The world dissolved. One moment I was lying on the cool, smooth surface of the activation pod, the next I was… nowhere. There was no sensation of movement, no sense of space. Just… nothingness. Then, a flicker. A pinpoint of light in the infinite darkness. It grew, expanding rapidly until it filled my entire field of perception. But it wasn't light as I knew it. It was something else, something… fundamental. Like the raw building blocks of reality itself. What in the hell is happening to me? I thought, a flicker of panic rising in my chest.

  Then, sound. Not a sound I could hear, but a sound I could feel. A vibration that resonated deep within my bones, a hum that seemed to emanate from the very fabric of existence. And then, a voice. Not a voice that spoke to my ears, but a voice that spoke directly to my mind.

  Initializing…

  The voice was cold, sterile, androgynous, devoid of any emotion. It was like a machine speaking, precise and functional.

  System integration commencing…

  The light intensified, morphing into a swirling vortex of colors I’d never seen before. They danced and pulsed, shifting and changing in ways that defied logic. It was beautiful, terrifying, and utterly incomprehensible, all at the same time. Is this… is this what dying feels like?

  Neural interface establishing…

  Sensations flooded my awareness. Not the familiar sensations of touch, taste, smell, sight, or hearing. These were… different. Like phantom limbs, or echoes of senses I’d never possessed. I felt the familiar return of the weight of my body against the pod, the cool air on my skin, the faint scent of ozone. I felt the presence of something else, something… alien, within me.

  Personal System active.

  The voice was still there, cold and mechanical, but now there was something more. A sense of… presence. Like another being sharing my consciousness.

  Diagnostics complete. Systems nominal.

  The swirling vortex of colors began to coalesce, forming shapes and patterns that slowly began to make sense. Glyphs, symbols, words… They overlaid my vision, shimmering and translucent, like a ghostly HUD, returning at the same time as my normal sight.

  [Personal System: Active]

  [User: Jack Rourke]

  [Status: Nominal]

  Welcome, User.

  The words appeared in crisp, white text, hovering just above my line of sight. The voice was still the same voice, but now there was a hint of… something. Not emotion, exactly. More like a… recognition.

  "Hello?" I said aloud, testing if the voice could hear me. Can it read my thoughts? I wondered, trying to project the thought mentally. Nothing happened.

  Auditory and visual communication established.

  The words appeared again, confirming that, yes, the thing was listening.

  "What… what is this?" I said, trying to make sense of the glyphs and symbols that danced across my vision.

  This is your Personal System. A sophisticated AI construct integrated with your neural system. It is designed to assist you in navigating the coming changes to reality.

  "AI? Integrated with my… what?" I asked, feeling a surge of confusion.

  Your Personal System's core hardware resides within you. It is connected to your neural network via nanite-based metamaterials. This allows for direct communication and information transfer.

  "Nanites? Metamaterials?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

  Nanites are microscopic, self-replicating machines. Metamaterials are structures composed of ordinary matter and nanites, arranged in specific patterns to achieve extraordinary properties. They are the basis of the System's – and by extension, your Personal System’s – capabilities.

  "Capabilities?" I asked. "What kind of capabilities?"

  Your Personal System manipulates nanite-based metamaterials to alter the fundamental laws of physics, creating effects that would appear to you as… supernatural.

  "Supernatural?" I asked, a skeptical edge to my voice. "You mean like… magic?"

  The term is imprecise, but functionally adequate.

  "So, you're saying I have… magic now?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the concept.

  Not precisely. You have access to a tool. Your Personal System is the interface. It is the infrastructure built around it that will allow it to perform magic.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "And what can this tool do?" I asked.

  It can provide information, analyze data, and facilitate communication. It can also, with sufficient infrastructure, manipulate the world to an extent -- nanites and metamaterials being the basis by which this manipulation is achieved, as previously described.

  "Infrastructure?" I asked. "What kind of infrastructure?"

  That is currently immaterial. For now, focus on familiarizing yourself with your Personal System, as it must also familiarize itself with you. It will be your constant companion, your guide, and, if you allow it, your teacher.

  I had a hard time understanding this until I realized this would be like having a battle buddy at all time... whether I wanted one or not. But magic!

  Over time, the Personal System will also learn how to read your thoughts, which will make vocal communication unnecessary.

  This one was a harder pill to swallow; reading my mind? I mean, sure, I didn't want to be walking around talking to myself like a madman, but this level of intimacy... is that something I could live with? Well, it's not like I have a choice, I thought to myself. Plus, magic!

  The interface embedded in my vision began to shift and change, displaying information, data, and instructions. It was overwhelming, confusing, and utterly fascinating. At the same time as this mental overload, I felt myself being lifted from the pod, my feet touching the floor. Someone – one of the K'thrrk, I assumed – gently guided me towards what looked like a lounge area, filled with comfortable chairs and couches. I was placed in a seat, and then I was left alone. I barely registered the movement. My entire focus was on the information popping up in my mind, learning the basics of how to interact with this strange new presence. It was like learning a new language, a new way of thinking, a new way of being.

