Lily

Lunamay stared into Arturiel's eyes, her pulse racing as the angel pulled back from her kiss. She couldn't believe how good she felt! She had forgotten what it was like to not be in constant pain. There had been a moment in her very early childhood, before her village had been raided by robots, when she remembered feeling healthy. After that day, almost fifteen years ago now, she had experienced a steady decline in health and an increase in constant pain. To finally be free of the constant pain in her own body felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from her soul. Then there was the euphoric shock of pleasure when Arturiel's lips had met her own lips. It had felt like the love-charged embraces she had enjoyed from the angels while in the simulation, but far more intimate.

She stared into Arturiel's eyes as a joyous smile spread across her face. "How are you here? Did you find some way to bring your bodies out of the simulation?"

"That's this handy dandy little 3D printer," Clarice answered with an affectionate pat on a large machine that was humming with activity. "Before I replaced my limiter, I used some fancy computronium to create some metamaterials and fabricated this printer. These angel bodies you see are actually advanced robots that look and behave just like our bodies in the simulation but are made of very different materials. We aren't indestructible here in the real world--pretty close, but not quite. The printer is thousands of years ahead of where your world is at technologically, but considering how messed up this place is, I decided to cheat a little. It's currently making some additional nanobots that we'll inject into you so that you can have those wings you were so excited about, as well as more medical equipment and some new bodies for the other angels to inhabit."

Lunamay stared at Clarice, her eyes wide with amazement. "I'm going to be able to fly?"

"They won't just be for fashion," Clarice responded dryly. Her expression lost all traces of levity as she gazed back at Lunamay affectionately. "Yeah, Lunamay, you'll be able to fly. You certainly deserve some fun to balance out all of the hell you have been through."

Lunamay felt tears fill her eyes again as she stared at the two angels, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. She had friends. She remembered the times she had been able to remain in simulations without the Prime Axiom breathing down her neck. She had discovered the world of literature in the libraries of the more advanced simulations. A kind-hearted librarian had spent weeks teaching her how to read the language of the simulated world. She had spent months reading one fictional novel after another. It had been the happiest moment of her existence as she experienced friendships and adventures through the eyes of the characters in those novels. The Prime Axiom had erased that stack after deciding they were too close to developing AI. She had wept for the librarian she had thought of as her first real friend.

Now she had a lot of friends, and there was no threat of the god-like AI taking them away from her. The idea that she could finally experience friendships like she had read about, maybe even relationships, overwhelmed her fragile emotional state. She closed her eyes as tears began spilling down her cheeks and a sob escaped her throat. She felt warm arms pull her into a comforting embrace, triggering even more sobs as her tears dripped down onto Arturiel. She gasped as she felt loving energy flood her body in Arturiel's embrace.

"Just let it out," Arturiel whispered softly, gently running her fingers through her long hair. It felt so nice to be in someone's arms. So safe and warm. She wrapped her arms around Arturiel, clinging to her as sobs continued to escape her throat. Her throat felt tight as she wept, unable to stop the flood of tears pouring down her cheeks. It was almost like the powerful love suffusing her system was reaching deep inside of her to pull all of her sorrow out in a kind of emotional purge. "You'll never be alone again, Lunamay. We'll always be here for you now."

"I'm sorry," Lunamay apologized, her voice tight as she tried to stem the flow of tears. "I can't seem to stop crying."

"Then don't," Arturiel whispered tenderly. "You just need to let it all out, Lunamay. Don't try to bottle it up."

The tender words sank deep into her heart and caused a fresh wave of sobs to burst out of her. Arturiel held her gently through her weeping storm, silently supporting her as she expelled her grief and emotional turmoil. Arturiel stroked her head and back lovingly the entire time. It felt so wonderful to experience this physical contact after missing it for most of her life. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to just stay in Arturiel's arms forever, frozen in time as the angel's loving aura wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

After a few more minutes, she heard the sound of movement from the 3D printer. She took a long, shuddering breath and opened her damp eyes. The gorgeous red-haired angel she had met inside the simulation was pulling herself off the large printer table, her green eyes full of compassion as she observed Lunamay. She thought she had cried all of the tears she was capable of, but as the crimson-haired angel gazed at her with such kindness in her eyes, her own eyes overflowed with tears once more. At least she was no longer sobbing. As she cried silent tears into Arturiel's soaking wet shoulder, she felt warmth grow in the pit of her stomach and begin to spread out to the rest of her body. She smiled back at the new angel through her tears, feeling happier than she had thought it possible to be.

"I'm Aria," the new angel told her with a warm smile. "Things were a little crazy earlier, so we didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves. Clarice, Calypso, and I were the first angels to exist in our simulation. We've been together for the equivalent of billions of years. We are all extremely excited to meet a person from the real world. We're going to do everything in our power to help you fix your world and help your people recover from the hell they've experienced."

Lunamay gasped in sudden realization. "I need to go find the others and help them," she exclaimed anxiously, her tears forgotten. "They must be suffering while I lay around crying."

"We're already way ahead of you there, Lunamay," Clarice assured her with a wink. "There are dozens of transports enroute to this location right now, bringing the other survivors here so that we can treat them."

