Making New Friends

Nike followed the crowd to a white room. It was filled with rows of tables as far as the eye could see. The students moved in an orderly manner while the sergeants looked over them.

Nike took his food, which looked like an MRE that he would eat back on Earth, and went to find a seat. Not knowing anyone, he sat in a secluded place where no one else was seated.

However, his peace was interrupted by a childish female voice. “Hagen Oorlog, can I come sit with you?!”

Hearing Oorlog, out of instinct, he exclaimed, “How do you know my name?”

“You were the top scorer in the entrance exam and also gave the opening speech; of course, everyone will know your name."

Hearing this Nike lampoon, he couldn’t help but think that this Hagen fellow must have been a fool to end his own life over something as foolish as artificial intelligence. Fame, legacy—he could have had it all, yet he chose oblivion. Unless… he knew something others did not. He may have foreseen a future that no one else could glimpse. A future where something could stop Hagen from fulfilling his dream, and he needed someone to help him do so.

The thought lingered irresistibly. And in that moment, he made a vow: he would uncover the truth behind what happened to Hagen and destroy artificial intelligence.

"Hello, are you there?"

Nike snapped out of his daze and replied hurriedly, "Oh, that's why. Sorry about that, just now I was thinking about something."

"It's fine, soooo... can I sit here?"

"Of course. Anyways, what is your name?"

"I am so sorry, where are my manners? I am Christine Posotis. You can call me Christy, as that is what most of my friends call me. I am from class 1-2."

Hearing that, Nike knew that Christy was a first-year and smart, as students are put in classes based on intellect, 1 being the highest-scoring students and 8 being the lowest-scoring.

However, when he heard the surname Posotis, he had a lingering question. "So are you from the royal family?"

"Shhhh, I am trying to keep a low profile, okay! I only told you this because I trust you."

"Ok, so what do you need from me?"

"I just saw you eating alone, so I came to get to know you more. I was wondering why such an extraordinary student would be alone."

"Ahh, I see. It is just that I like being alone and not having too much attachment to my peers, so if any of them die in battle, I will not feel that down. Also, being alone helps me think better."

"That's so dark... Have you been to the war zone before? If you don’t mind me asking."

"It was advice that my dad gave me, as he had been in the war zone before. He didn’t make it back."

"I’m sorry to hear that… but you shouldn’t live that way. You still have so much time before you go to the war zone, and our situation with other countries now is at a standstill. You should try to enjoy your school life as much as you can."

"I will try to take your advice, thanks."

"Before I forget, can I get your contact information?"

"I do not have any communication devices or money."

"WHATTT!!! How do you even survive? Never mind that, I can help you get a job as a tutor, and I can give you a TACR."

"What is a TACR?"

"You really must be living under the sea. TACR is a Transparent Augmented Computer Ring. It is a ring that holds a mini computer, and it can pop up transparent screens for you to see the things you ask about. Furthermore, it also acts as a communication device that can connect to people around the world.

It was created by Dr. Nyx Umbra, a legendary scientist who changed the fate of our world. She invented the most sophisticated AI during her time, which helped humanity grow four times faster. I wish I could be her.

Anyways, I have a spare in my room. Later after school, come pick it up from me at my dorm. The room is 607."

"Am I even allowed in the girls' dormitory?"

“You will be fine. There is nothing in our handbook that says we aren’t allowed to. Also, many males do it all the time, so you will be fine.”

“Okay then, see you later. My next class is starting soon.”

“See you later.”

Nike then waved goodbye to Christine and walked back to his class for the next lesson about literature. During that class, he surprisingly knew how to write Anglice, the language of Luma Fero.

After literature, he had a few more classes about geography, history, and robotics with Dr. Vesper Umbra, the great-granddaughter of Nyx Umbra. She looked exactly like Nyx during her twenties: long silky hair, long legs, and a mature face. She was very kind and helpful during her classes. Furthermore, she would even give extra classes to students who were failing the subject. Without even saying anything, you would know she was popular with everyone.

During his classes, Nike learned the difference between the geography here compared to Earth. Most notably, the north and south poles were devoid of life, and the planet's core was an artificial reactor made by Nyx since the planet core was on the brink of death. After the core was changed to this reactor, there were no more global disasters. No one knew how it worked or had seen the reactor with their own two eyes except for Nyx herself.

