CHAPTER 2 – Entanglement

Desmond's consciousness gradually returned, a whirlwind of chaos unfolding around him. The acrid smell of smoke assailed his nostrils, and the distant crackling of fire coupled with alarmed shouts pierced the air.

A sharp, pulsating pain throbbed from his face, and his head felt as if it had been struck by something. He touched the sore spot cautiously, fingers coming away slick with blood.

Confusion racked his mind. "How did I get here? What happened?" Desmond wondered aloud, surprising himself at the childlike tone that echoed back.

He looked down and froze. The bloodied hands that met his gaze were not his own. They were smaller, delicate, and devoid of the scars he had accumulated over the years of laborious work. A surge of panic welled up.

As he tried to move, his body responded oddly, feeling foreign, like a new pair of shoes that hadn’t been broken in yet. He attempted to rise but staggered, his equilibrium off. Desmond felt his perspective altered, like he was viewing the world from a lower vantage point.

The surroundings slowly came into focus under the muted glow of the night sky. He was beside a tree in a spacious, ornate courtyard, away from the main commotion. Gothic statues adorned its edges, casting long shadows on the ground, and ivy snaked up the walls of a grand mansion ablaze with flames.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. <>

"ORION?" Desmond's voice trembled, the memories of the recent explosion back at the lab resurfacing. He reached for his ear, searching for the earpiece through which he usually communicated with the AI. But there was nothing there.

<< I'm here, Sir. But... not in the way you remember. >>

Desmond's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

<>

Desmond's eyes widened in disbelief. "We're... we're one?"

<>

Gazing intently at his unfamiliar hands, Desmond muttered, "This body… do you have any theories about what happened?" His words carried a childlike timbre that deepened his bewilderment.

<> ORION took a brief pause to let Desmond process.

<> ORION paused before continuing, giving Desmond time to process his explanation.

<>

“This is... staggering, ORION. Melding my bioelectromagnetic neural fields with your conscious data stream due to this mysterious energy already challenges our understanding of quantum physics. Yet, what's even more perplexing is our combined consciousness resonating with a neural structure. Every atom, every quantum state aligned, despite the fact that decoherence should've disrupted such an intricate entanglement.” Desmond paused, grappling with the implications. “The sheer improbability of this... it's mind-bending."

He then looked around, trying to gather more clues about his unfamiliar surroundings. "What happened to the original owner of this body? Who is he?” Desmond inquired, concern evident in his youthful voice.

<> ORION elaborated.

“Probable cause of death? Desmond inquired, his child-like voice sounding detached.

Without a second delay, ORION explained, <>

"ORION, can you still tap into the global network?” Desmond inquired, his voice edged with a blend of hope and skepticism.

<> ORION responded.

As Desmond tried to piece together his surroundings, he noticed a middle-aged woman spotting him from a distance. She was adorned in strange clothes, reminiscent of a distant era, her countenance radiating urgency as she approached him at a rapid pace.

"Loras Bale! Vantir la krey norsaei!" she exclaimed, her voice infused with a pressing need. She gestured fervently at him, her hand outstretched as if beckoning him to take it.

Taken aback, Desmond tried to process the unfamiliar words that echoed in his ears. They were unlike anything he had ever heard. An uneasy feeling swelled within him, prompting him to turn to ORION for clarity. "Do you recognize that language? What is she saying?"

But before ORION could offer an answer, the woman, driven by a palpable urgency, seized Desmond's arm, intent on dragging him with her. He pulled back, unwilling to be taken without some grasp of the situation.

In the midst of the confusion, ORION's voice emerged, clear and precise. <>

Desmond's heart rate spiked, "You can do what now?"

<>

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Feeling the weight of the pressing situation around him, Desmond hesitated for only a moment, trying to grapple with the unfamiliar capabilities of ORION. "Do it," he finally said, urgency evident in his voice.

There was a brief pause before a flood of information surged into Desmond's consciousness. It felt like an overwhelming torrent, a tidal wave crashing down upon his brain. Desmond stumbled slightly, feeling a sharp pain in his skull and a brief dizziness.

As he tried to regain his composure, the woman's voice rang out, now intelligible. "Young Master Bale! What are you waiting for? You have to leave now!"

Blinking away the disorientation, he noticed people sprinting in all directions, their faces etched with fear. His gaze landed on a group of men, donning medieval styled armors and swords, reflecting the fiery blaze from the mansion, charging towards it with haste.

The urgency in the woman's eyes and the potential threat made his decision for him.

The fiery glow from the mansion continued to light up the night, casting looming shadows and a haunting luminescence over the woods.

