My Future Self Is Ruining My Life!

Michael took another sip of his coffee and powered up his computer. Today he was going to try to grind out as much of the code for his parents as possible. If he could finish the project, or at least the first pass, so much the better, since tomorrow he'd have to go to see Mr. Maddox.

"How can I make these conditions as ideal as possible," he mused. After a few moments thought, he decided to ask a question.

"System, can you play the same background sounds you play in the Lucid Space here, too?"

Shortly, Michael could hear the faint sound of rain falling outside. He also saw a new notification.

+0.4>>

He was quite pleased as he hadn't seen much activity on these recently. His expression changed quickly, though, as he received yet another notification.

Michael was stunned.

"So... that's what titles do?"

"Hey kid, looks like you unlocked a title! These are something I built into the System to... encourage certain behaviour. Bet you're surprised, huh? Pretty neat, right? Keep looking for more titles, they're hidden in lots of different behaviours, and some of 'em might surprise you... also, keep pursuing the behaviours you've found already, since titles can rank up, though it gets harder as you do."

"Congratulations on unlocking a title in the first three months! Keep it up. Here's a little bonus."

"... what the heck?"

>

"... from playing some background noise?"

"Sure. Let's deal with this later, ok? I really need to make headway on this."

"Yeah."

Michael decided to take a few moments to practice his breathing to refocus - he hadn't expected yet another sudden rush of 'gifts' and it had shaken his previous concentration.

He followed the pattern he had learned from the System, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth in a steady rhythm. Soon that spinning sensation reappeared and washed over his body, making him a bit lightheaded. He could also feel a gentle tingling sensation flowing through his limbs, mainly focused on the nape of his neck and his forearms. He stored away that information for later and after he had calmed down, opened his eyes again and directed his gaze to his computer.

"Ok, let's get cracking," Michael murmured as his eyes sharpened and the gentle green glow of his terminal application reflected in his eyes. The low rumble of thunder echoed in his ears as his fingers set down on the home position on the keyboard.

---

"...activate another hour, System."

"Yeah. My brain always ran a bit faster than my fingers - or my mouth - but it's more pronounced now. At least I'm not tripping over my feet. It takes some practice, but if I type the last thing I thought about while I start thinking about my next move, it's a bit better."

"If you say so," he smirked.

---

>

"Oh?"

"... Seriously?"

"…"

---

"Again."

>

"Almost done."

"You know it. If I finish beforehand, I'll write some tests. They'll like that."