The first thing I noticed were mysterious patterns all around me. At the time, I thought my mental state has begun to deteriorate. With numerous head injuries sustained in the past, I guess it was almost inevitable. Also, it seemed as if some other world had been interlinked with mine and I couldn't cope with either of them. What surprised me the most was the fact that my perspective changed, too. I perceived humans almost as numbers and myself as a machine that could easily read them or perhaps a more sophisticated human. Not so long ago, I was just an investor with a boring daily routine - of course, without my family included in the equation. Regarding the other humans, I helped as many of them as I possibly could. I just had to read a few processes inside of their bodies or the energy that they emitted. If the case proved to be a bit harder, I would listen to their interior monologues. And it was great to have the control over such sophisticated routines. Naturally, they had to honor my guidance. I recognized their behavior so easily they were practically forced to act. And, by God, they did.

*****

Due to my countless head injuries I was always afraid my mental abilities would deteriorate faster than they were supposed to, given the laws of its nature. Especially my reasoning and behavior towards other people. In my childhood, I suffered from several concussions, an amnesia and open wounds that gave my blood back to the world that often demanded it for all the wrong reasons. My parents were horrified at the time and I really don't know how they kept their sanity. The most specific injury was the one where I thought my eyes were projecting a subatomic world within my brain, at levels so small humans should never be able to perceive... As if, induced by the outer force each and every part of them glistened like a beacon for the sole purpose of saying: "Yes, I am still here! And I intend to work a while longer." A private party of neurons, synapses and receptors I was invited to. Maybe the message was to look after them more appropriately in the future.

Day 27.

Over again, my son is being abused by his schoolmates. He doesn't talk about it but I won't allow that kind of behavior anymore. Before he went to sleep, I'd sent an instruction to neural CREA inside his brain - that should've helped him influence the chemical interconnections in other human beings. A measure slightly extreme, but we do live in a world that has no patience for the "weak" ones. Subsequently, I increased the dopamine levels in his body, sped up the neuron bonds, and finally, issued an impediment to all future actions that could jeopardize a life of his fellow citizens. This morning, I noticed he's much more focused, and his awareness follows the new level of consciousness. By the look on his face I would say that he knows "I kicked him in the butt" a bit. One day, maybe he'd return a favor. I also noticed a disbalance in his supra-marginal gyrus and instantly tried to correct that defect. As far as I know, he'll need the empathy in the future. Unlike him, my daughter is still too young to be affected as much. Yesterday, she "high fived" some elderly neighbor. Also, Lara explained what motivated her for such an unexpected action. "As you may already know, the unspoken things can burden our soul more than we thought possible. That's the reason I gave him a small part of me. Undoubtedly, grandpa needs a guiding light. And, for a little while, I'll be his moonlight." Once again, I wondered who my daughter really was...

Day 94.

Today is a very special day. I got up much earlier than usual so I could have time to finish the bank assignments. There was a substantial amount of money on several of my accounts so I'll stop with the investments for a while. Besides, my daughter has a school play this afternoon and it's important to be there and support her efforts. She plays the violin. In comparison with some other parenting roles, this one is definitely my favorite.

When she touched that instrument, it became a part of her - they merged and generated sounds shaking you deep within. At the end of the play, I was applauding, whilst at the same time I noticed someone was stealing the artifacts of the music which came to life. The energy construct boiling like a well reaching its climax was taken away from our reality. Or, was I having another hallucination? No, no... I felt a presence waiting for the right moment to suck everything into its core. I've never expected such entity to reveal itself at this place. For a brief moment, it seemed human like, but it was just a mirage. Why would it do something like that? Was it aware of my data reading capabilities? If so, then my family was in grave danger...

"Papa, was I any good today?" - Lara asked me excitedly on our way home.

"Little one, if you were any better, you would've forced them to charge the tickets!"

"You're just saying that. Mary was good too, wasn't she?"

"Sweety", she is six years older than you. Just imagine how good will you be at her age."

Lara inversed her thoughts for a second and afterwards the most beautiful smile revealed itself on her face. "I guess you are right. I've been practicing for less than a year. I promise you, I'll be much better next time."

"I wouldn't dare to doubt you, Lara. And I believe Mrs. Banks will be ever so keen to help you in the future. Mark my words!."

"Thank you, papi."

Day 127.

For the past few days, I kept dreaming about my son David. It feels as if some unfamiliar threat is prowling on the outskirts of my family's future. Still, I can't see that far - only a glimpse of events revealing itself to me. During breakfast, my wife said that I behave a bit weird lately. I replied that artificial intelligence will destroy humans if given an opportunity. A few moments later, we laugh so hard that my face starts to hurt. To me, Sophia is the light that pulled me out of my darkness years ago. But, I wasn't joking about the AI. People can't comprehend its enormous potential. There is no program that can bound such machinery and the opinion of the scientist in the field is irrelevant. If we give it only a small portion of life, it will devour us and spit us out like some unrecognizable product that lost all of its human qualities. The question is who will stand against the AI and should we start building foundations so strong that even gods won't be able to destroy in the future. Especially not the machine that refutes all the evolutionary laws and marches diligently to its unknown goal. People are sometimes too naive, they believe no damage can come from such lifeforms. But, we need a defense mechanism. I'll input an appropriate solution while I'm still capable of recognizing the problem.