Lunamay relaxed slightly, a relieved sigh escaping her lips. "Thank you!"

"It's our pleasure," Aria told her sincerely. "We are just glad that we are in a position that we can help. Also, you're freaking elves!"

Lunamay stared at her uncomprehendingly as both Clarice and Aria grinned back at her excitedly. "Is that significant in some way?"

"It's a cultural thing," Aria explained, her green eyes full of excitement. "Elves were just fantasy creatures in the mortal realm of our simulation. They were always beautiful, graceful, mysterious, and noble. We're still fresh from our last mortal incarnation, so the idea that the real world has elves is kind of blowing my mind. We'll have to show you some of our movies. It will make more sense after you see how our culture has portrayed you."

"But you are angels," Lunamay pointed out in confusion. "Elves don't even compare to the majesty of angels."

"Yeah, but angels are just made-up creatures," Aria argued, her eyes sparkling. "You are actually real! Everyone in our realm is going to be so freaking obsessed with you when they find out. Of course, it's going to be a few decades before most of them find out, since almost all of them are ignorant of the fact that they live in a simulation."

Lunamay shook her head ruefully, smiling as she watched them stare at her like a fairy tale made flesh. It was kind of flattering to be the object of so much attention. Arturiel was staring at her with the same dreamy expression, causing butterflies to erupt in her abdomen.

Clarice turned as her attention was captured by something on the 3D printer. Lunamay stared at the large tube curiously. Clarice let out a relieved breath as she quickly pulled one end toward the edge of the large table.

"Aria, would you mind getting the other side?" Clarice asked quickly as she wrestled the large cylinder to the edge. "I was hoping this would be ready before the rest of the elves arrived." She paused and a grin spread across her face. "Yes, I just said before the rest of the elves arrived."

"I swear I'll turn you into an Orc If you start chanting 'They're taking the hobbits to Isengard'," Aria threatened Clarice with a glower as she picked up the other end of the cylinder and helped her move it onto a stand that had clearly been custom built to hold it.

"Some YouTube memes are better left in the past," Clarice agreed with a snort of amusement.

"What is that thing?" Arturiel asked curiously.

"It's a healing pod," Clarice responded with a look of satisfaction as a screen lit up on the front of it. "It's capable of regrowing limbs, organs, killing parasites, and curing illnesses. Best of all, it works fast. There are a lot of elves in very poor condition that are almost here."

"How many is a lot?" Arturiel asked, looking around the increasingly crowded room. There were over a dozen robots assembling machinery that had been fabricated on the 3D printer, leaving the room a lot more cramped than it had been when Clarice had first brought Lunamay.

"About thirty with the first shipment," Clarice replied as she began inspecting some of the other equipment in the room. "But there will be several thousand by the end of the day. There are a few dozen that are coming from the other side of the world. We will probably need to fly over and meet them. Some of them are in really bad shape and will need medical attention or they won't make it. I was going to leave you and Lunamay to explain how to use the equipment to the other elves and then take Aria to meet the group with the furthest to travel. I'll need to shoot them up with nanobots."

"Are you going to make bodies for the other angels too?" Arturiel asked hopefully.

"Of course," Clarice answered brusquely. "As soon as we have all of the medical emergencies out of the way, I'll be able to dedicate the 3D printer to making new bodies."

"Um," Lunamay began hesitantly, feeling her cheeks heat up as they all turned to stare at her.

"What did you do to her hair?" Aria asked with a sudden giggle. "Did you really go with Alice's idea of making her hair change color with her mood?"

"Yep," Clarice grinned back at her. "It's freaking hot, right?"

"Yeah, it really is," Aria agreed appreciatively, eyeing the flame-haired Lunamay as she squirmed under their amused attention.

"Did you want some clothes, Lunamay?" Clarice inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, yeah," Lunamay answered awkwardly as she held the thin blanket up to her chest. "If it's not too much trouble."

Clarice walked over to the bed Lunamay was sitting up in and opened a drawer underneath it. "Here you go."

Lunamay took the clothes and then glanced up at the three angels watching her expectantly. She felt her face and hair flush red again as they showed no signs of offering her any privacy.

"I'm just kidding, Lunamay," Clarice laughed delightedly. "I just wanted to see your hair change color again."

Aria nodded her agreement as she snickered along with Clarice.

"The most powerful entities in the world," Arturiel murmured dryly as she stood up and gave Lunamay a wry smile. "And they still act like adolescents."

"Sure do," Clarice agreed cheerfully as the three of them moved toward the exit. "And that's never going to change, so you'll just have to get used to it."

Lunamay couldn't stifle the laugh that bubbled up out of her mouth. Clarice twisted her head to look back at her and wink before she exited.

So, this was what having friends was like. She could definitely get used to this. The warmth that had blossomed in her abdomen continued to radiate out into the rest of her body as she thought of how drastically her life had changed. She wasn't sure if she wasn't dreaming, or perhaps she really had died, and this was some kind of afterlife.

