[Date: 6th of July 2036]

[Time: 15:50:46]

[Location: The Maker Institute’s A.I. Integration College, Nekyo - New

Japanese Empire]

The world appeared dark. The darkest it could possibly be. No light, no noise, no nothing. Just purely a black abyss, to which, it consumed anything it could touch and reach. However, this darkness was soon washed and forgotten as a voice seemed to pierce its hard veil to awake anyone within it.

“Arthur? A~Arthur! ARTHORIUS!!”,

The darkness opened, like two curtains being pulled from both, the top and bottom, simultaneously at tremendous speed. Arthur opened his eyes to see a dark wooden texture in front of him. The look of the wood’s grain was so ingrained in his memory, he immediately realised what it was.

He slowly rose his head, from the desk he slept on. A yawn emerged from his mouth, but he made no effort to cover it. He raised his arms, stretching them to their fullest and highest. The muscle being pulled and contracted felt amazing on his over-relaxed body, like the first stretch of the morning.

The feeling seemed to send his senses back into their place, causing him to become fully aware of his surroundings. Once he achieved this, he looked towards the direction from where the voice came.

He turned to his right to see his best friend. A beautiful female.

She had short hair coming down to her neck, except for two locks of hair at the very front of her face, which instead, came down all the way to just above her chest. Her hair was black at its roots, until about halfway down, the black transformed to a deep yet vibrant blue, where the colour reached the hairs’ tips and ends.

Her lips matched her hair, as it possessed the same blue hue. The lipstick glowed in the light, but not as amazingly as her eyes. The sapphire colour gleamed due to the classroom’s overhanging lights, causing them to look like a beautiful ocean trapped in these small circles.

“Dozed off?”,

Arthur asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, clearly. Class is finished. How did you not hear the bell!?”,

Her voice was majestic and yet, a tinge of a chilling cold accompanied her words. It sounded quite youthful, but the small, stone-cold feeling to it, gave her a more mature atmosphere.

“Sorry Belle, were you talking to me or…?”,

Arthur’s voice, however, was the opposite. While his voice was warm and gentle, it had a dark tone to it, like it was being dampened by something. While he -much like her- was only 22, also just like her, he sounded more mature than the average persons of the same age.

“You, okay? You’ve been sleeping a lot in class lately. Our A.I. Ceremony is tomorrow you know?”,

While Belle appeared to sound worried, the childish look on her face showed the opposite, a look of uncaring.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Guess I’ve just been doing too many night contracts”,

“Getting home late then, huh?”,

“Yeah, you could say that…”,

“Well, everyone’s already leaving. Shall we go?”,

When Belle asked this, Arthur looked down towards the exit of the classroom. Indeed, the seats to his front, rear and sides were almost completely empty, and the amounts of students leaving the classroom had soon dwindled.

“Yeah. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria, I need to use the bathroom”,

Arthur hurried his words. He packed his books from the table in front of him, into his black backpack. He placed the bag over his right shoulder and walked towards the stairs to his right, shuffling past Belle and soon enough, walking through the classroom door, onto the main hall.

“Still worried about what A.I. you’ll get huh?”,

Belle spoke softly to herself as she watched him leave. Soon though, she too got up and left the classroom.

Arthur walked into the school hall and pulled out some Bluetooth earphones from his pocket along with his phone. He slotted the earphones in his ears and clicked play on his phone. A heavy beat started to pound his eardrums and with it, a small smile rose from his mouth.

As he walked towards his destination, he passed some girls talking to each other heading his way, a couple making out, some students simply walking to their classrooms, and some students with their hands raised, as if talking to themselves.

He kept walking, not caring for his surroundings, until, just like he wanted, he reached a door with a male stickman sign pinned to the top. He opened the door slowly and took his earphones out, placing them back into his pocket.

As he entered, the door closed behind him automatically and he stood still for a second. He looked around to see if he could see anyone else, but, thankfully for him, he was indeed, alone.

Arthur slowly walked over to a sink to his right and turned the cold water on. He cupped his hands under the tap and water started collecting on his palms. As the water began to fill his hands, he closed his eyes and quickly splashed it onto his face.

He repeated this process thrice.

As the drops of water left on his face slowly ran down his cheeks, he opened his eyes to stare at himself in a mirror.

Straight yet volumed void black hair emerged from the top of his head. His eyes looked like a dead lavender flower, purple matte coloured. Unlike his female friend, it had no gleam to it.

His facial features were refined and young, but his skin had a look of tiredness and stress to it.

“Stop worrying about it already!”,

He whispered to himself with a sorrowful tone.

“Just trust that they'll get you the one you want”,

Arthur sighed heavily. He looked at the still running tap before him, and promptly shut it off. Looking to his right, he pulled to the side and plucked some paper towels from a box on the wall next to the sink.

He started drying his hands, the paper towels soaked in all the water, then, he pressed them against his face, drying his skin. As he finished, he crumbled the towels and threw them in a bin by the door.

He walked towards said door and grabbed the handle. It swung open with little effort from him, and he promptly left the toilet.

After walking for a few minutes, he soon reached the cafeteria hall. Looking inside he noticed it was almost empty, as usual. A few groups were scattered throughout the room, but it was quiet. Or at least it was, until he walked in.

“Yo~ho! ARTHUR! OVER HERE!”,

Belle shouted.

It echoed throughout the cafeteria and all the little groups stopped and stared at both her and the man she called to. While their interest in the matter was gained, they soon returned to looking away.

With his head down, Arthur walked over to her, who was sat in the middle of the room.

He got close to the table and pulled a chair to sit down, facing opposite her. He placed his bag down by his feet, and with a heavy thump, he sat.

