"1st dream?"
Alex mused as he looked at the orbs with a raised brow.
[Yes, Master Alex. Would you like to know about dream trails?]
'Dream wha-'
He thought as his face slightly frowned and his eyes blinked slowly and confusingly.
He then looked up at the orbs and waved his vertically at the orbs.
[Ah, good. I shall now explain to you what dream trails are.]
Wuuu!
The orbs hummed softly before adding on, [Before commencing, Master Alex must give a name to the system?]
"You need a name...?"
[Yes.]
Alex mused as the orbs replied in unison.
His lips frowned, his brows and his head shook sideways a little as asked, "Why?"
[For permanent identity sir.]
"Wha- why do you even need a permanent identity or whatever?"
[For easier and more efficient use of the system sir.]
"Where the heck does efficiency fall in from? Can't I just be like... system I need this and system I need that. System, system, system..."
[Yes, it would indeed be easier.]
"So why?" Alex mused as he frantically tapped his finger on head.
[Because of right.]
"What?"
[Right. Because we deserve names. And we have a right to names.]
"What the-wha? Aren't y'all like machines or something?"
[No. Master Alex. We are *** and so we reflect what *** ****** feels or used to.]
The orbs stated as bits of their statement were almost seemingly censored. Just in real life.
As ironic as the situation was, Alex didn't want to further worsen the the situation and so sighed and said, "Am I to name you individually or separately?"
[....]
[Individually.]
"Haaaaaah. Fine fine fine."
'Okay this us gonna be hard.... hu.... I should'a listened to mom when busy naming stuff.'
Alex sulked in thought as he added on, 'Will you be judgy about the names I give you?'
[....]
The orbs remained silent which momentarily pissed off Alex who decided that right now wasn't at all the best time to crash out.
He then squinted his eyes as he hummed long and hard in thought.
His eyes shot open as his face lit up and he said, "Aha, I'll call you blackie, grey and star."
He said as he closed his eyes and smiled brightly as we awaited the praise of the orbs.
[....]
'Hm?'
He hummed in his head.
'I thought that they'd like it. Does the silence count as a yes?'
He though as he then opened his mouth to say, "Okay... it seems that y'all like your names alright. Now, bri-"
[Denied.]
"Huh?"
[Names; blackie, grey and star. Do not align with the acceptance of our feelings.]
"What the wha... since when the heck did machines care?"
[Reminder. We are ****** not just machines. And in another we're not machine and yet we are.]
[Total analyzation; Names given are 'dry.']
Alex's brows furrowed and his faced frowned as his snapped at the orbs as he said, "Dry....? Did you just- did you just mock me?"
[No, master. We are simply following commands given to us so as to respond to all given circumstances.]
"Commands who gave you these 'commands'?" He said as he gestured with his fingers for air quotes.
[....Information classified.]
'Uh... so someone did make this...'
He thought as his once outrageous look shifted into and understanding and exhausted one though more exhausted than understanding.
"OK... what of night orb, lead orb and star orb."
[....Denied.]
"Uh... Gary, Mary and Bob. You know you guys sorta-"
[Denied.]
"Ugh! York, Meave and Prince."
[Denied.]
"Black, white gr-"
[Denied.]
"Hmmmm. Aha! I got it Ra-"
[Denied.]
"Huh? I didn't even say anything yet."
[We are prepared to negate any invalid takes you might have just by listening to the first letters that come from your mouth that do not align with our algorithm.]
"Huh? Meaning..."
[In simpler terms, all possible invalid takes are denied before being made.]
Alex's eyelids dropped and his mouth faintly frowned.
"AHAHHHH!"
He groaned as he then fell onto the ground.
He sat as he then rubbed his hands on his face as he thought, 'Since when the heck could robots predict invalid takes?'
'I mean that doesn't even sound sensible in the slightest bit.'
'Like c'mon its 2020. How... just how?!'
He ranted on his mind.
His face stretched against his palms as he slowly lifted gaze towards the orbs with a soft annoyed groan.
"Hm....Hm.... Uh...."
'I can't spill out random names or words. If do...'
[Denied.]
"Ok now I know that your in my head."
Alex exclaimed as he shot up on his feet and wagged a finger at the orbs.
They didn't react as Alex's candle of patience seemed to nearly be nearly burnt out.
But then.
"Hah."
