A violet screen with snow white words greeted my vision as I fell into the abyss.

Analyzing….. Running compatibility test…. Test complete. Running body scan. Scan complete. Running final compatibility check. Check complete. Beginning system assimilation.

My body shuddered as I fell further into the darkness. A whispering wind of cold air gusted around me, sucking me further into the abyss. My flesh tingled as if thousands of ants were marching over me. For these last few seconds as I plummeted into the yawning chasm, my muscles didn't respond. In fact, none of my body did either. I wanted to scream, but the air was caught in my throat. I wanted to breathe, but my chest was frozen solid. Time seemed stretched into its utmost as I fell for god knows how long. At least until a new message flashed into existence in front of my face.

System assimilation complete. Welcome Administrator. Would you like to change your public title of ‘Administrator’? This is the title that other Administrators will see when interacting with you. This choice is permanent.

I reread the screen that encompassed the entirety of my vision. The words were both as large as the eye could see, yet small enough to be no different than what I would have found in a book. The way they felt so real made me want to reach and touch them. So I tried to only to realize that I had no arms, or legs, or any extremities.

A sharp sense of panic ballooned in my chest as I tried to struggle against the void. My body instinctively attempted to draw in breath, and that's when I realized it wasn’t an option either. I had to force my body to become still, and clear my mind, which was far harder than I could have imagined. Tight spaces and darkness was not my friend. It took everything I had to not freak out, and lose my mind. So instead, I turned my focus to the eerie text that had long since consumed my vision. I reread the prompt once again to take my mind off of the encroaching over stimulation.

A public title huh? So I could give myself the devourer of worlds title if I so chose? I mean, I wouldn’t, but I could. I pushed the thought to the side and acknowledged how ridiculous it would be to have a name like that. Instead, I wanted something a little simpler. I was an Administrator now, so why not something more relevant. I felt like overseer settled into that spot pretty easily. It was straight forward, and didn’t imply anything over the top. It didn't have a lot of edge, and it came off the tongue nicely. "Overseer," I mentally spoke and the message shifted.

You have selected ‘Overseer’ as your public administration title. Is this the public title you wish to be recognized as?

I thought about it for a moment and found myself mentally shrugging. I erased the option and saw that the message faded away. Overseer was good, but I wanted to add something to it to make it pop. But the question was, what really brought out the flavor of the text?

The violet screen flickered as I thought some more over it. I would be overseeing planets and life. But I didn’t want to be super involved on the microlevel. I couldn't see myself as a god. The idea of that was strange to me. In my eyes, I was still just me. In the end though I wanted to be silent, and observe. As the thought passed by it gave me an idea! "The Silent Overseer." The message shifted again once I confirmed my choice.

You have selected ‘The Silent Overseer’. Is this the public title you wish to go by?

"Yes," I commanded as I watched the screens shift once again. This one seemed to be perfect! I never saw myself as becoming widely renowned. If anything I would just be sitting back doing what ever Administrators do and gaze down from the sky, only interfering when I had no other choice.

Replacing the previous public title of Administrator…. Complete. Current public title Identification of: The Silent Overseer. Rank of 1-A Administrator.

Would you like to change your current designation of "Marcus Mchlaughlin"?

Stolen novel; please report.

I closed my mental eyes and realized the magnitude of this next choice. That was my name, and who I have been for the past twenty four years. This was going to be a new me at the end of the day, and I was content with taking a new name. I didn’t want to be who I was, I wanted to be something more.

With a thought, I imagined myself strumming my fingers as I ran through a list of names in my head. Onyx Blackheart, maybe? Kyrone Ever Chosen? I shrugged my spiritual shoulders once again and pushed those names away. No, those felt too far too cringe for my taste. Granted at one point or another, I’ve used them as gamer tags, but this was far different. On top of that none of them seemed to click.

