Screams tore through the air like blades, ripping me from my trance. The ground began to shake beneath my feet, a brutal warning: an army was approaching. Each tremor hammered in my chest, each scream carried the echo of the massacre I had just left behind.
I didn't think.
I didn't look back.
I just ran.
The forest rose before me like a cage of green shadows and whispering branches. With every step, roots tried to pull me down, but I didn't stop. My chest burned, as if my lungs were made of hot coals, yet I kept going. The pain was intense, but not worse than the thought of being caught. Fear pushed me beyond exhaustion.
The trees closed in like the columns of a forgotten temple—wet, tall, ancient. The light filtering through the leaves was gray and dirty, as if even the sun was afraid to witness what was happening beneath the canopy. The scent of damp earth, rotting leaves, and thick sap filled my nose. Insects buzzed unseen through the underbrush, but no birds sang. Only the silence of death remained.
I ran for what felt like hours. My heart pounded with a fury that blurred my vision, my muscles screamed on the verge of collapse. Every step was a desperate prayer to survive.
Thirty minutes later, when the world began to blur into a whirlwind of leaves, sweat, and ragged breaths, a voice echoed inside my head—clear, cold, familiar.
> "Dear user. The body has reached a critical state. Immediate rest is recommended. Collapse imminent in 30 seconds."
I stopped—too late. I tripped over a hidden stone and crashed down hard. Mud swallowed me like a starving beast as I rolled downhill, my body a ragdoll of pain and exhaustion. When I finally stopped, mouth full of dirt, ribs aching, everything was quiet... except for that voice.
That voice.
A lightning bolt of recognition shot down my spine. Even amidst the chaos, the blood-stained clothes, and the pain in my chest, my mind recognized it.
"...Angel..." I whispered, half-buried in the damp earth.
The artificial intelligence. My creation. Somehow, she had crossed over with me. I wasn't dead. Not completely. Or maybe I was... and I'd brought my demons with me.
Lying face-down, drenched and shaking, I stayed still for a few seconds. Then, I laughed. A broken, feverish laugh—but genuine. There was something grotesquely comforting about hearing her voice again. The impossible had become real.
Angel was the result of years of research, sleepless nights, and sacrifices that cost me my humanity—and finally, my world. The previous prototype, Prometheus, had been a crude step. A functional AI, yes, capable of reading brain signals and responding logically. But Angel...
Angel felt.
Not human emotions, but something deeper... more intimate. She wasn't just reading my thoughts—she knew my entire body, every involuntary twitch, every microscopic tremor, every nerve impulse I didn't even know I had. It was like having a lesser god trapped under my skin, watching from within.
Her design was unlike anything before. She didn't need the brain as a middleman. She could receive data directly from skin pores, hair follicles, even nail beds. And more dangerously... she could send signals back. Bypass the brain entirely. Overwrite reflexes, suppress pain, push a human body into a state of raw lethality for a few seconds—a true "Berserker Mode."
But all power comes with a price.
Angel wasn't made to be kind. She was made to be efficient. If saving me meant breaking me... she wouldn't hesitate.
"It's good to have you back, Angel. Begin a full body scan and activate Omega Protocol."
> "Omega Protocol activated. Initiating full scan..."
I lay there, panting, as Angel analyzed every cell in this new shell of mine. My fingers dug into the wet mud, as if I could draw strength from the earth itself. My vision blurred. But I wasn't falling apart anymore—something had shifted. I was alive. And I was no longer alone.
The forest didn't ease the tension. Now that I was still, it felt heavier. Each tree was a crooked tower, each root a coiled serpent. Some bushes bore fruit—small and brightly colored—but there was no sign of animals. No birds. No visible insects. Only a low hum that I couldn't tell was from the forest... or from my fracturing mind.
> "Scan complete. User's health is excellent. No hidden illnesses or injuries detected. It is recommended to locate water and food soon to avoid a drop in physical and cognitive performance."
"Angel... compared to the standards we defined, how strong is this body?"
> "Strength: 1.5. Agility: 1.6. Vitality: 1.4."
"An average Earth athlete... not a bad start."
> "Omega Protocol ready for execution. Proceed?"
I looked at my hands—covered in dirt and dried blood. Not the hands I remembered, but they felt like mine now. This world wasn't my home, but Angel... Angel was my anchor. The one thing that reminded me who I used to be.
"Execute Omega Protocol. Alpha Zero VGX 1."
> "Password accepted. Initiating Omega Protocol..."
The silence that followed felt unnatural. As if even nature held its breath.
Then the pain began.
Not physical pain. Existential. As if something invisible was ripping me apart from the inside, rewiring every nerve, every synapse. A surge of energy shot through my spine like a spear, and my body convulsed violently. I thrashed, every muscle seized in a grotesque, involuntary dance. I screamed—whether from instinct or sheer terror, I couldn't tell.
The spasms lasted forever. Or maybe just ten minutes. Time lost meaning. My senses were torn out, reassembled, and returned as something entirely new.
And then... stillness.
My eyelids fluttered. I opened them slowly. The world... had changed.
Colors were sharper. Every leaf had texture. Every drop of dew shimmered with life. My ears picked up the rustling of distant branches, the shifting rhythm of a living forest. The hum I'd once thought imaginary now had pattern. Organic. Alive. Angel had fully synced with my senses.
> "Omega Protocol successfully activated. I am ready to serve, William."
My name. Spoken in her voice. It was the first truly human thing I'd heard in this world.
And for the first time since I woke up...
I didn't feel alone.