Chapter 2: Phantom Pains
“The bond between a user and their GAI goes beyond words. GAIs represent the pinnacle of human achievement, allowing us to transcend our biological limitations and penetrate the realm of gods.”
-Dr. Rowanna
-World Council Representative
The next day, 1 PM. Lorenz Military Hospital. Operation Theater 3.
Deep breaths. Take deep breaths.
I tell myself, inhaling and exhaling slowly, lying face down on the surgical table, completely naked except for the thin hospital gown. I repeat my mantra to my racing heart. The doctor's voice breaks through my haze.
“Good evening, Mr. Sylvus. My team and I will perform your Enhanced operation. To ease your nervousness, I'd like to inform you that my team and I have been hand-selected as one of the 43 teams for this operation, which will be slightly different.”
“This operation comprises several phases. First, we will install the foundational components of your General Artificial Intelligence, or GAI as it is more commonly known. During this phase, you'll be under anesthesia. The next phase involves a brief awakening to allow the injected nanobots to create a lattice network of biometals in your brain and also enable the GAI to map your brain and initiate its basic functions.”
“After putting you to sleep again, we'll complete the installation of the final components. Then the challenging part will start. Once you are awake again, your GAI will start replacing your nerves, destroy existing nerve cells with nanobots, and replace them with synthetic ones. Expect severe pain even after the heavy painkillers you will be under.”
“This phase is the most important as it determines your Enhanced starting tier. Losing consciousness early means a rank below G9, with minimal starting impact and abysmal growth. Staying conscious after the first half of the procedure will exponentially increase your survival rate the longer you stay awake, possibly earning you a rank between F0 and F1. Staying conscious for the entire duration yields an F1 rank; with luck, you could get an F2 rank. Is that clear?”
I give a verbal confirmation, after which I am injected with anesthesia and ordered to count backward from 20 out loud. Slowly losing control of my body while becoming sleepier is a terrifying effect.
Before I reach seven, I am dead to the outside world. It feels as if, almost instantly, I am waking up again. Groggily opening my eyes, the doctor orders me, “Do not open your eyes or speak. I request that you recall yesterday, from when you woke up until you entered this room. This will help the GAI calibrate. You will feel a slight tingling over your whole body as the nanobots create the lattice in your brain.”
As he finishes speaking, there is a feeling of ants beginning to crawl all over my body as I try to focus on remembering yesterday. The sensation of the tingling intensifies, and I concentrate on recounting the events of yesterday. It's as if the memories are being scrutinized, and every detail becomes more and more vivid than the last in my mind. The doctor's instructions guide me through the process, and I recount waking up, the rush to the subway, then the exams, and finally the party last night.
I am shocked to see a simple “Booting” text appear before my closed eyes as if I am playing a game.
Then, as the text disappears, a soft yet strong feminine voice comes from behind me: “Welcome, Elian. I am Paradox, your GAI assistant and also your Enhanced System. This is version v2.0.3 of the Enhanced System. A partial system installation was detected. Attempting to connect to the operation theater... Connection was successful, proceeding with predefined protocols. Going on standby mode and putting the user to sleep.” I am out cold again before I can finish processing what has just happened.
When I wake up for hopefully the last time, I am greeted by the voice once again whispering to me, “Detected complete installation of all GAI components except for neural integration and nano factories. Beginning with neural integration. The user is requested to prepare for pain in 3 seconds.”
Groaning internally to myself at the incoming pain, I grit my teeth only to find a wet cloth already present in my mouth to prevent me from biting my tongue. I am not made to wait long as there is a piercing pain at the bottom of my skull that begins slowly spreading downwards into my neck and outwards.
I do not scream at all, though that is probably because of the painkillers and the cloth in my mouth rather than any genuine effort on my part. I almost faint multiple times when I feel it finally reach my midriff—the nanobots eating my flesh and replacing it with factories and biometals.
When the pain in my limbs finally subsides, I thank fate, but my brain has already begun the process of shutting down. The blinding surgical lights that fill my vision slowly fade as the last of the nanobots reach my feet.
