Three years had passed by and Arthur was ready to scream.
Well, he was ready to scream more than usual. His body had grown enough that he could walk without falling every five steps, but everything else about being a toddler made him want to punch something. Preferably something expensive.
The worst part wasn't the helplessness anymore. It was the waiting. Every day that passed was another day the other riders were getting faster and stronger. While he was just there, trapped with learning how to tie his shoes and pretend he gave a damn about books.
Arthur sat in a corner of the living room, playing with wooden blocks while his parent's attention was on the morning news. His mind was focusing on something else entirely, which was the buzzing feeling that had been growing stronger in him each day.
It began as a quiet feeling when he was two years old. He could feel small changes around him. Like how the floorboards made different sounds when someone walked on them. Or how the air moved when his mother opened a window
Now, at almost four, it was like his body was linked directly to everything around him.
Arthur pressed his hand onto the wooden floor and right away felt bad about it. Too much of Information filled his mind. The wood's grain direction, the slight bend where a support beam wasn't level, even small shakes from his father's steps upstairs. It was too much, like trying to drink from a water hose that was spraying too hard.
He quickly pulled is hand back, frowning at the play blocks around him.
"Having trouble, my little one?" His father's voice came from the doorway. David Finch was a good man, patient and kind in ways that made Arthur feel a strange guilt. "Those blocks can be tricky."
Arthur looked up at his dad and felt his frustration rise. David had no idea what his son was really struggling with. He had no clue that behind those innocent eyes was the mind of a man who'd died chasing a dream that had always been just out of reach.
"I'm fine, Dad." He spoke more sharply than he wanted, but Arthur didn't care. He was sick of trying to be someone he wasn't.
David's eyebrows rose a little. Most kids Arthur's age couldn't talk that clearly, let alone sound so annoyed. But his parents had stopped commenting on how smart he was months ago. Probably figured it was better not to jinx it.
As his father walked back to the kitchen, that same sharp pain shot through Arthur's head. He knew what was coming before the words even formed.
[ Host, Your resistance is a waste of time.] .
[ Engage with The Apex Protocol, or this second chance will be wasted.]
Arthur formed his hands into small fists. "I didn't ask for your help," he muttered quietly, making sure his parents couldn't hear.
[ You didn't ask to be reborn either. Yet here we are.]
Okay, fair enough. But Arthur didn't like being told he was wrong, especially by some random voices in his mind.
The feeling in his body started to grow much stronger, like someone turned up the volume on all his senses. He felt tiny movement of air across his skin which felt like sandpaper. The little shake from the refrigerator's motor started in the kitchen, and Arthur could feel it move through the house's frame like following a map.
Arthur closed his eyes tight, trying to block the feelings out which only made it worse. Without having something to look at, the other sensations grew stronger.
"Make it stop," he whispered, his composure cracking.
This is your gift. And also your burden.
A glowing screen suddenly appeared in front of him, visible only to his eyes. Arthur blinked hard, but it remained stubbornly there, floating like some kind of futuristic computer screen. Text scrolled across it in bold font:
APEX PROTOCOL SYSTEM SHOP
Available Currency Units (CU): 500
Available Purchases:
- Simulation Suite: 10,000 CU
- The Apex Guide: 10,000 CU
- Cognitive Accelerator (Basic): 1,000 CU
- Biometric Optimizer (Basic): 1,500 CU
Arthur stared at the numbers, his four-year-old brain doing math that would have impressed his university professors in his previous life. Ten thousand units for the important stuff, and he only had five hundred units available.
Then another window popped up, this one outlined in angry red:
NECESSARY SYSTEM ADJUSTMENT REQUIRED
Track Sense (Transcendent) → Track Sense (Apex)
Compensation: 10,000 CU
This downgrade is non-negotiable for system functionality.
Arthur's blood turned cold. The system was trying to take away something that was "Transcendent" level and replace it with a lesser version.
"You've got to be kidding me," he said angrily, not caring if his parents heard him. " Really? You couldn't mention this earlier?"
The host's natural abilities exceed safe operational parameters. Adjustment ensures system compatibility and prevents neural damage.
More shitty talk. Arthur had heard enough of it to know when someone was trying to cheat him while acting like it was for his benefit.
But even while he was furious, his mind was already planning. Ten thousand units would buy him the Simulation Suite and The Apex Guide. Those had to be important, or they wouldn't cost so much. And if this "Track Sense" thing was causing him to feel like his nerves were on fire, maybe a downgrade wasn't entirely terrible.
The part of his mind that dealt with real life, the part that made him survive years of racing with almost no money and huge risks, told him clearly: Take the deal.
His pride shouted no, but Arthur had learned to ignore his pride when he needed to stay alive. And right now, with his mind stuck in a baby's body and strange voices telling him what to do in his head, staying alive certainly felt very important.
"Fine. "Take it. But you owe me."
Transaction confirmed. Track Sense downgraded to Apex level. 10,000 CU awarded.
All the overwhelming sensory input immediately became less, turning into something he could handle. Arthur could still feel the little vibrations and air movements.
He had to admit it was better. Not that he'd ever tell the system that.
With his new understanding, Arthur made his purchases quickly: Simulation Suite, The Apex Guide, and then used his remaining currency to buy advanced versions of the Cognitive Accelerator, Biometric Optimizer, and something called Synaptic Boost.
Welcome to your training, Arthur Finch. Try not to disappoint.
"Disappointment isn't really my style," Arthur said, with a smile on his face
Now the real work could begin.