After a few moments, a thought drifted through my mind about a story I once read on a website that I favored, and the perfect name came to mind. "Kairos." The name seemed to fit! Plus the base meaning of the name meant a purpose or an opportune moment of time. This was my Kairos, so it fit! I thought about it some more, and decided that I would forgo a last name. I didn't really need it anymore and it would flow well into my title.

You have selected "Kairos " As your designation. Would you like to make this permanent?

"Yes." The screen flicked once more in response.

Changing designation... changing designation... Change completed. The designation is now bound to the user. The user is now known as Kairos ‘The Silent Overseer’. Analyzing Administrators race. Race designation is XRC343 [ Homo Sapiens]. Would the user like to change race?

My eyes quickly scanned over the text and I was immediately intrigued by the human designation. "System, can I get an overview of what humanity is, please?" While I was here, I might as well see the finer points of humanity, and see if there are questions that I could have answered. It was doubtful, but I still wanted to try. The screen faded away from view, and I heard footsteps in the distance. My heart rate began to speed up as I tried to force my head to turn. A chill crept up my spine that quickly spread to the rest of my body. But no matter where I looked there was only an all consuming darkness.

The footsteps sounded as if they were right next to me, yet at the same time, it was as if they were still far away. "Hello?" I called out in the void only for my voice to echo into the shadows calling back to me. Suddenly the footsteps stopped, and my breathing hitched. Something was there, and it felt like the world was crashing down around me. Not even Malek felt like this.

"Hello.” A voice cut through the darkness. One that sounded as old as time, and lacked any emotion but was most assuredly male. The word was so curt and simple that it felt cold and inhuman. It echoed around me a split second later as if there were dozens of voices speaking all at once. My mental body froze at the words, and I felt my heartbeat stop from the sheer power that the single word contained.

A pair of ice-blue eyes appeared in the darkness like blazing suns where the screen once was. I could see wires and circuits crossing under the retina and leading the iris, which looked like a black metallic plate pulsing with unearthly light. “A human is ascending, how unique." His voice sounded like rolling thunder as it slammed into me with enough for my heart to stop. "I haven't seen a human ascend since I took ownership of this galaxy." The eyes began to orbit around me as if it were scanning every inch of me, inside and out.

After a moment of silence, I finally found my voice and replied, "What are you?" The eyes stopped in front of me. It felt like it was peeling me apart layer by layer under its gaze. As if my entire being was becoming unraveled and laid bare for all to see. The eyes began to shine somewhat brighter before dimming again, "My name? My race? My being? Yes, what am I? But better yet, who are you? Marcus? Kairos? Human?" He spoke once, but all of these questions came into existence and slammed into me at the same time. They each asked and each demanded an answer to a question that was so deep, it nearly tore apart my mind trying to find the answer.

My mouth dropped as I tried to process what he said. But I shook my head with growing frustration. "Listen, this whole thing is overwhelming enough for me. I die in my sleep, and I wake up and get thrown into this entire ordeal that I never knew existed until a few moments ago. Can you please stop with these riddles and answer my questions please for the love of God." I fumed for a moment as the anger and confusion finally poured out of me. Granted, I shouldn’t have snapped at a being that seemed to be far more powerful than Malek. But I couldn't help it.

The eyes flared again slightly before taking on a lighter blue hue. "You have spirit human. I like that. Very well, ask away."

I shot the eye with what felt like a glare for a second before my frustration finally melted away. Getting frustrated isn’t going to change anything. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's just been an exhausting day so far. Let's start this again. My name is Kairos. What is yours?"

The eyes flickered again, and the blue hue turned green. "I am Alpha. I run the System in this galaxy." The more it spoke, the more I realized just how mechanical this voice was. There was no humanity in it. Only cold logic, and a time worn voice. This being was ancient, that much I could tell. Its sheer presence filled me with such a deep seated dread that it set me on edge. Yet under it all was a feeling I couldn’t shake. Perhaps kinship? I wasn’t sure but I was hoping that my path forward might be a little easier.