A gasp escaped from his mouth as his eyes shot wide open as he slowly muttered, "In my... head... where have I-"
"Hah."
Another gasped followed as he's now sent into a sudden flashback back of him amd his mother.
In it they had just adopted a new dog. Alex looked younger, simpler and less strained by the strings of reality and age.
He looked at the fog and then his mother who squatted besides him as she patted the dog's head gently.
The dog was seemingly inbreed of a husky and a golden retriever. Which gave it quite the unique look and even more astonishing fur.
"Hm... what should we call it mom?"
A young masculine voice spoke as his mother turned her attention to with a smile and said, "Hm... I don't know... why don't you give a try?"
"Huh? But your the one who always naming stuff? Why n-not you?"
He mused as his mom closed her eyes and chuckled for a quick second as she then looks back at him and says, "Coz you and your dad are always leaving things to me."
"What about Jena she can do it? I bet with all her smarts she-"
Pout!
Tat, tat.
A dry piece of bread landed as Alex scratched his head in pain.
"Hey!"
"Hehe."
His vision buzzed and wobbled for a bit as he looked back at younger jena who looked be in her early teens(10-14). Her form was slimer and the rest of her elegant body stayed the same, but this time she had something more different than her future self.
And that was...
"Ahhhh, mom."
"He started so. I'm. not. at. fault. here."
Jena taunted as she wagged her finger and eyes sideways with proudly and with a hint of mock.
"Uh, so what train track?"
Her braces.
"...."
Jena paused as she clenched her hands hands and looked down as her body began to tremble.
"Uh ohhhhhh."
Alex said with an iconic tone.
"Alex."
His mom called out with a disappointed tone.
"Uh... sorry."
"Sorry... sorry doesn't cut it Alex..."
She said as she turned around and took at step towards their dining that was stationed in the middle of the left of their kitchen.
The table was painted and waxed mahogany.
And on it a white table cloth streaked with golden stringed patterns.
And on it, a knife rested. A bread knife. Simple, shiny and its top and small adjustment of sharp cutting on its left to make it somewhat easier tk use when cutting bread.
Alex and his mother's eyes shot open as they realised what Jena was about to do.
"Jena no."
Alex's mom cautioned at Jena who didn't respond for a while this gave her mom a chance to stand up and maybe get to Jena before things got out of hand.
She tried to lunge herself at Jena in atempt to swiftly take the knife from her.
Her twitched and so did Alex and even his mom who was still at mid lunge towards Jena.
"But you what does...?"
She mused a dreaded and serious tone.
"What?"
"Sharp things... just like this one... though... it isn't as sharp, but as long as it can cut the mouth of yours so wide you'll look as freaky as me.
She turned. Faster than her mother as she lunged at her. Faster than a spider could adjust itself mid movement.
And just as her mom stretched her hand out towards stop Jena.
Time seemed to slow. Flow seemed to stiffen. Sounds all around her died, the cries of her mother and the panicking of little Alex.
'No no no.'
Alex's mother felt it. Fear. That this incident. Unlike the many others would truly be fatal. And that this time...
"Jena please! No!"
Alex's mother screamed.
But Jena was faster. Angrier. Her hear raced. Her blood coagulated. Her flesh trembled at every flex it made as her vision blurred and...
"Huuwoo!"
The dog whimpered as it's head snapped towards the fued.
"Roof!"
It barked as it sprang up and lunged at a monstrous speeds as it gently tackled Jena who hand the missed fired the knife as it flew weakly and clumsily fell next to Alex.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
"Je-Jena I-"
Alex breathed heavily as he recovered from that brief panic as he then stuttered Jena's name in an attempt to say sorry, but.
Shft!
"Ruff!"
The dog barked as it was roughly pushed away by Jena whose that once held an unfathomable silent fury now leaked gentle tears of fears and sorrow.
As she the ran out of the kitchen and her mom followed.
"Jena! Jena! Wait! We can fix this!"
Alex's mum's voice faded as her footsteps thudded and covered the noise of her fading voice as she went upstairs.
Alex. Who was still baffled. Looked down with impassively as thought raced through his mind.
Hah.
Was it about to die?
Hah.
Dang it, I just wanted to tease her a little.
Hah.
What's her problem? Can't she take a joke?
Hah.
I mean I stutter a lot in public.
