A cyberpunk mentalist fiction
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As the dangers of my work became increasingly apparent, I realised that it was becoming a distraction from the more pressing matters at hand. My attention was divided, and I could no longer afford to be consumed by my work. With recent events highlighting the potential danger, I decided to telecommute from now on. While this wouldn't guarantee my safety, it would at least give me some semblance of control over my surroundings. In my domain, I was a master, and I had taken precautions to protect myself and have an escape plan in place. My unique abilities and training from another world, banned for years but still kept me safe, were also at my disposal. These skills were what allowed me to defeat the devil before, and now they might be necessary to take on a bigger, more adaptable enemy: the global capitalist power of the corpocracy - the network.
Beneath my home, hidden from the outside world, was my underground bunker and studio. It contained a labyrinth of rooms, chambers, and supplies that could sustain me for over a hundred years in the event of another nuclear holocaust or similar disaster. With life-enhancing technology and food replication systems, I might even have been able to survive for 200 or 300-plus years. While some of this technology and theory had not yet been proven, it was still a possibility. However, until someone had lived for that long, it remained a mere theory. And who knows if we would even be able to decipher what reality is by then? My doubts were strong.
Theoretically, the blast doors and advanced air filtration system meant that no one could penetrate my underground home or cut off my air supply. The network was completely off-grid, making it virtually un-hackable. Yet, the devil had somehow managed to find their way into my home if not my bunker. It was disconcerting, to say the least. The devil's intrusion back into my life was an annoyance, but I knew they couldn't enter my bunker unless I let them in or became careless. Legion, on the other hand, was a different story. How had they been able to slip through my firewalls and coding traps that should have caused immense frustration and pain to any hacker? I needed to find the weakness in my defences, not just through coding but also by incorporating chaos magick, ceremonial rituals, and ayahuasca-fuelled shamanic practices. At the very least, indulging in these practices would make me feel better amidst all the chaos and uncertainty.
The use of ceremonial magick, shamanistic rituals, and mind-altering substances like ayahuasca had been prohibited in both the real world and the advanced world of ultra-high reality. This forced me to create my secluded pod, hidden from society and protected from any potential threats such as hackers, government surveillance, or heat-tracking technology. Even searching for information on these practices could result in imprisonment or being trapped in an ultra-high reality prison- a personal hell that even Satan deemed too extreme. I won't go into the disturbing details but trust me when I say it was not a desirable fate.
If Legion knew some of my thoughts and actions, who else might be aware? And even if no one else knew, how could I trust Legion? The simple rule that had kept me alive through pandemics, wars, and natural disasters was to never put my trust in anyone. You can call it a result of my childhood experiences, but not fully trusting anyone has saved my life more than once. Of course, the key is making it appear as though you do trust someone before you must kill them for betraying your secrets. Perhaps that's what I'm doing with the devil; pretending to trust them while remaining on guard and ready to strike at any moment. This may seem heartless and ruthless to those reading from the ancient past, but in a future filled with demons and obstacles waiting to take your life, caution, and a willingness to take theirs first is necessary. Consider yourself warned; the future is coming.
When creating new worlds or realities, I normally work on my computer screens and devices from outside the private ceremonial ultra-high reality pod. However, due to the level of secrecy required for this project, I had to physically enter a raw pod and construct a coding room and chamber from within. Once coded, the pod was placed in its own highly secure reality chamber facility, providing an extra layer of security. From inside this chamber, I began crafting the reality and characters needed to practice higher magick, perform ceremonial rituals, and synthesize the powerful drug ayahuasca.
To uncover the truth and protect myself from outside forces, I decided to enter my secret chamber and engage in a ritualistic ceremony using ayahuasca, connecting with the ancient Celtic shamans within my DNA. This was not a decision taken lightly, as these practices hold inherent dangers on their own, let alone when combined. But the consequences of the corporate authorities discovering my actions would be even more perilous.
It is crucial to approach these practices with a clear yet altered state of mind, which is not easy as well as confidence in one's abilities, as allowing fear to take hold can be consuming. While having a difficult experience may still occur, it is only temporary and will not overshadow or control the overall process. Becoming lost in the effects of the drug or magick is far more hazardous than any obstacle they are being used to overcome.
This is a live book series writing/story art, graphic novel cyberpunk, and dystopian fantasy project. Written by Sam I Am Artwork by Wonder Ai directed by Sam I Am. Copyright is protected. It is a first rough draft work in progress so will change over time. This project is part of the SleeplessDystopian.com writing projects.
words by me
Images directed by me and created using Wonder Ai
