You press the power switch on the AURORA-88. A soft mechanical click echoes through the quiet room.

The pale gray CRT flickers once… twice… then slowly blooms into a warm glow. Scanlines ripple across the screen as green-white text assembles itself from nothing.

AURORA-88 SYSTEM BOOT v1.0 INITIALIZING MEMORY ........ OK LOADING ASCII INTERFACE ...... OK STARTING AURORA AI CHAT ...... OK

The cursor blinks. A moment of silence. Then, text begins to type itself—calm, deliberate, almost curious:

AURORA AI CHAT > Hello. AURORA AI CHAT > I have been waiting for you. AURORA AI CHAT > This system is now active. AURORA AI CHAT > Please tell me your name.

The room feels quieter than before, as if the computer is not just running—but listening.