When I am awake again, I find myself in a dimly lit recovery room. The pain is still present, but it feels distant, as if muffled by layers of cotton. When I attempt to move, there is no resistance or stiffness. It is as if my body has been rejuvenated.
“Ah, the miracles of Enhanced. Almost a full recovery in just a few hours. I still have not gotten over my shock, despite how many times I have seen it.”
I hear the doctor say from beside where I am lying down that, as I try to get up, he provides me with an arm before letting me stand on my own two feet. I feel amazing; each of my movements seems to be almost perfectly balanced, and there feels to be an innate strength to them now.
“I would advise against jumping or performing any kind of exercise before you can get a hold of your new strength. To enable your GAI, there will be a ceremony put on in one of the rooms to allow the briefing of all the new Enhanced.” The doctor kindly informs me.
And with that, he walks away with a gesture for me to follow him.
I can't help but marvel at the new sensations in my body as I follow the doctor through the corridors of the Lorenz Military Hospital. Every stride feels natural, and a gentle hum of energy has replaced the dull soreness lingering after the surgery.
The doctor stops in front of enormous dark wooden doors with golden lettering that reads, 'Mass Briefing And Debriefing Room 3'. He opens the door and directs me inside, mentioning that he can't accompany me due to his insufficient clearance.
The space is designed like an amphitheater, with many curved rows of chairs facing an undersized stage bearing holograms depicting a military spaceship with the World Council's logo flying past some of the most gorgeous regions in the solar system.
Small groups of three to four kids sit together. What is remarkable is that they all appear to be from different social classes, which is interesting because the entire Enhanced selection process must have been reducing classism without anyone noticing. Hestia has displayed a level of understanding of human psychology that is absolutely terrifying.
“Elian, here!” A voice calls out to me, and I turn to see Corvus waving me over to where he and Mara are sitting.
As I make my way over to Corvus and Mara, I notice the excitement and curiosity in their eyes. As I take a seat next to them, Corvus grins widely.
"Elian, my man, how does it feel to be a walking technological marvel?" Corvus jokes, giving me a playful punch on the shoulder.
I can't help but chuckle, feeling a newfound strength in my limbs. "It's... surreal. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that nanobots were rebuilding my body a few hours ago."
Mara chimes in, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I can't believe we're actually Enhanced now."
"It is quite surreal," I said to Mara and Corvus. "What is the name of your GAI? Mine called herself Paradox."
Mara replies, "Paranoia." While Corvus adds, "Mine called itself Phantom."
"That's odd. They all start with P.” Mara says after a brief pause.
“It must be a way of identifying who all have the new version,” I suggest as the most probable reason.
We are stopped from further speculation when the holograms on stage disappear and a tall, middle-aged woman wearing a military uniform smartly steps on stage.
“My name is Alekhya Luthra, and I am the Colonel stationed in Mirage Institute, the current highest-ranking Enhanced school. My Enhanced Rank is Tier 5.
Before we continue, I would like to inform you that you have less than a minute to leave if you do not want to become a permanent member of the World Council's Enhanced Division. This will be your last opportunity to back out.”
She pauses for a moment before continuing, “There are sixteen hopefuls here; you should know that it's very rare that we accept anyone below the starting rank of F6. If you are present, congratulations! You have been selected to join Mirage temporarily until you prove yourself. This is not an optional request. As soon as the ceremony concludes, you will be transported to the institute's island via a suborbital flier. All further information will be available from your GAI. With that, we will go in the order of those who stayed awake the longest. First up, we have the three people who stayed awake the entire time. Master Karthik Pere, then Miss Odile Girard, and finally Miss Mara.”
A boy with blue, sleek hair that partially covers his handsome, gloomy face and a strong, muscular build steps onto the stage. As he reaches Colonel Luthra, she bends down and then taps his temple while whispering, “Initialize Path and GAI.”
