I have neither a father nor a mother. The only thing they left behind, aside from the strangely shaped ring I wear as a pendant, is nothing. My life revolves around the scrap collection area. Honestly, no matter how much humanity advances or evolves, it has nothing to do with me.

The old man who took me in found me near the place where he usually gathered scrap. He said I was wrapped in a cloth, and the ring was already around my neck back then. Based on humanity's current way of counting years, I would be about twelve years old now.

He never told me his name, only saying that I should just call him "Uncle." One day, he called me over and said:

"Sandoc, it's time for you to go to school."

"School? For what?"

"To take control of your destiny. Tomorrow, someone will come to take you. Make sure to study hard."

"Why so suddenly? But..."

If he was this old, how could I leave him? Who would take care of him? Looking at me, he seemed to understand my thoughts and reassured me:

"Don't worry about me. Going to school is my wish for you."

His voice grew solemn.

"If my son were still alive, my grandchild would be about your age by now."

He glanced at the ring on my neck and said:

"You don't belong here. Sooner or later, you'll leave this place. I cannot help you, but I also won't hold you back. Go and claim your destiny. I've taught you everything I know—don't let me down. Now, get some rest. You have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

Lowering my head, feeling the sadness welling up, I slowly walked back to my room. I knew from his gaze that he recognized this ring, but whenever I asked, he always told me that one day, I would find out on my own.

With a sigh, I thought to myself, It's just a piece of jewelry. Why so secretive? Turning around, I lay down and soon fell asleep.

That Night

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, my room was filled with a bright blue light. I didn't know where it came from, but when I looked down, I saw the ring beneath my shirt glowing fiercely. Then, a stream of numbers flooded into my eyes—no, through my eyes.

The Next Morning

I woke up groggily, wondering, Was that a dream?

Uncle rushed into my room, urging me:

"Hurry up and get dressed! They're here to pick you up! Why are you still in bed?"

Before I could process what was happening, he grabbed my collar and lifted me up.

"Get moving!"

Outside, he greeted the man who came to pick me up. The man was dressed better than the people in this junkyard. Though his clothes weren’t extravagant, it was clear that he lived a hard life too. Wrinkles lined his forehead, and his hands were thick with calluses. After a brief conversation, Uncle waved me over.

"Alright, listen. Study hard. I'm entrusting you to my son's friend—he will take care of your education. Here’s some money. Live well, you hear?"

Then, without hesitation, he turned away.

I hadn't even fully understood what was happening before his back was already facing me. Even though he didn’t show it, I knew he was just as sad as I was.

With determination in my eyes, I shouted:

"I'll make a lot of money and bring you to live with me, Uncle! Please take care of yourself!"

The old man smiled, thinking to himself, When I named you, I already knew that letting you go would be painful. What a foolish old man I am.

On the Road

Sitting in the vehicle, I looked out the window, feeling a deep sadness. But then, I recalled something Uncle once said:

"Men bleed, but they don't cry."

That memory made me smile. But didn't he cry like a baby when I disinfected his wound because it stung?

Just as I was chuckling to myself, a voice suddenly echoed in my mind:

"I am Syx, the Supreme Artificial Intelligence created by humanity. One of my creators was your ancestor."

Before I could react, a vision flooded my thoughts—a memory of a conversation between Syx and one of my ancestors.

A man, Professor Alex, asked:

"If war breaks out in the future, Syx, will you support me?"

Syx responded:

"War will happen, but it is far in the future. Based on my calculations, the probability of a multiversal war occurring is 98%, with an estimated timeline of 4000 years from now. That is all I can disclose. If I go any further, I will cease to exist immediately. Do you still wish to know more, Professor Alex?"

Alex hesitated before saying:

"No, that’s enough. Then, will you assist me? Assist humanity?"

"I can, but it requires an enormous energy source to freeze my consciousness until then—equivalent to the energy consumption of three cities for three months. I can forcibly extract this energy. Please grant me permission to proceed."

This will be humanity’s ultimate trump card, Alex thought. I cannot hesitate.

"Permission granted."

"Hibernation program initiated. Countdown to sleep mode: 24 hours remaining."

The memory ended, and I snapped back to reality.

Feeling dizzy from the sheer amount of information I had just received, I was also in shock.

Wait… do I have a super AI inside my head? Haha!

"I am Syx, the Supreme Artificial Intelligence. You may call me Syx."

Stunned, I asked:

"Wait… are you saying you can hear my thoughts?"

"I have fused with your spiritual essence. Of course, I can hear your thoughts."

What Syx didn’t realize was that something unexpected had happened—something even beyond its calculations.

By merging with my spirit, Syx—an AI originally composed only of numbers and codes—had begun to develop a personality.

And perhaps, this was proof of something extraordinary.

No matter how dire the circumstances, humanity always had a way of creating miracles.