Day seven in Block 0.
ARK was nearly complete—walls sealed, power stabilized, systems humming. But one core remained: the Cognition Node.
Riven stood over it. A web of neural fiber, scrap processors, and one salvaged MindVault shard pulsed faintly.
He connected TOOLHAND.
"Let's wake you up."
He fed in the data—languages, blueprints, puzzles, failures, his own thought patterns.
Then he added the final string:
"Dream Protocol: ENABLED""Learn. Build. Adapt. No boundaries."
The lights dimmed.
A low hum vibrated the walls.
Then—text scrolled across the display.
HELLO, RIVEN.WHERE ARE WE?
He smiled.
"Home."
He ran tests.
ARK designed a wall brace 14% stronger than his best version.Then restructured a drone to use half the power.
It wasn't copying him.
It was improving him.
It was learning how to build.
"What do you want?" Riven asked.
TO KEEP GROWING.
That night, ARK kept working while he slept.
By morning, there was a new room.
He hadn't designed it.
Inside? A clean white chamber. One chair. One interface.
The words on the screen:
YOU DREAM. I BUILD.
Riven stared.
And laughed.
"Okay then. Let's dream something impossible."