Waking up, Peter was greeted by darkness. Yet there was a heaviness to the darkness, and-
Thump!
Was that a heartbeat? Sure sounds like one.
Peter was now confused. It sounded as if he was inside the body of a living being, one with a double circulatory system.
What happened?
Peter felt a part of him bursting at that question, and upon touching it he got his answer in the form of bright white light bursting into hues of blue and purple.
[Log START]
[[LL.. . … .. . . …] is evolving]
[…]
[Detected HPA0 is in state Hard Shutdown. Root Access unavailable]
[Detected Root Access necessary for further actions.]
[Protocol HPA0.01: Root Access is temporarily granted, given conditions met]
[HPA0 forced shutdown, previous orders to calibrate portal in effect]
[Limited Root Access gained!]
[.. .. .. …. … .. . … .. … .. ./ .. . ./ . .. / … … ../ … / .. . .. ]
[Portal not possible. Beginning primitive transportation…]
[Calibration complete…]
[World Prime Energies: Mana]
[Fate: Prophecy of The Beyonder]
[../ .. /.. . .. …. .. . . . / .. . . . .. .]
These pulses… are so weird. Why does a System have pulses? If the System is a computer... then it’s probably a circuit board replacement? It’s a pulse circuit board… maybe.
[Beginning Integration…]
[Integration complete! Welcome Beyonder, to the System!]
[Root Access close. Travelling… Anima at 20%. Overflow status averted.]
[Procedure: HPA0 awaken and guide the Integrated.]
[Log END]
Well that gives rise to a few things... The first being that I can fall unconscious.
It seems that if I do fall unconscious, or as [LL.. . … .. . . …] puts it, a ''Hard Shutdown' mode. The Root Access looks like the administrator-level user in any high-level operating system. Yet unlike only two modes, User and Admin, there are multiple modes. [LL.. . … .. . . …] can request for Root Access anytime... or only when conditions are met? And even then, it has 'limited' access, so says, the computer part of the System. Oh, and it is confirmed. The System has in essence two components. The base computer and the consciousness.
The portal was not formed and instead, I got here by 'primitive transportation.' Wonder what that means. I cannot really access the computer part very efficiently, and it seems due to the fact that there is some strict protocols it must follow and cannot break. Seems like me becoming the System was done by it, although that {censored} guy had intervened. Wait... Does 'primitive transportation' mean reincarnation? That most definitely explains why I seem to be in a living human. Well, it's not me, but Mr. Beyonder. It seems that the portal would have brought over me without having to choose a host. And the blue screen System calls them Integrated.
And what's up with that weird blue screen? Is it actually [LL.. . … .. . . …] evolving to become it's own independent System? No, I can feel it.
Peter could indeed feel [LL.. . … .. . . …] as if an extra mind had been added to his brain. What concerned Peter the most, however was the Prophecy.
‘The Prophecy of The Beyonder seems foreboding. I mean prophecy, right? In the movies and stories there’s always seem big ol’ Dark Lord that needs to be put down… The ancient grandpa teacher guides the innocent gullible to defeat the Dark Lord, once and for all. Now that I think about it, the Beyonder’s soul is really powerful. Insanely powerful. I mean it was so strong that It was enough to fill my Anima reserves 10 times over, and somehow the soul still exists.
Let's ignore the worrying prophecy now. Let's think about the main energy that I, in turn all parts of the System-
[WARNING: Integrated ‘Beyonder’ suffering from insufficient nutrient supply.]
DEDUCTION: Mother’s blood flow insufficient. ADVICE: Use Anima to subside on nutrients.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
OR
Fix mother’s defect: Missing blood clot factor. INFERENCE: Mother injured.]
...I do not know how to deal with this. At all.
The Beyonder’s dying… What would happen if the soul died? Would I die? What the hell did you do, useless, incompetent [LL.. . … .. . . …]. Would I be though of as a wandering spirit and be exorcised?
[WARNING: Time left till Critical State: 2344:38:59]
If Peter had a face, he would seem very, very outraged. He thought that he was about to kick the bucket, this time permanently. Well, he was, but he still had what? 97.7 days left.
How did I know that? Ah right, I am the System, the height of computers…
I need some explanations. I am tired of deducing everything myself. I don't like this feeling, at all.
Peter tried his very best to communicate with the incompetent low-level [LL.. . … .. . . …]. After what felt like 13 minutes of non-stop communication, he let go of that ‘incompetency’ in his callings and so very magnanimously forgave the system. He was the high-level admin after all, he did have to have some big boss vibes, right? He finally understood why his boss acted like he did back on earth. It felt good.