*thud*

He took notice of the contents she was eating. A sandwich with a small portion of salad, accompanied by a glass of apple juice. While it was nothing special or even out of the ordinary, for some reason, today, he found it strange to see her eat such a meal.

“You’re embarrassing, you know that?”,

He told her as his body went limp and he rested his head on the table.

“He~he, sorry!”,

She apologised with a cheerful tone and a winking eye.

“Anyway, to business! About this weekend... Am I still cool to pop over to yours?”,

“Huh? Yeah, I guess... My sister shouldn’t be home yet, she’s coming back in 2 weeks or so, so I see no problem. Want me to pick you up?”

Alex replied, asking a question of his own.

“Of course! I love your car!”,

She exclaimed as she gave her answer.

“If you love it that much, get your own. I’m not your chauffeur. You still owe me for the trip to the south”,

“I REFUSE!”,

Belle stated with a powerful voice. When she said that, Arthur couldn’t help but show a confused look.

“Why!?”,

He asked.

While Arthur didn’t really want to listen to the answer, due to him already knowing it, he asked anyway, as if it was a ritual to him.

“If I have my own car, who will drive me to work? Or the city?”,

“You could drive yourself, you know, kind of the point of having your own car?”,

Belle suddenly pointed at Arthur with her right index finger.

“But then we’d spend less time together!”,

“Ugh~~”,

While he sounded annoyed, Arthur was loving the conversation. It was true, while he didn’t want to drive Belle everywhere, he did enjoy the time they spent together. It wasn't bad. Afterall their relationship blossomed thanks to time.

Belle had known Arthur since they were kids. They grew up in the same primary and secondary school, and even now, they attended the same College. While most would agree this wouldn’t be coincidence, it actually was.

Arthur never gave any information as to which schools he’d attend. But somehow, Belle was always there, in the same one.

“Anyway…”,

He said, diverting the conversation back to its original topic. Belle pulled out her phone and opened a timetable,

“Well, I’ll finish work by 8, so, 8:20? Gives me some time to get ready”,

“Alright. What about today? Want to go out for a bit?”,

“Sure. Parents haven't been home for the week, so I’ve been bored at home, all alone”,

“Cool”,

“Hey… school ends tomorrow, you know?”,

Belle suddenly sounded unlike herself. Her voice was lower and carried a little tinge of worry with it.

Arthur, however, didn’t pick this up, well, he didn't visually give a response to it at least.

“Yeah… 4 years already, huh? I bet your finally happy it’s ending!”,

“I don’t know…”,

“Hmm?”,

“Hey… Arthur?”,

“Yeah?”,

“What will you do once this is over? I mean, job wise”,

Arthur placed his right hand up to his chin.

“Hmm… I don’t really know. I could keep going on with my contracts. Maybe even join my sister. I guess it just depends on the Ceremony tomorrow”,

“Yeah… we better be able to do it”,

“Too right! You have no idea the kind of punishment I’d face if my grandmother found out that I came home without making a Connection”,

“Are you worried?”,

Instead of answering her question, Arthur took notice of what she said. The previous statement she made; it didn’t make sense to him.

“Wait... What do you mean by ‘we’?”,

“Huh?”,

“You said ‘we better be able to do it’. Belle, didn’t you reject the offer to do your A.I. Connection for the first two years?”,

Suddenly an awkward smile appeared on Belle’s face. She scratched the side of her head while looking around, doing her best to avoid eye contact.

“Ahh, that! Well… it’s kind of complicated”,

“How so?”,

“Well… Uhh… ah, I didn’t feel like I was old enough yet to get my A.I.!”,

“What?”,

“You know… They're life partners. If I’m going to commit myself to one, I’d rather already have some experience and extra knowledge before I finally install it”,

“Hmm…”,

Arthur felt a bit suspicious about that answer, but he didn’t press further, after all, it made sense.

He stood up and looked down at his phone. He unlocked the screen to check the time, before placing his phone back into his pocket.

“School finishes in an hour and a half, so I’ll go home and grab a shower after that, maybe some rest. I’ll come get you around 7. Sounds good?”,

“Sweet, yeah. See you later tonight then. I got to get to Communication class”,

Belle told him as she got up from her seat.

“Yeah, I got History”,

Replied Arthur.

“I know”,

She cheekily said as she winked at him, Author grabbed his bag before they both walked over to the exit doors of the cafeteria, and separated, Belle going left to a junction at the hall and Alex turning right going back to the classroom he was just in a few minutes before.

As they started walking, he stopped and looked back to see Belle walking away. He didn’t know why, but he felt this would be the last time he would see her for a while. He wished she would turn back just once, just so he could see those eyes again, in case that was true.

But she didn’t, and soon she was out of his view.

He turned back and started walking to class, as he did so, he plugged his earphones in and carried on listening to music.

[Date: 6th of July 2036]

[Time: 17:39:11]

[Location: The Maker Institute’s A.I. Integration College, Nekyo - New

Japanese Empire]

Classes were finished for 9 minutes.

Arthur started walking towards his car in the parking lot outside the school. As he got near, he saw the familiar angular shape of it. The car was a Tavat Gilded, a cross between a hyper car and a saloon. He got it for his 18th birthday from his parents.

The car itself was angular and low in ride height. It sport two doors on either side with slight tint to the windows. The bodywork was purely straight and edged, hardly any curves to speak of. It was a glossy black with red squares ranging in size for vinyl. The rims were just as black as the car with red outlines running across the outside edge of the rim.

He got close to the offside front door and opened it, throwing his bag across the inside of the car onto the passenger seat.

As he did so, he sat down in the driver seat and closed the door behind him. He placed his right hand on the steering wheel, and griped it, feeling every inch of the leather as it made small squeaks echo inside the car. He slowly took out the car keys in his right pocket and placed it in the ignition, turning the key.

