Myriad Heavens: Rise of the Rune God

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Rapid Progress

Nyla woke up slowly. Groggily. Her mind surfacing from deep sleep.

She opened her eyes and saw Orion beside her. Still sleeping. His face relaxed and peaceful.

A smile spread across her face.

The love of her life was with her. Actually with her. Not just as family. Not as a step-sibling she had to hide her feelings from.

As hers.

Nyla watched him sleep for a moment. Just enjoying the simple fact that this was real now.

Then Orion’s eyes opened.

They looked at each other. Love reflected in both their gazes.

Orion leaned forward and kissed her. Soft and warm.

”Did you sleep well?” he asked.

”Yes, I did.”

”Good. Let me cook lunch for you.”

”Yayyy, Okay.”

Orion got up and headed downstairs. Nyla stayed on the bed for a moment longer, still smiling.

This was real. This was actually happening.

She could get used to this.

KITCHEN - 1:30 PM

Orion put on the BCI earbuds and activated the holographic guidance.

”Rene, lunch menu. Something good but not too heavy. Nyla just woke up.”

”Recommendation: pan-seared salmon with lemon butter sauce, roasted vegetables, and jasmine rice. Light but nutritious. Preparation time: thirty minutes.”

”Perfect. Guide me through it.”

The holographic overlays appeared in his vision. Virtual hands demonstrating techniques. Temperature indicators showing when the pan was ready. Precise timing for each step.

Orion moved through the kitchen like a professional chef again. Because he had a professional guide showing him every movement.

Season the salmon with these exact spices. Heat the pan to 180°C. Place the fish skin-side down in this position. Flip after exactly two minutes.

The lemon butter sauce came together perfectly. Vegetables roasted with ideal caramelization. Rice cooked fluffy and light.

Thirty minutes later, he had two plated meals that looked restaurant-quality.

Nyla came downstairs just as he finished.

”That smells amazing,” she said.

”Sit. Eat.”

She took a bite and her eyes widened. ”You’re going to make me fat if you keep cooking like this.”

”I’ll take that as a compliment.”

They ate together. Talking about small things. Her group project. His work. Plans for the week.

Normal couple stuff.

It felt good.

After lunch, Nyla took her plate to the sink. ”I’m going to study that scientific module you installed. The molecular modeling tools look incredible. I want to see what I can do with them.”

”Have fun. Let me know if you find anything interesting.”

She kissed him quickly and headed upstairs.

Orion cleaned up the kitchen. Put the dishes away.

Then he put the earbuds back in.

”Rene, I can’t keep cooking every day like this. I need you to order an advanced humanoid robot. Get the best hardware available commercially.”

”Understood. Shall I search current market options?”

”I already know the market. The hardware from companies like Atlas Robotics and Synth Dynamics is excellent—advanced motor control, good sensor arrays, solid mechanical design. The problem is the software. All current robot control systems are terrible. Clumsy movements, balance issues, constant errors.”

”You want me to take over control of the robot?”

”Exactly. Replace the factory software completely. Use your control algorithms and real-time processing. It shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

”Not at all. With direct control, I can operate a humanoid robot with near-human fluidity. The hardware limitations are minimal compared to the software improvements I can provide.”

”Good. Order the Atlas Robotics Model AR-7. Have it delivered here. Once it arrives, you’ll reprogram it completely to handle cooking and basic household tasks.”

”Acknowledged. Ordering now. Estimated delivery: three days. Cost: 2.5 million credits.”

”That’s fine.”

”Shall I name it?”

”You want to name the robot?”

”It seems appropriate. I am Rene—Recursive Evolutionary Neural Engine. Perhaps the robot could be René, spelled the French way.”

Orion smiled. ”Sure. René the robot chef. Why not.”

”Excellent. Order placed.”

Orion sat down at the kitchen table. ”Status update on the research facility. How’s everything progressing?”

”All operations proceeding optimally. Would you like detailed breakdown?”

”Yeah, give me the overview.”

”Component manufacturing on schedule. Materials team has produced functional samples of both the thermoelectric blanket material and the room-temperature superconductors. Quality testing confirms 100% specification compliance. Laser team has fabricated the gain crystals—amplification factors exceed design requirements. Battery team reports solid-state batteries performing above expectations. Fusion team is assembling the magnetic containment framework.”

”Timeline still six months?”

”Current projection: four months to completion. Efficiency improvements have accelerated the schedule.”

”Excellent. What about the BCI units? I told you to get the preliminary versions to the researchers and technicians.”