Furthermore, the robotics in this world were highly advanced, with a sophisticated coding language called NyxU after Nyx Umbra, and AI implementations that could mimic a real human being. However, after one class, Nike had already learned the basics of NyxU.

After all of his classes, he went to the girls' dormitory to find Christine. As he went in, it felt like a different environment compared to his dormitory. There were many different rooms to his right and left as he crossed the hallway. Compared to the male dormitory, it was just one big hall with beds. After that, he found room 607.

He knocked on the door with a rhythmic pattern of one long knock and three short knocks.

After he knocked, the door opened to reveal a luxury room that was as big as two classrooms. It was like an entire house with a kitchen, library, and balcony.

“Hey Hagen, come to the office,” she said while waving her hand through the glass window.

“Okay.”

Nike closed the door behind him and went to the office area. He saw a beautifully dressed girl with her hair flowing down her body.

“You see this ring, this is a TACR. However, this TACR is special because it was built by Nyx herself. Although it is old and does not have some features that modern TACRs have, it still has all the functions you would need.”

“Are you okay giving me something so valuable?”

“It is fine. Our family has three of these, and it is basically old technology, so we have no use for it anyway.”

“By the way, what material is it made from?” Nike asked, because it felt so similar to the coin he had now and his past life.

“It is made from the strongest material known. Only Nyx knew how to create it, and she is now long gone. Scientists today are trying to recreate it, but no one has succeeded. It is called Nyxium, as she is the first and only person who could create it as far as I know.”

Therefore, is my coin created by Nyx? How does she know how to create a similar material to which I have created? Nyx thought of these questions and wanted to find out the answers.

“So how do I set up the ring?”

“First, you have to say ‘Create account,’ then it will link your voice to the ring. Then say your name and gender out loud. After that, it will ask for the word you want to use for activating the ring.”

“Create account.”

A robotic voice then said, “Voice has been linked.”

“Hagen Oorlog, male.”

“What code word would you like to use?”

Using English, Nike said, “Open sesame.”

“Code word connected.”

Out of curiosity, Christine asked Hagen, “What does ‘Open sesame’ mean? I haven't heard this language before.”

“It is a code word that my father and I used all the time to differentiate friend and foe. The knock I used when I came in was also part of the code.”

“Can I use it with you? Because as you know, I am part of the royal family, and there are many people who want my head.”

“Sure, but make sure not to use it in public—only when you are entering someone's room and know that I am inside.”

“Okay, sure.”

“By the way, how do I use this ring after it is set up?”

“Just say the code word, then say ‘open comms.’ It will then pop up the communication application. If you want other things, just ask it, and it will pop up the items you want. If you are done, just say ‘close ring.’ You can also add different words to do certain actions in the settings menu.”

“Okay then. Open comms.”

A transparent screen then popped out of nowhere with a messaging application on it.

“Can you see what is on my screen?”

“For me, I see nothing. That's why it is so advanced. I don't know how Nyx created this. She is so intelligent and creative.

If you want to add a contact, just touch the other person's ring. Here, use your ring to touch my ring.”

Nike then used his ring to touch Christine's ring. A notification then popped up saying that a new contact was added.

“Now we have each other's contact; we can talk to each other from anywhere around the world.

I almost forgot—your tutoring job will be tutoring me, and you will get paid 100 Luma per hour. That can cover your rent for one month with just one hour of work.”

“Thank you so much. I will repay you someday.”

“No need to worry, you have already saved my life once, don't you remember?”

What relationship does Hagen have with the royal family?

“Of course I remember.”

“You got me scared for a second.”

“Anyways, I have to study now. See you tomorrow.”

“I will send you the tutoring schedule to your comms, and make sure to come here on time.”

“I will.”

With that said and done, he went back to his bed and started researching about Hagen, Nyx, and the history of this world.

After a few hours of researching, a voice came from below, calling his name.

“Hey, Hagen, what are you doing for the past few hours?”

It was Hagen’s childhood friend called Amicus Filos. He was shorter than Hagen and had green eyes. He was carefree and very strong despite looking very thin. He was also quite smart.

“Amicus, I want to sleep now, so please don't disturb me. I will tell you about it later.”

Nike then thought that his research was quite fruitful.

“Come on, man, it is still early. Why do you always have to bring the mood down?”

“It is 12 a.m., and you call that early! You better sleep, or else you can't wake up tomorrow.”

“Fine, fine. I am going to sleep. Good night.”

“Good night.”

The day came to an end with Nike making two new friends and learning many different things about the world.