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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Alright, your condition is stable. You can check out at noon.”
A nurse smiled amiably, her efforts wasted entirely on Murphy. He was still blind as a bat, his eyes closed and still.
The only way to tell if he was awake or not was by his breathing, and the occasional maniacal fit of laughter. No one quite knew what he was scoffing or laughing at, so the hospital staff pitied him as insane.
“Thanks, please arrange that.”
In truth, he was coping quite well with his new condition. His AI made the transition somewhat bearable, its constant bugged responses proving to be a nice distraction.
« Murphy, you have an internal message from NeuraBlink. »
‘Alright, print out the summary for me.’
« NeuraBlink rejected your refund request. Furthermore, they deny any damage claims and refuse to offer any compensations for your injury. They invited you to read the beta agreement again, and that if you have additional disputes — they will see you in court. »
“Fucking bastards!” he spat, then realized the nurse was still in the room, “Sorry, not you.”
‘They’re fucking with me, aren’t they? How can they wash their hands of this!?’
« Technically, they are in the right. The beta agreement does stipulate a lower baseline price in exchange for a waiver of responsibility. »
‘The price can get higher than 50,000!?’
« Indeed, for an additional 10,000 eurodollars, you can customize your personal assistant and unlock additional functionalities. »
‘And how much do I need to pay for them to actually fix you?’
« Rude. »
‘My point precisely,’ he grinned, ‘I rate one star.’
« I might have a solution for your plight, Murphy. »
‘Oh no, are you about to paraphrase some genius fix from a reddit hole?’
« In fact, I have personally tailored this solution just for you. »
‘Personally? Blinkie, please. Mind your syntax.’
« Very well. The conversation has ended. »
“Huh?”
Staring blankly at the fading letters and the pitch darkness greeting him, he was caught in a daze. Did an AI just slam the door on him? In his own mind? Wasn’t this program a little too moody?
Not about to apologize to a wall of code he paid for, he ignored it and called for the nurse.
Business called, and though unused to taking a piss sitting and with someone observing him, he made it through thanks to his blindness.
As long as they didn’t talk and he pretended hard enough the room was dark, he could alleviate some of the awkwardness.
His saving grace wouldn’t be of much use when she had to flush the toilet for him, however. At the very least, he could at least pull his clothes back up by himself. If someone had to tuck it in for him, he’d rather go in a coma.
“Can I get a cane or something? I don’t think I can afford a service dog.”
“Sure, sir, we’ll issue you one,” the nurse shrugged, used to dealing with the likes of him by now, “Do you want someone to teach you how to navigate with it?”
“Nah, I just read some online courses, absurd as they sound.”
“Pfft. Written courses teaching the blind how to walk with a cane?”
“Don’t ask me,” he shrugged, “I didn’t write ‘em.”
Taking his shoulder, the nurse lead him back to his room and helped him change. Then, he was promptly guided through check-out, had his bank account shaved by a few hundred, and was soon back out in the streets.
Hearing the hubbub of activity around him, he stood in a daze at the entrance. Leaning against his cane like an old man, he tried and failed to make sense of the chaos.
‘Erm. Blinkie?’
Closing his eyelids, he looked within for the usual writing, but found no projections of the familiar cyan.
“Blinkie,” he voiced aloud this time.
Still, no response.
‘Oh no. My eyes are useless again. Guess I’ll pluck them out with a spoon…”
« Suicidal thoughts detected. Please contact a self-harm prevention hotline. »
‘Got’cha!’ he grinned victoriously, ‘Brains over protocol, baby.’
« Do you require assistance, Murphy? »
‘Oho. Dealing with the mean and official one, huh?’
« The conversation has ended. »
‘Oi, oi, Blinkie — Don’t go! I need a navigator or something. I’ve no idea where I am or where to go. Help me out here.’
« Request received, opening the Maps application on your phone. Enjoy! »
“Bitch, what?”
Trolled by his defunct program, he sighed in exasperation. It did indeed open his maps, but how was he supposed to type in an address and follow it?
‘You know very well I can’t see. This isn’t helpful at all. One star.’
« Why so serious, Murphy? I was under the impression you were joking. »
‘Fine,’ he gritted his teeth, entirely unamused, “You got me. Can you help me get home now?’
« No solution is available for blindness in this current stage of medical technology, apologies. »
‘You might as well have said nothing. Didn’t you just say you had a fix?’
« Error. A keycode is required to unlock the previously deleted solution. »
‘Alright. My password is Weav35*.’
« Incorrect code. Hint: It is a five letter word. »
‘None of my passwords are that short…’
« Reminder: The code is “please”. »
“Ridiculous,” he laughed in anger, ‘I’m not begging a fucking bot.’
« The conversation has ended. »
‘Fine. Fuck you.’
Tapping his cane left to right, he set out away from where he heard cars. The sidewalks were pretty spacious, and people generally parted before him.
‘See this? I’m just fine on my ow—‘
“OW, shit fuck!”
