A soft notification chimed.
"You're running late, Zen. It's almost time to leave."
He squinted, took a deep breath, and mumbled a reply to the AR glasses on his face.
"Call a car... to the office."
The moment he spoke, a processing sound hummed, and the image of a self-driving cab gradually appeared through the lens of his glasses.
Zen stepped inside. The smart foam seat molded itself perfectly to support his back and shoulders, but his mind was in no shape to start a new day.
"That world... last night's dream..."
He rested his head against the back of the seat, gazing through the window at the towering silver-metal skyscrapers and holographic advertisements floating above the road. The car's ambient sound was set to silent—quiet enough for him to hear his own thoughts.
"What if that was really me... in that world... what would I do next?" "I can't train in martial power anymore... but from the novels I've read, there are other ways, aren't there?"
The thoughts started to spiral in his head.
"Formations? Runes? Sigils? Psychic power? Even that strange doctor with useless hands could open dimensional gates with magic..."
He frowned slightly. "Or maybe I'm just overthinking it... But... it felt too real."
The car came to a stop before the tall, curved glass building of 'Neuralis Core'—one of the world's pioneers in embedded AI technology.
Zen walked through the automatic doors, greeting the voice from his AR glasses, which were synced with the building's internal system.
"Welcome, Zencal, to the AI Operations Center, Neural Prosthetics Division."
He worked on a project named "Eidolon"—an AI system that didn't just respond to commands but could "live with you" like a life partner. It wasn't just about translating languages, opening maps, or searching for information. It had to be an AI that "knows how you feel," "can react without being commanded," and "grows alongside you."
And right now, every company was racing against each other—whoever created an AI that could act as the "user's soul" first... would change the world.
Zen sat down at his usual desk. The Holo-Synth screen, floating in mid-air, activated. But he just stared at it blankly for a moment... before inadvertently mumbling to himself again.
"...If that world really has other ways... if I could understand them enough... maybe I could help 'him'... no, help 'myself'..."
The image of the boy from the dream was still burned into his mind. The blood on his hands, the small, trembling body, the pain he could feel even though it wasn't his own body.
"Sigh... my head hurts. If that were really me, I definitely wouldn't have survived..."
"Hey! Zen!!"
A shout from behind made him jump. His department head—a middle-aged man who still had a fire in his eyes—walked over and tapped lightly on his desk.
"Daily report. How far have you gotten?"
Zen blinked, then slowly turned to answer. "I... I'm experimenting with a new approach, sir."
"...What kind of approach?"
Zen hesitated for a moment before raising a hand to his temple. "I want to try creating an AI that's partially embedded in a specific point of the user's brain. Like what we've seen in..."
"At the temple?" The boss raised an eyebrow. "Like... in those androids?"
"Yes, sir," he nodded. "It might not need an actual chip implanted in the brain. We could probably use our existing AR/NER Synapse wave technology to create a response that feels like a real entity is co-existing with us..."
His boss stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. Whatever approach you take, send me the research proposal. I'll pass it up the chain."
Zen nodded slightly before turning back to his screen. He slowly reached out and activated the prototype model... A glowing blue circle gradually appeared at the temple of the simulated human model.
After work, Zen returned to his apartment and collapsed onto the sofa. The voices in his head never went silent.
"That place I remember... what was it for?" "Formations... there must be some. Formations to ward off beasts, or to create barriers..." "Right... better take a quick shower and get to bed. Tonight... I might get to dream again..."
He showered, got into bed, and set the system to turn off the lights.
"If I dream again... I hope it's the same as before."
A hazy light began to appear at the edge of his vision.
"Yes... this is it... the same place! Did it actually work!?"
But before he could celebrate, his eyes met with emptiness.
"Huh...? That building... where did it go...?" "Is that... a stone courtyard...?"
The place he was familiar with in his old dream seemed to have changed. And in that confusion, he saw him—a young man, staggering right there.
"...Xu Yianzi..."
Suddenly, a torrent of feelings rushed into his head. They weren't his memories... yet he "knew" everything with perfect clarity. The thoughts, the feelings, the pain—as if they were his own.
[Flashback — The Life of Xu Yianzi]
The twelve-year-old boy was being pressured by the clan elders. A cold voice echoed in the reception hall:
"Your son can't even cultivate. He has no talent whatsoever. Why waste that precious herb on him? Give it to someone with talent!"
Xu Yianzi's father clenched his fists, but he couldn't argue. The elder who spoke was powerful in the clan, and the "talented one" he mentioned was his own daughter... who was also Xu Yianzi's fiancée. In the end, he reluctantly handed the herb over, his eyes filled with pain.
That girl—not long after receiving the herb, she successfully awakened her power. And not just any power, but a high-level 'Sacred Fox' spirit. The entire clan threw a grand celebration for her—but there wasn't a single word of thanks for the boy who had sacrificed for it.
Having gained the backing of a major sect, the girl grew arrogant. She turned to her own father, not even trying to hide her words: "Father, you expect me to marry someone as worthless as him? I refuse to accept this engagement any longer."
Those words remained buried in Xu Yianzi's mind to this day.
Time passed, and he was now sixteen. But he looked older, a result of complete self-neglect, letting his life drift away into emptiness. The people of the clan had all but forgotten his name. Even though he was the clan leader's son, no one paid him any mind anymore. Only his peers, who had grown up and joined good sects, had status and fame.
Xu Yianzi... was left with nothing but scars on his heart, and a candlelight of hope that had all but flickered out in his eyes.
Zen, watching from the other side of consciousness, felt like he was drowning.
Pain, anger, and loneliness.
He clenched his fists so hard they shook.
"Why... can't I do anything...?" "Do I just have to watch...?" "Watch him get swallowed up like this?"
He screamed with all his might—though no one could hear him.
"Damn it!! If only I could talk to him... just one word...!"
His voice was lost in the shadows, leaving only the eyes of Xu Yianzi—who looked back with utter emptiness...