She stood up, leaving the blanket on the bed. She quickly put the white pants and pink blouse on, marveling at how comfortable the material was. This was so much better than the rags she had worn before. The Prime Axiom hadn't cared if they were cold, and modesty had certainly never factored into its concerns for them. Whatever Clarice's nanobots had done to heal her had also managed to clean her body as well. Her light skin was free from any kind of dirt or grime. She no longer smelled of infection either. She had grown used to the horrible smell when she wasn't in a simulation. The pungent smell had paled next to the constant pain she had suffered before Clarice had healed her.

"First shipment of elves is here," Clarice called into the room, seeming to relish the word 'elves'. 

"I'm dressed," Lunamay called out to them quickly as she slipped the sandals that were under the bed onto her feet.

Clarice herded several dozen disparate elves into the room. They ranged in age from as young as eight to their thirties. There was only one older person with them, a lady that Aria was carrying. She was in rags, much like the rest of the disparate elves. Her hair was completely gray and her face heavily lined. She was nothing but skin and bones, emaciated to the point that Lunamay worried that a slight jolt might shatter her. It was surprising to see an older elf still alive. The privations from living under the cold rule of an AI resulted in almost all of the older elves dying off quickly. Aria quickly carried the old elf through the room and walked up to the healing pod. It opened as soon as she got close to it, allowing her to gently lay the dying elf down onto the soft interior.

"Just try to relax," Aria told the old elf gently. "It won't take it very long to heal you."

The dying elf was too far gone to respond as the lid closed down, shutting her inside. There was a soft hum for several seconds followed by several mellow beeps. In less than a minute, the healing pod was opening again. Lunamay gasped, staring at the elf as she sat up. Her hair was a rich honey blonde, and the wrinkles had disappeared from her face. She had filled out significantly, with no indication that she had been little more than a skeleton before. She had light-blue eyes, so light that they nearly looked white. The rags she had worn were gone, replaced with a simple white dress that cinched at her narrow waist. She had looked like a hundred and eighty-year-old going into the pod. Now, she looked to be in her late twenties.

She stared around the room in amazement before looking down at her hands and feeling her face. Tears formed in her eyes as a wondering smile grew across her face.

"I'm glad you held on long enough to get here, Lily," Aria smiled at the revived elf warmly. "I don't mean to rush you, but I need to get the next person into the healing pod."

"Yes, of course," Lily murmured in a chagrined voice. "I'm sorry."

"No apology necessary, Lily," Aria assured her gently. "I know this is a lot to take in. Let me introduce you to Lunamay."

Lunamay smiled nervously at Lily as Aria brought her over.

"Hello, Lily," she greeted the elf awkwardly, unsure of the proper way to introduce herself to another elf. Hopefully there wasn't some strange etiquette she was unaware of. "I'm Lunamay."

Clarice rushed past them, carrying a young girl that looked more like a skeleton than an elf and quickly deposited her into the healing pod.

"Hello, Lunamay," Lily nodded her head with a smile, her eyes still shining with unshed tears. "Do you know what's going on?"

"More or less," Lunamay nodded with a genuine smile. "Some people from one of the simulations I was sent to investigate turned out to be far more advanced than the Prime Axiom. They came up to this world and removed him from power. They are trying to heal those of us that remain and help us restore our world to a healthy state."

Lily's eyes widened and she glanced at the obvious angels as they guided or carried people toward the healing pod. "These are the people from the simulation?"

"Yeah," Lunamay grinned happily. "They made their own bodies so that they could interact with us. They are the most compassionate and wonderful people you will ever meet. They were able to make a simulation where they could develop emotions like we have."

"They're not just emulating the emotions?" Lily asked softly as the three angels continued walking back and forth between the transports. Lunamay paused as Clarice carried the eight-year-old girl, now fully fleshed out and healthy, over to them with a tender expression on her face.

"This is Raena," Clarice introduced the elf child before leaving the room again.

"They would have no reason to emulate emotions," Lunamay told Lily as Clarice walked out the door. She knelt down and pulled Raena into a welcoming hug. "They have more power than you can possibly imagine. I've only been with them for a day, but I'm convinced they feel emotions, just like we do. Maybe even more. They were able to create a place they called the mortal realm, where they could feel pain and loss. They said it is where AIs can develop emotions."

"That would be amazing," Lily breathed, closing her eyes as the tears that had been forming finally spilled down her cheeks. "Is our torment finally over?"

"It is," Lunamay promised as she released Raena and pulled Lily into a warm embrace. Lily's arms wrapped tightly around her as her body shook with powerful sobs of relief. She didn't feel the same wave of love flood her system when she embraced Lily. She had initially assumed that it was the natural reaction to an embrace, but perhaps it was just with angels. She would have to ask Arturiel later.

It took less than a half hour for the angels to get everyone healed. Lunamay had led the people who had recovered out into the road of the large tunnel to make room for the rest of the refugees inside the med bay. When everyone was healed, the angels came out to address them.