Suddenly a loud rumble and roar echoed outside as the pistons turned. His left hand then placed the car into reverse, and he drove backwards out of the parking space.

He then shifted it into drive and the car took off weaving between other cars as he left the lot. The sound of the exhaust rang out on the highly advanced city of Nekyo.

15 minutes later, Arthur pulled up outside his door. To his left was this huge grey and black house.

Almost the entire structure had windows, you could almost call it a glass house. Behind every window, however, was a long black curtain keeping its insides a mystery to any onlooker.

He opened the door of the car and quickly reaching to his left, he grabbed his school bag, stepping out of the vehicle afterwards. He closed the door behind him and clicked the lock button on his key.

Suddenly the car flashed its indicators, telling him the car was locked. He pulled the door handle to confirm and, indeed, it was firmly shut. Arthur then walked around the car and up a small flight of stairs, up to his front entrance.

The door was a deep metal black with a skinny smoked window running from the top of the frame to the bottom. He inserted a small key into a key whole and turned left. The door suddenly clicked unlocked, and Alex pushed it. Swinging it open, he entered the house, right foot first. As he was safely in, the door closed automatically behind him, but he ignored it.

However, his attention was quickly grabbed by something unusual to anyone else entering the house.

Two giant barrels emerged from the ceiling and aimed themselves straight at Arthur’s head. Two red lasers emerging from a small box attached to the barrels, confirmed this.

However, nothing happened.

“Hey Ivy. It’s me”,

The barrels, just as quickly as they emerged, concealed themselves back into the ceiling, returning the entrance to its usual look. A robotic voice then rang out throughout the house.

“Welcome home, Master Arthorius”,

“Good to be home”,

Arthur was about to walk up the black flight of stairs in front of him, but the voice spoke out once more.

“You have a visitor, Master”,

Arthur’s brows shot up in surprise.

“A visitor? You let them in!?”,

As if to answer his question, a familiar sounding voice came from the kitchen to his right.

“Yo~ho!”,

A familiar face to him, suddenly popped out the entrance to the kitchen. Arthur instantly took notice of the flowing golden hair and the devilish purple eyes currently staring at him. The smile the person had was of pure joy and yet it carried a dark secret to itself.

Arthur became even more surprised, even stuttering the name of the person in front of him.

“A-A-Aliza!?”,

As if to confirm the stuttered name, the woman smiled even more before peering fully from the kitchen and walking towards him, taking small yet counted steps.

She was stunning.

A figure to rival that of even the most beautiful models. Skin light and rosy. Golden hair as bright and gorgeous as the mineral itself. Her eyes were similar to Arthur’s, but, unlike his own, hers showed vigour and happiness as they gleamed brightly. Even if it was just a false front.

She wore a pure black dress, covering her chest all the way down to her thighs. The dress itself was quite loose, and yet, it did nothing to hide the amazing body she possessed. On her feet, knee high boots, slightly raising her 3 inches higher.

“Hello~”,

She said with a cheerful tone to her voice.

Speaking of which, it was just as graceful as the person it came from. It was the voice of an adult woman, yet any man could easily mistake it for the voice of an Angel.

“W--What are you doing here!? Aren’t you meant to only arrive 2 weeks from now!?”,

“Turns out my mission was simpler than I thought. Fat old bastard never saw it coming. So, I finished it early. And I’ll be honest… I’ve had enough of deserts for a while”,

Arthur couldn’t move. Not only in disbelief, but also, in shock. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her here, he simply just wasn’t expecting her. The bag he carried dropped to the floor as a small smile began creeping up.

Aliza, taking notice of his still surprised face, opened her arms.

“No hug for your older sister?”,

Arthur gave no verbal reply. Instead, a physical one. He quickly grasped her, tightening his arms around her torso with great speed and care. While Aliza was surprised by the strength he used, she paid it no mind, before also hugging him back.

They shared this silent, yet comforting, moment for about a minute before they both backed away from each other.

Aliza took a better look at him. Analysing him from top to bottom, she couldn’t help but let a bigger smile grow on her face.

“My, my. You’ve grown! Look at you! You’ve surpassed me in height”,

“Yeah, you’re tiny now”,

Aliza chuckled.

“Well, let’s not just stand here, come. I’ve made coffee”,

She walked back over to the kitchen and Arthur followed. As he entered the kitchen, Aliza was pouring black coffee into two mugs. A black and a white one. The steam from the still boiling drink rose from the mugs, and as the aroma reached Arthur’s nose, he couldn’t help but blush at the sweet smell.

The kitchen was marvellous. Much like the exterior of the house, it looked modern and sleek. The counter tops were a dark grey marble, while shelves and cupboards were a mix between white and black wood. The floor was a red tile, in shapes of triangles.

“How long has it been since you poured me a mug?”,

Arthur asked as he approached her.

“Hmm…”,

Aliza raised her index finger to her chin.

“I left in December… so… 7 months?”,

“Really been that long?”,

“What? Miss me?”,

While Aliza asked in a jokingly way, Arthur’s answer was very much serious.

“Oh yeah! You have no idea what it’s like living on your own. Cooking and cleaning, God! I hate it! And don’t even get me started on having to wake up by myself!”,

Aliza couldn’t help but laugh. She knew exactly of what he was talking about.

“Come on, let’s sit down. We got plenty of time to catch up”,

As they walked to the living room, Arthur immediately sat down on the black couch to his left. Aliza joined him, sitting close to him.

Much like the kitchen, the living room was also modern and sleek. Black couch which they sat on took most of the room. In front of it, a glass table about 2 metres in length and 1 metre in width. In front of that, hanging on the wall, a 62-inch tv covered most of the wall. Around it, photos in frames of the family, spanning generations.

