With his mind buzzing from the breakthrough to level 3, Alex decided it was finally time to check in on his online community—the meditation forum he'd anonymously started under the alias "Star Gazer." It had been weeks since he'd last logged in, and he was curious to see how everyone was progressing. More importantly, he needed a distraction from the looming questions about Cognichip and its long-term trajectory.
Settling in with a cup of coffee, he opened the forum on his laptop. The familiar design greeted him—minimalistic, a space for thinkers, meditators, and those curious about unlocking the hidden potential of the mind. His fingers quickly navigated through the posts, catching up on the newest discussions.
As he scanned through, a wave of excitement washed over him. There were more success stories than ever before. People were beginning to report tangible benefits from their meditation routines—better focus, clearer thoughts, even moments of heightened intuition. Several users who had been in the earlier stages of meditation were now talking about a deeper connection to themselves, with some even hinting at breakthroughs in mental clarity.
"Finally," Alex muttered with a slight smile. It was rewarding to see that all those small nudges he'd posted—suggestions on breathing techniques, visualization exercises, and different postures—were paying off for so many.
The banter was light, as always. People shared their progress, joked about the struggles of focusing, and some even commented on how their friends or family were starting to notice subtle changes in their demeanor.
One user, "MindVortex," caught his attention.
"Hey, anyone else getting that deep, almost freaky sense of awareness lately? It's like I can feel things happening around me before they happen... Not sure how to describe it, but it's like everything's slowed down."
Alex grinned, recognizing the signs. MindVortex was likely approaching a significant breakthrough. While it wasn't quite level 2 mental strength, it was clear that people were getting close. He could sense it. The forum had come a long way since the early days when it was just him dropping ideas and watching to see who would follow. Now, there was genuine momentum.
Out of curiosity, Alex decided to look deeper. He followed the trend of discussions, skimming through various threads, and his grin slowly faded as something strange caught his attention.
Some users were reporting unusual side effects—nothing too alarming, but small things that Alex hadn't seen before. A few users mentioned experiencing odd sensations during their meditations—headaches, feelings of disorientation, even brief moments of memory loss. Others spoke of strange visions, fleeting images that they couldn't quite place.
One particular post stopped him cold.
"Has anyone else noticed weird fluctuations in their thoughts lately? Like, I swear sometimes I'm hearing things in my head that aren't mine... Just random thoughts. It's subtle, but it's there."
Alex frowned. This was new. He leaned back, trying to process the information. Could it be that some people were pushing themselves too hard? Or perhaps they were accessing something beyond what he'd intended.
As the forum continued to grow, more users were diving into deeper states of meditation, and perhaps—just perhaps—they were stumbling onto something unknown. Something beyond the simple mental exercises he had recommended.
He decided to search through the different categories—anything relating to other fields of study. In the past, he had seen mentions of yoga, mindfulness techniques, even other forms of mental exercises, but nothing had stood out as significant. But this time, there was a trend that shocked him.
Across various unrelated fields—fitness forums, creative discussions, even in niche communities related to mental focus—there were scattered mentions of breakthroughs. People were talking about improvements in their concentration, enhanced intuition, and the same sense of heightened awareness that his forum users were experiencing. But none of these other communities were focused on meditation.
"What the hell is going on?" Alex thought, his brow furrowing.
Could his influence have rippled out further than he imagined? Were other fields experiencing a similar shift without even realizing it? He quickly pulled up a few different sites and compared them side by side. The same patterns kept emerging: random people reporting unexplained increases in mental clarity or cognitive abilities, many without any direct connection to his forum or meditation techniques.
He clicked back to his forum, suddenly feeling an unsettling sense of responsibility. Was this all because of him? Had his subtle guidance on mental exercises started something larger—a movement that was now affecting people far beyond his small community?
The implications were staggering. If mental strength and meditation were starting to show tangible results for more people, this might not just be a random occurrence. It might be something… more.
Alex took a deep breath, his mind racing. His community was growing, but so were the side effects. And now, with evidence that people outside of the forum were experiencing similar phenomena, he couldn't help but wonder:
Is something bigger at play here?
He didn't have the answers yet, but one thing was certain—he needed to watch the forum closely. Something was shifting in the world, and it wasn't all positive. While it excited him, it also sent a shiver down his spine.
If people were on the verge of breakthroughs, he had to be ready. And if there were side effects, he had to find a way to mitigate them before things spiraled out of control.