”Completed yesterday. All facility staff now have AR BCI units. Initial feedback is extremely positive.”

”Good. I want to hear more details about how they’re using them.”

INNOVATIA ADVANCED RESEARCH DIVISION - MATERIALS LAB - SAME TIME

Dr. Sofia Martinez stood at her workstation, wearing what looked like normal wireless earbuds and a sleek smartwatch.

But they weren’t normal. Not even close.

She was assembling a complex thermoelectric module—dozens of precisely layered materials that needed perfect alignment. Normally this would require constant reference to diagrams, careful measurements, and frequent mistakes.

Now? Holographic guides appeared directly in her vision. Glowing outlines showing exactly where each component should go. Real-time measurements displayed automatically. Step-by-step instructions appearing as she worked.

”Layer 47, bismuth telluride substrate,” a calm voice said through the bone conduction speakers. ”Position angle: 15 degrees. Alignment tolerance: 0.05 millimeters. Current alignment: optimal. Proceed with bonding.”

Sofia placed the layer perfectly. The holographic overlay confirmed correct positioning with a green checkmark.

”This is incredible,” she muttered.

David Kim, working at the next station, looked over. He was wearing his BCI unit too. ”Right? I just assembled an entire superconductor coil in thirty minutes. That normally takes six hours.”

”How accurate are the measurements?” Sofia asked.

”I tested it. The BCI measurements match our precision instruments down to the micrometer. And the AI guidance caught three errors I didn’t even notice—misalignments that would have caused failure during testing.”

Sofia nodded. The past day had been transformative. Every researcher and technician at the facility had received the AR BCI units yesterday morning. Orion’s orders.

At first, people were skeptical. Brain-computer interfaces sounded like science fiction. Medical equipment, not consumer electronics.

But the moment they put them on and activated the Aether OS integration, everything changed.

The earbuds looked exactly like premium wireless audio devices. Comfortable. Lightweight. Nobody would know they were actually reading brain activity.

The smartwatch handled all the processing. Surprisingly powerful for its size. Connected to the facility’s supercomputer for heavy computational tasks.

And the functionality was mind-blowing.

Thought-based commands. Sofia could navigate her computer, open files, run simulations, all just by thinking. No typing. No clicking. Just direct mental control.

Holographic overlays. Information appeared directly in her vision. Diagrams, measurements, instructions, real-time data—all floating in her field of view as if they were physically present.

AI assistance. The system understood what she was working on and provided relevant guidance automatically. Suggesting optimal techniques, warning about potential errors, showing best practices.

Remote supercomputer access. Heavy simulations that would normally take hours on her workstation now ran in minutes using the facility’s main computing power, results appearing directly through the BCI.

”The manufacturing team is going crazy with these,” David said. ”They’re assembling reactor components at triple the normal speed.”

Sofia could believe it. When every worker had perfect instructions appearing directly in their vision, mistakes became nearly impossible.

MANUFACTURING FLOOR - SAME TIME

Technician Marcus Webb was assembling a section of the magnetic containment system. Normally this required three people—one to position components, one to check alignment, one to secure everything.

Now Marcus was doing it alone.

His BCI showed him exactly where to position each superconducting coil. Holographic guides indicated the precise angle and placement. Real-time measurements confirmed alignment accuracy.

”Coil 23 positioned correctly,” the AI assistant said. ”Proceed with securing mechanism.”

Marcus grabbed the fastening tool. More holographic instructions appeared, showing the exact torque specifications and tightening sequence.

He worked smoothly, efficiently. Each movement guided. Each step verified.

”This is amazing,” his colleague Jennifer said, working on an adjacent section. ”I’m finishing assemblies in one-tenth the normal time.”

”And with zero errors,” Marcus added. ”The AI catches everything. I tried to install a component backward yesterday—testing the system—and it immediately warned me before I could secure it.”

Around the manufacturing floor, dozens of technicians worked with the same enhanced efficiency. Complex assemblies that required extensive training and experience were now achievable with simple guidance.

The BCI units democratized expertise. Junior technicians could perform at senior levels because the AI provided expert knowledge in real-time.

FUSION TEAM LAB

Dr. Amara Okafor was running plasma simulations on the facility supercomputer. But she wasn’t sitting at a terminal typing commands.

She was standing in the middle of the lab, eyes closed, thinking through the simulation parameters.

The BCI translated her thoughts into commands. The supercomputer executed them. Results appeared in her vision as holographic displays.

Temperature: 150 million Kelvin. Density: optimizing. Magnetic field configuration: adjusting to 280 Tesla.