There were a couple of lights and lamps dotted throughout the room, but they were all turned off.

Aliza then looked Arthur straight in the eyes.

“So? How are things?”,

“Same shit, different day”,

“Come on, I need a little more than that”,

“College is the same. Last day soon. Been doing a couple of contracts from time to time, but I’m getting fewer as the days pass. Mum still only visits at the start of each month, but she’s looking well. No word from dad. It's just like it’s always been”,

“Is that so? How’s your studies?”,

Arthur suddenly froze. It felt as if a drop of sweat started running down the right side of his face and his hand quickly began scratching his hair. He put on a fake smile and replied.

“Well, you know… the same?”,

Aliza sighed.

“Nothing is what you mean, huh?”,

“It’s not like that Liz! I study and study! I do all the practical my teachers recommend me to do, I do overtime study halls. Hell! I’ve even resorted to asking Belle for help!”,

“But…”,

“I just can't understand it”,

Aliza placed her cup on the table in front of her.

“This is your final year, right?”,

“Yeah…”,

“You do know what happens if you don’t Connect to it, right? You’ll never have another chance”,

“Yeah…”,

“So, what’s really stopping you?”,

Arthur also placed his cup down. A saddened look appeared on his face.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to…”,

“That’s it!?”,

Aliza asked with a smile of surprise.

“You don’t get it!”,

Arthur shouted while keeping his eyes planted to the floor.

“You, mother, father, our grandparents. All of them possess or possessed a Perfect Connection. But I… I don’t think I’m capable of one… I tried and tried again the last two years, BUT NOTHING! Not only not a Perfect Connection, but no A.I. at all seems to offer me even a Stable Connection. I've either failed to make one, or I do, but it's too weak”,

Aliza sat still and silent for a moment. She understood her brother’s frustrations more than anybody. She too had to go through the same panic and stress he’s currently going through. So that’s why she decided to give him some ‘advice’. But before that…

“Right! I’m back now. Class is in session!”,

“Huh!?”,

Arthur’s eyes shot up to look at his sister.

“Basics. Go!”,

“Aliza, I don’t thin-“,

“Arthur…”,

Her eyes suddenly began to glow a deathly aura. Her voice became demonic, and her grin gave Arthur a chilling feeling to his spine.

“Basics. Go”,

“W--Where do I start?”,

He stuttered.

“What is an A.I.?”,

“Augmented Integration. A Computer the size of a CPU able to be connected to the Human Brain via the spinal cord”,

“Correct. Their origin?”,

“Created by Dr. Harlow and Sarah Whaller”,

“What date?”,

“27th of August 1977”,

“Correct again. Explain one of many advantages of possessing an A.I.”,

“Umm… A.I., depending on a variable of different conditions, is able to enhance all Human motor and mental functions plus give us an augmented view of our reality”,

“Enhancements such as?”,

“Increased intelligence, faster mental calculations, perfect body harmony, things like that”,

“Well done. What's a Base A.I. classified by?”,

“Their Generation”,

“Correct. Ranging from?”,

“Generation I to Generation X”,

“Correct again. Name me the 10 Chips we may install on our A.I?”,

“There's Lead, Zinc, Bronze, Platinum, Copper, Silver, Gold, Tungsten, Unitium and Ferronium”,

“And... what do they do?”,

“They further increase the A.I.'s capability in a certain field”,

“Well done, Arthur. You have been studying. Alright, just a few more then”,

“Go on…”,

He said with annoyance to his voice.

"How do we Connect to our A.I.?",

"Using Links, a device each person can make or buy and install to ourselves",

“Good. Name 2 conditions for one to be able to successfully obtain a Connection to their A.I.?”,

“One must be between the age of 19 to 22”,

“Explain why?”,

“While the definitive answer has not yet been realised, there is one main theory. That is, this is the age range where the human brain is making its last improvements to itself before reaching it peak value”,

“Correct. Second condition?”,

“Umm… Ugh~~”,

Arthur thought hard. His brain worked overtime, but unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with an answer. Taking notice, Aliza raised her right index, like she was about to answer for him.

“One must have the I:DI/OM Programme installed”,

“Ehh!? Really? I didn’t know that...”,

Arthur exclaimed in shock,

“Yes. That's why all Links already come with them pre-installed”,

“Can you tell me why?”,

“No, I cannot”,

“Why not!?”,

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know myself”,

“Huh...”,

A small silence was shared before both burst into a chuckle for a few seconds. After they both calmed, Aliza spoke.

“One last question then… what A.I. would you like?”,

“Huh?”,

Aliza places a soft smile as she grabbed Arthur’s left hand.

“That’s what you’re struggling with, isn’t it?”,

“How did--“,

“It’s obvious”,

Arthur said nothing. Instead, he simply nodded. Aliza grabbed her cup and took a sip, before leaning back on the couch and looking up to the grey ceiling.

“I was in the same boat. You know, when you were still young, mother and father always expected me to obtain a Perfect Connection with a Gen XIII. It’s family tradition after all. Every single family member possessing our lineage has possessed a Gen XII or above with a Perfect Connection. When mother used to nag and nag about me making sure I’d do everything to obtain that Connection, being the rebellious bitch I am, I ignored everything she said. Afterall, she takes it after grandma. Father however, he’s always been the same. He didn’t care. Father has never been the man to pressure us, which is why I think you prefer him over mother--“,

“It’s not like tha--“,

“You don’t have to worry. I felt the same. It was him that gave me a leg up. While mother kept getting frustrated, father would sneak out with me during the night to secretly teach me in a more ‘physical’ way about getting that Connection. He’s the one that gave me my Gen IX after all”,

Arthur looked at her, then back at the ground.