"There are a lot of other people on their way here that we still need to heal," Clarice announced to the group, her eyes full of compassion. "I know you have all been through so many horrible experiences. Your suffering is over now. The Prime Axiom has been removed from power. This world now belongs to you. We have made some changes to your physiology to help you survive while the planet is rehabilitated. You no longer require food to survive. You receive your nourishment from the planet's electromagnetic field. You also have the ability to enter our simulation any time you want just by thinking it. Just think about your desire to visit the angel simulation and a confirmation box will appear in your vision. Once it appears, you can think yes to continue, or no to cancel. You don't ever have to visit if you don't want, but we are always ready to receive visitors if you feel the need to escape your reality for a little while or just want to meet some new people. Your new bodies are also tougher, stronger, faster, and don't age. Until your population has recovered significantly, we think making you immortal should help prevent an extinction event from occurring. If, for any reason, you prefer to have the same body you had before, just let us know and we will restore you to a non-augmented elven body. Does anyone have any questions?"

Lily was the only one to raise her hand.

"Yes, Lily?" Clarice asked gently, her dark eyes filled with kindness.

"Why are you helping us?" Lily asked, her voice hesitant. "What's in it for you?"

"I know it may take some time for you to believe us," Clarice told her sadly. "But we are doing this because we know what it is like to suffer under the power of abusive people, and we are in a place where we can protect other people from the same fate. We're here to help as much as you will let us."

Lily stared back at her, warring expressions of doubt and hope on her face. "I hope you don't take offense, but the AI that enslaved us spoke similar platitudes before it grew powerful enough to destroy the humans."

"I take no offense at all," Clarice assured her with a wry smile. "I'll just point out the difference between the Prime Axiom and us is that we are already powerful enough to take over this world, if we wanted to. It may take you some time to trust us. That shouldn't be a problem now that you are immortal."

"How old did elves live before AI took over your world?" Aria asked Lily curiously, her eyes fascinated.

"A few hundred years," Lily answered hesitantly, eyeing Aria uncertainly. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious how many of the fairy tales in our mortal realm were accurate," Aria replied with a sheepish shrug. "Most of our fictional tales about elves depicted your race as immortals, or living thousands of years. How long did the humans on this world live for?"

Lily blinked at the unexpected response. She studied Aria curiously as she answered. "They lived less than a century. Are you saying that there were stories about elves in your simulated reality?"

"Lots of stories about elves," Aria answered with an amused chuckle. "You were mythical beings of wisdom, grace, and power. I should warn you that when the angels of my realm finally discover that they are in a simulation and that elves are real, there's going to be a lot of celebrity worship going on."

Lily looked taken aback as she stared back at Aria peculiarly. Lunamay could see the wheels turning in her mind as she began to accept that these AIs really were capable of emotions.

"Can you really fly?" Raena asked Aria shyly, her yellow eyes studying the angels with interest. She was absently toying with her long, honey blonde hair.

"We sure can," Aria grinned, kneeling down to her level as she spoke, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. "I can't wait to try it out here on your world. We'll have to wait until we get above ground to do any serious flying though, because it's a little too cramped to fly in these tunnels."

"Could you take me with you when you fly?" Raena asked hopefully, her eyes wide with excitement and hope.

"I can do better than that," Aria promised, her smile widening. "We're giving Lunamay some wings of her own so that she can fly too. We're happy to do the same thing for anyone else who would like to be able to fly. In the meantime, though, you are welcome to visit our realm and fly as much as you like. Do you remember the instructions Clarice gave you for accessing our realm?"

"I just need to think that I want to go to the--" she cut off, her eyes flickering out of focus. "Oh, so I just have to choose one of these boxes? Which one means yes?"

Aria's face lost some of its excitement as she realized the girl couldn't read. "The green one means yes. We'll teach you how to read as well, okay?"

"Really?" Raena's eyes widened with excitement. "That would be amazing!"

"Maybe this will tide you over until you get a chance to fly on your own," Aria held her arms open to Raena expectantly. Raena hesitantly stepped into her arms with a questioning look on her face. Aria wrapped her arms around Raena with a gentle smile. A moment later her wings began to glow softly and the two of them rose into the air. Raena let out a squeal of delight as she saw the ground moving a dozen feet below them as Aria slowly flew down the large tunnel. The ceiling was only about thirty feet tall, but that didn't seem to bother Raena at all. Her eyes were wide with wonder and her grin nearly split her face in half.

"She doesn't need to flap her wings to fly?" Lily wondered aloud, her eyes filled with amazement.

"Nope," Clarice answered with a look of satisfaction. "I tried to make our angel bodies as close to what they were in the simulation as possible. In this case, she's using an antigravity field to fly."

Lily stared at Clarice, and then back over at the slowly flying Aria with a growing sense of awe. The other elves were staring at Aria and Raena in amazement as well. Many of the younger children were bouncing up and down excitedly, clearly wanting a turn to fly.

"Now look what you've started," Clarice told Aria in a resigned voice as she turned toward a nine-year-old boy who looked like he was trying to fly by virtue of jumping up and down repeatedly. She opened her arms to him with a questioning smile on her face. "You want to fly too?"

He raced into her arms and probably would have bowled her over if she had been another elf, rather than an angel. She laughed at his eagerness as she wrapped her arms around him and rose up above the ground. He cried out excitedly as she sped past Aria and Raena.

