Utopian System

"Yes." Memory-Nala's response was immediate. "Whenever you choose to claim it. Just... please. Make it stop hurting."

Dionz studied her for a long moment. "Very well. A favor for a favor. But remember, you agreed to this."

The memory began to fade as Dionz raised his hand. The last image was of Memory-Nala's face, tears finally falling as she prepared to lose the only hundred years that had ever truly mattered to her.

♢♢♢♢

The chromium challenge unfolded differently from previous encounters.

Half a million deep-sea lobsters filled the chamber, their magically enhanced shells gleaming with an otherworldly resilience that matched their real-world counterparts' ability to withstand extreme conditions.

But Elio's enhanced capabilities made even these numbers manageable. What would have once been an insurmountable wall of armor and crushing claws was now more a matter of efficient execution than desperate survival.

Elio's massive magical damage output, cut through swathes of the creatures. Their resistant shells, designed to withstand the thermal vents, proved far less effective against magic.

The lobsters might be adapted to survive crushing pressures and acidic environments, but they weren't prepared for this level of assault.

Wave after wave fell. The chamber became a constant cycle of advance, attack, and eliminate. Hours passed as he methodically reduced the numbers, but it was steady progress.

When the final lobster fell, Elio emerged from the portal to find Dionz floating in mid-air, seemingly lost in deep thought. The god barely registered his presence at first, then suddenly snapped to attention.

"What's your favorite color?" Dionz asked without preamble, his expression unusually serious for such a trivial question.
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Elio, still processing the shift from intense combat to this bizarre inquiry, could only stare in confusion at the god's unexpected question.

"What?" Elio asked, still catching his breath from the battle.

"Your favorite color," Dionz repeated, his usual playful demeanor replaced by an intense focus. "It's a simple question."

Elio glanced at his invocations, who seemed equally confused by this sudden interrogation. "I... don't really think about colors much. Why?"

Dionz's expression grew more focused, almost clinical. "But if you had to choose? Right now, without thinking too hard about it?"

"I suppose..." Elio considered, wondering what this was really about. "Blue? The color of clean mana when it's properly controlled."

Dionz's reaction was subtle but noticeable, a slight tightening around his eyes, a barely perceptible nod as if confirming something.

Elio studied Dionz's face, trying to understand the purpose behind these questions. "What's this really about?"

"Just curious," Dionz replied, but his tone suggested otherwise. "Sometimes the simplest questions can tell us a lot about a person. Or about how they might have changed."

"Changed?"

"Never mind," Dionz waved dismissively, though his eyes remained thoughtful. "How was the challenge? Those lobsters gave you less trouble than I expected."

The abrupt change of subject was obvious, but Elio decided to let it pass. "The numbers are still time-consuming, but with the enhanced damage output, they're manageable. Though I'm wondering about the next level's quantity..."

But he could tell Dionz wasn't really listening anymore. The god had that distant look again, as if Elio's answer about the color had triggered some deeper train of thought.

"Should we continue?" Elio finally asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course," Dionz seemed to shake himself out of his reverie. "Just... one more thing. Have you always liked that particular shade of blue, or is it a recent preference?"

Elio frowned. "I don't... I'm not sure. Does it matter?"

"Probably not," Dionz muttered, but his expression suggested otherwise. "Probably nothing at all..."

The silence stretched uncomfortably until Dionz suddenly clapped his hands together, his usual theatrical demeanor snapping back into place like a mask.

"Well! Level twenty-five awaits. The next element is manganese, and wait until you hear about its representative creature, it's this fascinating species of butterfly that…" He caught himself. "Actually, maybe I should just show you the hologram this time."

But even as he created the projection, his eyes kept darting back to Elio, studying him with an intensity that belied his now-casual tone.

"The butterfly's wings create these incredible patterns that... that..." He trailed off, distracted by another thought. "You said clean mana, specifically. The pure form, when it's perfectly controlled?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" Elio asked, increasingly concerned by the god's erratic behavior.

"What? Yes, yes, fine. Just..." Dionz waved his hand, dismissing the half-formed butterfly hologram. "Just thinking about some old records. Memory records. Which, speaking of memories, how are you feeling about the divine corruption? Any changes in how you remember things?"

"I thought we were discussing the next challenge?"

"Right! Yes! The challenge!" Dionz created a new hologram, this time of the manganese butterfly in full detail. "Though... one last thing about that blue. When you see it in successful experiments, does it remind you of anything specific? Any particular moment or..."

"Dionz."

The god sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "I know, I know. I'm being weird. It's just... sometimes the smallest details can be the most important. Sometimes they can tell us if things are different, if they've changed, if they're..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Let's focus on these butterflies. They have this fascinating way of manipulating magnetic fields that..."

But even as he launched into his explanation, his eyes kept drifting to the note hidden in his robes, his mind working on connections he couldn't quite grasp yet.

♢♢♢♢

'You asked him to erase your memories,' Zara's consciousness pressed. 'You literally gave up a divine favor to forget him.'

"It wasn't like that," Nala responded defensively. "Maybe I needed to focus on my role, on the game…"

'On pretending you didn't care? On becoming the cold, calculating being who decided humanity wasn't worth existing?'

"You don't understand. The pain…"

'The pain of what? Actually feeling something? Having your perfect divine existence messed up by actual emotions?'

The memories still swirled around them, fragments of that final deal with Dionz, the moment she chose to forget rather than face the consequences of caring.

"I am a divine being," Nala insisted. "I'm not supposed to…"

'To what? Love? Because that's what this was, wasn't it? You fell in love with him and it terrified you so much you literally erased it from your mind.'

"That's absurd! I was merely... conducting research."