The simulation ran. Plasma behavior visualized in stunning detail—colorful streams of superheated matter contained by invisible magnetic forces.

”Stability confirmed,” Amara said aloud, even though she could think the command. ”Run fusion rate calculation.”

Numbers appeared. Energy output projections. Efficiency ratings.

Perfect. Better than perfect. The reactor design was going to work beautifully.

”Dr. Okafor!” one of her team members called out. ”You have to try this. The BCI makes modeling so much faster.”

”I know,” Amara said, smiling. ”I just ran a full-scale plasma simulation in three minutes. That normally takes two hours.”

The team gathered around, comparing notes on BCI functionality. Everyone was excited. The tools they’d been given were extraordinary.

One of the engineers, Marcus, held up his wrist showing the smartwatch. ”I still don’t understand how this works. My thoughts control my computer?”

”Neural sensors in the earbuds,” another team member explained. ”They detect the electrical activity in your brain when you think commands. The watch processes the signals and translates them into actions.”

”But it’s so accurate. It knows exactly what I want.”

”That’s the AI. It learned your specific brain patterns during the calibration period. Now it can predict your intentions with over 99% accuracy.”

”This is going to change everything,” Amara said quietly. ”Not just for us. When this technology goes public, the entire world changes. Education, medicine, manufacturing, research—every field gets revolutionized.”

”Mr. Starr is giving this to everyone?” someone asked.

”That’s what I heard. Product launch in a few days. Commercial BCI units available for purchase.”

The room went quiet as everyone processed that.

”The world isn’t ready for this,” Marcus said.

”No,” Amara agreed. ”But it’s getting it anyway.”

ORION’S ROOM - 3:15 PM

Orion sat at his desk, receiving reports from Rene through the BCI.

”The research facility staff is adapting to the AR BCI units exceptionally well,” Rene reported. ”Productivity has increased by an average of 340%. Assembly time for reactor components reduced by 70%. Simulation work accelerated by 85%. Error rates dropped to near zero.”

”Good. Any complaints?”

”Minor adjustments requested for comfort during extended wear. I have already implemented firmware updates to address them. Otherwise, feedback is universally positive. Several researchers have called the BCI ’the most important tool they’ve ever used.’”

”That’s what I wanted to hear. These units are preliminary versions. The commercial models will be even better.”

”Affirmative. The commercial Aether AR earbuds will have improved battery life, enhanced comfort, and more polished software. The Aether VR headset will offer full sensory immersion with the same thought-control interface.”

Orion leaned back. Everything was working. The BCI technology was proving itself in the field. The researchers were building the fusion reactor faster than expected. The company was growing explosively.

”Overall status check,” Orion said. ”Give me the big picture.”

”Aether OS: 1.4 billion downloads as of this morning. Growth rate increasing. Monthly revenue from AI subscriptions: 12.1 billion credits and rising.

”Innovatia corporation: market value estimated at 500 billion credits based on private valuations. We are now the fifth most valuable company in the Federation.

”Financial assets: current liquid capital is 134 billion credits. Cryptocurrency mining continues to generate approximately 2 billion credits daily. Total wealth increasing exponentially.

”Patent portfolio: 287 patents filed across all technologies. Approval rate: 100% on completed reviews.

”Research facility: all teams operating at peak efficiency with BCI assistance. Fusion reactor completion timeline: five months. Morale extremely high.

”Public perception: Innovatia viewed as the most innovative company in the world. Media coverage overwhelmingly positive.

”Product launch: Six days until Aurora Convention Center event. Attendance confirmed: 5,000 in-person, 2.1 million virtual.

”Overall assessment: all operations proceeding optimally.”

Orion absorbed the information. Everything was progressing faster than he’d hoped.

”Any concerns?” he asked.

”One minor item. We are growing rapidly enough to potentially attract unwanted attention from governments or large corporations. I recommend establishing stronger legal protections.”

”Talk to James Park about that. Have him set up whatever legal structures we need.”

”Understood.”

Orion closed his eyes. Practiced a quick breathing cycle. Felt the exotic energy circulating through his body. The partial ring around his heart pulsing faintly.

Four months until the fusion reactor completed. Four months until he could synthesize exotic energy and accelerate his cultivation dramatically.

But he couldn’t rush it. The reactor had to work perfectly.

Tonight he’d continue CMVT. Visualize more of Earth’s structure. Keep refining his mind.

Tomorrow he’d check in with the research facility. See the progress firsthand.

One step at a time.

Building power. Building technology. Building the future.

The journey continued.