The room was silent, except for the irregular sound of Dantis's breathing.
The simple wooden walls exuded the smell of dampness and burned oil,
remnants of the valley.
A thin beam of light passed through the crack in the window, illuminating the dust suspended in the air.
He closed the door, locking himself completely inside.
"It's time to understand what remains."
[Activating the physical evaluation protocol. Internal diagnostics initiated.]
The metallic voice of Sigma 4 echoed in his mind — firm, constant, almost comforting.
[Analysis: pulse at 94 bpm. Irregular breathing. Body fat percentage: 42%. General state: unstable.]
"Looks like I didn't die, but I'm also not exactly alive."
[Partially correct statement. Biological structure functional, performance compromised.]
Dantis removed the loose tunic, exposing the heavy, flaccid body.
His hands moved over his arms, chest, and abdomen.
Each touch revealed something wrong: flaccid muscles, stiff joints, and a sense of slowness that irritated his trained mind.
[I recommend a complete tactile examination and identification of pain points.]
— "Understood."
He began to apply protocols he had learned in survival missions: measuring reflexes, analyzing balance, testing sensitivity.
With each movement, the body responded with delay.
It was like piloting a machine with delayed throttle response.
[Motor coordination: 57% below previous standard.]
Neuromuscular reflex delayed by 0.84 seconds.
— "This body is a shell… but it can still be fixed."
Sigma maintained a technical tone:
[Structural analysis: bone mass compatible with the human standard.]
However, vital signs indicate systemic anomaly.]
— "Explain."
[Detection of energetic activity. Source undefined.]
— "Track it."
[Executing scan. Source located in the abdominal cavity, near the umbilical line. Constant pulsation pattern.]
— "It looks like a second heart."
[Negative. Non-organic structure detected.]
An internal network extends throughout the body — anomalous microstructures connecting organs and extremities.
Provisional designation: bioenergetic conduits. Part of the system presents
structural blockages.
— "Blockages…
why?"
[Hypothesis: ancestral energetic trauma. Origin uncertain. Healing pattern indicates the injury was not accidental.]
— "So the original chassis was already… damaged."
[Likely statement. The damage interrupted the flow of internal energy, rendering it inaccessible.]
The system does not respond to conventional stimuli.]
— "As if a vital part had been shut down."
[Confirmation. The event appears to be permanent — no physiological response detected.]
Dantis ran his hand over the abdominal region, feeling the heat slowly circulating.
— "It's not blood, nor electricity… but it moves."
[Partial confirmation. There is internal flow, although irregular. The phenomenon appears to self-compensate. The body contains… something designed for this.]
— "So it's as if it has its own energy system."
[Analogically correct.]
However, the nature of this energy remains indeterminate.
The heat expanded, spreading a light sensation of pressure. Almost as if something were trying to move in there — but it was irregular, defective. Dantis tried to stabilize the rhythm, adjusting his breathing as he did in tactical control training.
The body responded with a weak, unstable pulse, which soon dissipated.
[Minimal alterations detected.]
[Inconsistent internal fluctuation. Correlation with cardiac activity: partial.]
— "So the body tries to react… but something stops it."
[Likely statement.]
Flow interrupted by structural blockages in the bioenergetic channels.
— "It's like a system trying to turn on with half the wires burned."
[Valid analogy.]
[The damage limits conduction. No spontaneous recovery observed.]
Dantis took a deep breath, sweat running down his temple.
— "So there's no point in forcing the situation."
First I need to make this shell function properly."
[Confirmation. Recommendation: physical reconstruction and general stabilization.]
— "If this body is my new equipment… then it will be rebuilt from scratch."
The air inside the room seemed denser. Dantis felt his heart beating and, below it, the persistent heat in his abdomen — like a forge he did not yet know how to use.
Sigma recorded, analyzed, but also… observed in silence.
[Status: active. Energetic phenomenon under continuous monitoring. Partial neural synchronization.]
— "First the body, then the explanation."
[Procedure validated.]
The metallic echo of the voice slowly dissipated, blending with the sound of his own breathing.
The silence that followed was not empty — It was the interval between what he had been and what he had yet to become.
The body remained a mystery. But, for the first time, Dantis felt that this mystery
could be resolved.
I thank everyone who is reading this novel. If you enjoyed it, please consider adding it to your favorites. I would like to inform you that the next chapter will be posted on Wednesday, in order to maintain the quality presented so far. See you on Wednesday. Until then.
Brunno Borges...