Chapter 34: Resistance Amidst the Darkness

However much the screams and anger of Michael and Elliot rose inside the corridors of their trapped consciousness, it did not leave the slightest tangible trace upon the nightmarish scene taking place before their eyes through the imposed line of sight; for it appeared crystal clear that the possessing souls had completely yielded to the temptation of the suspicious mechanical System without the slightest doubt regarding its intentions!

The soul residing in Michael’s body spoke in a tone of entreaty and disturbance, directing its words to the luminous screen:

"What exactly should we do? I have never heard of this magical gender-swapping mechanism before.. please teach us how to activate it!"

The malicious texts danced upon the System’s screen to answer lightly:

[Well.. since they were doing it smoothly and simply, all you have to do is pure mental focus; just think of transforming the frame into a full man or female, and your bodies will form immediately according to what you imagine!]

The soul in Michael’s body paused for a moment, its features tinged with ambiguity as it questioned:

"Who are these two who master doing that with such ease?"

The voice of the System resonated in an evasive tone overflowing with cunning:

[I mean naturally the previous couples undergoing this divine test before you!]

The two souls nodded their heads with complete conviction and every possible stupidity;

They were convinced by this justification and thought—

If the previous couples had completed the matter smoothly, why should they be incapable?! And at that exact moment, the two souls focused their mental energy to issue transformation commands and reshape the physical structure into a complete male and female.

And indeed, the features began changing gradually; the shift was proceeding a bit slowly, but its effect was directly imprinting upon the facial traits and organs! The masculine and feminine features began standing out on both bodies, and a feeling of ecstasy and relief washed over the possessing souls, believing they were on the verge of writing the closing Chapter of this test..

However.. suddenly and without warning!

The transformation rebounded backward with all its weight, and the hybrid androgynous forms returned to settle upon both bodies as they were in the beginning!

The two souls turned to each other in genuine astonishment and terror filling their features, and the soul in Elliot’s body questioned in surprise:

"Did we fail?! Why did the transformation stop and rebound suddenly?!"

What actually happened was that inside the dark isolation of consciousness’s prison, Michael and Elliot were monitoring what was taking place from an entirely different perspective! Inside the blackness, they beheld delicate luminous pathways resembling transparent strands of pasta shining and expanding gradually, as if it were a loading bar filling completely to pass the physical transformation.

And because they did not surrender, the two consciousnesses leaped inside that dark void and rushed with all their power toward those glowing strands, pressing upon that loading bar to obstruct its completion, pushing this light far away from the end of the path!

And indeed, this fierce resistance succeeded in proving a decisive truth: the transformation is not inevitable, and their self-will still possesses an opposing power capable of disrupting the commands issued to the body!

Before this sudden rebound, the System hastened to salvage the situation and soothe the fright of the flustered souls:

[Ahem.. ahem! Do not mind it, this is a very normal thing and an accidental response.. do not worry and continue focusing!]

The souls renewed the attempt with all the mental effort they could muster, imagining their new forms in the depths of their minds. Yet every time the morphological change began advancing before their eyes, there was a mysterious wall of resistance emerging out of nowhere to reject the commands and abort the process entirely, as if there were other rulers holding a right of veto over this body!

The soul residing in Elliot’s body quivered and said weakly: "Shall we continue? Do we repeat the attempt again?"

The System responded immediately in a firm text:

[Yes! Continue without hesitation!.. You must redouble the thought of change and imagine the required gender with greater precision!]

However, despite the System’s continuous urging, things did not improve at all; rather, the transformation process became more difficult and complex, and the internal resistance confronted the souls’ decisions with greater ferocity every time a new command was sanctioned!

In that dark world, Michael and Elliot were floating amid the obscurity, attacking every loading bar or luminous strand looming on the horizon with all the resolve they possessed. Yet the matter was not that simple; for the strands and pathways were branching out and growing more complex with every new attempt!

With the repetition of attacks and consecutive denials, the possessing souls began suffering from a sharp headache penetrating their minds, and a feeling of pain in the head with every decision thwarted halfway through!

The soul in Michael’s body whispered in pain and distraction: "What do we do now? Are we performing this poorly? Are we helpless to this extent?!"

The System screen launched to respond to him with malicious stability:

[Certainly not! You must continue and not stop.. remember that the resistance will not hold for long against your persistence!]

The two souls stopped in the middle of the room staggering from the effect of mental fatigue, not knowing how to act before this unknown blocking wall.. and suddenly, a new text emerged from the System, carrying within its folds an extremely malicious and vile suggestion:

[Wait!.. What about heading toward those ceramic cups sitting on the table? Search for any remaining drop of that transparent liquid that was inside.. in fact, I believe it is best to lick the cups down to their very last drop if you want absolute success in the test!]

The souls felt that something was terribly off in the responses of this guide.

Why should they have to lick those cups? Why did it refrain from offering any logical explanation, choosing instead to issue direct, unprompted commands?

Both of them began to feel a strange, creeping suspicion that went far deeper .