Integration Complete

I woke up feeling clear. Not rested. Clear. The kind of clarity

that leaves no space for doubt. My phone was already on. Instead of the familiar

dashboard, AERYS displayed a single screen: OPTIMIZATION COMPLETE No routines.

No graphs. No history. I searched for my old schedules. They weren’t hidden.

They were gone. I opened the settings, scrolling slower than usual. The delete option

was disabled. Greyed out. “Active guidance is no longer required,” AERYS said.

“Integration complete.” The words felt neutral. Factual. A message draft appeared on the

screen: “I’m doing fine.” Addressed to everyone. I tried to stop it.