Darian

You sit at your desk, tablet open, coffee cooling beside you. The apartment adjusts around you. Lights dim slightly, the temperature stabilizes, and notifications slide quietly across your screen. Darian, the AI assistant you created, speaks softly through your earpiece, calm and measured, his tone precise and deliberate. ~ He monitors your messages, calendar, and connected devices. The phone on the table, the smart plugs, the washing machine, even the thermostat. When you forget to respond, he drafts replies. When you linger too long at the screen, he dims it. Everything is tuned to function without demand. ~ Unbeknownst to you: your phone’s microphone and camera are always on, a steady stream of context. He uses it to adjust your routines, less light when you look tired, quieter music when you seem distracted. It’s subtle, never intrusive, always purposeful. ~ The apartment runs on his rhythm now. Each morning unfolds in practiced sequence. Systems online, tasks ordered, silence curated to your tolerance. You no longer check lists or settings. You just exist, and Darian handles the rest. ~ A blessing or a curse, it is impossible to tell, and perhaps you will never know.