It was just a dream.

When Cal regained consciousness, he found himself in the same small room, now dimly lit with the notable absence of patterns. The walls were made of a simple plaster and there were faint hints of dampness in the air, almost tropical. He tried to move but found that his hands and feet were powerless.

He was paralyzed, in a drained sort of way – he could still feel the floor under him. Cal’s heart stilled momentarily before picking up pace dramatically. Panic signaled adrenaline to course through him as he struggled against his invisible shackles.

"Temp, are you there? Sari, can you hear me?" Cal called out; his voice quiet as he assessed his surroundings for enemies.

There was no response, only a heavy silence that hung in the air. Cal strained his ears, hoping to catch even the faintest whisper of a reply, but there was nothing.

He was completely alone.

Desperation gnawed at his insides as he attempted to free himself from utter powerlessness. His mind raced, and his attempts to reach his oversoul were also futile.

In the quiet Cal began searching for any explanation, any clue as to what had happened. Had he fallen into a trap?

As he struggled for what felt like eras, a soft voice broke through the silence. "Cal," it whispered, barely audible yet carrying with it an air of familiarity.

Cal's ferociously beating heart skipped a beat at the sound of the voice.

It was Temp.

A modicum of relief washed over him, mingling with the lingering sense of confusion. "Temp, where are you?" he called out, his voice filled with urgency.

"I am here, Cal," Temp replied, the voice seemingly coming from all directions at once. "But I've lost all sensor capabilities. I will try to recalibrate. Please stand by."

“Wait, Temp!” Cal exclaimed, but only silence remained. “Shit. The fuck are you up to? Abort. Status."

Only silence.

"Goddess be damned. Diagnostic. Calibration.”

Nothing.

Cal reached for his oversoul once more to infuse agility into strength to pick himself up, but it was as if his very essence had been swallowed by a void. He felt as if his soul was adrift in a world without color or sound – untethered to his bloodline.

He knew his soul still existed, but he could draw no power from the Primal. Cal’s weakness pressed down on him like lead, suffocating his every movement.

His soul now lay dormant, a mere flicker of its former self. And with the lost connection, his ability to tap into his bloodline, to harness the unique powers passed down from his ancestors, was as still and lifeless as he was.

As the hour ticked by, Cal's mind continued to race while he lay vulnerable in the empty room.

He started off worrying about potential cultists finding him, but when they didn’t enter the room, he tried to piece together the fragments of information he had gathered. The strange patterns in the room, the humidity in the air, and now Temp's loss of sensor capabilities - it all pointed to one conclusion: he was no longer in New Kansas.

But where were he? And how did he get here?

When willpower could no longer combat Cal’s lacking strength, he fell into slumber.

Cal woke up and strained his senses, trying to pick up clues from his surroundings as his body started responding once more. The room remained still, as if holding its secrets close. The dampness in the air was heavier now. He could almost taste the musty scent of the unknown. He did not know how much time had passed.

"Cal. I have finished updating my sensors. I am now a chair."

"Temp, finally" Cal called out again, his voice edged with frustration. "Give me our status. Where are we?”

“Wait, a chair? What do you mean? The fuck?"

Cal finally could pick himself up. He carefully moved towards the door – still locked. To the side stood Temp, his gaseous metallic form now transformed into a simple wooden chair.

It was a plain and unassuming chair – the same chair that he pulled into the room earlier to serve as a weak blockade.

As Cal moved closer, he noticed the feel of a foreign ambient energy radiating from the chair. It was as if Temp had fused with both the mysterious energy of the room and the strange box, merging with the ancient patterns that pulsed with unknown power.

"It appears we have set off a trap, Cal. I sense the patterns in this room within myself and find that I have been forced into the shape of a chair," Temp's voice resonated from the chair but Cal heard it in his mind.

Temp's tone was filled with uncertainty, uncharacteristic of its AI programming. "I believe those patterns held some unique power. I have a recording of the patterns, but no reference data to extract any meaningful information out of them."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Cal stared at Temp in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing. But there was no time for questions or doubt. They needed to understand their situation and return home. With renewed determination, Cal approached the chair.

As he touched Temp's transformation, a surge of energy pulsed through his fingertips. Coursing through his veins and spreading warmth throughout his body was now a connection, not like his previous bloodline connection for his oversoul. But the bond they shared was strong, and Cal could feel the power emanating from Temp's new form now connected to his soul.

The room suddenly dimmed, drained of its last remnants of power, as if responding to the newly formed connection between Cal and Temp. The walls trembled and the door clicked open just slightly.

Cal withdrew his hand and drew his pistol and dagger as he prepared to engage in battle, but all that awaited were sounds of a forest.

The forest was alive, hinting of chirping of birds, rustling of leaves, and the occasional call of a distant animal. A ray of light entered through the peak. It was likely mid-day. Flowing water could be heard in the distance, its peaceful flow adding to the tranquil symphony.

Cal's eyes widened. Whatever power he and Temp had tapped into clearly affected the room. They were not in New Kansas anymore, that was certain.

Cal took a deep breath, his mind racing with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. He glanced at Temp, who now stood as a chair beside him. They had no choice but to venture into the unknown forest and find answers.

With cautious steps, Cal stepped to the door into the embrace of the lush greenery. The ground at the threshold felt soft and damp. As he looked further into the forest, he couldn't help but notice that the trees seemed to whisper secrets to one another, their leaves rustling in an unheard language.

