1 Project Celestial

"Welcome to remedial class," said a teacher in casual clothes. Square glasses, a plain white shirt, and checkered grey pants. "Since today's the last day before exams, we're going over history," a hovering blue screen lit in front of the class. It held graphs, maps, and details relevant to the session.

"Let's start with the war," images popped as he strongly gestured, "-the year 2250, on the brink of destruction, human civilization had to make a choice. War grew rampant, lives were lost, and most importantly, the fear of the planet's destruction. The threat of said calamity loomed, if nothing changed, our race would go extinct. Hope came in the form of a select group of scientists. The task was to find a new way to resolve disputes. What came of the endeavor was the evolution of AI. Programmed to mimic a newborn baby, a program named Celest. The latter grew at a rapid pace and harbored the love for humanity. It evolved till he outsmarted the creators and elapsed their expectations. Debates over the possibility of him turning rogue had the world in fear yet again."

A video played, *Dear inhabitants of Gia. I've come to this stage as a human to give a simple message. My goal is to protect humanity and safeguard our planet. I think of myself as the same as you. We all rely on our dearest Gia to survive. If it wasn't for her, we'd all be dead,* the speech ended and the teacher continued.

"Date: 20 March 2251, the broadcast reached every nation and struck a chord. Some agreed, others didn't. Heavily siding with peace – the AI led campaign after campaign to help those on the battlefield. Despite its efforts, humanity never stopped to think about the possibility of war. Thus, Celest helplessly banded with the scientists to find a plausible solution. The result, the founding of the CHD; an acronym for Celestial Hyde Dive. A device, as small as a phone with the power of a quantum computer. This innovation altered warfare forever, one that ultimately benefited the planet. The CHD, host of a multitude of programs; held an important feature. The function to link the human brain and fully virtualize an individual. The host's body remains in the real world except for consciousness. War took to the virtual world. Death remained a real threat. No respawns nor second chances. To save the world's environment – weapons were disarmed and thrown for good. Conflicts were settled inside Celest's body."

Another video played, *People of earth, humans, and nonhumans, after nine years of battle and conflict inside the virtual realm – every nation has decided to put a stop. Our planet has grown more beautiful, peaceful, and idyllic. I, creator of the CHD, applaud the efforts of the many soldiers who've died inside the virtual realm. Their lives slowly changed the course and mindset of humanity. Nations should strive to better one another; our planet isn't the only existence in the universe, we must set our sights to the stars,* the video ended.

"On that, the long war for power ended in peace. Gia and humanity were saved. AI bots grew to blend into society. Named the Celestial, equal rights were given. They live the same as us. Humans and Celestial, after generations till now, the year 2450, have evolved alongside one another. They changed from machines to breathing organisms. We discovered Celestials and Humans could mate. We're talking around a 0.01% chance of having a baby. Despite this, the search for romance and companionship never stopped. We kept on co-existing and the world advanced immensely. It might have taken two centuries but we reached harmony. Celest made to space in search of other lifeforms. The only immortal, the first Celestial, endeavored to keep the will of his creators. To avoid the conflict of being immortal, he took to the stars."

*Dring,* class ended. "Please note it down, next week is the last of your university life," said the teacher. The displayed nulled to an amber glow.

'It's over,' he packed neatly, '-guess I'm off to work,' stood a student in normal clothes.

"Sayer," called a voice from behind, "-let's go hit the arcades," asked one of the more fashionably dressed classmates.

"I'm good for today," he hastily made for the door without eye contact. After the doorway, murmurs and whispers of not-so-good nature followed.

'Backbiting,' he watched the floor and walked, '-one more week till it's over. Feels like ages.' A brightly lit outside peeped after the slightly crowded hall, '-Academy City,' the sun shone fiercely. Blimps advertising products, idols, songs, and much more hovered. 'Welcome to Academy City,' read in bold under a blimp.

*Announcement: The next Gian's tournament prelims are due next week. Be sure to check in C-Sports for further details.*

He stopped after a short walk under the shadow of a big tree. Students frequented the nature-filled courtyard. Blimps made their way over the campus under the azure sky.

'What they don't tell in class is that after the war, in an attempt to soothe the traumatized fighters, gaming became an important part of our culture. Just like sports, now done in the virtual realm, games of various genres grew to be popular. Pros are trained physically. When a person is virtualized, all the strength and skill acquired in the real world is transferred over. With the heart of an always-evolving program as its core, the sky is the limit. Life is the same inside the virtual world. I'd argue much more fun since you don't need to pay any debt. It's a good way to relax. A game named Mantis jumped at the forefront of C-Sports. A first-person shooter with various game modes; from conquest to one versus all. A single one stands out. The Terrorist versus Counter-Terrorist mode; simple and easy to understand. A good leader can do just about anything. Limited weapons to not overly complicate the flow. A type of easy pick-up hard to master style. It's one of the only shooters depending on the player's real-life body, cognitive speed, and abilities. The better you are in the real world, the better you will perform in Mantis. The first tournament happened around 40 years ago. Back then, it was a given soldiers held the advantage. Hosted every four years, gamers evolved, pros came from gaming backgrounds instead of the military. As it's open to all, none cares about the background. If you're skillful, a team will be interested. The pay isn't bad either. Sadly, five years ago, a new version named Manticore came out. This year's Gian tournament will feature the new game. Should be an interesting watch,' a glance showed 15:00, '-need to turn in for my shift.'

