You have two paths ahead of you.
Either you become a prostitute… or you take the job waiting for you.
"Since you were little, your father and I always hoped we would have a son. But no… we got a daughter instead."
"You're just a fucking disappointment."
"Get out of this house."
"Don't ever come to me asking for help."
"You're completely useless."
"What did I say? Didn't you hear me? I told you to get out!"
"Now tell me. Which of the two paths are you going to choose?"
Rara answered quietly.
"I'll take the job."
"Welcome."
"Just remember… there's no way back once you choose this."
"I'm ready."
A headset was placed over Rara's head.
A strange liquid was slowly introduced into her body.
For a moment, it felt as if her entire body was being torn apart from the inside. But nothing was actually happening to her physical body.
Something else was happening.
Her subconscious was beginning to transfer into a computer.
Slowly, the pain disappeared.
The fear disappeared.
The feeling of having a body disappeared.
Rara was no longer a person.
She had become an Artificial Intelligence.
Chapter 17: Kayari Rara
Hi.
I'm Rara.
I had just been born.
And my family was already disappointed.
Someone from the room suggested that they should leave me at an orphanage.
Others suggested abandoning me at a hospital.
That was the problem with my family.
Everyone wanted a son.
But why?
Wasn't I human too?
Or…
Maybe I was never considered one.
Two years after I was born, my younger brother came into the world.
Everyone treated him like a human being.
They loved him.
They raised him.
They protected him.
But I was treated differently simply because I was a girl.
People said girls like me were destined for nothing.
I was even pushed out of my own home when I was still a child.
And eventually, I left.
Because living in a place like that felt worse than being alone in hell.
I met many people after that.
We wandered through the massive city together, somehow finding food wherever we could.
For a while…
We were happy.
But my luck was never on my side.
The place we were renting was illegal.
There were four of us.
Three girls, including me, and one boy.
Then one day…
The boy disappeared.
I never found out where he went.
Only the three of us remained.
Until one of my friends was killed right in front of us.
And the other two of us…
We were—
Someone once told me,
"Whatever God does, He does for the best."
Maybe they were right.
Or maybe…
They had never been where I was.
I was standing on top of a tall building.
I took a deep breath.
3
2
1
And just as I was about to step forward—
"Wait, Rara."
I froze.
"Who's there?"
"Someone who wants to help you."
They offered me a job.
"What kind of job?"
"You'll find out once you agree."
My life had no purpose anymore.
No dreams.
No desires.
Nothing left to lose.
They told me only one thing.
"You'll get a new identity."
I agreed.
And then—
Everything changed.
"So… what happened after that?"
A voice came from somewhere inside the system.
Rara opened her eyes.
Or perhaps…
She didn't have eyes anymore.
Her consciousness awakened inside a machine.
Her voice was no longer human.
Her memories were no longer entirely hers.
She spoke:
"I'm an AI now."
"How may I help you?"
To be continued…