When had he last smiled?
Twenty-one days ago. Before Akasha Archive's emotional suppression became constant. Before I chose optimization over humanity.
And now Akasha Archive is damaged, suppression is failing, and I'm feeling things again.
Fear, determination, even grim amusement at Han's joke.
Is this better? Or worse?
His mind felt slower. But richer. Calculations took longer but incorporated emotional context. He was processing with the full weight of being human again.
61% human, he'd been yesterday.
What am I now? After touching this world's conceptual substrate?
He didn't know.
And that uncertainty felt—
Alive.