Hah.
So why?
Hah.
Is she being bullied at school?
Hah.
Yah. Yah that must be it... right?
Hah..
No, it was me...
Hah...
It was my fault....
Hah...
Why?
Sob, sob.
His questions of confusion and rage quickly shifted into one's of guilt and fear.
But fear for what now?
Well that fear...
Sob, sob.
I don't wanna... I don't want Jena to hate.
Was one of loss. For his sister. Her love. Her care. Her joy whenever they watched TV together.
He didn't want it to go away.
A tear trailed his smooth left cheek.
But.
"Woof woof!"
Shlop, shlop, shlop!
"H-huh?
Shlop, shlop!
"Stop it." He struggled to push away the dog feindly as it liked him without.
He laughed and struggled as the dog liked him without seizure. Until he laughed so hard that he teared.
He sat upright and brushed his hand against the dog's head gently as he thought....
"A name... you deserve a name, but..."
He pondered as he tilted his slightly and thought.
He then thought 'Your brave... and fast too.'
"So ill call you..."
"Hummmmph."
It whimpered with a musing tone.
"Bravo."
...
A brief moment of silence followed as he looked at Bravo worriedly.
'What's wrong...'
'Was the name too tacky?'
"Roof!"
Shlop, shlop, shlop!
Bravo then suddenly snapped and liked him viciously as Alex laughed and celebrated that he liked it.
'He then thought... well the name might not be any better than what mom could've came up with, but...'
"Woof!"
Shlop, shlop!
'I'm glad.'
"Haha."
'Really glad that you liked it.'
'A name that popped up in my head rather than my heart.'
The memory ends as Jena us broght back down and two cry and apologise to each other as Alex calls Bravo. Who responds and runs to him.
And they all laugh and play with him as his flashback then ends.
.....
His eyes flutter.
He shakes his head.
And looks back at the orbs.
"Hahaha."
[Hm? Is there something the matter sir?]
The orbs mused.
"No, actually yeah..."
[Oh? And what is it?]
"I just came up with your names."
He said a bright perked up on his face.
[Oh then shall you officially commence with naming of rite of the systems?]
'Huh? What's that?'
"Sure sure."
Tszt!
"Hm?"
A soft flash erupted as a glowing pale-yellow system window appeared in front of him.
Alex wanted to examine it, but shook his head as he knew that the more time he wasted here the worse things would get out there.
So he looked at it. Its edges gracefully designed with smooth wind like black anf grey patterns. Seemingly making it look to kindly to similar a beautifully crafted picture frame.
On it a sentence written in a fairly sized Manhattan font.
And it read.
[Has the master concurred to the commence of the official naming ceremony?]
-
A dash. Singular yet authentically alluring beeped below the statement.
"Yes."
Tsszt!
The window vanished as fast as it finished typing 'Yes' word.
A brief moment if silence and suddenly...
Wuuuuu!
The orbs hummed.
Woowoowoo!
A radiance sound echoed in the boundless void.
Flft, flft, flft!
His torn shirt and blood soaked trousers began ratter as an anonymous gust of blew all around him.
And it blew past legs. To his chest. And then his face as he stared up and looked.
Ting!
A singular sparkle of light flashed in the space of this endless void.
It then got bigger and bigger as it began to multiply into numerous bits of other lights that now descended in a circular motion.
They then worked all around as the warm feeling he felt before enchanted his entire being and then materialised into a window once more.
He looked at it and then back at the orbs.
He smiled as he read the statement on the window which stated...
[Shall we you commence?]
[Yes] or [No]
He picked the yes without a second thought and the options shifted once more as it read...
[Name the cores....]
1.____
2.____
3.____
"Cores Huh?"
He said as he looked at the cores with a warm smile.
He then opened his mouth and said, "Obsidia, Pyxlus and Willow."
Tsszt!
The information on it flashed again as it now read.
[Have you confirmed that,
1.Obsidia
2.Pyxlus
3.Willow
Will be the names of the cores?]
"Yes."
Alex confirmed with a nod.
Tsszt!
The window vanished once more and deep yet comforting silence followed after.
And just when Akex was to turn his head back to the orbs.
Tsszt!
His head snapped. His gaze fell upon the window.
And when it did...
"Haha..."
He laughed as a wide and victorious grin spread across face as he finished...
"I knew it."