The ruins pressed down on Isaac like a heavy weight, their ancient presence suffocating in the silence that followed the activation of the artifact. The whisper still lingered in his mind, its mechanical voice cold and impersonal.
"System activated. Welcome, user."
Isaac staggered back, his breath caught in his throat. His skin prickled as if something unseen had brushed against him. His first instinct was to look at Mira, but she was still staring at the artifact, her eyes wide with awe. She hadn't reacted to the voice. She hadn't heard it.
The realization sent an eerie chill down his spine.
"Isaac?" Mira asked, stepping forward. "What's wrong?"
He forced himself to breathe, to act normal. His pulse hammered in his ears, but he shook his head, trying to suppress the rising panic. "Nothing. Just… that thing. It feels wrong."
Mira's gaze flickered back to the artifact, its dull glow pulsing steadily, almost like a heartbeat. "I know it's strange, but this is proof, Isaac. Proof that the ruins hold something more than just old stone and carvings." She crouched beside it, brushing the dust away from its surface. "I don't think anyone's ever found something like this before."
Isaac barely heard her. His mind was still reeling. The voice had spoken directly to him, and now—
[Initializing…]
The words appeared in his vision, not on the artifact, not in the air, but inside his own head. It was as if they were imprinted onto his very thoughts.
He clenched his jaw, trying to push them away, but they remained. No matter how much he blinked, they hovered in his vision, translucent yet impossible to ignore.
[System calibration: 0%]
Isaac inhaled sharply. He didn't know what was happening, but one thing was clear—Mira had no idea. If she knew, she'd be asking questions, examining him like one of her research projects. He couldn't afford that. Not now.
He turned his attention back to her, swallowing the unease that threatened to consume him. "You think it's safe?"
Mira hesitated, but only for a moment. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "But I need to take it back with me."
Isaac's gut twisted. Something inside him screamed that it was a bad idea. But what could he say? That a voice in his head told him so? That some kind of invisible system had latched onto his mind the moment the artifact was disturbed?
Instead, he sighed. "Fine. But we need to be careful."
Mira grinned, the excitement in her eyes overshadowing any fear. "You won't regret this."
Isaac wasn't so sure.
The journey back to the colony was slower than before. The terrain, cracked and unstable, felt more treacherous in the dim light. Isaac found himself hyperaware of his surroundings, his senses heightened in a way that unsettled him. Every step felt heavier, every sound sharper.
And then, there was the voice.
[Calibration: 5%]
[Warning: Host body stress levels elevated.]
Isaac gritted his teeth. It wasn't just the words appearing in his vision anymore—the voice had returned, mechanical and precise. He did his best to ignore it, but it was like trying to shut out a whisper in the dark.
Mira led the way, carefully navigating the jagged path. She kept glancing down at the artifact, which she had wrapped in cloth and tucked into her satchel. "I'll have to run some tests," she muttered to herself. "Figure out what powers it."
Isaac wasn't sure it needed power. It had activated on its own, hadn't it?
The ground trembled slightly beneath them, a reminder that the planet itself was coming apart. They had no time to waste.
As they neared the colony's perimeter, Isaac spotted the guards stationed near the gate. Their uniforms were wrinkled, their expressions vacant. No one cared about protocol anymore. The inevitable collapse of the system had drained the fight out of them.
They passed through without issue.
Once inside, Mira turned to him. "I need to examine this somewhere private. My place is too exposed."
Isaac exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Then mine."
She blinked. "Are you sure?"
No. He wasn't. But he couldn't risk her running tests somewhere public, drawing attention to something that was now undeniably linked to him.
"Yeah," he said. "Come on."
Isaac's apartment was just as cramped as ever, the faint scent of machine grease and rust lingering in the air. Mira set the artifact down carefully on the workbench, unwrapping it like it was some delicate relic.
Isaac shut the door, his heart pounding. The moment he turned away, the system spoke again.
[Calibration: 12%]
[User vitals stabilizing.]
He clenched his fists. What the hell was this thing doing to him?
Mira didn't notice his tension. She was too engrossed in her discovery. "This material… it's not like anything I've seen before." She traced a finger along the artifact's surface. "It's warm."
Isaac hesitated. "Warm?"
She nodded. "It's generating some kind of energy. But it's not mechanical."
[Calibration: 15%]
Isaac forced himself to stay still.
Mira pulled out a small scanner, running it over the artifact's surface. "No electromagnetic interference," she muttered. "No radio signals. It's like it's… alive."
Isaac exhaled slowly. She was close—closer than he wanted her to be.
He turned away, pretending to check something on his workbench. His hands were shaking. He curled them into fists.
"Why me?" he thought.
As if in response, the system answered.
[User chosen for compatibility.]
The words sent a shiver through him. Compatibility? What did that mean?
[Calibration: 20%]
Isaac swallowed. If this thing was inside his head, what else could it do?
Mira sighed, setting the scanner down. "I need more time. There's too much I don't understand."
Isaac nodded absently. He barely understood any of this himself.
Mira glanced at him. "You okay? You've been quiet."
He forced a smirk. "Just tired."
She studied him for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Me too."
She stretched, rubbing the back of her neck. "I should head out before someone asks questions."
Isaac felt a wave of relief. He needed time—time to figure out what was happening to him.
Mira picked up her satchel but hesitated. "Are you sure you're good?"
"Yeah," he lied. "Go get some rest."
She nodded and left.
The door shut behind her, leaving Isaac alone in the dim light of his apartment.
Silence.
And then—
[Calibration: 25%]
Isaac exhaled. "What the hell do you want?"
The system didn't answer.
But something told him he wouldn't be able to ignore it forever.