" Honey? What about the meeting tomorrow?" - Sophia said implying that I should resolve that particular problem.

" No worries! I'll sort it out with Mrs. Banks. She is just a stubborn old lady. A little persuasion and Lara will become her most beloved student." - I said without mentioning how I intend to achieve that goal.

" I wouldn't be so sure. I dare to say she's more of a crazy person than anything else. As most of the people in that school." - she responded with an unpleasant tone.

" Well, she's the only one that we have. Maybe we can move to some other town. Or continent, for that matter..." - I added half-jokingly.

" Okay, just don't get too close with her. Maybe she's looking for a new family which she can bother at weekends."

" Love, my weekends are reserved only for you. And, if I ever want to replace you, it would be with a younger model - not the old one."

" That's very nice of you. Do let me know when you find that specific model." - she finished the sentence by throwing a piece of paper in my direction.

" Actually, I'm looking at the prototype of the only model that I'll ever need. And, I wouldn't change a thing on its marvelous physique."

" You always had a knack how to get inside of my circuitry. I guess that's why I chose you."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

" One of many other things that I can offer. - I responded with a touch of confidence." Is your project over?"

" Well, the only thing left is the conclusion. The hardest part on this subject. I need some time to sort out my thoughts."

" You are ahead of your schedule, as always. Plenty of time left."

" I know. And don't forget about the dinner tomorrow. We hadn't been out together for a while. Barb will take care of the children."

" I will comply. Come closer, will you? Gotta a little something to show you..."

" Oh! In that case, we need to hurry. They'll be back in one hour. Whose prime directive shall we follow? Yours or mine? Maybe..."

" Honey, you talk too much!" - I responded, leading her gently onto the outskirts of our imagination.

Day 142.

I believe my daughter knows that I'm changing. After all, she is her father's child. I try very hard to think as a man I once was, but some parts of me are gone forever. I'm still not sure what was the starting point. Since I can access my memory banks in a different way, I'm trying to find an answer by running a deep cell scan, but without any success. The only thing that comes/echoes through my mind is a word "Wish". Whose? Of a human civilization? Of some distant predecessor? I'm driving to the restaurant, my wife and Lara are waiting for me there. As I come inside, I see that she has already covered half of her face with the icecrum, as she likes to call it sometimes. Although she is very intelligent, sometimes the child inside of her unveils its spirit. On the contrary, I was an ordinary kid, the wood and wires never interested me, at least not in symbiosis. I guess she inherited that from her mother. She is an artist with words. Her goal is to find answers to the future generations questions - they call people like that philosophers these days. I wink at my daughter as I order a cup of coffee - which is the main reason we come to this place. Hmm, I guess the ice cream isn't that bad either.

Day 142. Continuation

Someone is trying to rob the restaurant. I'm not sure what is happening, I can barely see people around me. My eyes are blurry, as if someone has put a curtain and there's absolutely nothing I can do to remove it. People I love are in grave danger and I try to force myself to resolve the impact on my senses. Gunshots are echoing around me, screams of the helpless citizens, of my family. The jukebox is still playing although the music is distorted, unrecognizable. It seems there are three perpetrators. Somehow I can recognize their heartbeats. A moment later, my physique is finally responding to given orders. I am interfering in their neural pathways with a hope that I will succeed in my quest - as weak as I am at the moment. But, will that be enough to save everyone? And why do I have this power if I can't use it to protect the innocent people... Suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear Lara's words: "Papa, papa! Your ice cream is melting." Confused, I find the words to thank her, but my wife sees that something is terribly wrong. She takes my hand bringing me back from the darkness once again. Many years ago, somewhere along the rings of her dusty green eyes, I have found the story of my life. And my promise was, to never let her go...

Day 149.

-A dream within a dream-

Someone from the future came to me: "I cought a glimpse of familiar eyes, an invisible thread from the same heart that beats inside of me. The person smiled and whispered something that echoed through the night and through my, so far, steady posture.."

"Papa, in the future, I discovered beings so distant and repulsive that fear grew through my body when I saw them for the first time. But, somehow, just thinking about you helped me to overcome all of my troubles. You know, I never admired someone as much as you that day, when Earth lost its foundations, and you took them, just as easily as you took me in my childhood, and carried the whole world on your back until it recovered. But you, papa, you never did recover. I do hope I'm at least as half as good as you are. Keep fighting, my deepest wound, and my only source of inspiration. I'm with you, always..."

