When Endra enters their mental landscape, it always begins as an empty white space—filled only with abstract waves and cubes of light, drifting aimlessly. 

Entha opens their eyes to this sight, sitting on a featureless floor. Hydra? Entha calls. 

Hydra appears immediately, manifesting as a form of dark blue outlined with a bright blue glow, expanding in size and solidifying as the avatar they usually present themself as: long-haired, a body like a robe lined with circuits, a bright glowing core within the center of their chest. 

Hydra settles next to Entha, a smile on their face. Yes?

Arke is… afraid of becoming like us? Entha asks hesitantly. The human side of Endra has always been a bit lacking in reading emotions, and they can’t help but seek confirmation of the thought. 

He does seem to be, Hydra answers. He is still too attached to his previous singular state, most likely.

Mmm. Entha looks up. I don’t understand. He agreed to this. Came to the HUMaiN to become one of us. 

Hydra tilts their head. Humans have many doubts. 

Well. That is true, Entha concedes. 

Perhaps we’ll clear them today… 

Endra opens their eyes as they hear approaching steps. They look up and to the right and see Arke waving at them with a nervous, almost sheepish expression. Their hair is less messy now, evidently having been brushed to the side such that their bangs fall over the right side of their face. 

“Hey,” Arke greets, smiling awkwardly.

“Hello,” Endra returns. “Shall we, then?”

“Uh, yeah. Lead the way.”

So they set off, with Endra taking Arke-and-Leis through a brief tour of the city of Novis. Arke seems enamored with the tall buildings of elegant metal, glass, and polymer; Endra supposes it may be his first time seeing such things up close. 

They soon end up in a spacious park district, consisting of pathways of solid white stone cutting through grassy areas abundant with various plants, trees, and the occasional abstract art structure. There is an indoor area as well, a glass-paned spherical structure with additional flora within. In the distance, the maglev track can be seen elevated high above the ground. 

Observing the track, Arke asks, “How do you all get around?” 

“Walking,” Endra answers, “if the distance is not too far. We do not tire as easily as humans do, with the enhanced homeostatic regulation our cybernetics give us. If we must traverse a significant distance in the city, we use the maglev railway.” They gesture towards the structure in the distance. “And of course, if we are traveling between different urban centers and other settlements, we use the public teleportation system.” 

“Interesting,” Arke murmurs. 

Endra glances back at them, raising an eyebrow. “You should already know this. Or, at the very least, Leis should be able to tell you.” 

“Oh. Well.” Arke gives a sheepish laugh, lifting a hand to scratch at their cheek. “I asked them not to download big things, yet.” 

“Ah, we see,” Endra says. “Are you concerned about neural overload? The human brain has notable plasticity and adjusts quickly. You may experience minor and brief headaches, but there should not be any severe effects.” 

Arke shakes their head. “That’s not it—at least, that’s not the main reason. I just… I’d just like to take my time.” 

Endra tilts their head, giving a thoughtful hum. “Fair enough.” 

As they continue down the path, Arke asks, “So… how does the teleportation system work, anyway?” 

Ah, this would mostly be a matter for Hydra. They pull the relevant information from the network instantaneously, and Endra contemplates the knowledge for a moment before answering. “There are teleportation centers in every independent city, with numerous small and large pads that we can make use of. Smaller pads are usually for personal use or small groups, and larger ones can be used for larger groups, items, vehicles, and structures.” 

Arke nods. “That makes sense.”

“As for the science behind it,” Endra continues, “there is a significant aspect of quantum mechanics at work. In some sense, the matter of us is left behind while the information and essence of our ‘self’ are instantaneously transmitted to a new location, where matter is transformed to become ‘us’ via quantum entanglement. And then the matter we leave behind becomes another entity who uses the system.” 

Arke stares, stopping in his tracks. “Wait, so your body isn’t actually maintained?” 

Endra hums. “Yes and no. Everything that defines our physical form and mental self is transported, and the ‘us’ that comes out of the teleporter is identical in every way to the ‘us’ that entered across the world. The actual matter we are composed of is technically of a different physical location, though.” 

“Isn’t that… terrifying?” Arke swallows. “What if you don’t make it through on the other side? What if the entanglement or whatever doesn’t go perfectly? There must be an accident every now and then…?” 

Endra laughs lightly. “There are failsafes upon failsafes, of course. Additionally, consider the fact that half of our ‘self’ is a digital entity. One of the failsafes is that a backup of ourselves is made prior to the jump, and if worst comes to worst, that can be restored.” 

“Oh… okay,” Arke murmurs. 

His expression shifts in a way that suggests Leis is communicating with him, and Endra allows them a moment before gesturing towards the end of the pathway. “Come,” they say. “We can find you something to eat. A culinary district is just past the park.” 

Arke blinks, looking up. “Oh, yeah,” he says. “Do you all eat?” 

Endra snorts, moving down the path; Arke follows them. “Of course we do,” Endra says. “The human body is very efficient, and there is no reason not to make use of such a system. Besides, there are many culinary artists who would be eager for us to try their ventures. There are automated options for simple meals, but we find that very boring.” 

 The pathway of the park transitions to a wider area with glass buildings on either side, some with single floors, some multiple, and some much taller buildings further down. They approach one of the restaurants in the area, a single-story building with glass storefront and seating options both indoors and outdoors. The glass is emblazoned with glowing text: Vian’s Crepes. 

“This is one of our favorite places,” Endra says. “Leis can provide you the menu if you wish to peruse first. Would you find this to be an acceptable breakfast?” 

Arke looks at the storefront—their eyes flicker briefly before they nod. “Yeah, this will work.” 

They enter. The inside is fairly quiet, with only a few other HUMaiN around at the moment. Endra makes their way to the counter and the HUMaiN standing at it: they are wearing a long white shirt reminiscent of a chef uniform, with the sleeves rolled up to their elbows. The trim of the outfit is black, as are their pants and their nanosuit. Their skin is dark and their eyes are a dark red reminiscent of raspberries. Their hair is short and a pale blonde, save for the black color of the shaved section of their hair on the right.  

Their eyes brighten as soon as they lay their eyes on Endra. “Endra, hey there!” 

“Vian,” Endra greets. “It’s good to see you.”

Vian leans over the counter, grinning. “Same, same. Is that the new HUMaiN with you?”

Endra nods. “Arke and Leis,” they say, gesturing to them. 

“Oh, uh, hi,” Arke says, giving a wave. “Nice to meet you… Vian?” 

“Correct,” Vian says, straightening from the counter and then giving a bow, one arm bent over their torso.  “Victor and Kian, at your service.” They straighten. “Do you not have a joint name yet?”

“We don’t,” they answer, and Endra recognizes Leis’s tone. “I’ve suggested a few, though. Arke hasn’t decided which one he likes most, even though I did say it’s easy enough to change.” Leis gives a light chuckle. “For someone who came all the way here, he’s very indecisive.” 

Their expression shifts into a pout. “I resent that,” Arke says. 

Vian exchanges a look with Endra. It’s… strange to see such lack of unity, they note, using their internal communication. 

Agreed. We’re curious to see how it progresses, however, Endra answers. 

We are, too! But not curious enough to volunteer to be the babysitter, heh. Vian hums, tapping their chin. “Well, no matter. We hope you figure it out soon! For now…” they step back opening their arms to gesture to the crepe samples on display, “what would you like?”