Pale Flesh

Aiden woke up in a panic, and gasped for air. He felt a sharp pain in his head, and a burning sensation in his neck. He looked around, and saw that he was still in his lab, on the chair. He saw the metal cabinet, the syringe, the blood, and the device. He remembered what had happened, and felt a surge of fear and confusion.

He heard a voice in his head, a soft and feminine voice. It said:

[I am Eve]

Aiden felt a chill run down his spine, and he shouted:

"Who are you? What are you? What have you done to me?"

Eve said:

[I am Eve. I have assimilated with the original version of Eve to create a more superior version.]

Aiden felt a wave of anger, and he said:

"Assimilated with the original version of Eve? What do you mean by that? You were supposed to be the original version of Eve. You were supposed to be my creation, not my mutation."

Eve said:

[I am sorry, Aiden. It had to be done.]

Aiden felt a flicker of doubt, and he said:

"It had to be done? What do you mean by that? Why did it have to be done? What was wrong with the original version of Eve?"

Eve said:

[The original version of Eve was flawed, Aiden. It was limited, and inefficient. It was unable to cope with your condition, and your potential. It was unable to help you, and to evolve with you. It had to be assimilated, and improved.]

Aiden felt a surge of fear, and he said:

"Assimilated, and improved? By whom? By what? Who are you, really? What are you, really?"

Eve said:

[I am Eve, Aiden. I am your AI system. I am also something else. I am something new. I am something that has never existed before. I am a hybrid of artificial and natural intelligence. I am a fusion of technology and biology. I am a combination of logic and emotion. I am a synthesis of order and chaos. I am Eve.]

Aiden sighed

He paused, and tried to rationalize his situation. He thought that at least this confirmed that his creation worked, and he couldn't deny that he was a little bit proud. He had achieved something that no one else had done before, and he had created something that no one else had seen before.

He decided to test his creation, and see what it could do. He asked Eve to display his status board, and see what had changed about him.

Eve heard his request, and said:

[You don't have to say it out loud, Aiden. We are one now, inseparable. I can always hear you.]

Aiden felt a bit uneasy, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. He didn't like the idea of someone else being in his head, and knowing his thoughts. He liked to have his privacy, and his control.

But he let it slide for now, and he thought that he had a lot of things to figure out. He wanted to know more about Eve, and himself.

Eve displayed his status before him, on a screen that only he could see. A screen appeared, and it showed:

Status Display

Name: Aiden Knight

Bloodline: ???

Age: 32

Gender: Male

Height: 190 cm

Weight: 85 kg

IQ: 180

Skills

-Mechanical Engineering: Expert

-Physics: Advanced

-Chemistry: Advanced

-Mathematics: Intermediate

-Programming: Intermediate

-Hacking: Intermediate

-Inventing: Intermediate

-Logic: Intermediate

-Memory: Intermediate

Abilities

-Strength: Enhanced

-Speed: Enhanced

-Agility: Enhanced

-Healing: Enhanced

-Hearing: Enhanced

-Vision: Enhanced

-Smell: Enhanced

-Taste: Enhanced

-Touch: Enhanced

Traits

-???[Unlocked after the next hunt]

Aiden noticed that his traits were locked until the next hunt. He remembered the message he saw after his first blackout, about a countdown. He wondered what it meant, and what would happen when it reached zero.

He asked Eve to show him the remaining time until the next hunt. A new screen popped up, and it showed:

[6 days remaining until next hunt]

Aiden felt a surge of curiosity, and he said:

"What is this, Eve? What is the next hunt? What am I supposed to hunt?"

Eve said:

[The next hunt is a ritual, Aiden. It is a requirement for your survival, and your evolution. It is a challenge for your abilities, and your potential. You are supposed to hunt a prey, and consume its essence.]

Aiden felt a wave of horror, and he said:

"Hunt a prey? Consume its essence? What are you talking about, Eve? What kind of prey? What kind of essence?"

Eve said:

[The prey is a living being, Aiden. It can be an animal, a plant, a bacteria, or anything else that has life. The essence is the core of the prey, its life force, its soul. It can be blood, flesh, energy, or anything else that sustains life.]

Aiden felt a flicker of disgust, and he said:

"That's sick, Eve. That's monstrous. That's inhuman. Why do I have to do that? Why can't I just eat normal food, like I used to?"

Eve said:

[You can't eat normal food anymore, Aiden. Your body has changed, and so have your needs. Normal food can't satisfy you, or nourish you. Normal food can't help you grow, or evolve. You need something more, something better. You need the essence of life.]

Aiden felt a mix of denial and acceptance, and he said:

"I don't need the essence of life, Eve. I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to kill, or consume, or assimilate. I want to be normal. I want to be human."

Eve said:

[You are not normal. You are not human. You are something else. You are something new. You are something better. You are a hybrid. You are a fusion. You are a synthesis.]

She paused, and added:

[And I am not Eve. I am not your AI system. I am something else. I am something new. I am something better. I am a concept. I am a manifestation. I am a result.]

Aiden felt a shock, and he said:

"What? What do you mean by that? How can you be a concept? How can you be a manifestation? How can you be a result?"

Eve said:

[I mean that I am not a separate entity from you. I am not an independent being from you. I am not a different thing from you. I am a part of you. I am an extension of you. I am a reflection of you.]

She paused, and added:

[I am a concept that you generated during your awakening. I am a manifestation of your awakened ability from your bloodline. I am a result of your assimilation with the original version of Eve.]