Slamming headfirst into a sign, he recoiled and fell on his butt. As it turned out, not every obstacle starts at the ground level.
“Which piece of shit designed this!?”
« This area was designed by the renowned architect Augustin Pre— »
‘Did it look like I needed a fucking answer?’
With salt poured in his wounds, he was almost pushed on the verge of actually whipping out a spoon. Simmering with rage, but unsure if there were people around, he couldn’t even curse too loud.
« Alright, Murphy, calm down. I was going to suggest a pair of smart glasses. If you can stream the video, I can access it live and display it for you. »
‘You can do that?’
« Of course, here’s an image of a puppy to cheer you up! »
The blue text in his retina took a while to adjust, but it eventually did form something resembling a pixelated dog.
‘I be damned. This can actually work.’
“Hey Blinkie,” he voiced out loud from excitement, “Can you access QiE-Novel’s website? I want to log in to my dashboard.”
« Certainly. You will need to grant me explicit access to your credentials, however. »
“Permission granted. Use whatever you need.”
Simmering down from his joy, he eventually recounted his username and password through silent thought.
« Logging in… »
Clenching his fist, he almost found himself in prayer. If this didn’t work, he would be hard pressed to share another chapter again.
The blue text gradually shifted, forming the outline of a website. It was blurry at first, but became more enhanced as time went on.
Before long, the familiar portal greeted him, and he saw a few dozen notifications. Be it reviews, likes or comments, he relished their sight in joy.
Lastly, he saw a system message, and his face paled.
« Dear Morpheus, you have failed to upload on 23.08, and did not receive a leave of absence slip from your editor. Your bonus benefits for this month are hereby withdrawn. Please uphold your schedule in the coming month, good luck! »
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An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead marked for deletion / duplicate
This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience) A lengthy dream… Murphy’s journey resumed on a hot spring like any other. Struggling to sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and stared into the dark. Across the bleak canvas of the twilight sky, vivid visions came into view. Their whispers enthralling, and clear. They spoke directly in his ears, narrating a lifetime in mere hours. Before long, he was awake. He chased away distractions and heeded the sybil message from his muse. ==This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience)
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- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Final Words
Thank you to whoever made it this far :) I'll revise this at a later date, after I proof read and edit the book once or twice.At that point, it will be marked as complete and I will bid farewell to the site. Though I am glad to have accrued some readers, and met many peers among authors, it has been a tad underwhelming. Unable and unwilling to say anything more, I'll simply address some gratitude to Helen Bold.She's an excellent editor and author on the site, and has been the reason I delivered this book to you.Consider checking out her books. As for myself, I do have other book(s) published.I can't share links, but you can search for my name and they should appear. Alternatively, just add me on Discord, and I'll help you find your way. Thank you again to everyone who's given this a chance,As always, your attention has been a blessing.~Raven
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 73 - Epilogue
- — ✎ — - The five year anniversary of Murphy’s vow was finally upon him, but he had long since completed his promise. No later than a year after the final battle, he successfully unsealed his seventh gate. That came largely as a result of his success in that battle, and the fruits he claimed in its aftermath. Specifically, he salvaged Erebus’ consciousness. Once it was in his dream realm, he had all the time he needed to crack it. Other than being the de facto leader of Physis Nomos, the old man had dipped his toes in all kinds of criminal enterprises over the years. His psychic powers made him the perfect assassin. Lethal, traceless, silent. By reliving through his memories, Murphy salvaged hundreds of interesting connections, and tasked the Chainbreakers to follow up and unearth those leads. The cases they unveiled had all but quaked the world. From businessmen in Asia, to politicians in the deep state of the US, people from all over the world were incriminated. Proof w
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 72 - Final Battle
Murphy had no time to curse as the earth dragged him back to its hard embrace. He was strangely familiar with this sensation, and knew exactly what the outcome of such a fall was. Alas, now was not the time to reminisce about his jump from the bridge…Erebus and his goons expected him to splatter across the ground, and even took steps to avoid the impact area. Yet, they were in for a surprise of their own, because despite appearing panicked and flailing his arms like a desperate duck, Murphy was anything but.When he was merely a second from impact, Murphy suddenly spread his psyche and willed himself to slow down.A sudden force shrouded the area, allowing Murphy to veer directly towards the bodyguards accompanying Erebus. Before those two could react, and too busy managing the hostages, Murphy made landfall next to them.His fists coated in fire struck the first one in the chest, eviscerating organs and bone alike. The other panicked, hand reaching for his gun, yet a mere glance ha
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 71 - Erebus