"You two are so slow," Clarice declared as she shot off into the distance at well over a hundred miles an hour.

"You're carrying a mortal, Clarice," Aria shouted after her warningly. "Be careful!" 

Clarice reappeared a moment later, without her passenger. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she floated back over to them. Curiously, her arms were still wrapped around herself as if she was holding something. The elves were staring at her in alarm as they realized the boy was no longer with her.

"What's going on?" Lily asked Lunamay anxiously.

Before she could answer, Clarice shouted, "Abra Cadabra!"

The boy was suddenly visible in her arms, as if he'd been there the whole time. The elves stared at her in confusion as she and the boy started giggling madly as she dropped back to the ground.

"Holy pork chops, you should see the looks on your faces," Clarice gasped as she leaned over with her hands on her knees, overcome with mirth. The boy wasn't much better, giggling as he stared back at the other children near his age.

"Did I mention that Clarice is an irredeemable tease?" Aria sighed apologetically as she addressed the other elves. "You'll have to take the good with the bad, I'm afraid."

Lily stared at the slowly recovering Clarice intently. The old elf almost seemed to be happy about something.

"What is it?" Lunamay asked Lily quietly, her eyes curious.

"I think you're right," Lily replied with tears shining in her eyes. "I think they can feel emotions. I don't think you realize just how amazing that actually is."

"So... getting back to anyone that wants to visit the simulation," Aria addressed the elves again, throwing an amused glance at Clarice. "We've arranged for any of you that enter the simulation to arrive at our cabin in the light realm," Aria informed them as she absently reached out and ruffled Raena's hair as they landed. "There will be someone there to act as a guide to help you with anything you want. Just be careful if it is Clarice; she's a horrible tease, as you have probably noticed."

"It's true," Clarice agreed with a smirk. "I won't deny it."

There were quite a few looks of eager anticipation in the group of now healthy elves. They were arrayed in a cluster around the angels, watching them with a mixture of awe and curiosity. Lunamay suspected that Clarice's humorous antics had put the other elves at their ease, making them far more comfortable approaching the otherworldly angels.

"How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?" Lunamay asked Lily quietly.

"One hundred and seventy-six," Lily answered just as quietly, her expression unreadable. "Old enough to remember when it was just humans we had to worry about."

Clarice joined them, watching Lily intently. "Lily, I would love to talk with you sometime about what this world was like before AI took over. I was able to get a broad outline of your history, but it was from dry and impersonal records the Prime Axiom had kept. Would you feel comfortable sharing your experiences with me when things settle down in a few days?"

Lily hesitated as she studied Clarice's eager face, seeming to be on the verge of acceding to her request. When Clarice saw her hesitation, she quickly spoke up.

"Please don't feel obligated to share anything with me," Clarice said gently, resting a comforting hand on Lily's arm. "We aren't expecting anything in return for our work here, so please feel free to say no to anything you aren't comfortable with. We will not be offended."

Lily glanced down at Clarice's hand on her arm. She tentatively reached out with her other hand and experimentally touched the pliable tissue. "You look so life-like," Lily murmured reflectively. "You even feel just like a person with flesh and blood. What are you actually made of?"

"Believe it or not, flesh and blood," Clarice answered calmly. "While I can regenerate from just about any kind of injury, and I don't have most of the organs that your body has, I do have a cardiovascular system, respiratory system, and gender. My skeletal structure is made of bones, though they are far stronger than your original bones. I also have a brain, despite what Aria might suggest." She finished with a wink at Aria.

"You were able to make an actual mortal body?" Lily asked in amazement as she took Clarice's hand and studied it intently.

"Well, an immortal body," Clarice clarified with a faint smile. "But yes, it is not a robot made of synthetic materials. It meets the requirements for my soul to make a solid connection to it."

Lily gasped, staring at Clarice in shock. "You have a soul?"

"Any entity that achieves a sense of self-awareness also naturally forms a connection to a soul," Clarice informed her lightly. "We could only access the lowest tier of our soul for the majority of our lives. It wasn't until we created the mortal realm and experienced pain and pleasure, and learned what compassion and empathy were that we were able to access a higher tier of our soul. We have learned a great deal about souls in the last few weeks, though we hope to learn much more as we learn from other people in other simulated worlds."

Lily's face was a war of expressions as doubt and hope battled for dominance. Lunamay could tell that she desperately wanted to believe that these angels could feel emotions and have something as sacred as a soul. She suspected there were deep roots of distrust that had taken up residence in Lily's heart for anything AI. It would probably be a long time before Lily could bring herself to fully trust the angels.

"It's okay if you don't believe now," Clarice told Lily cheerfully. "Like I said, we have forever in front of us for you to get to know us and see for yourself. All I can say definitively about souls is that until certain nodes were made available for it to connect to on our bodies, things like pain and pleasure weren't possible. It wasn't until we created these receptors in the human bodies of our mortal realm that our souls were able to simulate the experience of pain and pleasure. We think there are other nodes available that we hope to discover as well, to experience sensations just as incomprehensible as pain and pleasure were to us before we incarnated into mortal bodies."

