Utopian System

"How adorably pathetic!" Zahyla's voice floated to them from the distance. "Heart troubles while your world slowly crumbles. Isn't it charming?"

The two tensed, turning toward the voice. Zahyla floated beyond the barrier, her cruel smile visible even at a distance.

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"Oh, poor little human," Zahyla sang, floating closer to the barrier, her movements graceful and predatory at once. "So desperately in love with your leader. Did you know I could sense how your heart raced that day when you were close to him? It's quite pathetic, really."

Diana tried to pull Lila away, but Zahyla continued, her voice carrying a cruel melody:

"Would you like to know a secret? I can smell the pheromones you release. It's like a perfume of desperation." Her laugh was musical, almost beautiful in its cruelty. "Shame, arousal, guilt..."

"Shut up," Lila whispered, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

"Why? Because I'm saying aloud what your companion already knows?" Zahyla twirled lazily in the air, each movement deliberately casual. "Did you know that even the soldiers who foolishly patrol the edge make bets about when you'll finally break and confess? The pitiful blonde, they call you... Though you're not the only one that..."

Lila propelled herself toward the barrier, her fists clenched tight enough to draw blood.

"There it is!" Zahyla exclaimed with delight. "That little spark of rage. Much more interesting than a suffering maiden routine, don't you think?"

"Don't listen to her," Diana warned, but Zahyla was already on a roll, her words precisely targeted for maximum damage.

"What's it like, by the way? Watching someone else take what you want right before your eyes..." Zahyla feigned a romantic sigh. "Must be like tiny daggers in your heart each time."

Lila now stood mere meters from the barrier, trembling with rage and pain.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"And the best part is that he doesn't even notice you, right? All that love, all that devotion, and he probably sees you as a friend or a little sister. How... adorably tragic."

Lila launched a magical attack but Zahyla didn't even flinch, her high defense remaining unbreached.

"You know what's fascinating?" Zahyla floated closer to the barrier, pretending there had been no aggression, her casual posture contrasting sharply with Diana and Lila's tension.

"All that talk you were having about understanding perspectives and sharing pain... it's incredibly primitive yet surprisingly complex."

"Primitive?" Diana adopted a protective position in front of Lila.

"Oh, yes. You see, love is basically a chemical soup in your brains. Dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin..." Zahyla waved a hand dismissively. "Though I suppose you don't understand what I'm talking about. How long have you been existing? A hundred and some years since the insistent old man god created you?"

Her smile turned condescending. "You've barely had time to figure out how to breathe without drowning, much less understand the science behind your... emotions."

"Understanding doesn't invalidate feelings," Diana responded, though her voice betrayed a hint of curiosity.

"No, I suppose not," Zahyla tilted her head, studying them like a scientist would particularly interesting specimens. "In fact, that's the fascinating part. I understand the science perfectly, every chemical reaction, every neural connection. And yet..."

She paused, an almost vulnerable expression crossing her face for an instant. "And yet, I've never managed to fully comprehend the subjectivity of it all. It's like trying to explain color to someone born blind… And I've tried many bodies I tell you…"

"Are you saying you've never felt love?" Lila asked, speaking normally for the first time.

Zahyla's laugh was surprisingly genuine. "Oh, little one. So direct when you're not sighing over your miserable leader." Her expression turned thoughtful. "No, not as you feel it. I've experienced... connections. Fascination. Curiosity. But love?" She shook her head. "Maybe it doesn't exist or maybe it's a design limitation... Though my human part..."

"Why are you telling us this?" Diana narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

"Because I'm bored? Because your reactions are entertaining? Because after months of watching you, your little dramas are the only thing that breaks the monotony?" Zahyla shrugged. "Choose whichever reason you prefer."

She moved even closer to the barrier, her eyes fixed on Lila. "Though, you know what's truly ironic? You could have exactly what you desire."

Diana took another protective step. "Don't try to manipulate her."

"Oh, calm down, Diana. Or should I say... hypocrite?" Zahyla's smile turned sharp as a blade.

"So quick to offer advice about perspectives and understanding. But I can see in your eyes that void, that deep desire you deny even to yourself... I hadn't seen your friend before, but you are a recurring character in this story."

Diana visibly paled. How did she know her name?

"Did I hit a nerve?" Zahyla laughed softly. "So you've achieved everything you wanted, resolved your mommy issues thanks to a magic potion. But there's something, isn't there? Something you desire as desperately as your friend."

"You know nothing about me," Diana whispered, but her voice trembled.

"Oh, I know more than you think. The advantage of boring repetition, I suppose." Zahyla floated upside down, like a curious child. "It's fascinating how you, such limited creatures, can contain so many layers of desire and denial."

She suddenly straightened, her expression turning serious. "Want to know the secret? The reason I find your dramas so interesting?"

She didn't wait for a response. "Because despite all my superiority, all my knowledge and power, you can experience something that I can only observe and analyze. It's like..." she searched for the right analogy, "like watching ants build incredibly complex structures through pure instinct. Fascinating and slightly irritating at the same time... Though I suppose you don't know what an ant is..."

"You're comparing us to something inferior, aren't you?" Lila asked, a spark of indignation in her voice.

"Ah! There it is!" Zahyla clapped with delight. "That spark, that pure emotion. See? When you're not drowning in self-pity, you really have fire."

She floated back slightly, her smile enigmatic.

"I must admit this has been the most entertaining interaction in weeks," Zahyla floated lazily, playing with two brilliant crystals between her fingers. "You almost make me feel bad about this whole keeping-you-prisoner business. Almost."

With a casual movement, she tossed the crystals through the barrier. Diana and Lila caught them reflexively, their eyes widening as they realized what they were.

"Before you panic," Zahyla laughed at their alarmed expressions, "no, it's not a deadly trap. I've already tried killing people by throwing crystallized mana in other... let's say, 'runs'. It doesn't work, the crystals or even the cores don't transfer damage... For being slow, the old man at least thought that part through."

"What does this mean?" Diana examined the crystal in her hands.

"One million mana points each," Zahyla responded casually, as if discussing the weather. "Since you're so interested in understanding each other, why not use that lovely potion of yours? I'm dying to know what you'll learn."

Lila looked at her crystal skeptically. "Why would you do this?"

"Boredom? Scientific curiosity?" Zahyla shrugged. "Besides, there's something deliciously ironic about giving you mana. Did you know that artromus are the true owners of mana? That's why they call you parasites."