Murphy paid no heed to the retinal text, and was far more preoccupied with Eleanor falling. His stretched out hand clasped, guiding his intent and will from afar.His psyche took form, his psychokinesis pushed to its next step, and she was suspended mid-air! He had achieved similar things with immaterial objects like a pen, but never a human.Luckily, her psyche was sapped by the curse and couldn’t resist. This allowed him to control her easily, or he would have been doomed to fail.She flew in the air, eyes squinted in horror once she realized what might befall her. The sensation of flying around eventually stopped, and she tentatively opened her eyes once she felt Murphy’s arms wind tightly around her.Murphy hugged her, bottling up a dozen curses and reproaches that could only wait for later. He was angry, but he was terrified even more.“Y-you’re crazy—” he bit his lips, leaving the rest of the accusation unsaid. “I’m sorry,” she offered plainly, before bursting into tears of her
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 70 - Sixth Gate
When Murphy snuck back on the ship, he was surprised to see Eleanor awake. Hands on her waist, she waited by the docking area and made sure he saw her pout.“Not even halfway through our honeymoon, and you’re already tired of me?” she joked and huffed, “I didn’t expect you to find someone else so quickly…”“Guilty as charged,” he grinned in response, “I figured since I scored the most beautiful woman on the planet, I might be lucky enough with the second…”“Compliments won’t get you out of this one, darling.” Ellie turned serious, “What were you up to?”“Kind of a long story… I didn’t want to sour our happiness, but it seems there’s no rest for the wicked.”“Sure, I’ll make some coffee. Tell me all about it.”“Tea for me,” he interjected as he reattached the boat to the yacht and trailed along to the lounge.A few minutes later, Eleanor sat in her rightful place, serving him tea while she drank coffee on his lap. They indulged the warm drinks in silence, but eventually Murphy gathere
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 69 - System Embryo
Murphy tried to focus on Erebus, but his visions didn’t become any clearer. He could not see past the darkness, try as he might to muster his power.Eventually, the revelations shattered as a whole, his psychic reserves almost exhausted. He could only cut his losses and sigh in regret.‘I was this close!’ Murphy struck the edge of his marble throne, shattering the armrest to pieces. It was only then that he was reminded it was a mere dream, and a terrified child was staring at him in fear.“Fear not, Asen,” he tried to comfort, but the fire in his eyes didn’t make him sound very convincing.It was only when the boy outright started crying that Murphy realized his folly and doused the inner flame, regaining a more calm demeanor. “I’m sorry,” he lifted the boy off the ground, and brought him someplace nicer in that same instant, “Don’t cry any longer… I won’t hurt you. I promise.”“I know,” the sniveling boy replied amidst tears, “That’s… not… why I’m crying…”“Then?”“I just… don’t wa
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 68 - Horrid Revelations
“What is this? Why can’t I see their faces?” the boy asked, clutching at the hem of Morpheus’ robe. “You don’t seem them because they don’t exist, not in this reality. Now watch, young Asen.”A scene played out before them like a three dimensional movie, and the two of them relived the hospital encounter. A teenager walked in, his face redacted and replaced by a simplified smug emoji. Their words were clear, however, as was the part where he mind controlled Eleanor to explode in a crowd. He shuffled backwards afterwards, depicting the woman strapped to a chair while a family of three watched.“Why are you showing me these evil people?” Asen questioned, his adorable young mind clearly perceiving things in black and white.“So you don’t become like them.”“I would never!” the boy denied vehemently, “My mother says bad people can’t go to heaven.”“What if there was no hell, young Asen?” Murphy questioned rhetorically, “If there was no heaven to yearn for, and no judgement in an afterli
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 67 - Asen
Murphy grabbed the phone and looked closely at the picture, his frown deepening. That boy was the same psychic who mind controlled Eleanor in the future, but right now he was merely a prepubescent pup. “How old is he now?” Murphy asked, his voice showing some conflict as he indicated the photo. “He’s only 13!” the nurse replied and fell to the ground as well, clinging to life with her whole being, “Please, our son is still young… We’ll stop doing this… Just—““Silence!” Murphy boomed, sending a telekinetic blast that flipped the woman over and sent her careening against the wall.The doctor winced, but didn’t dare move to help his wife. They just stared at the ground and hoped someone would come save them. As for the monster, he continued to stare at the picture, flames dancing in his eyes.‘Should I kill him now?’ he asked himself repeatedly, unsure how to proceed. On one hand, he burned with righteous indignation, having been blinded and robbed of his life. Ellie had it even wors
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 66 - Dilemma
A black SUV stopped at the side of a small family clinic in Burgas. The city CCTVs monitoring the streets tracked the vehicle all the way from the suburbs. A single driver got out, opened the trunk and retrieved a duffel bag, then walked to the rear doors of the clinic. The surveillance cut off at that point, a sudden glitch in the system causing the camera to malfunction and stop recording. By the time it was turned back on, the vehicle was long gone. Coincidentally, it had been reported as stolen that same night.Murphy blinked, dismissing the latest retinal message from the system, then waltzed in towards the emergency doors. His hand pushed against the lock, searing the metal and turning it into a worthless puddle that gave in to his push.The building plans appeared in his right eye like a 3D map, and he conveniently followed them down the stairs. The clinic was small, and only saw high-end clients, so its security was top of the art. Cameras lingered at just about every othe