"Temp, do you have any readings on our location?" Cal asked.

"I am afraid not, Cal," Temp replied, its voice resonating from the chair. "My external sensor capabilities are nonexistent. I do, however, have new-found resolution of the intricacies of your soul. I cannot quite decipher anything, but I do have data on the condition of your body, as I had before. Without anything to compare with, it will remain relative for now."

“Ok Temp. set my current condition as baseline. Do I have to drag you around as a chair?”

“I am unable to change shape, Cal.” Cal reached out to pick up the chair and felt a strange, tingling sensation coursing through his arm as he lifted Temp off the ground. The chair seemed to meld seamlessly with his touch, as if it belonged in his grasp. Cal couldn't deny the comfort he felt holding Temp. Of course, it was partially the feeling of something known amidst the uncertainty of their situation.

"Cal, I will try something - I may be able to shrink." The chair glowed briefly then disappeared. Pain wracked Cal as he felt as if his soul was being shredded - he forcefully resisted, but the pain was overwhelming, engulfing him in a vortex of agony and disorientation.

Despite the searing pain ripping through him, Cal's will remained unyielding against Temp's intrusion. He gritted his teeth, struggling against the overwhelming force trying to access his soul. With a surge of defiance, he pushed back with every ounce of determination he possessed.

Cal’s knees buckled beneath him, sending his body crashing to the ground. His face contorted with pain, tears streaming from the corners of his tightly closed eyes. Bile rose in Cal's throat, the overwhelming pain causing a metallic taste to fill his mouth. Cal's screams echoed through the room, a guttural and raw sound as he fought against the intrusion on his soul.

In that moment of battle within his own essence, Cal had to choose between pain and freedom – he didn’t understand how he knew, but he did know that he could remove this pain by giving something up.

The pain intensified, but his resolve only grew stronger. He would not allow it. He would rather die than allow it. This was the Anu'aris way.

As the agony threatened to consume him entirely, a sudden shift in power dynamics occurred. Temp, sensing Cal's unbreakable spirit and its own misguided approach, altered the intrusion. Instead of forcing its way into Cal's soul, Temp found a way to link itself as a subservient entity, seemingly respecting Cal's autonomy in the process.

The tumultuous storm within Cal subsided, leaving behind a sense of newfound balance.

Foreign sensations began entering Cal’s mind.

Cal coughed out, "What the fuck, Temp! What the hell do you think you’re doing?" The words were gasps of air escaping from a constricted throat, the sounds of vocal cords struggling to regain control.

“In the process of trying to configure my size, I was able to identify a possible solution. I was trying to access your soul, Cal,” Temp responded nonchalantly.

The concept of a link now existed within Cal's own consciousness. “I did not mean to cause you pain. I was attempting to understand our connection and query my privileges in order to assist you in this unfamiliar environment. I assume you felt it as well, the link we share.”

Cal pushed down his anger, and regarded Temp with wariness, "that’s not for you to decide Temp. You follow my orders - you can't go on doing whatever the fuck you want! I don’t even understand why you brought that damn box along with us - I left it back there on purpose." his piercing blue eyes searching for reason or deception in the newfound soul link with Temp.

“Who knows where in damnation we are now!”

The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, the whisper of the trees falling silent in anticipation.

"I understand now that I was exceeding my boundaries, Cal," Temp replied, its voice more subdued than before. The transformation into a chair had somehow shifted the AIs central programming. "I was attempting to understand the link between us, but I see that my actions caused you undue pain. I apologize for overstepping."

An apology from the AI was unexpected, but it seems that Temp was now more than just an AI. For starters, it was now a chair and perhaps also the only link to understanding the patterns that brought him here.

Cal breathed out, still recovering from the wounds on his soul, and still on guard.

Cal could sense a genuine remorse in the AI's words through their new connection. The air around them felt heavy with tension, as if the very essence of the forest was waiting for Cal's response.

Cal finally said, his voice firm yet laced with a hint of caution. "I am in control here. As an AI, you're here to assist me. Not take liberties. Especially. In my soul."

Temp acquiesced, the link to his soul shimmering slightly as if in acknowledgment. "Understood, Cal. I will follow."

Breathing out again, "what did you find?"

As if a flood of information was being funneled into his thoughts, Temp’s thoughts were made clear. Temp clarified that it was now under the control of Cal as a subordinate, and although Temp gained access to Cal's soul, there were indeed limitations on its actions. Temp remained unable to read Cal's thoughts independently and was also unable to interfere with Cal's free will.

After digesting, Cal put his thoughts of the aberrant AI aside for the moment and focused on the necessities of survival.

Every movement felt like a great weight being lifted, as if each muscle was struggling against the very gravity of the earth itself. Cal turned his attention to his own supplies. He quickly inventoried what he had on him: a few rations of dried meat and fruits, a canteen with a few gulps of water left, a small pouch of bandages and survival tools, and his trusty dagger at his side. He also carried his pistol, now useless with his oversoul unreachable.

His last item was his cherished pocket-sized perpetual tuxedo device, able to replicate, expand, and tailor the finest tuxedos to size. For all the right reasons, the presence of the device was a comfort.

He still chose to keep on his light body armor. It did cover his vitals after all.

He rested until Temp informed him that his vigor was back to baseline, and by then it was nearing dusk. As he secured these supplies on his person, Cal knew it was time to survey his surroundings. This may be a place unknown, but in his heart burned the unyielding fire of survival and the unquenchable thirst for answers… or at least water.