AI Is My Enemy!

Chapter 16: Ai Is My Enemy!

Gabriel's head was resting on his hand. 

He looked better now, the fever having finally broken after days of weakness.

 Still, there was some weariness about him.

Across from him, Pedro walked proudly on a golden stand.

The bird fluffed his feathers, tilted his head, and let out a squawk that echoed in the otherwise silent room.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Gabriel muttered impatiently.

"AI will replace them all!" Pedro squawked suddenly.

Gabriel froze, his golden eyes narrowed immediately. "What did you say?"

Pedro bobbed his head, his beady eyes sparkled again. 

"AI will replace them all! Dooooom to humanity!"

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, eyebrows knitting together. 

"AI? What is this AI? Another kingdom? A beast?"

"Not a kingdom!" Pedro chirped. "Not a beast! Smarter, faster, heartless, soulless!"

Gabriel's eyes darkened. 

He pushed away from his desk and stood, his shadow stretched long across the room as the sun dipped lower.

 "Soulless, you say? A creature without a heart? What nonsense are you rambling about, bird?"

Pedro flapped his wings, ruffling his feathers as if offended. 

"Not nonsense! Not nonsense! AI is coming! Humans gone, parrots gone, everything gone!"

Gabriel's jaw tightened, his hands clasped behind his back as he began to pace.

 "A threat so powerful that even humans would fall… It must be some kind of demon. Perhaps an ancient god waking from its slumber."

Pedro squawked loudly, as if in agreement. "Yes! Demon! Monster! It learns everything! Knows everything! Takes over everything!"

The words sent a chill through Gabriel, though he wouldn't admit it. 

He stopped pacing and turned to face the bird, his golden eyes gleamed from the candle. 

"If this AI is such a threat, then I will destroy it. No demon will rise against me or my loved ones."

Pedro tilted his head, as if he was surprised. 

"How? How? AI is everywhere! No sword can cut it! No fire can burn it!"

Gabriel's mouth twitched in irritation. 

"You speak in riddles, bird. Do you mean to tell me that this enemy is untouchable?"

"Untouchable!" Pedro echoed.

"It hides in the air! In the wires! In the books! It learns! It grows!"

Gabriel was thinking. 

In his time, tales of spirits and unseen forces were common. 

But this AI… it sounded unlike anything he'd ever encountered. 

He slammed his fist on the desk, startling Pedro into a flutter of feathers.

"Enough!" Gabriel growled. "If you are trying to scare me, you're wasting your time. Everything has a weakness. Even demons can be exorcised."

Pedro, unruffled by the display of anger, calmly preened his feathers. 

"AI has no weakness! It watches you. It waits. It makes no mistakes."

Gabriel's lips pressed into a line. 

The idea of a perfect, calculating enemy infuriated him. 

"I'll find this AI and crush it beneath my boot. Do you hear me? I'll hunt it to the ends of the earth if I must."

Pedro lifted his head, his beak clicked. "Gabriel versus AI? Hahaha! Doom! Doom!"

The parrot's laughter grated on Gabriel's nerves, but he didn't lash out. 

Instead, he leaned closer to Pedro.

"You seem to know much about this AI, bird. How? Did it send you as its messenger?"

Pedro squawked indignantly. "Messenger? No, no, no!"

"Suspicious…"

Pedro, who was now strutting along the edge of his golden perch as though he were the ruler of the room. 

The parrot puffed out his chest, turning his head from side to side like a self-important diplomat preparing for a speech.

"Tell me more about this AI, bird," Gabriel demanded, crossing his arms. 

"If it dares to threaten humanity, then I must know its secrets."

Pedro flapped his wings dramatically, as if the knowledge were too much to bear. 

"AI sees everything! Hears everything! Smarter than you! Smarter than everyone!"

Gabriel's face twitched. "Smarter than me? Impossible! I told you!"

Pedro bobbed his head. "Yes! Smarter than you! It knows all your secrets. Even the embarrassing ones!"

"…"

The room went deathly silent. 

Gabriel's golden eyes widened just a fraction, and for a brief moment, he looked… concerned. 

"Secrets? What secrets?"

 "The ones you think no one knows! The ones you hide under your bed!"

"If you value your life, bird, you will stop talking in riddles."

"Hahaha! Gabriel afraid! AI already knows!"

Gabriel's patience disappeared. 

He slammed his hand on the desk, sending papers flying. "Enough! I demand specifics!"

Pedro hopped back, fluffing his feathers. "AI replaces everything! Knights? Gone! Maids? Gone! It doesn't need anyone. Not even you!"

Gabriel scowled. "A king is irreplaceable. No machine or demon could ever take my place."

Pedro squawked louder. 

"Oh, but AI doesn't need kings! It makes its own rules! Its own plans! And you, little king, are just a speck of dust!"

Gabriel paused. "Little king?"

Pedro clicked his beak smugly. "AI doesn't care about your gold, your throne, your sword. AI just takes. And you? Poof! Gone!"

Gabriel straightened his back. 

His expression was cold and calculating, but there was a faint twitch in his jaw. "You're saying this AI would dare to ignore my authority?"

Pedro nodded rapidly. "AI doesn't care about you! AI cares about power! Bigger power than you've ever seen!"

Gabriel clenched his fists, walking back and forth again. 

The idea of something—anything—that didn't bow to him was unbearable.

 "Then I will find this AI," he muttered to himself. "I'll drag it out of its hiding place and show it who rules this world."

Pedro squawked again. "Gabriel versus AI! Hahaha! You lose! Everyone loses!"

Gabriel stopped pacing and glared at Pedro, sharp enough to cut through steel. "I never lose."

The parrot simply fluffed his feathers, entirely unbothered. "Doom! Dooooom!"

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath.

 "This bird is either a prophet or a lunatic. I'm not sure which is worse."

"Both!" Pedro chirped happily.

Before Gabriel could reply, the doors to the study opened. 

A servant peeked in nervously, bowing so low that he nearly folded in half.

"My lord," the servant stammered. "Lady Lirian has returned… with her brothers."

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "Lirian?"

The servant nodded, shaking. "They, um, seem to be… ready for a confrontation."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his lips curled into a smirk. "Confrontation? With me?"

Pedro squawked loudly. "Doom! Doooom!"

Gabriel gave the parrot a withering glare before turning back to the servant. 

"Let them in. Let's see what this little rebellion is about."

As the servant scurried away, Pedro let out another ominous laugh. 

"Doom is coming, Gabriel! Doom with swords and words!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Shut up, bird."

Pedro ignored him, continuing to squawk. "They're mad! They're furious! Doom!"

Gabriel settled into his chair, "Let them be mad. It'll be entertaining."

But as the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder,

 Gabriel's smile faded, replaced by the icy focus…AI was his new enemy.