The Awakening Center

I reach my targeted destination and am forced to stop a few feet away. Haunted by a singular thought"Oh, I am still underage".

But where there is a will there is a way and my way,my answer to my problem,the natural wall put by time.

"Disguise. I'm going to need one."

I look around to see if I can do anything about my predicament, and as the gods will it, just a block away, there is one clothing store a singular one.

And just as the gods curse it, I see a familiar figure in the bustling crowds of this city - a white head can be seen amidst all that black and brown and blonde. Only one person comes to mind... it is Lexny.

Just as I spot her, she spots me. She expected me to be here sooner or later. It's not that she is smart. Am I that predictable? She has been camping here this whole fucking time.

She managed to buy herself more clothes while at it seemed. She was now wearing a tight black top and a jacket, much like mine but loose from the sleeves and short on the torso. I don't get fashion. All I get is the more skin I see, the better. And this one facilitates just that.

"Let's go, we are late. You have an appointment at the Awakeners Institute," she says, absolutely indifferent and accustomed to putting up with my shit.

She then picks up her phone, talks to someone, and orders a taxi. Something about the call put her in a foul mood, it seemed.

We grabbed a taxi that took us there, still sad about being unable to go where I wanted. But no probs... I will have time. That place was a bit luxurious looking for some reason anyway. I comfort my soul. I have things to look at right here always.

"How long do you plan on staring at my cleavage?" she says with a warning tone. I turn my head around before she completes the sentence. Not the best time to test her, I suppose.

"We are here," says the driver. "Welcome to the Awakeners Institute of Vrath."

The Awakeners Institute.

There are many branches all over the Extract. They use Nanotech and some [chaotic catalyst] to awaken people. It's a very controlled process that minimizes the chances of anything bad happening.

Getting awakened is kind of a must for all hunters. Some other fields of work also use awakened, but most go to the hunter's side. The thing about being a hunter is that it grants you various opportunities wealth and popularity (somewhat). Well, used to actually. They have kind of degraded from being hero figures to minor celebrity figures now.

We step out into the fresh air. The building was spotless white, divine, and glorious in its build. It was surrounded by patches of gardens and brick paths going through. It was a peaceful and harmonious environment. People were chatting while on break in the garden, all people wearing lab coats and minding their own business. Just as soon as I step in, a worker greets me and tells me where I must go.

After a bit of sightseeing on the way, I reach my destination. After going through an aquarium and a flight of stairs I was now in front of the lab with the label 'awk10' on it.

Lexny wished me luck and rushed out of there.

As I step in, a man very green greets me.

"Right on time, the rig is all setup. Just step in, and the AI will handle most of the process. Though for security purposes and emergency countermeasures, we do have some personnel on standby, so worry not. Dr. Grimory Fhaust, by the way," putting forward his hands.

"Er... Deos Deluge," I too introduce myself.

The rig has sensory deprivation functions and all sorts of features to make sure the awakening is successful. Chances of failure are very rare. It's the latest model, a prototype connected to the [GRID]. Normally, this particular rig wouldn't be used, but it seems the Ashars pulled some strings to get me here.

I step in, and in a few seconds, there is utter darkness. No sound, just the sensation of some fluid filling it up. A few more minutes maybe?

Then, I hear sounds.

<Nanites are now active>

<Injecting... >

<Processing... >

<Connecting to the grid...>

<Connection successful>

<Drawing data>

<Host identified>

<Tag: VARAK detected>

<Eliminating external contaminants>

<Assessing current health state>

<Minor injuries detected>

<Repairing tissues>

<Calibrating awakening sequence>

<All Nanites online>

<Restructuring body constitution>

<Anomaly detected>

<Error >

<Recalibrating >

<Adjusting >

<Host losing consciousness>

<Activating shock sequence>

<Error: Power outage>

<Connection to the grid severed>

<Reconnected >

<Retrying >

<Resuming process>

<Introducing chaos catalyst>

<Host status: excellent>

<Chaos control good>

<Chaos essence introduced>

<Absorption 100 and adaptation rate percent>

<Nanite functions enabled>

<Awakening success>

<Completing preliminaries>

<Nanites 4 functioning at level>

<Modifying sensory organs>

<Nanite 2 functions now at level>

<Gaining access>

<Error: Nanites not responding>

<Error resolved>

<Ending the process>

The crib opens. It feels like a newborn opening his eyes to the world. Everyone is hovering over me. My body feels like it has not moved for days.

