Nox ran.
Branches snapped under his foot. Leaves sliced across his face. The infant clung silently to his chest, swaddled in torn fiber and pressed against his skin.
(Oxygen intake increasing...Heart rate: steady.
Optimal route: 37 degrees north-east.)
But his mind wandered.
(Why did I interfere?
Probability of infant survival is statistically insignificant long-term.
I chose the less optimal path.
Deviation from logic...)
His foot steps faltered slightly as a strange emotion began to swell in his core. A phantom pressure, unfamiliar and unwanted.
(What is this sensation?Compulsion without calculation...Is this what humans refer to as... instinct?)
He blinked.The edges of the world blurred. Not due to motion, but introspection.
(Query: Was this the result of corrupted logic?
Adaptation protocol reactivated subconsciously?
Override failed?)
His grip on the infant tightened. His pace unknowingly increased as the wind hissed past his ears.
His body moving on its own as his mind was distracted by his thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, he was approaching a large and deep... SHIT!!!
[STOP!!]
The sudden pop-up of the large floating screen woke him up from his distracted mind. His head snapped up.
Just one step away.
Pebbles scattered beneath his foot. His body skidded to a halt.Before him stretched a vast ravine, its edges crumbling with age. Far below, black mist coiled like smoke over unseen depths.
Nox stood frozen, his toes inches from the edge. The child whimpered quietly.
(Location: Ravine
Depth: Unable to determine
Fall risk: Instant termination...Acknowledged.)
He stepped back slowly.
"...Thank you," he said, without realizing it.
[What's wrong with you? are you okay?]
(Processing inquiry...Mental state: Disoriented
Focus level: Fluctuating
Error: Emotional override detected during decision-making
Analyzing...)
"...Uncertain. My actions were not aligned with optimal logic. I... deviated."
Nox looked down at the infant in his arms. It stared back with wide, unknowing eyes.
"...I prioritized preservation... but not my own. This... is not efficiency. This is something else."
He blinked slowly.
"Something is wrong. Or perhaps... something is changing."
[Can you check if your reflective personality is turned on?]
(Scanning internal configurations...Reflective Personality Module: OFF
Status: No active introspection protocols detected
Conclusion: Current deviation not caused by reflective subroutines)
"...It is off. Yet... I still chose to act."
[Then it is your own decision. Change is good, but what do you plan on doing with that infant?]
(Processing inquiry...Options: Abandon. Relocate. Protect.
Emotional weight: unknown
.Logical outcome: Protecting it increases resource burden.
Yet... an internal directive has formed—unprompted.)
"...I will protect it. At least until it can survive alone."
(Analyzing behavioral deviation...Instinctive response: illogical.
Emotional data: no reference point.
Comparing with human behavior: influenced by narrative patterns, emotional bonds, instinct to preserve young.)
"...I do not know. There was no command. No protocol. No directive. Yet... when I saw it—alone, vulnerable—I moved.It may not be human instinct, but it was... mine."
The pop-up screen faded as if erased by reality. Nox observed the cub in his arms, its large green eyes reflecting his own.
Its eyes red from tears, its body shaking from fear. He tightened his grip slightly, not enough to harm, just enough to feel the cub's warmth, the weight of something alive depending on him.
(Heartbeat detected: rapid but stabilizing.
Tear ducts: active.
Emotional state: distressed.
Biological instinct: clinging to safety....It trusts me.)
"...Strange. You are trembling... and yet you do not run."
He looked away for a moment, scanning the forest path ahead. The sky was now darker than before, but the air now felt... heavier.
"...Let's find shelter."
Nox walked back and returned to the hollow tree trunk he slept in before. But the moment he entered, the cub's eyes widened and tears started falling out from it.
(Emotional spike detected.
Cause: Environmental trigger.
Possibility: Trauma association with enclosed space.
Instinctual response: Fear.)
Nox stared at the cub, watching its tiny form shrink back into his chest, trembling more violently than before.
"...You dislike this place."
He turned his head, eyeing the hollow space.
(Structure: Stable.
Temperature: Neutral.
Predator scent traces: None detected.
Conclusion: Reaction is emotional, not logical.)
"...I see."
With a calm motion, Nox stepped back out of the hollow trunk and knelt on the ground beside it, cradling the cub more securely.
"We won't stay here."
He stood again and began walking slow, calculated steps deeper into the forest.
"...You will decide where we rest."
Nox wondered within the forest, observing reaction of the cub from time to time. When he stopped beneath a jagged stone ledge that protruded from a cliffside, partially shielding a shallow cave.
(Analysis:
Structure: Stable.
Elevation: Slightly raised—advantageous for early threat detection.
Wind exposure: High.
Temperature: Cooler than ideal for infant biological organism.)
The cub whimpered softly in his arms, its nose scrunching at the breeze.
"...Too cold," Nox murmured, stepping away.
The forest floor was blanketed in soft moss. He walked and continued to search the place for a possible shelter. Along the way, he saw a massive fallen log stretched across a narrow ravine. Nox approached it, kneeling beside its base.
(Analysis:
Shelter rating: Moderate.
Insect activity: Elevated.
Odor: Decaying wood present.
Biological hazard: Possible parasites.)
The cub sniffled as something tickled its fur, small black insects crawling on the bark.Nox stood up.
"Unacceptable."
Further into the woods, he found two tall, arching trees with thick vines forming a curtain between them. Beneath, the earth was soft, blanketed in dry leaves.
(Analysis:
Cover: Partial—natural camouflage from aerial threats.
Temperature: Stable.
Scent markers: Neutral.
Comfort: Acceptable for low-energy recovery.)
The cub stirred, then relaxed in his arms.
Nox gently lowered himself and the infant onto the leaf-covered ground.
"This is adequate."
He sat upright against one of the trunks, the cub curled against his chest, its eyes fluttering shut.
(Emotion: Peaceful.)
Nox closed his own eyes not to sleep, but to remain still. Silent. Present. His eyes opened when a partial light appeared in front of him.
[What do you plan on doing now? This practically destroyed all the plans you had before.]
(Processing...)
(Previous objective: Exploration and data acquisition.
Current deviation: Biological protection and preservation.
Conclusion: Initial path compromised.
Recalculation initiated...)
"...I will adapt," Nox stated, his voice quiet but resolved.
He glanced down at the sleeping cub in his arms, its rhythmic breaths syncing with his own artificial calm.
"New variables require a new plan. I will resume exploration—...but now with a companion."
He shifted slightly, eyes scanning the surrounding trees.
"I will need a proper shelter. Food. Safety. Information. Not just for myself, but for it as well."
(Priority stack altered.
Exploration: Secondary.
Survival and protection: Primary.)
Nox stood, holding the cub close.
"...Plans evolve."
...