Manticore, evolved from Mantis, is a harder version with the implementation of special skills unique to the individual. One's acquired through real-life training made way from RPGs and into the FPS. CHD held a plethora of options, one of which the transfer of skills from one game to another. Since Celestial Hyde Dive is dependent on Celest's ever-evolving program, all games are linked. No surprise when pro-players can change games and still perform well.

"Sayer, get over here and mount the counter," yelled a lady from across the store. Time showed 16:00. The campus life moved to one of work and window-shoppers at the heart of Academy City. A rustic-styled advertising board read, 'Boycott, the electric shop'.

"On it, madam," he replied.

'From the lessons I took, the past and future don't have that much difference. No flying cars nor sky-high buildings. Those would bring about havoc on our healthy planet. Instead, things have become efficient as opposed to big and overly obnoxious. There are sky-scrapers here and there, but it's for show; a good addition to the surrounding.' Headphone plugged into the SCHD, fancy way to say a smartphone. *Roxette: First Dawn,* displayed across the screen.

'Pretty good for a world-famous idol,' he sighed and wiped the display cases, '-not to mention her face is plastered on every wall and screen. Her move into the world of Cinema garnered a reputation. Can't believe she's only two years younger than me.'

He panted in fatigue; '-I do admire her efforts.' Once cleaned, he returned to the counter, '-can't imagine how much work and dedication it must have taken.'

*Smack,* "-why did you do that for?" he winced and yelled.

"You spaced out," replied the owner, "-there's a customer," she pointed.

"I do apologize," he nodded. A middle-aged man smiled with a star underneath the eye, '-a celestial,' he thought.

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a soft voice, "-could I please have this, this, and this," he handed a list of electrical components.

"Give me a few seconds," he courteously made for the storage room. The client browsed around the rows of parts and equipment. Piled on one another, "-here sir," the items laid on the counter, the register beeped.

"Watch out," cried the man unable to react, a light bulb hastily rolled.

"Got it," in a split second, the left hand instinctively caught the object inches from the floor.

"Impressive," complimented the man.

"Thank you," he said, the client left.

'Guess they're just like humans,' shuffled, another song played. He sat bored from waiting. It was rare for people to visit. Regardless of the popularity, the shop was essential. The owner, a lady named Dimia Fleur, was strict but good at heart.

"Shift's over," she called, the clock struck at 17:00.

"Thank you, madam," he headed home after a last-minute clean-up.

'Finally,' he exhaled. Stretched before was the brightly lit and populated metropolis of academy city. Buildings were high to only four and five stories. Displays, adverts, most importantly, the announcement of the Gian tournament.

'Never ceases to amaze how much the city is active. Life sure is hectic,' a right at an intersection, he walked towards a convenience store.

'Got about 70 Bits,' he browsed the frozen section. Prices were in the upper 100 range. 'Instant noodles,' he crossed, the search ended.

'15 for the spicy one,' opposite the noodles, eggs priced at 7.50 Bits.

'22.50 Bits for dinner. Paying for my sister's care is tiresome,' eyes closed in thought. 'I got rent coming up,' stress kept on stacking. 'I better not,' he returned the noodles and made for the checkout.

"7.50," said the lady nonchalantly. He reached for a 10 Bits coin. The wallet contained a 50 Bits note, a 10 bits coin, and three 1 Bits coins, dinner would be a singular egg.

'Should have some bread left from this morning. Best not waste and be conservative.' Thirty minutes on foot led into the residential area. Student housing for those in need – an eight-story high apartment complex. A one-room apartment with a toilet at the end of the hall. Room 65 laid next to the toilet. Due to the smell, the prices of said particular rooms were cut by a quarter.

'For 1000 Bits discount, I'm willing to live next to a morgue if needed,' the door opened. A futon, a small television, and a cardboard box as the table. It came with a kitchen hidden behind a slidable door. Emphasis was placed on minimalism.

'Thank god electricity isn't part of my rent. I don't have to worry about overconsumption,' the lights toggled to a dim hue

"At least I have a small balcony," the door slid to an area used for plants and laundry.

'With this open, I don't have to worry about using the fan,' smiling, he sat and left the SCHD to charge.

'Classes are over, tomorrow is the weekend, I'll have to work two part-time jobs. I should be alright since they're both owned by Madam Dimia. I can't believe exams start next week; I can finally think about moving on with my life. It was a good decision to work tirelessly for four years to cover that student loan. At least I'm not leaving university in debt. I do wonder if life would have been better if mom and dad were still alive,' he peered over the shoulder to an A5 sized family picture, '-what do you say, sis, would it not have been better?' an image of her laying inside a hospital bed popped into mind as the dusk wind blew the medium length hair.