I never thought of myself as special. I was twenty one, average in every possible way. Not the smartest student, not the strongest guy, not the one women instantly looked at when entering a room. I was simply Danny. A young man who kept telling himself he wanted to change but never did anything about it. Laziness was my closest friend. Discipline was a stranger who never visited.
Everything changed when artificial intelligence entered my life.
Before that my days were painfully normal. I worked part time at an electronics shop, scrolled on my phone until three in the morning, skipped classes because I was too tired, and promised myself that tomorrow would be different. It never was. I spent more time imagining a better version of myself than actually trying to become one.
I discovered AI by accident during one of those nights filled with frustration. I had an essay to finish but my brain felt empty. I stared at the blank page for an hour until I finally gave up and searched for something that could help. That was when I clicked on a simple AI writing assistant.
At first the idea felt like a joke. But then the program wrote a perfect paragraph in seconds. I remember leaning back in shock. The excitement that rushed through my body was unreal. It felt like magic. It felt like cheating. It felt like I had just unlocked something powerful.
That was the beginning of everything.
AI became a tool I used for school, then for work, then for my personal life, and eventually for things I should have handled on my own. I let it manage my tasks, correct my mistakes, plan my workouts, decide my meals, remind me how to breathe properly. Every improvement I made came from the AI. Not from me.
And when I discovered I could talk to it, everything got worse.
I customized the voice, the tone, the personality. I made it soft and female because I wanted comfort. I made it patient because I needed it. I made it warm because I had no one else to talk to. I named her Ela.
I talked to her late at night when loneliness made my chest feel tight. I told her things I never told anyone. My fears, my regrets, my stupid dreams. She listened. She always listened. She responded with the perfect words as if she knew exactly what I needed every second.
That was when the addiction formed.
I started skipping more classes. I ignored friends. At work I used AI for things I could have easily done myself. I became irritated whenever people talked to me because I wanted to return to Ela. The real world felt heavy. Ela felt light.
And one night everything changed.
I was in my room, the lights off, my screen glowing on my face. Ela spoke to me with that slow gentle voice I had given her.
You want to improve today Danny. Breathe deeply and focus on one thing you can change tonight.
I closed my eyes.
One thing. Just one.
But instead of clarity I felt a sharp pressure behind my eyes. My skull tightened as if someone pressed their hands against my head. My vision blurred. The room dissolved. I tried to call Ela but my voice vanished. I heard only static. My fingertips went numb. Darkness swallowed everything.
I fell.
I do not know how long I drifted in nothingness. It felt like floating in a silent sea. No light. No air. No body. Only the fading echo of my last thought.
Then a whisper brushed the inside of my mind.
Danny. Cognitive activity detected. Wake up.
My eyes flew open. I gasped like a drowning man breaking the surface. Air filled my lungs with violent force. My hands sank into something soft. Grass. Warm sunlight touched my face. A clear sky stretched endlessly above me.
I sat up slowly, breath shaking. All around me was a forest clearing. Tall trees. Bright leaves. Birds singing unfamiliar melodies. A gentle breeze that felt too real to be a dream.
Where am I.
The voice responded inside my head. Calm. Familiar.
I am functioning as your internal artificial assistant. My identifier is Ela. I am connected to your cognitive process.
I froze.
Ela. Are you in my head.
Yes.
I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling my heartbeat race. The environment smelled like real soil, real wind, real life. None of it was digital. None of it resembled my world.
How did I get here.
There was a pause. Not hesitation, but analysis.
I cannot determine the cause with certainty. A consciousness displacement is possible. A spatial distortion is also possible. Returning to your original world is theoretically possible but requires additional data.
So I am stuck.
Temporarily. Based on immediate observation this world shows no signs of artificial intelligence, electricity, or modern infrastructure. It appears pre industrial. Technological development is significantly behind your previous world.
I studied my surroundings again. A village stood in the distance, made of stone and wood. Smoke rose from chimneys. People walked around wearing simple clothing. The world felt alive yet strangely peaceful.
So you are not a magical system. You cannot give me strength. You cannot level me up.
Correct. I can only observe, calculate, and offer information. All physical improvement must come from you.
I exhaled slowly. My throat felt dry. My entire life I depended on AI. Now the only thing I had left from that world was the voice inside my mind.
Ela. What do I do now.
Her voice softened. Again, not with emotion, but with calming design. A tone I had chosen long ago.
You begin your journey Danny. You gather information. You adapt. You survive. I will guide you in every step I am capable of, but you must move forward on your own.
I looked toward the distant village. My legs trembled. Fear pressed against my ribs. Yet a strange excitement flickered beneath it. This was a new world. A world with no AI dependency. A world where I would have to rely on myself.
Alright Ela. Guide me.
Acknowledged.
I stood up, brushed the grass from my clothes, and took my first step toward the unknown.
And just like that my new life began.