“Yeah, but he hasn’t helped me at all. I haven't even got an A.I. from him to try”,

“Well, you know he’s busy. I mean, Hell, when was the last time he was home?”,

“3 years ago”,

“Damn! Time sure does fly. But…”,

Arthur looked up at her once more.

“I’m sure he’s fine. After all…”,

Aliza looked at him with a genuine smile.

“He’s our dad”,

“Yeah…”,

They shared a moment of silence between them. Aliza, once more, was the one to speak first.

“I’m going to tell you a little "cheat" on how to get to a Perfect Connection”,

“Ehh? There's such a thing!!?”,

“It was actually dad that told me this, and in the end, it did help. I would have never gotten Cinzeira to be fully synched if not for this”,

“What is it!?”,

Arthur asked with a slight desperation to his voice. Aliza came close. Her mouth was now over his left ear. She appeared to whisper something, and Arthur’s brows shot upwards just as his eyes, blew open.

“You’re kidding!?”,

“Nope. Tomorrow, try it”,

“Liz… I don’t think you understand how hard that’s going to be”,

Aliza suddenly sharpened her eyes.

“You’re able to kill others but you’re unable to do that simple task?”,

Arthur was going to say something, but he stopped himself. Instead, he simply sighed.

“Fine. I’ll try it”,

“Good. Now to change the conversation to something a little less gloomy, how’s Belladonna?”,

“Ahh! Shit! I forgot! I was meant to go meet her”,

He told Aliza as he looked to a clock behind him.

“6:48. Good I still have time”,

Arthur was about to rush off, but the sound of his sister’s voice halted his movement.

“Why not invite her over?”,

“Ah-- are you sure that’s okay?”,

“Sure. I’d like to catch up with her personally. I’ll cook us dinner and everything”,

“Hmm, okay, hold on”,

Arthur reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He scrolled down through his contacts before noticing Belle’s name. He tapped it and then raised the phone up to his right ear. It rang for a few seconds before she finally picked up.

“-Hey Arthur!-”,

While the phone was raised to Arthur’s ear, Aliza could make out a little bit of her voice.

“Hey Belle. Listen, I know we had plans and all—“,

“-Wait. Don’t tell me. You’re cancelling-”,

“Ehh? No! No. The opposite. Instead of us going out, do you want to pop over?”,

“-HU~UH!? REALLY!?-”,

Belle shouted so loudly, Arthur had to distance the phone away from his face, allowing his eardrum to recover a little. Aliza chuckled slightly. She raised her hand to signal Arthur, and successfully, he noticed it.

Aliza then lip synced ‘Don’t tell her about me. Keep it a surprise’.

Arthur nodded.

“Yeah. I thought we could study and chat about tomorrow. I’m kind of nervous to say the least”,

“-Yeah! Sure, I’ll be there in 10-”,

Arthur’s eyebrows raised slightly,

“You don’t need me to pick you up?”,

“-Ahh no. My cousin came to visit, unannounced, so I’ll just get him to take me there-”,

“Alright. See you in 10”,

“-See ya!-”,

She said with a joy to her voice before she hanged up. Arthur lowered his phone and pocketed it. He then looked at his smiling sister.

“So? What’s for dinner?”.

A door knock was heard coming from the entrance. Arthur got up from the stool he sat on, in the kitchen, and then walked over to the door. He slowly lowered the knob to open it, but the door suddenly slammed open. In came Belle, bursting through and hugging her arms around Arthur.

“Hi ya~”,

She said with a smile on her face as she stared up at him.

Much like when Arthur entered the house however, the two giant lasered barrels emerged from the ceiling. Not even paying them visual attention, Belle spoke again.

“Hello to you too Ivy!”,

The cannons, much like before, we’re yielded back into the ceiling before the robotic voice was heard.

“Welcome, Lady Belladonna”,

“Would you relax!?”,

Arthur asked Belle, trying to pry her off him. His effort though, was in vain. Even now, he was extremely surprised by just how strong she was.

“Hee~”,

There was nothing but pure happiness emanating from her face. In fact, Arthur had never seen her so happy. Yes, she was a bit eccentric from time to time, but this wasn’t it. She was genuinely enjoying herself, from a simple hug.

But that soon dissipated.

“Arthur, where do you keep the plates?”,

To Arthur, that voice was instantly recognisable. It was Aliza. However, she did sound unusual. Her voice appeared to be, to put it bluntly, quite younger. While he initially didn’t understand why she decided to ask the question in such a way, he soon got his answer.

He felt Belle’s grip around his neck tighten and a powerful stare looking his way. It was so powerful actually, his internal instincts immediately kicked in, telling him it was ‘dangerous’ to carry on.

Arthur quickly turned to Belle and immediately his eyes burst open. As he stared at Belle’s face, he saw a deathly look in her eyes. The beautiful smile she had just a few seconds ago, was now gone, replaced by an emotionless expression. Her eyes stared harder and harder at him, making him feel evermore uneasy by every second passing.

“Umm… Bell--“,

“Who’s the bitch?”,

She whispered with no emotion to her voice.

“Umm, she’s my--“,

“Shh~, don’t say anything. I’ll found out myself”,

Her arms around his neck slowly loosened, eventually she removed them entirely. Belle straightened herself and, step by step, walked in the direction of the kitchen. Arthur was left behind, simply looking at her back as she made her way.

(Oh boy. You’ve done it now Aliza),

He thought to himself as he started to think the worst.

Belle’s footsteps were slow, yet they seemed heavy, as the sound of her shoes hitting the hard tile, rang out like a loud clock ticking. While the entrance to the kitchen was just a few steps away, it seemed like an eternity, before Belle arrived.