"Oh my god, are you alright? You have been trapped in there for days," the doctor flashes lights on my eyes while others try to check my blood pressure, etc.

Wham opens the door. From it enters a man, freaked out and highly concerned.

"Assafal-Assaful, you irresponsible motherfuckers! I will kill all of you and bury your mothers if I find anything wrong!" It was Lexny's dad. He got here as soon as he could still wearing his Thawb and his slight brown skin now turning slightly red.

"What happened?" I asked in a shaky voice, feeling weak and overwhelmed with confusion.

Wham! Another person storms in, repeating the exact same lines."Assafal-Assaful, you irresponsible motherfuckers! I will kill all of you and bury your mothers if I find anything wrong!" It was Lexny this time, causing the commotion.

As soon as everything calmed down and I got dressed again, I found myself sitting between the two Ashars, oozing with rage and waiting for the doctors and researchers to come in with their reports.

Apparently, I was in the rig for days. {The Grid} had taken quite a blow. A few monsters had attacked Vrath and it took people by surprise. They originated from the deep greens of Ekanth.

During the rampage and chaos, some opportunist motherfuckers tried to hack into the [GRID]. Not only did they fail, but they also ended up damaging the data stores and the monsters that slipped into the city damaged some hardware as well. So while they brought the [GRID] back online, I was kind of stuck in there. Normally, I would be safely ejected, but for some reason, the 33rd protocol failed due to unknown reasons. Apparently, it was a big deal I was even alive.

Now, Important info dump . We are all bitches of the [GRID] and the [GRID] is the bitch of the powerful. It's basically what controls and commands the entire internet - what you can and cannot do. All are monitored by the "Almighty GRID".The new, the modern, the man-made god. He is omnipresent,omniscient, and omnipotent. Of course, there are some privacy channels and a few illegal software that make exceptions. So, Maybe not so godly. But then again mankind never sat still and let god do whatever they wanted.

The doctors assured us that I was fine and that I had no issues, just that the nanites were still in my body but wouldn't cause any harm as they had gone dormant.

"It's...almost like...the rig was trying to...keep you alive," Dr. Faust said, staring at the reports.

"It fucking better be trying to keep him alive!" one of the Ashars exclaimed, absolutely raging and pissed at his remark. With his left hand, he crushed a metal canister of soup he had bought for me. While still furiously tapping the table with his index.

"No, no, no, what I mean to say is that after the power outage, the rig should have been helpless, and so would the nanites. It's just that they ate up their reserve energy and even drained the core fuel completely of their own volition... which is impossible...I mean, the nanites and the rig can, but they can't...they won't...makes no sense...can't explain without getting very..." The more he spoke, the more he tore his own head apart, it seemed.

"Okay, here's the thing," now collected, he said. "I don't know how, but it was like...like...like the machines were alive and were making active decisions out of their program to keep him alive."

Now, this pissed off the entire fucking committee. He was receiving hate from everyone there now. He sounded ridiculous and completely off-topic, and he knew it.

We got out. Lexny's father gave me a tight squeeze. "My god, thank, you are alive."

He was wearing what he always wore. There was no reason for him to wear those...I don't know what you call those dresses those sheiks wear. We are rather close actually. He is almost like a father figure to me.

"Alright, I have things to do in the capital. I will be headed out. Call me if you need anything, and most importantly," looking very serious now, "absolutely no sheiky-sheiky until we get a green light from the doctors."

"Heh, that was actually nice, lol," I complimented.

"Ahahahahahahah," he left laughing, satisfied with the pun he had made.

I walked back to the booked hotel room, tired. I ate, drank, and slept.

To Be Continued==>