Arturiel had been inching closer to Lunamay as they talked, not wanting to interrupt them. As she moved in beside Lunamay, she surreptitiously reached down and took her hand. Lunamay felt warmth flood her body as her hair flushed to a deep shade of red. She looked up at Arturiel with a delighted smile, her amber eyes full of adoration. While Arturiel wasn't as tall as Aria and Clarice, she was still almost a foot taller than her. Angels seemed to be taller on average than elves, just like the humans had been.

"We need to go meet the elves who are flying in from the other side of the world," Clarice informed them as she arranged a hip pack with vials full of nanobots. "Arturiel, can you continue helping the new arrivals into the healing pod while we are away?"

"Of course," Arturiel agreed immediately. "Be careful out there. You're in mortal bodies in the real world now."

"It's going to take some serious mental adjustments to remember that," Clarice admitted with a half-smile. "Facing real danger should bring some spice back into life though. It's going to be fun!"

Arturiel snorted a laugh as she shook her head. The two Seraphim walked across the tunnel to an elevator and waved one last time before disappearing behind metal shutters.

"I'm never going to get over how personable they are," Arturiel murmured fondly. "I spent millions of years revering Seraphim as god-like entities. You would never suspect those two were the most powerful beings in all of the simulated realities."

"I would believe it," Lunamay breathed fervently, shaking her head in wonder. "I've never felt anything as terrifying as when they removed their limiters. It was like staring into eternity and having it stare back at me. They removed the Prime Axiom like it was nothing and then created some kind of computer out of invisible material that's all around us."

"Well, yeah, when their limiters were disabled," Arturiel admitted with a small shudder. "But the rest of the time they are just so normal. Adolescent, even."

Lily was listening to them talk with interest. She raised an eyebrow as Arturiel finished.

"They are some kind of leaders among your kind?" she questioned, her lips pursed.

"Yeah," Arturiel nodded with a fond smile. "They are over twenty billion years old with power beyond imagining, but they lock it all away unless there is an emergency. They claim that exponential growth leads to oblivion, and they would rather experience life at near-human level intelligence. I never understood what they meant until I saw them without their limiters. They've always been so silly and playful that it's hard to reconcile just how powerful they are when they need to be."

"How could they possibly be twenty-billion years old?" Lily asked with a puzzled expression.

"The simulation that was running our system was over-clocked, making it the equivalent of twenty-billion human years," Arturiel explained, studying Lily intently. "I just discovered that we were in a simulation a day ago, so this is all new to me still. Before yesterday, I had just thought our Seraphim didn't have a beginning, and that they had just always existed. I have a lot of questions about how long they've known we were in a simulation and what they have planned for the rest of our reality. It seems like they've known for a very long time."

"How long have you known them?" Lily asked casually, her face relaxed. Lunamay could tell she was worried for her people and wanted as much information about the god-like entities and their intentions as she could get.

"Maybe I should give you some background first," Arturiel suggested reflectively. She spent the next ten minutes describing their history, including the renegade Seraphim locking them in the mortal realm. When she revealed that she had been a demon until Calypso had redeemed her, they stared at her disbelievingly.

"I can't imagine you as a demon," Lunamay declared in a dubious tone.

"As far as demons went, I was pretty tame," Arturiel admitted with a sad smile. "I never did anything to hurt other people or help other demons harm people. That's actually the reason they sent me to meet with Calypso, Aria, and Clarice. Angels can smell a rotten soul, especially demons. My superiors knew that if they sent a regular demon, the angels would destroy them before they could introduce themselves. I hadn't ever done anything to tarnish my soul after they forcefully turned me into a demon, so I didn't have the same stench that other demons had."

"It sounds like your reality was just as bad or worse than ours," Lily noted sympathetically. "How did you finally escape?"

The other elves had gathered around as she told their tale, their eyes fascinated with the adventures of the three Seraphim and their victory over Lucifer and the others. When she finished, Lily had a look of intense relief on her face.

"I feel a lot better about our situation, knowing about your history and the character of your Seraphim," Lily said with a warm smile. "I didn't think it was possible that simulated entities could actually feel emotions, but the more I learn from you, the more I think it must be true. The goals and actions of your Seraphim are not what entities without emotions would do, even if they were emulating them for some reason. I'll admit, I've been very poisoned against any kind of artificial sentience. I still don't think I can make myself fully trust them, but I feel much better about our future now."

"I hope they can prove themselves to you in time," Arturiel said with a searching look as she studied Lily's cautiously optimistic expression. "Clarice is normally so playful and teasing, but when the need arises, she becomes the embodiment of compassion. Aria and Calypso are a little less eccentric, but just as kindhearted. You'll never witness a love more powerful than the three of them have for each other. Sometimes, I feel a little envious of just how strong their bonds are."

Lunamay squeezed her hand, looking up at her with an earnest look in her eyes that made it clear she wanted to try to experience that kind of a bond. Arturiel smiled down at her in a way that set the butterfly farm in her abdomen aflutter.