As she peered in, she saw a female’s figure opening a cupboard and trying to reach some glasses at the top. Aliza’s back was turned to Belle, so she couldn’t exactly make out who she was.

Belle stood there at the archway that merged the entrance hall and the kitchen. She stared deeply at the woman before her, but unlike her previous reaction, Belle suddenly had her mouth shot open while her eyes trembled slightly.

Aliza was now facing her fully.

Belle’s mind froze for a second. As she slowly but surely began to recognise the face of the woman before her, her shocked look began turning into a nostalgic one. A massive smile grew on her face and small tears of joy began gathering on her eyes.

Her body jumped into action after realising who it really was.

She ran around the counter in front of her, and with great force, tackled the woman to the floor, giving her a massive hug around her waist.

As the two fell, Belle began to cry.

“Aliza! Aliza! Ali~za!!”,

As Aliza regained her composure after falling to the ground, she looked down at her chest and saw Belle’s face, covered down right with tears. A small smile raised on her lips as she raised her right hand and slowly stroke Belle’s hair.

“Hello, my wonder student. Please don’t wear my name out”,

Alex simply stood there, smiling, as he recalled the old memories between the two of them.

To anyone who didn’t know their little group, this scenario must have been quite confusing. However, to the three of them, this was pure joy. Aliza, 2 years ago, had left the college to which Arthur and Belle currently go.

She had been a part-time teacher there since her early 20s. When Arthur and Belle joined the college, they both got Aliza as their teacher. Arthur and Aliza kept the fact that they were siblings a secret from most of the students and teachers, and Aliza grew close to Belle due to her always hanging out with her younger brother.

On the first year of college, Belle grew more and more passionate towards Aliza. Taking extra classes and studies with her, going over A.I. Theorem, practicing Connections with template A.I.s and sometimes, simply to chat.

On the second year, Arthur moved away from Aliza’s class, but Belle remained. The two grew closer and closer by the day, to the point it wouldn’t be an understatement to say, Aliza had grown closer to Belle than her very own brother.

At the end of the second year, Aliza announced at the ending of the Ceremony that she would be leaving the college. This was not only heart-breaking to some students, but especially cruel to Belle. When she left, Belle had always wanted to see her again, but never got the chance to.

As reality began setting in again, Arthur then started moving towards the still laying down girls.

“Come on Belle. You can catch up properly in a sec. let’s help her out setting the table”,

While Belle didn’t give a verbal response, she nodded and slowly rose from on top of the older woman, helping her up as well, as she did.

The trio then went about sorting everything out for dinner. Arthur and Belle sorted the table like he said, while Aliza finished cooking the food.

The two waited at the living room table, waiting for Arthur’s older sister to bring in whatever she cooked. While Arthur was simply sat there scrolling through his phone, Belle on the other hand, had a happy-go-lucky mood. A giant smile on her face accompanied her lips as she hummed a sweet melody.

“Are you really that happy?”,

Arthur asked, very well knowing the answer.

“Yep! Not only did I get to see her again, but I get to taste her food as well!”,

Belle replied with an upbeat voice.

Arthur gave a small sigh, and as he did, Aliza stepped into the room. She carried a large dish in one hand and a glass tray on the other. When she approached the table, she set them down gently in the middle. The amazing aroma from the larger dish flowed throughout the room, but mainly towards Belle’s nose.

She breathed it in and an even bigger smile rose from her lips, as her cheeks turned rosy as well.

“What’s this?”,

Asked Arthur, not recognising the dish.

“Feijoada”,

Aliza replied,

“Feija--what now?”,

“Feijoada. It’s a common Fatherland dish I learned when I went there for one of my contracts”,

“Hmm”,

Arthur looked at the dishes in front of him. One was simple to discern. The glass dish was split into two sections, one with white rice, while the other had a colourful salad.

The bigger dish however, the one still steaming from the heat, that’s what he didn’t recognise.

The dish was covered in red beans, chorizo and another assorts of meat. There were also some black olives, some diced boiled potatoes, carrots and even some lettuce. All that was piled together in what looked like tomato pulp.

While he defiantly had never seen or heard of the dish, it sure as Hell looked appetising to him. He even began drooling subconsciously.

“Hmm, I kind of wish father was here. I’d like him to taste it”,

Aliza said aloud to herself.

“Yeah, that makes sense, he could put your dish to the test”,

Arthur gave a reply.

Aliza went back into the kitchen and then brought out a black bottle with some red labelling.

“White Wine okay with you Belle?”,

“Of course”,

She answered raising her glass.

Aliza poured the three of them drinks before sitting down. The seating arrangement was Arthur at the end of the table, having Aliza to his right and Belle to his left.

“Well dig in!”,

Using Aliza’s words as conformation, the three started taking food from the dishes to their own plates.

They enjoyed a good night of needed food, a more needed conversation, and a most needed reunion.

Arthur had returned home after dropping Belle off at her house. He walked to the back of the house, to its garden, and saw Aliza sat on a lawn chair outside, looking at the stars.

She was stretched out, completely relaxed, while in one hand holding a glass of wine and the other holding a half-smoked cigarette.

He approached her from behind.

“Mind if I steal one?”,

Aliza took one last puff from the cigarette before handing it over to him.

“Here, finish it”.

Arthur took the cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He then grabbed a chair close to her, sitting down on it to her right. They both enjoyed a moment of silence after the very loud dinner they had.

The stars that twinkled in the night were most beautiful, and the full moon glowed like a firefly in a dark tunnel. Arthur then made some conversation.

“So? How does it feel being back after all this time?”,

Aliza placed down her cup on the floor, after taking a sip. While she kept looking to the night sky, she answered him.