  User interface tutorial initiated.

  The words appeared in my vision, followed by a series of instructions on how to navigate the Personal System's interface. It was like a holographic projection overlaid on my reality, and the tutorial suggested that it would be able to provide all sorts of interesting and useful information... if I could convince it to do so. Which was a problem.

  Actually interacting with it was a matter of either speaking my wishes aloud or poking my hands around inside a projection made by my wristwatch, so that I could "touch" the objects being shown to me. It was not complicated, although I'm sure from the outside it looked like I was either talking to myself or waving my hand in the air at things only I could see. I was aware of this because everyone around me, fifty-five people in all, were all doing the same thing.

  Having finished the tutorial and understood how to really use the thing I was now permanently attached to, I found myself lost. While I was ignoring the world, another group of people had come through the activation, but I counted only eight this time. While my batch was apparently the luckiest, with no activation failures, it appears the seventh took heavier losses.

  Still a ten percent failure rate. I guess, that's just how it's going to be to the end then? A hundred people go in, ninety come out. Like the roman legions being decimated.

  Not everyone had died, of course, I knew that. The aliens' contingencies did hold more often than not, as I had already seen. I couldn't help but wonder how they had fared against the two failures in this latest group. Probably not very well.

  This motivated me to start figuring out what my System could do. Let's start with some easy information gathering.

  "System, how many-- wait, nevermind," I stopped myself as an itch began to scratch at my brain. "I have a better question first of all: what do you want me to call you?"

  This system has no given designation, it replied. It is simply referred to as the default, "System".

  "Well, that's all well and good," I said, "but there's sixty-four people in this room all talking to 'System', it's going to get confusing real quick. Do you want to come up with a name or should I?"

  This system has no capability to choose nomenclature, it stated, robotically. Please supply further input.

  "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes, daddy, please give me a name'." I heard someone laughing at my statement and realized that my one-sided conversation had an audience.

  "You know it can't read your thoughts yet, right?" a woman's voice said, tinged with a slight Korean accent. She was sitting on the couch next to me, her wristwatch interface glowing softly.

  "Yeah, yeah, it told me, I remember," I replied, a sheepish grin spreading across my face. "Just having some fun, I guess. So, uh… any ideas?"

  "For a name?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

  "Yeah, for the System," I replied. "Something… personal, you know?"

  She considered for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Hmm… how about 'Kyma'? It's Greek for 'wave,' and since the System manipulates… well, whatever it manipulates, it seemed appropriate."

  "Kyma," I repeated, testing the word in my mouth. "Not bad. But… I don't know. Doesn't feel quite right."

  She shrugged. "Just a suggestion. I'm Lily Jo. Nice to meet you." She extended a hand, and I shook it.

  "Jack Rourke," I replied. "Likewise."

  We fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, both of us fiddling with our respective wristwatch interfaces. The room buzzed with the murmur of similar conversations, the air thick with a strange mix of apprehension and excitement.

  "So," I said, breaking the silence. "What do you think of all this?"

  Lily looked up, her expression thoughtful. "It's… a lot to take in. I'm a mathematician, not a physicist. All this talk of nanites and metamaterials… it's way over my head."

  "Tell me about it," I chuckled. "I'm a retired Marine. I understand 'shoot' and 'don't shoot.' This… this is something else entirely."

  "But," she continued, a spark of excitement in her eyes, "if it's true… if we really can manipulate reality… the implications are staggering."

  "Staggering is one word for it," I agreed. "Terrifying is another."

  "True," she said, her expression turning serious. "But we don't have a choice, do we? We have to adapt. We have to learn."

  "That's the plan," I said, nodding. "So, about that name…"

  I glanced at the glyphs and symbols still swirling in my vision. What to call this thing? I thought. Something personal, something meaningful…

  Then, it hit me. A name from the past, a name I hadn't spoken in years. A name that still had the power to bring a lump to my throat.

  "Alice," I said, the name slipping out before I could stop it.

  Lily looked at me, a question in her eyes. "Alice? Is that… a reference to something?"

  I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I wanted to explain. But something about Lily's calm demeanor made me feel like I could trust her.

  "It was… it was the name I had picked out for my daughter," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "She… she didn't make it."

  Lily's expression softened. "I'm so sorry, Jack," she said gently.

  "It's okay," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "It was a long time ago."

  Not long enough, I thought to myself.

  "Alice," I said again, this time with more conviction. "Yeah, that'll do."

  Designation accepted. This system will now be referred to as Alice.

  The words appeared in my vision, crisp and white, just like before.

  "Alice it is, then," I said, a faint smile playing on my lips. "Now, Alice," I said aloud, "let's see what you can do."