate hand against her glowing cheek. "Oh my… Do you truly believe you are human?"

Nyra stiffened, her body going rigid. "I'm… not?"

The Lady's expression softened, her silver eyes filled with a quiet sadness. "Mmm. While it is true that your people share a connection with the humans, you are not the same. The humans created by my sister were gifted superior mental abilities. But your kind... were made for something else. Something greater. You were given superior physical capabilities."

Nyra stared at her, unblinking. The words felt wrong, like shards of glass cutting into everything she had ever known. They didn't fit. They didn't make sense. Her mind raced, trying to reconcile the truth being laid before her with the life she had lived.

"Humans have superior mental abilities." Nyra scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Yeah, right. That's a joke. You're lying."

The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable, sharp, and raw. "Humans are nothing. They're at the very bottom of the slave hierarchy. And if I'm not human, then whatever I am was treated even worse than them."

She stood abruptly, the chair of white roses shifting beneath her with an almost imperceptible creak. Her hands clenched into fists, her body trembling with barely contained emotion. "So don't stand there and tell me they're 'special.' Because from what I've seen, they're just as weak, if not weaker, than the rest of us."

The Lady in White sighed softly, her gaze never leaving Nyra. There was no anger in her eyes, no judgment, only patience and understanding. She didn't rise from her seat. She didn't argue. Instead, she simply said, "There's no need for such fire, little Nyra."

Nyra's breath came in sharp, uneven bursts, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to contain the storm raging within her.

"While it is true that humans possess great mental power, it has long been dormant," the Lady continued, her voice calm and measured. She folded her hands in thought, her silver eyes distant, as if recalling a memory from another age.

"Their own blindness sealed it away. Their greed and ambition cloud their vision and limit their potential. It is not that they lack power... but that they can no longer see the gifts my sister gave them."

She let out a quiet hum, a sound that seemed to resonate with the very air around them. Then, with a sudden shift in tone, she raised a delicate hand to her lips, her expression turning playful, almost mischievous.

"Oh dear, look at me rambling. We've drifted far from our path, haven't we?"

Nyra blinked, caught off guard by the sudden lightness in the Lady's demeanor. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate, replaced by a strange, almost comforting warmth.

The Lady in White smiled, her luminous silver eyes locking onto Nyra's once more. "Let's leave this discussion for another time. Right now, there's still room for one more question before he arrives."

Her gaze was steady, filled with an infinite patience that seemed to stretch across the ages.

"Ask me anything, little one."

Nyra let out a small, defiant "Hmph." before sinking back into her seat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her crimson eyes flickered with thought, darting across the endless white garden as if searching for answers in the shimmering petals. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, until finally, she broke it.

"Alright then... where are we?" she asked, her voice being strong and demanding at first. But as the words left her lips, a cold unease began to creep into her gut. Her mind raced while piecing together fragments of memory. Her tone wavered.

"Wait..." she murmured, her voice now barely above a whisper. "I remember... I was fighting that giant worm. I was—"

Her throat tightened, cutting off her words. A chilling realization slithered up her spine, icy and unrelenting.

"Am I... already dead?" The question escaped her lips as a fragile whisper, trembling with dread.

The Lady in White chuckled softly, the sound like a gentle chime in the stillness. She shook her head, her silver hair catching the light as if it were woven from starlight itself.

"Of course not, little Nyra," she said, her voice soothing yet firm. Her luminous silver eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light. "Thanks to the blood running through your veins, you were able to reach my sanctuary. Your soul is safe... for now."

Her gaze held Nyra's, steady and unyielding. "But the moment that blood runs dry—" she added, her tone calm yet final. "You will truly die."

Silence fell, thick and oppressive. Nyra's fingers curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "So... I'm just waiting for the end?" she muttered, her voice hollow. "That's it? No way out?"

With her head lowered and her crimson eyes darkening with despair. "Is there no way for you to help me?"

The Lady in White tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. "Well," she mused, her voice carrying a hint of amusement, "some people these days call me a goddess... but I am not one."

She lifted two slender fingers, the gesture deliberate and graceful. "That being said, there are two ways for you to escape death."

Nyra's breath hitched, her heart pounding in her chest. "Two...?" she echoed, her voice barely audible.

"Tell me. What are they?" she demanded with her voice sharp with desperation.

The Lady in White's expression remained calm, her silver eyes unreadable. "The first option," she began, her tone measured, "is for you to become one of my flowers here in my sanctuary."

Nyra frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What?"

"What people call a'soul' is merely a recording of what you are. A whisper of yourself, made of pure energy. "And energy—" the Lady's voice was steady, unwavering"—is neither created nor destroyed. It only transforms."

She gestured gracefully to the glowing white flowers surrounding them, their petals shimmering like fragments of moonlight. "Using that energy, I could turn you into one of my flowers. That way, you would never die. You would remain here… in my garden. For all eternity."

Nyra's stomach twisted, a wave of revulsion washing over her. "That's not an option," she said instantly while shaking her head. "I'm not spending eternity as a flower."

The Lady in White smiled knowingly, as if she had expected this response. "I didn't think it would be."

"Then tell me the second one," Nyra asked with her voice sharper now, edged with desperation.

For the first time, something amusing flickered in the Lady's expression. A small, almost mischievous smile graced her lips. "Ah, the second option..." she mused, her tone light, almost playful.

She rose from her chair, her movements fluid and graceful, and turned toward the endless expanse of the white garden. "Well, that one depends on him."

Nyra blinked, her confusion deepening. "Him? Who—"

The Lady raised a hand, her silver eyes narrowing slightly. "It would be best if you covered your ears, little Nyra."

Nyra barely had time to process the warning before the air around them shifted.

A presence appeared in the garden, thick, malevolent, and suffocating; it split through the tranquility of the garden like a blade. Black energy surged, writhing and twisting as if alive, filling the air with a palpable sense of dread. It was as if the darkness itself had awakened, hungry and unrelenting.