Building The Strongest Family

Chapter 420: Welcome Back

The chamber vibrated with a cold, clinical hum. Soft light shimmered across the curved metal walls,faint ribbons of blue-white luminescence pulsing like a heartbeat.

The Veil of Duality pod floated just above the circular platform, its rotating rings moving in slow, deliberate circles. Each ring released delicate strands of light, akin to threads of data weaving an invisible tapestry.

The air surrounding the pod felt cool and crisp, tinged with a faint, charged scent of high-frequency energy. It was a place steeped in science, almost sterile, yet imbued with a sense of reverence,like the origin of something groundbreaking.

Evolon, the AI, brightened its primary core to a vivid blue. "Patriarch," it said, its voice gentle yet powerful, "the Veil of Duality is starting pre-cycle diagnostics."

Panels around the pod opened, exposing slender neural-phase scanners,delicate beams of light poised to map every nuance of Arthur’s mind. The rings began to spin with increased velocity, aligning vertically around the pod.

Arthur placed his hand on the edge of the pod’s opening.

A subtle shiver coursed through his fingers.

It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t excitement.

It was something else entirely,something he hadn’t experienced in years.

Anticipation.

He took a slow breath. "Let’s start the process."

"Confirmed," Evolon responded. "Neural-phase scanning initiated. Cognitive segmentation protocol is on standby."

Arthur stepped into the pod.

Inside, it conformed seamlessly to his shape, wrapping around him with precision. A gentle light glowed within, scanning and calibrating his form. As he settled in completely, the pod sealed quietly behind him.

He was enveloped by a dimness.

But then—light erupted.

Delicate, complex patterns emerged above him, resembling constellations arranged to parallel the architecture of his brain. Thousands of glowing points flickered, linked by intricate webs of light.

Evolon’s voice resonated through the speakers within the pod. "Patriarch, I will now commence the neural-phase scan. You may experience a brief sense of disorientation."

Arthur closed his eyes. "I’m ready."

The scanner powered up.

A fine, tingling sensation began to creep across his scalp, like static electricity dancing just beneath his skin. The light washed over him, gentle yet thorough, delving deeper, penetrating bone and tissue as it accessed his neural pathways.

Lines of code began to display above him as Evolon narrated:

"Mapping long-term memory storage... Identifying nodes of emotional suppression... Extracting signatures of hyper-focus conditioning..."

Arthur’s heartbeat synced with the soft pulsing rhythm of the pod. Each beat reverberated through his chest, magnified by the chamber’s stillness.

For years,ever since the System became a part of him,his emotional pathways had been deliberately muted. Not erased, not destroyed, but dulled. This was done so he could function at peak performance, make rational decisions, and execute his commands with precision.

A survival mechanism.A curse masquerading as clarity.

Now, Evolon planned to change that.

"Patriarch," Evolon stated, "I will now begin reconstructing your emotional pattern."

The lights overhead dimmed.

Then,they flared brightly.

Thousands of micro-lasers shifted from scanning to projecting, simulating the electrical patterns of Arthur’s original emotional responses,anger, fear, empathy, joy, grief, love,each stored in fragile, dormant fragments within his subconscious.

The pod read these responses like ancient scripts carved in stone.

"Emotional pattern reconstruction at 18%," Evolon reported.

Arthur’s breathing slowed and deepened.

He sensed a gentle pressure in his chest, something warm, unfamiliar. An echo of feeling, like an old muscle waking up after years of neglect.

"Reconstruction at 41%."

The tingling intensified. Shapes formed behind his closed eyelids,memories he had long buried or avoided:

His former life on Earth, rife with torment from bullies; dying and awakening in Panterra; thrust into a role of profound responsibility; the constant danger to his family; the first time he took a life; the faces of his mother and father.

All the memories he thought were lost suddenly came rushing back.

They didn’t stir up any feelings just yet. But they were there, shimmering gently, no longer hidden behind the fog of logic.

"Reconstruction at 63%."

A quiet hum filled the pod, and Arthur let out a sharp breath. His fingertips twitched, and his mind felt... open. It was as if hidden walls had been pulled apart, revealing spaces he had forgotten about.

"Now beginning personality segmentation."

The pod glowed brightly, a web of holographic lines forming around Arthur’s head, spinning slowly and dividing into two mirrored frames.

Evolon’s voice was steady and clinical:

"For the last few years, your mind has been functioning as a single-core system, with emotions suppressed by external forces."

A throbbing sensation pulsed in Arthur’s temples.

"The Veil of Duality is transforming this single core into two separate cognitive streams."

Inside the pod, two luminous spheres appeared.

One radiated warmth—golden and white.

The other was cool—blue and silver.

"Core A," Evolon stated, "represents your newly reconstructed emotional self. This core retains your genuine responses, empathy, judgments, and personality traits that were muted by the System."

The golden sphere pulsed softly, steady like a heartbeat.

"Core B is your System-Compatible Persona. This core maintains your analytical focus, emotional restraint, and impeccable operational thinking. It is the version of you recognized by the System."

The blue sphere flickered with precision and control.

Arthur absorbed the information in silence.

Evolon continued,"The System can only perceive conscious thought signals. It is incapable of accessing your subconscious or parallel streams. Therefore, the persona you present dictates what the System can see."

Arthur softly said, "...So it can only perceive what I choose to show it."

"Exactly," Evolon affirmed. "Beyond the interface you exhibit, it is effectively blind."

The spheres began to spin.Then they descended toward Arthur’s head.

"Segmenting personality layers," Evolon announced.

A brilliant flash of light enveloped the pod. A vibration surged through Arthur’s spine, sharp, yet not painful,like a thread being pulled apart from deep within him, splitting him cleanly down the middle.

His vision became hazy.His breath hitched.

His heart raced, synchronizing with the pulsing lights of the pod.

"Cognitive separation at 37%."

Images rushed by: Rational Arthur,calm, efficient, unwavering when necessary.

Emotional Arthur, suppressed for years, silenced, waiting to be heard.

"Separation at 62%."

Chill spread across one half of his mind while warmth blossomed in the other.

Two selves. Two voices.

Two identities,one resurfacing, one holding back.

"Separation at 89%."

Arthur clenched his jaw.His body tightened.

Each memory he had stored without feeling twisted painfully as the pod reconnected their emotional significance,restoring their weight.

He gasped. A real gasp.

The first genuine emotional reaction he had expressed in years.

"Segmentation complete."

Arthur felt something settle within him. A sense of equilibrium. A duality.

Two streams of consciousness now flowed alongside each other, never merging but perfectly in sync.

Evolon spoke softly.

"Patriarch... the Veil of Duality is fully operational."

The pod opened slowly.Warm air rushed in, enveloping Arthur’s skin.He pushed himself up,breathless, with his chest rising and falling in a raw, real rhythm.

He stepped out. The chamber lights glimmered in his eyes, which now shimmered with a depth they had long lacked. A tenderness lay hidden beneath his steely exterior.

Evolon stood before him, the hologram flickering like a heartbeat.

Then, with a hint of emotion, Evolon said:

"...Welcome back, Patriarch."

Arthur didn’t reply with words.

But the slight, fragile exhale from his chest,

and the delicate tremor in his fingers,

spoke volumes.

For the first time since the System suppressed his emotions.

Arthur Osborn felt whole again.