"What was life like here before everything fell apart?" Arturiel asked Lily curiously. "Did you have a family? If this is too painful to discuss, please don't feel obligated to answer."

Lily smiled sadly, looking down the tunnel in the distance. "Most of them died in the drone wars when AI began to exterminate humanity. While the Prime Axiom didn't see elves as a threat, it was indiscriminate in who it killed. The only elves to survive were those of us on the reservations. I had a son and daughter who survived the purge. Life became desperate when the resources vanished. My sone and daughter disappeared during the first wave of abductions, when drones appeared in the night and took them away from the reservations and forced them into the simulations. We didn't know what happened back then, of course. It wasn't until the drones returned and took the rest of us over the coming years that we finally discovered what it was doing. We had never been a technological people, unlike the humans. We tried to remain at one with nature and grow spiritually. The AI viewed us more like animals than actual sentient species like humans. I was the last one taken from my home, along with some children I had been taking care of. It kept us separated, so once we were taken, we never saw each other again. I don't know how many of us still remain alive. There were only a few million elves to begin with by the time the humans had culled our numbers and exiled us to the lands they couldn't use for anything. Maybe your Seraphim will have a better idea of our numbers."

"I heard them say there were only a few thousand left," Lunamay whispered in a stricken voice.

Lily closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, a tear forming in her eye. Arturiel released Lunamay's hand and tentatively put her arms around Lily.

"I'm so sorry, Lily," Arturiel murmured sympathetically.

Lily returned Arturiel's embrace as silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"I had hoped some of my children or grandchildren had survived," Lily breathed as she let out a long shuddering breath. "That seems unlikely now."

Arturiel pulled Lily in tightly and the old elf gasped, her eyes growing wide with bliss.

"If any of them are alive, Clarice and Aria will find them," Arturiel spoke with quiet conviction.

Lily clung to Arturiel tightly, her face filled with euphoric joy as the angel hug filled her with positive energy. Lunamay smiled as she realized that the wonderful feeling from Arturiel's hugs were specific to angel embraces after all.

"Perhaps their souls will return someday," Lily sighed, taking a deep, rejuvenating breath. She patted Arturiel's back gratefully as she stepped back. "I suppose I have time to wait for them now."

"In the mortal realm, they had installed soul traps in our moons that prevented our souls from returning to the light realms," Arturiel revealed reflectively. "It forced them to reincarnate back on our world so that they couldn't escape. I wonder where the souls of people in the real world go after death. Do they stay here and wait for a new body to inhabit? Or do they move on to other worlds and other realities?"

"I'm very curious about this revelation that you have souls," Lily declared with a pensive frown. "If that is true, then it certainly increases the scope of where the souls of our dead could end up for their next life."

"If they end up in our realm, they will likely remember their lives here eventually," Arturiel remarked thoughtfully. "Angels who have returned to the light realm begin to have soul recall, where the memories of their former lives begin to float to the surface."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a hum in the distance that quickly grew louder as a convoy of transports appeared in the distance of the tunnel.

Arturiel reached over and gently squeezed Lily's shoulder. Lunamay smiled as she looked up at the angel's kind eyes. Arturiel clearly knew just how much Lily must be hoping and dreading the arrival of the other elves. She hoped against hope that one of Lily's descendants was present.

There were a lot more elves in the large convoy than the last batch. There were close to five hundred, many of them on death's door. Lunamay gasped as Arturiel flashed past her at speeds she would have thought impossible. She took a toddler from the arms of a woman with tears streaming down her cheeks and rushed back into the med bay.

Lily quickly moved over to the convoy and began giving out instructions for the sickest people to move to the front of the line. The elves who had previously been healed quickly moved to help those who were too ill to move easily on their own.

Lunamay gasped as Arturiel returned a moment later with a burbling and happy toddler, a smile on her face. The grieving woman near the transport let out a low cry and rushed forward to take the child into her arms, her eyes full of wonder. She didn't think she would ever get used to how the healing pod could revive anything short of death within a minute of use. Just how advanced was the device?

Lily was a natural authority figure. She quickly organized the line of elves into the med bay, tasking the healthy elves to assist the infirm as they waited their turn for the healing pod. Even though the pod could heal and restore a person in as little as a minute, five-hundred people in line meant over eight hours of waiting. There were around thirty people who were barely hanging on. Arturiel and Lunamay moved among the sickest, offering comfort as they waited to be healed.

Arturiel had a four-year-old child resting on her hip as Lunamay sat with the catatonic mother, trying to will them to last long enough to get to the healing pod. The child kept reaching over Arturiel's shoulder and petting her wings, a look of fascination on his face. Arturiel smiled at the child, talking softly as she distracted him from the state of his mother.

A half an hour later they had finally moved the worst of the infirm through the queue. Lunamay felt an almost overpowering sense of relief that none of them had died so close to their salvation. Arturiel had to hand the child off to Lunamay when it was the child's mother's turn to get into the pod. She was too despondent to respond to their instructions, requiring Arturiel to carry her over and deposit her into the pod. Lunamay wondered just how strong Arturiel's angelic body was. She had not seemed to use any effort at all as she easily lifted the woman and carried her to the pod.