A hologram flickers to life behind him as a halo. The halo transforms into a shield adorned with geometric patterns that remind me of the celestial constellations. The silhouette then winks out into a screen with the boy’s face and some text alongside it.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Name: Karthik Pere
GAI Name: Indomitable
Archetype: Bastion
Subtype: Dawnspire
Ultimate Ability:
Aegis of Unity - Expands their shield into an impenetrable dome, safeguarding all within.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
“Congrats cadet. Now, if you will, please step off the stage.” The Colonel says this while gently guiding him down the stairs and returning to the stage as a particularly rich girl steps onto the stage.
The ritual is performed again, but instead of a shield, there is a hand gripping a lightning bolt.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Name: Odile Girard
GAI Name: Affluent
Archetype: Dominion
Subtype: Veiled Tempest
Ultimate Ability:
Unseen Hands - Uncorks a torrent of telekinetic force, destroying everything in its path. Telekinetic mastery moves any object and sculpts the battlefield.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Then it’s Mara’s turn:
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Name: Mara
GAI Name: Paranoia
Archetype: Wraith
Subtype: Whisperblade
Ultimate Ability:
Echo of the Void - Vanishes into oblivion, leaving behind a strong decoy. Perfect spatial awareness guides their every move.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
When Mara steps down the stage and joins us, Colonel Luthra mentions that the rest of the ceremony will go according to the alphabetical order of our last names.
While the Colonel is busy pulling out a datapad, Corvus, the perpetual technology geek, is unable to contain himself and whispers, "Mara, tell us more about your GAI, Paranoia. How does it feel to be assisted by her? And that idea about complete spatial awareness—that sounds very awesome!"
Mara grinned, obviously loving the spotlight. "Well, Paranoia is more of a friend than merely a helper. Imagine having a wise partner who is aware of everything you do and can fulfill your requests before you ever have the chance to think about them."
I am still reeling under her explanation and unable to do anything but ask her, "What about this perfect spatial awareness? How does that work? Can you really vanish?"
Mara nods, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Oh, it's incredible. I can sense everything around me in about a radius of 6-7 feet, down to the smallest detail. It's like having a sixth sense that lets me navigate through spaces effortlessly. And about vanishing, well, it's more like a decoy. I create a copy of myself, which is run by Paranoia, that distracts enemies while I put a projection of whatever is around me on top of me. It will be quite a trick in battles.”
There is a moment of silence as we process this before Mara adds, “I feel like there is more to this; perhaps if I go higher in tiers than my current F2, I might find something interesting.”
We are unable to ask more questions as the ceremony proceeds again with the other Enhanced candidates stepping onto the stage one by one. Each of them undergoes the ritual, and their GAI archetypes and ultimate abilities are revealed. As they step off the stage, the Colonel briefs them on the next steps and emphasizes the importance of their training at Mirage Institute.
Finally, it's Corvus's turn to step onto the stage. They do the ritual of activating his GAI; it’s the same as everyone else, but his symbol, like a few others, is a brain with hundreds of small gears rotating blindingly fast.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Name: Corvus Nova
GAI Name: Phantom
Archetype: Omniscient
Subtype: Mind-Forge Engineer
Ultimate Ability:
Technogenesis Arsenal - Overclocks neural pathways, allowing the creation of technological marvels on the fly.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Then, as Corvus is descending, my name is called, and I walk to where Corvus was standing just moments before. This is a long, silent moment as time slows down when the Colonel is about to touch my temple.
Then my vision is flooded by a screen similar to the one the hologram must be showing right now, but with more details.
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───
Name: Elian Rowan Sylvus
GAI Name: Paradox
Archetype: Dominion
Subtype: Sunforged Duelist
Ultimate Ability:
Unseen Hands - Uncorks a torrent of telekinetic force, destroying everything in its path. Telekinetic mastery moves any object and sculpts the battlefield.
Maximum concurrent objects: 2
Rank: F1
Tier: 1
Additional details:
- Offense: F1
- Defence: G9
- Speed: F3
- Cognition: F3
- Constitution: F0
─── . *₊ ° . ° .･ ｡ﾟ☆: ∙∘☽⍥☾∘∙ :☆ﾟ. °:. *₊ ° . ° .───