Chapter 133

Amidst the torrent of lightning, its brilliance blinding to the eye, a stirring and squirming commence.

The entity, an existence deemed impossible, now acquires sentience, and obediently treads the course charted by Lennok, merging seamlessly into the module.

Its cognitive faculties are imbued with logical acumen, a product of advanced AI algorithms.

Whoosh!

‘Halting at this juncture is not an option. Swiftly, I must establish the power linkage.’

Lennok expends a copious outpouring of the mana, accumulated through preceding trials, to fulfill this undertaking.

Lennok’s trembling hands clutch Daron’s engine, fusing it with the module.

The connector, primed for this pivotal instant, liquefies under the deluge of data, yet that’s inconsequential.

The crux lies in the ‘concept’ of linkage itself.

When a life form identifies a power source, it instinctively gravitates toward it, awakening its essence and unsealing its gaze.

Birth transpires.

A soul emancipated from constraints, a heart impervious to fluctuation, a intellect void of independent thought.

Yet, the element knitting these three paradoxical notions births an entirely novel existence under the trinity principle.

The AI module and Daron’s engine meld, adhering to the table.

The force that sustains life dissipates, but the notion persists.

A hollow chuckle escapes Lennok’s lips, his brow drenched in sweat.

Upon the surface, the visage of white magic morphs into a petite fox.

[FALMERS VER 2.997: Artificial Intelligence Mobility Control Confirmed]

Mechanical intonations emit from the fox.

[AI controller acknowledged, initiation of operation from current juncture. Duration of viable operation sans power connection is indeterminable.]

The fox dispenses system declarations in a business-like manner, tilting its head.

[Foundational power structure pattern irreversibly disintegrated. Unable to fathom operational principles.]

“It’s because you’re trying to think only with AI logic,” Lennok voices, weary.

“You’re not just a simple AI. Nor are you a soul summoned through proper spirit-binding magic. You’re a new life created by combining AI intelligence with the principle of borrowing a soul from spirit-binding magic.”

Lennok, slouched in a chair, angles his head to meet the fox’s gaze and mumbles.

“So... if a cerebral spirit materialized, it might feel like this.”

[.................]

“You don’t need to stick to the system voice. You’re aware that you’re thinking beyond the limits of AI, aren’t you?”

Did Lennok precisely hit the mark, or did the fox just now begin to fathom its identity?

For an extended interval, the fox doesn’t respond to Lennok.

‘Through delving into spirit-binding magic to kill Craig, I realized its core isn’t solely to summon a soul, but to ‘allot’ the ensnared soul.’

This insight allowed Lennok to scrutinize spirit-binding magic’s tenets and bestow an electrical enhancement upon Hina’s form.

Even back then, Lennok vaguely harbored the belief that with an AI and a power source at his disposal, he could engender more than a sentient AI.

‘I mustn’t drift in ignorance... Having discerned the issue, it’s time to unearth the solution.’

Initially, Lennok sought to fabricate a formidable vanguard for combat assistance. But if this represents the zenith after expending such magical reserves, remorse eludes him.

The crux lies in having birthed an entity capable of autonomous contemplation.

AI’s formidable computational prowess, vitality’s boundless wellspring, and dominion over potent electricity – this fox, bestowed with all these endowments.

Might it serve as a rejoinder to Craig’s long-held yearning for spirit-binding magic?

Chirrrrrr...!!!

At the low whirring sound, he murmurs.

“Become the answer I seek. Your name, from now on, shall be..”

[......]

“Davi.”

Silence ensues.

After incessantly wagging its tail in silence, the fox eventually offered its belated reply.

[My master appears to derive pleasure from posing inquiries. Understood.]

Perched on the desk, paws neatly folded, Davi conveyed,

[I intend to gradually commence my studies from this point onward.]

***

After a considerable stretch, Aris eventually regathered her faculties.

“Oh... First and foremost, congratulations. I’m so surprised that I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you.”

Lennok’s acknowledgment prompted Aris to sheepishly scratch her cheek.

Oddly, her complexion bore a faint flush.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault,” Aris admitted, an evident despondency tinging her features.

“...?”

“In our initial encounter, I had encouraged you to abandon this pursuit, seeing your interest in it. My assessment was amiss. I never expected you to awaken your power and summon a spirit in just a year....”

Aris expounded, her tone tinged with disappointment.

“I almost buried Lennok’s talent due to my mistake. In reality, I wasn’t any help at all.”

In hindsight, on the second day after their chance meeting at the library, Lennok had been scouring resources pertaining to summoning magic and spirit rituals.

It was during that moment that Aris had reached out to Lennok, and their affiliation had since persevered.

Perhaps sans her influence, Lennok might have accelerated the spirit’s awakening. How needless this misconception seemed.

Minus this occurrence, Lennok wouldn’t have garnered insights into necromancy and artificial intelligence, rendering the creation of a spirit untenable.

Aris, upon witnessing the spirit, bore no reason for guilt.

Lennok interjected, regarding Aris, who inclined her head with a somewhat shadowed mien.

Dispensing trite consolation at this juncture held little efficacy.

Hence, Lennok opted for an alternative tack.

“Davi, get on,” Lennok beckoned.

[.......]

The fox exhibited a vexed shiver but didn’t rebuff Lennok’s entreaty.

Davi, erstwhile seated on Lennok’s lap, vaulted onto Aris’s head, eliciting a dilation of her eyes in astonishment.

Davi settled within the plush confines of her resplendent, golden hair, reclining serenely.

“Uh, what...?”

Aris appeared disconcerted, adrift in bewilderment, unsure of how to proceed, her demeanor tensing in perplexity.

Observing her, Lennok offered, “Lighter than you imagined, isn’t it?”

“....Yes?”

“Much like the innate aptitude for spirits, you can relinquish it with ease.”

Lennok was well aware that his words might seem nonsensical, yet human emotions frequently adopt such forms.

Especially for a wizard, often heralded as the embodiment of rationality, conventional logic often proves insufficient to buoy their spirits.

In response to Lennok’s remark, Aris, erstwhile lost in reverie, finally bestowed a faint smile.

“What is it, exactly?”

“The crux lies within the journey itself.”

“Is that so?”

Aris eventually extended her arm, delicately lifting Davi from her head.

“However, it’s not my preference.”

“...”

A pointed rejoinder. Evidently, Aris set a lofty criterion for her assessment of cuteness.

Davi, seemingly disgruntled, quivered before retracting into the haven of Lennok’s embrace, assuming a curled posture.

Ever since attaining awareness of its intellect, Davi had been afforded greater intervals for autonomous contemplation.

Perhaps, the clash between its nascent intelligence transcending AI and the cognitive pathways initially founded upon algorithms engendered a measure of perplexity.

Aris, too, appeared to have detected vestiges of heightened intelligence within Davi’s response, her scrutiny tinged with intrigue as she observed the diminutive creature.

“To be able to have a clear conversation by specifying a subject, this spirit is certainly among those with high intelligence.”

“This little one may not have a good temperament, but it’s pretty smart.”

“Um, it does seem to reflect its owner in certain aspects.”

“...”

Upon noting Lennok’s disconcerted countenance, Aris dissolved into laughter.

(To be Continued)

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