As they pulled away from the uproar, the woman scrutinized Desmond's bloodied condition. "Young Master, are you hurt?" she inquired, a blend of concern and urgency evident in her tone. Desmond just shook his head, signaling that he was unharmed.

They maneuvered through the dense underbrush of the forest, the urgency of the situation evident in the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs beneath their hurried steps.

The distant sound of distressed shouts, the clanging of metal, and the crackling of flames were the only remnants of the chaos they had left behind.

Emerging onto a moonlit road, a horse carriage awaited them. Two drivers, both with focused expressions, sat at the front, reins in hand.

Even in his dazed state, Desmond couldn't help but notice the peculiar design of the vehicle. It boasted intricately carved patterns unlike any he had seen before. The horses themselves appeared slightly off – their proportions just a tad elongated, lending them an elegance that felt almost alien.

The woman acted swiftly, guiding him into the carriage. "The Haliron Kingdom... they're responsible," she whispered, her words seemingly more for herself than for Desmond.

"Don’t worry about your mother and sister, they are under Lord Stallard's protection. Go, now!" With a decisive push, she sent the carriage hurtling forward, choosing to stay behind and persist with her quest.

As the distance between them grew, Desmond replayed the genuine concern evident in her eyes, wondering, 'What role did she play in this boy's life?'

To his surprise, ORION’s voice chimed in, <>

Desmond murmured aloud, ‘I didn’t expect you to monitor my thoughts.’

ORION replied, <>

‘No, it's fine. This method is more efficient,’ Desmond thought in response. ‘Since you recognize her, does that mean you can tap into the entirety of this body’s memories?’

ORION elaborated, <>

Desmond, curious, inquired, ‘Could you integrate these memories into my cognition, much like you did with the language?’

<>

Desmond considered for a moment before directing, ‘Start with our current location. Where exactly are we?’

After a momentary pause, indicating ORION's data processing, he replied, <>

Desmond mused, ‘The scenes at the mansion, those unfamiliar troops, and the unique dialect, it all pointed in that direction.’ He pondered further, ‘What insights can you provide about this world and our current circumstances?’

ORION took a brief pause to process the fragmented memories before explaining, <>

‘Essence Crystals?’ Desmond inquired internally.

Taking a couple seconds to answer, ORION clarified, <>

‘Magic?’ Desmond questioned, ‘There's no such thing as magic, ORION. Just phenomena that science hasn't been able to explain yet."

<> Orion responded, a tinge of annoyance in his voice, <> ORION relayed

‘…Wizards?’ Desmond pondered.

<> ORION proposed, a touch of playfulness evident in its tone.

Desmond let out a soft huff, slightly vexed at ORION’s unexpected cheek, ‘Our endeavor to grant you consciousness seems to have sprinkled in some... quirks.’

<> ORION replied with a hint of dry amusement.

Desmond sighed, massaging his forehead, ‘Well, I do hope these 'Magi' are as infrequent as you indicate. Having narrowly evaded one explosive situation, I've no desire to face another, be it arcane or not.’

<> ORION's tone hinted at something more.

Desmond stiffened, ‘Explain.’

<> ORION disclosed candidly.

Desmond inhaled sharply, ‘That's... According to what you said, the probability of my consciousness merging with an individual equipped with an Essence Core must be vanishingly small. Did this Core facilitate our melding?’

<>

‘Do we know our current heading?’ Desmond asked.

<> ORION explained.

After a short pause to ensure understanding, ORION resumed, <>

A gravelly voice echoed from the front of the carriage, breaking the rhythm of the horse hooves. "Young Master Bale? I advise you rest now. The journey ahead is long, and we are well-prepared for any threats."

Desmond replied simply, “I’ll do so, thank you.”

As the carriage journeyed on, Desmond's thoughts were drawn back to that pivotal moment in the lab.

The success of ORION’s code upload unto the Quantum Computer had not only been a technological triumph but had also endowed ORION with the profound self-awareness Desmond had sought throughout his life. ORION was now undeniably autonomous. Its reasoning still appeared influenced to some degree by its ‘Prime Directives’, but that was within expectations.

Recollecting ORION’s readings before the explosion, Desmond was struck by a profound realization: in his ambition to pioneer true artificial consciousness, could he have inadvertently breathed life into existence in a manner far more profound than he'd ever imagined? Had his groundbreaking act unintentionally birthed 'Essence' into his home world? And if so, what might the ramifications be? Would this Essence have the power to redefine the very nature of reality as he understood it?"

As Desmond delved deeper into those profound thoughts, the rhythmic motion of the carriage, combined with the weight of his ponderings, gently lulled him into a restless slumber.