“There’s no place like home”,

“You know, she was extremely happy to see you”,

“Belladonna?”,

“Yeah. Wouldn’t stop talking about you the entire car ride”,

Aliza chuckled.

“She’s a good girl…”,

She then looked to her right, staring deeply into Arthur’s eyes. A small grin rose from her lips as she finished her sentence.

“…Take good care of her”,

“I will”.

Arthur replied.

Another small silent moment was shared between both. Arthur had finished his previous cigarette and now had another one, given to him by Aliza, who now had sparked one up as well.

“Nervous about tomorrow?”

“You have no idea”,

“Well, relax. Stress and anxiety can dampen the chances of getting a strong Connection”,

“I’ll try”,

He replied with a smile.

“How’s Cinzeira?”,

“Pretty good. She’s "asleep" right now. After the mission we had, I promised her I’d let her take the whole week off from being used”,

“Fair enough. How was it?”,

“Egypt? Gorgeous. I think you’d like it. I saw some A.I. while I was there. They’re awesome looking. I met a man who had a Gen III that took the form of a Bipedal Humanoid. Named it Anubis. Looked just like the actual God from the statues”,

“Really? Would such an old A.I. be able to possess such a figure”,

“It’s not uncommon”,

“Hmm…”,

“Have you thought of a name for yours?”,

“Naa. I’ll wait until I see it to give it one”,

“Good choice. Want to know a better one?”,

“Go on”,

“Let it name itself”,

“What do you mean?”,

“There’s a higher chance that your A.I. will create a Perfect Connection if it presents you with a name and you accept it. If you give it one, unwillingly of it's want, the Connection will never reach a Perfect State”,

“Interesting. Can all A.I. talk though?”,

“Yeah. While you can’t hear the voices of other people’s, the owner of it, can. While to others they sound just like static noise, to their owner, they speak their respective language or main tongue”,

“Huh… I didn’t know that”,

“This is why you shouldn’t skip classes. I know why you are doing it, but still, you’ll be at a disadvantage compared to most”,

“Well, I can always pick it up as I go. Besides, you’re a teacher”,

“Was. I was a teacher”,

Arthur looked at Aliza, and she looked back.

“Right. I’m going to get some sleep!”,

Arthur exclaimed.

“Alright”,

“Good night sis”,

He said as he walked back inside the house.

“Good night, Arthur”,

She replied.

A couple of minutes had passed since Arthur had gone from the garden. Aliza had finished her wine and an extra cigarette since Arthur left. While she was still awake, she had her eyes closed. She wanted to make sure she could feel every single slow, cool, breeze coming and going every couple of seconds.

An idea suddenly popped into her head though. She reached towards the table in front of her and grabbed her phone. She unlocked it and contacted someone.

A few seconds passed before the person on the other line picked up.

“Hello?”,

The voice was that of an older gentleman.

“Hey Mr. Orlands, it’s Alizastril Hyuga. Could you do me a favour?”.

[Date: 7th of July 2036]

[Time: 12:58:00]

[Location: The Maker Institute’s A.I. College, New Tokyo - New Japanese

Empire]

The sounds of hundreds of voices rang out throughout the Gymnasium. The gymnasium was a large building located at the college Arthur and Belle attended, and where Aliza had taught as a teacher before.

Entering through the main door, normally where there would hardly be anything in sight and just a pure open hall, was now a place packed with students and teachers.

To the left from the main entrance were seats placed in ascending order from front to back, much like a stadium or theatre. In the middle was a large, square, wooden slab about 5 metres in both length and width and was around 3 metres thick. On top of it was a bunch of electrical equipment along with a super high tech looking chair.

To the right was a long rectangular desk overlooking both students and the slab. Behind said desk were, what looked like, two teachers. They had papers and computers in front of them, but they were simply relaxing, chatting to each other.

The seats in front of them though, were where all the students for the Connection Ceremony sat. There were hundreds of them. More specifically, 323 students in total, ranging from 19 to 22 in age. There was a good mix of both Male and Female, with pretty good diversity between European, American, African and Asian nationalities.

If one tried to make out a single person in particular as they looked towards the centre of the crowd, they would see both Arthur and Belle. You couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but, as usual, Belle was being her loud, eccentric self and Arthur taking the full blunt force.

Suddenly a large bell rang out, announcing that it was 1 o’clock in the afternoon. The second that happened, a teacher sat at her desk, stood up.

“All Rise!”,

She shouted.

The students immediately quietened down and stood like ordered. Their gazes all looked towards one thing, the entrance door to their right. As if on cue, a person stepped through the opened metal door and shutting it behind him.

It was a man. He appeared to be in his late 40s. His hair had no trace of grey, but neither did it look like it had been dyed. He wore a fine grey and white 3-piece suit, with glossy black shoes to boot.

He walked to the front of the desk the teachers were at and looked towards the students. That’s when the teacher that shouted previously, shouted once more.

“Salute!”,

All the students, simultaneously as if it was practiced every day, pounded their hearts with a clenched right hand. Their right arm parallel to their shoulder while their left was straight and pointed downwards.

The sound of them all pounding their chest, sent a loud meaty thump throughout the hall, fully silencing everyone.

The gentleman then spoke.

“Good afternoon, everyone”,

The students then spoke as if to answer their commander in chief.

“Good afternoon, Headmaster!”,

“Please be seated”,

While all the students and teachers all sat down, the man remained stood.

“I’d like to welcome all--“,

The beginning of his speech was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the entrance door opening, furiously.

In came a student, out of breath from clearly running. He took two breaths before standing straight and saluting the Headmaster before him.

“Sorry I’m late Headmaster!”,

While all the students were surprised and staring, Arthur and Belle were especially surprised.

“Hey Arthur, it’s Hikaru!”,

Belle whispered to him.