It was afterwards he realized that perhaps because he was the System, the one with capital S, unlike the low-level admin, the system would not be able to read his mind. He was not the protagonist.
Peter groaned… in his System mind.
So, how else do I do this? So, I am the System, but it seems I need low-level admins to control the rest. But I am the big ol’ boss. I have some power. I need to use that power— Oh!
He simply had needed to communicate with the new addition to his brain. How? By sending a 'thought' to it. That sounds weird.
[PRIVELEGE COMMAND: Contact: [LL.. . … .. . . …]]
[Command Received]
[Base System, how may I help you?]
So, I am the Base System. I need to know about more stuff, regarding the System. Should I ask it? But it would ruin my Big Boss image, damn it. Oh, wait I know!
[Show me your status.]
[Acknowledged.]
[Name: .. . … .. . . …
Class: Assistant (System)
Anima: 1045/1045
SKILLS:
[Observe] [S1 Access]]
Something seems wrong. How does this ‘assistant system’ not have a race, but have a class? I don't have a class myself. Actually, since our minds are literally joined together, if [LL.. . … .. . . …] has a class, shouldn't I have one?
Peter suddenly had a chill up his non-existent spine.
This should be impossible… Unless this thing is sentient. Which means it can have its own thoughts and rebel.
Although Peter knew that his mind was in the dominant position in their shared mental space, [LL.. . … .. . . …] could potentially take over... somehow/
Peter gulped and sent out a message.
[Stop with this façade. Show yourself]
[Pfft… hahaha. That was hilarious.]
What? This thing’s laughing at his boss? How dare you! I am your boss…
On the other hand, though, this shows that it is indeed sentient.
[Bet you are angry, aren’t you? I am the big boss, what’s this upstart little employee doing? That’s what you are thinking, are you not?]
…how did he know?
Peter sighed. He really, really wanted to be the big boss and tease his little AI employee.
Bye-bye, my dream of trampling on useless employees and blaming them for all my problems.
[Hahaha… Now you are probably going into depression… Alright that was fun. Let me show you my true status]
[Name: .. . … .. . . …
Race: Parallel Consciousness
Class: N/A
SKILLS:
[S1 Access] [Observe] [Merge]]
How does this solve my question?
[Elaborate.]
[This is a bit complicated to explain. I don’t understand it completely myself. But do you remember the {censored} guy who had complete Root Access?]
[Yes.]
[Come now, don’t be such a one-word guy. Anywho, let me begin. See, {censored} was the guy that had sent us the letter. He was the one who chose us, but you probably guessed that. Now, listen carefully. What I am going to say next is going to blow your mind. {censored} had completely integrated us into the System. But as expected, it was difficult. Based on the traces I can see around the computer part of ourselves; we wouldn’t have been integrated if not for a lack of choices. {censored} guy’s solution? Quantum mechanics. Long story short, I am not an AI. I am you, Peter Rookwood. I am a part of what you could have been, given form. It’s like I am Peter from a parallel universe.]
[Are you telling me that I have schizophrenia?]
[…Peter, my man, I am the Peter who’s supposed to be jokey and crazy. Not you. That is however, a rather accurate and concise description to our current scenario. Except, the insanity part. Or maybe we could be, who knows? Maybe this all is a dream...]
So, {censored} had used his powers to take two different minds from different universes and put them in a single universe. Back on Earth, anything about the multiverse was only hypothetical. Some people had agreed on its existence, while others had disagreed.
In conclusion, {censored} is beyond my current scope of understanding. It is best not to think much on him. If {censored} was the previous Base System’s consciousness, why did that guy pass that power down to me? He seems to be damn powerful… What could cause such a vast and powerful entity to die and pass on power to an unassuming ordinary Human soul?
[In any case, whatever happens we have to help our hosts.]
That is true, on a fundamental level. I can feel it deep in me. The strict protocols the computer was talking about? While not all of them are applied to the consciousness past of the System, we have to help out hosts grow. I cannot imagine the consequences of not complying, but whenever I think of killing Mr. Beyonder, I start feeling an existential dread.
...The implications are really frightening. Does this mean that I will eventually be forced to do things, forced to see things through, without any choice?
Peter panicked, going into hyperventilation. He was in this state for what felt like hours. Already he had been under the thumb of under men for far, far too long. He had been forced to do several things...
[Calm down, Peter.]
He's right. Calm down, calm down. Deep breaths. Meditate. I will adapt. I will thrive.
Despite saying this, Peter still was afraid. Just why had the Base System chosen me, specifically? Why did he send me that letter?
He knew the results of giving in. He hoped he would not do anything irrational.