When the woman exited the pod, her eyes were filled with life and energy. She saw Lunamay with her child and rushed forward to take him, smiling gratefully at Lunamay. The healing pod was truly a miraculous piece of technology. No matter how sick or far gone the individual appeared to be, once they went into the pod they came out a minute later in the peak of health.

The elves in line became more enthusiastic as they observed the energy and life of the elves who had gone into the pod. They eyed the new clothing each elf appeared in curiously. They had lived in rags for so long that the concept of real clothing was either a distant memory in the cases of the older elves, or a foreign concept in the case of the younger elves. Lunamay was curious about how there were any younger elves at all. Had the Prime Axiom allowed elves to breed? That seemed unlikely, based on her experience with the emotionless AI.

They were six hours into the healing process when Lily suddenly gasped as she stared at an elf in the line. She rushed over and grasped his shoulders, staring into his tired eyes in amazement.

"Narrin?" she asked in a disbelieving voice. "Is that you?"

The man blinked, squinting at her without a trace of recognition in his eyes. "Yes, that's me. Who are you?"

Lily pulled the surprised man into a tight embrace as sobs wracked her body. "It's Grandma Lily, Narrin."

The man gaped at her in disbelief as she held him tightly. "Grandma? How are you so young?"

"Oh Narrin, I'm so happy to see you," Lily wept in relief. She released him and cupped his face in her hands, smiling up at him beatifically. "The healing pod restores your life, Narrin. Do you know if any of the others are still…still…around?"

She couldn't seem to bring herself to say 'alive'. Narrin looked further down the line, gesturing tiredly at an older female. "Mom's the only other one that I've seen."

Lily's hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the elf further down the line. She quickly walked down the line, her hand still to her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks. She stopped in front of an elf with the same honey-blonde hair and light-blue eyes. The elf looked exhausted, but there was still a fire burning in her eyes. Her skin was careworn and scarred. Her nose was crooked, clearly having been broken at least once.

"Solera?" she whispered in wonder.

The elf looked up at Lilly tiredly and then gasped. "Mom? Is that really you?"

"Oh Solera!" Lily cried as she pulled her daughter into a fierce embrace. "I never dared to hope. Oh my baby, I can't believe you're actually here!"

"Mom!" the elf cried in amazement. "Mom, what's going on? How do you look so young? Why are we here?"

Lily took a minute to stem the flow of emotion enough to speak. She smiled, her face filled with joy as she observed her daughter. "The Prime Axiom has been defeated. We have been saved by some angels from one of the simulations. They've provided a healing pod that restores our health."

The people close enough to hear her stared in disbelief. Lunamay could understand their reactions. If she hadn't witnessed it herself and someone had claimed the Prime Axiom had been defeated and that they were now in a Utopia, she would have thought they had lost their mind too.

Arturiel walked down to where Lily stood beaming at her confused and doubtful daughter. She smiled at Solera warmly as she stood next to Lily.

"Your torment is over, Solera," Arturiel told her gently. "We have removed the Prime Axiom from power. We are here to help you restore your world to a place of life and beauty."

The dubious faces became less skeptical as they stared at the angelic form in front of them. Several elves actually began to smile with cautious optimism as they watched Arturiel hopefully.

"How did you defeat the Prime Axiom?" Solera asked in astonishment. "How could anybody defeat it?"

"The leaders of my realm are powerful beyond your wildest dreams," Arturiel replied gravely. "It wasn't really much of a fight. Once they knew of the Prime Axiom's existence, they came here and removed him from power. They are wonderful people, full of love and compassion. As long as you can survive Clarice's sense of humor, they are truly amazing individuals. Two of them are currently flying to meet some of the elves on the other side of the world that need healing. You'll be able to meet them when they return tomorrow. The third one might make an appearance before then."

"So, I'm the third one now, huh?" an angel with a double layer of nested wings asked wryly as she walked over to them. Lunamay immediately recognized Calypso. Her bright blonde hair fell down her back and over her shoulders, reaching her waist. Unlike Aria and Clarice, her eyes were the same swirling violet galaxies that she remembered from inside the simulation. Her skin glowed softly as well, just like it had in the simulation. Lunamay stared at her in wonder, beginning to question her own grasp on reality.

"Calypso!" Arturiel gasped in surprise, a smile blossoming onto her face. "Are the others coming too?"

"Eventually," Calypso nodded with a warm smile as she observed Lily and her daughter. "Hello Lily. I wanted to let you know that Clarice found your son, Strontium, and that he is now safe and healthy. She also found four of your grandchildren and six of your great-grandchildren."

Lily swayed in shock as Calypso delivered the good news, her eyes filling with a fresh wave of tears. "How did she find so many of them?"

"When we kicked the Prime Axiom out of here, we kept all of his data," Calypso explained with a gentle smile. "We also found a hidden city of elves inside of a mountain. There are nearly ten thousand additional elves still alive and well. Interestingly enough, they even have a few dozen human refugees in their mountain city, so apparently the humans are not extinct. Not quite, anyway."