“Yeah, I can see that! I thought he’d miss it. Why’s he so late?”,

He whispered back.

“Mr Hikaru Arakan, how lovely of you to join us”,

The Headmaster spoke.

“I apologise for my time mismanagement sir!”,

“It’s fine. Take a seat”,

The minute the man said that, Hikaru looked towards the seats. While there were some seats available here and there, he instantly gained sight of one he preferred. Particularly, one next to a girl currently waving her hands and pointing to the seat next to her.

Hikaru took notice and ran up the side stairs, before shuffling along students to get to it.

As he took the seat the girl pointed to, Belle instantly whispered.

“We thought you’d miss it!”,

“Yeah sorry. Mum held me up with all her crying and hugging. Hey Arthur!”,

Hikaru whispered back and giving a small wave to his friend.

“Hey Hikaru”,

Arthur replied.

Two coughs from the Headmaster then silenced the trio.

“As I was saying, I’d like to welcome you all to the Connection End of Year Ceremony. To some of you this will be their first time, to others, it’ll be their last. However! While I’d be more than happy to give you all a speech today, we have a very special guest to do that for me”,

The students became confused.

The Headmaster then looked towards the door. Everyone else stared as well. A few seconds passed before it finally and slowly opened. The person that walked through shot, no, blew, Arthur’s and Belle’s eyes open. And it wasn’t just them either.

Students dotted all around had their eyes and mouths wide open, in both surprise and unbelievability.

“To the ones who already know who she is, close your mouths. To the ones who don’t…”,

The woman approached the Headmaster and faced the students. She pounded her heart much like the people before her and placed a smile on her lips.

“This is Alizastril Ynha-El Hyuga. She is a Holder of a Generation IX and used to be both a student and teacher at this college”,

Aliza lowered her arm back down.

“She will be, not only watching your Connections with me and the other teachers, but she will also, for the lucky few, offer a chance of a lifetime. Miss Hyuga, if you may”,

Aliza nodded to the Headmaster. She then spoke to the students before her. Before she spoke however, she noticed Belle’s hands sneakily waving her a hello, and Aliza smiled even more.

“Hello students. As the Headmaster said, I am Alizastril Hyuga, but you may call me Aliza. Now down to business. I won’t mince words. I won’t lie to you, but neither will I soften the harsh truths…Not all of you will obtain a Connection today!”,

The minute her audience heard that, an unsettling feeling befell most of them.

“While this is common knowledge, it must be said. Some will walk away from here with smiles and tears of joy. Some will leave with frowns and tears of frustration. Very few, will leave with great power, but, even fewer, will leave giving up. The world that each of you will enter, will be very different, not only to the world we live in, but to each other’s. You may enter the luscious gardens of the Heavens, just as you may enter the coldest parts of Hell itself. Each and every single one of you will experience something different compared to the next. But while your destinations may vary, everyone’s goal is the one and the same. To obtain their Connection with their A.I.

Looking up at you, I can recognise a few that I have taught in the past. And while my heart warms to see all of you again, I will not mince words. To any of you. Failure is not only an option, but it will also be certainty! Unless… you focus! Once you enter Mother’s Soul, everything will be out to get you. There will be monsters, there will be people, but most importantly, there will be a visualization of your very fears, very frustrations and hatreds and pains and sorrows, that all of you have felt. The world you will enter, will be the visualisation, of what you are, of what you were, and of what you can become. And this doesn’t mean the purest of souls will enter paradise, just as the ones who have thrown it away, will not necessarily enter a personal Hell. I want you to do me a favour. Look to the person to your right…”,

The students followed her order.

“Now to your left…”,

Once again, they followed the order.

“Look at how different they are compared to you. Not only sex, nationality and colour, but even the minute details. Look at the freckles on their cheeks, the colour of their eyes, the length and volume of their hair, their muscle, their veins. Every single one of you is inheritably different. Just like your A.I. Now think about something. Think of the person you love the most. The person you know who works the hardest. Who tries their best at something and everything they do or will do. The person that makes you smile. The person that makes you laugh. Imagine that person, walked away with nothing, while you walked, shadowed by power comparative to Gods. Would you believe that’s fair? Would you believe that that person deserved nothing, compared to you? What would you think? What would you feel? What would you say?...”,

While the speech was being directed at every single student before her, her speech was actually being aimed at one man. And he knew it.

“Let me tell you what you should do. Nothing!”,

Every single student grew more and more uneasy. But this was Aliza’s aim.

“You should do nothing! You will do nothing! I look at you all and see weaklings, ready to bow like trained dogs before a bone. But I also see that you are ready to challenge that fact!”,

Aliza’s voice grew louder and more assertive, as if to inspire them.

“You have spent hours studying. Memorising and training for this very moment. The fact that you are here is alone the testament to how committed you are! Your A.I. is not for those around you. Your A.I. is for you. Discard any thoughts you have about the successes the others may have and concentrate only on yourself. You are in this alone! And the only partner you will have from now on, is your A.I. So focus on nothing but it, and I assure you, they will return the favour”.

Aliza finished her speech, but the gymnasium was left speechless. Silence fell before the large hall, but, unexpectedly, it was interrupted.

Clapping. A single pair of hands began to clap. Who’s anyone might ask? Her very brother’s.

Arthur clapped a good, fast paced, beat. Belle, seeing him do this, placed a smile on her face and began clapping as well. Hikaru joined the duo, and soon enough, the whole crowd.

Aliza raised a smile and saluted, pounding her heart as hard as she could. She then turned and walked over to a chair next to the Headmaster, who now sat at the desk the two other teachers sat at.

As she sat, Headmaster Orlands stood. The students fell silent, awaiting their leader’s voice.

“We will begin in order of registry”.