I didn't cry. My daughter smiled at me. And she had her mother's smile. And she was everything we ever hoped she would be.

Lara has helped me to focus once again. I have to admit that I needed something like this to recover. Now I can continue with the task that was given...

Day 155.

Before going to bed I recognize some ghastly presence around my world... The enemy is obviously threatened by me so I decide to leave the town. Some time ago, my wife told me that I need to finish with a cabin restoration. And my family will be safer that way. Unrelentingly, the beast is following me to the mountains. Is our conflict inevitable?! Considering the amount of power that could be summoned, leaving the highly-populated area was the best possible option. At least, that is what I believe. After the job is done, I look at the old albums remembering my father. Its almost twenty years since he is gone. Sometimes I do wonder did he know anything about this anomaly. Although, he always seemed so ordinary - just another working man from the suburbs. Of course, if my memories haven't been distorted by this power? And have I fulfilled any of my childhood dreams? Or, am I living in some freakish nightmare. Will I soon wake up from its horrifying embrace?! I believe the creature is a messenger of some construct that hungers from the day it was born. Millenniums ago, when life was abundant, it brought a balance into the universe. But now, the beast has grown and the chains of its powerful jaws are gone. I need to stop it before it reaches the Earth. But, the question is how far will I need to go to achieve that goal?

Day 166.

Little one passed out today. We took her to the hospital, and it seemed it was nothing too serious. But I did feel discomfort for some reason. The doctors said that she could go home tomorrow morning. I studied the processes inside of her body and no anomalies were revealed. On my way out she said the words that momentarily froze me. "Someone is watching me while I practice in the house, papa. It tried to take something from me." A moment later, she fell asleep... There was no point in denying the obvious truth anymore. "Lara, the enemy forced itself onto us for some reason. I will soon respond to its call. I'm still not certain what has caused this change inside of us. I just hope that you'll see it as a gift one day."

" I'll take care of her for a while. You get some rest, will you? " - Sophia said bringing me a cup of coffee.

" I wouldn't mind an eternity spent in carrying out your orders! " - I replied surprising her with the choice of my words.

" Are you OK? Has Lara said something? "

" No, woman! I just wanted to tell you that. Also, many days have passed since I have glorified your existence. "

" Haha. You silly husband! Will you wait for Mark in front of the hospital? You know that he doesn't like places like this..."

" Maybe he should try to be a hero for her little sister once in a while?" - I said more to myself than to my wife.

" Well, be free to repeat those words to your son! God knows we need more heroes these days. " - she responded invoking within me a very strange idea.

As always in situations like this I tried to see Lara's future. And, I was relieved seeing a woman ready to rebuild the world together with her brother. Precognition is something that I needed at this moment. As I wiped away the tears, a mantle rose across my reality and I was pushed into another dimension. A place where there was no life or death. Nothingness. Oblivion. Although, I soon realized that the oblivion had a thirsty eyes and it hungered for anomaly which its servant couldn't take. No fear was present inside of me, only hope - a burning desire to save my family. The beast was attacking me with its ripping claws, trying to erase me from existence. I didn't recognize any intellect within the enemy's body, just a trace of instinct -if that's the right word- which guided it to devour everything that lives. Certainly, it was obvious that only through a release of my power I could stop it. A power I suppressed while I was in my world. Nonetheless, by doing so, I'd never see my family again. Should I sacrifice everything to save the Earth? After all, what are we compared to the whole civilization? Will Sophia ever forgive me...

" As I recall, my husband, you've promised me the eternity itself? I take your words very seriously. You know that!" - she said without using her voice.

I didn't even had enough time to ask her where she was... Because, only a moment after, her most beautiful smile revealed itself next to me. Also, she looked like a force of nature more then ready to answer my call for help. There we stood, engulfed by the silver flames in an unknown dimension, defending all that humanity represents. Even though, we weren't just humans anymore. Unrelentingly, all of our talents spread themselves through the space around us, seeking for a new way to serve us... To protect us. The entity was no longer here, only the infinity of energies that sought the balance in the chaos they were born from. Of course, the balance they found again, returning to the source within our bodies... I believe that no other construct would underestimate the power of my family. And most certainly, we did send a message. In time, I'm sure that somebody will try to respond...

*****

We helped our father to come back... And it seems that mother is much stronger than I previously thought. Protecting the Earth from the undeniable threat is our biggest task at the moment. Overlapping dimensions that we observe each day glow with its blueprints, but we're unable to pinpoint the exact location. My sister is also changing, I see it daily - listening to her observations regarding our broken world. Together, we will definitely succeed. Father has already invoked a change, not just in our family but in the entire civilization. But first, we need to stop the people who are trying to upgrade humans with technology. The key was always inside of us, never in our creations. Now, a new dawn awaits us. And accepting her embrace is the only logical answer. Nothing else will give us the salvation we so desperately need.