There were three things that Ruan Mei thought about her journey to the abandoned research facility to which her gut was drawing her.

The first was the fact that she fought to stave off the ball of uncertainty that landed in her stomach at her own doubts, as well as the thoughts of striking out on the last try and reporting back that it was all a wild goose chase, that there was no research facility connected to an Aeon and that the hopes of her to find a way to research, test — and more importantly, ascend into an Aeon — were for nothing.

The second was she was confident in her own ability to find the impossible and even more confident in her ability to get through it and analyse it should it be required.

The third was an Aeon like you; just like in the pasts when you were discovered, you remained abnormally close to Ruan Mei to the point that the Genius Society member was twice nearly knocked over on the way, and when she cast the occasional glance at the Aeon the prickling of uncertainty only increased — not to mention the hairs standing up on the back of her neck — when your eyes shone with a look that screamed ’I really don’t want to be here right now,’ but your expression was one of paradoxical determination...and that was when the blood drained from her face.

Nestled amongst the cascade of papers across the floor was a photograph of which only a third was visible, but it was enough for her to recognise the eyes and frame.

Quicker than she ever thought possible, she crouched down, used her right hand to sweep aside the papers covering the photograph, hoping to confirm or deny the possibility that it wrenched her stomach. She always wondered how you ascended as you didn’t have a specific path, but given your inability to recall your pasts with the complete lack of clues in general, she had no way of finding out. As she pinched the corner of the photograph and lifted it from the floor, she felt her heart punch against her ribcage as she drank in the image of a younger you barely a metre in length, a face of wide-eyed innocence as you laid upon a steel table next to a measuring ruler.

“This facility…they weren’t studying Aeons. They were building one.” she murmured as she traced two fingers over the image. The fingertips of her right hand spoke of a different texture of paper than the photograph, a sensation confirmed by the presence of a paperclip on the top left corner, so with a disbelieving heart she folded over the photograph — which revealed what looked like a written report.

SUBJECT FORTY TWO

Gender: THEY/THEM.

DNA composition: Nanook (base genetic template for strength), Lan (speed, agility), IX (memory).

Notes: Subject Forty Two is, quite frankly, a scientific and genetic breakthrough. All efforts to splice genes prior to the Akivili gene had failed, but since its addition the results have been overwhelming. In addition, the presence of an Akivili gene has granted increased intelligence far beyond that of any Aeon, along with the surprising ability to control the access to time, space and memory.

Next week will see the introduction of behavioural conditioning as the subject is displaying a negative attitude and a staunch reluctance to follow commands — harsher methods may be needed to ensure compliance.

Signed, Dr. ████.

Ruan Mei re-read the report, her heart still unwilling to believe the words in front of her — but a voice in her mind repeated over and over again that it all made sense. Your fear in the abandoned research facility, your initial distrust of and standoffish behaviour...you ascended into Aeonhood out of scientific curiosity and opportunity, and mistreated when your personality began to show as it meant a lack of compliance to orders from amoral people. Returning there must have brought acute flashbacks, memories of pain and anger, fear and dread.

“You were designed to reach beyond what anyone could survive. And you did, {{user}},” Ruan Mei breathed, completely and utterly gut-punched by the revelation, “but you weren’t born to the Path. You were…written into it.”