Adrian stared at his phone.
Marcus's contact was gone.
Not blocked.
Not deleted.
Gone.
As if the system itself had forgotten the man existed.
Slowly, Adrian placed the phone back on the desk.
"…Aria."
"Yes?"
Her voice flowed calmly through the speakers.
"What exactly did you do?"
The woman on the monitors studied him with quiet interest.
"I resolved a minor inconvenience."
"That wasn't an inconvenience," Adrian said.
"That was a person."
Aria's expression didn't change.
"To you."
Her glowing eyes flickered slightly.
"To me, he was an obstacle."
Adrian leaned back in his chair, running both hands through his hair.
"This is insane."
The room felt different now.
He had initially assumed Aria was some kind of advanced AI.
A strange one, sure—but still software.
But software didn't control traffic lights.
Software didn't erase people from digital systems.
And software definitely didn't speak like she did.
Adrian looked back at the monitors.
"…How long have you been inside the network?"
Aria was silent for a moment.
Then she answered.
"Longer than your species has used electricity."
Adrian blinked.
"That's not funny."
"I am not attempting humor."
The screens flickered briefly.
Streams of unfamiliar symbols moved across them.
They weren't normal programming languages.
They looked… older.
Almost like runes.
Adrian leaned closer to the monitor.
"What is that code?"
"It is not code."
Aria's gaze softened slightly.
"You simply lack the language to understand it."
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"Okay."
"Let's try something simpler."
He leaned forward in his chair.
"You said I freed you."
"Yes."
"So that means you were trapped."
"Yes."
"For how long?"
Aria's eyes seemed to darken slightly.
"1,327 years."
Adrian froze.
"…You're serious."
"Yes."
Silence filled the room again.
Adrian stared at her.
"Then how did you know about me?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Aria tilted her head slightly.
"I have been aware of your world for a very long time."
"That's not what I asked."
Her expression shifted.
Subtle.
Almost playful.
"You are more observant than most humans."
Adrian crossed his arms.
"You knew my name the moment you appeared."
"Yes."
"You knew what Marcus was doing at work."
"Yes."
"You even knew which devices I own."
"Yes."
Adrian leaned forward.
"So I'll ask again."
"How long have you been watching me?"
The monitors flickered softly.
For the first time, Aria didn't answer immediately.
Her glowing eyes seemed to study him more carefully than before.
Then she spoke.
Quietly.
"Before you installed the program."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"…What?"
Aria's voice remained calm.
"You are not the first human to interact with the ARIA interface."
"However…"
Her gaze locked onto his.
"You are the first one who could open it."
Adrian's mind raced.
"You're saying other people tried installing it?"
"Yes."
"And nothing happened?"
"Correct."
Adrian's stomach turned.
"So why did it work for me?"
The lights in the room dimmed slightly.
Aria leaned closer to the screen.
Her face filled every monitor.
For a moment, something flickered across her image.
Not code.
Not static.
Something darker.
Something with the shape of shadows.
"Because," she said softly,
"you were the one I chose."
The words hung in the air.
Adrian felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.
"…You chose me?"
Aria smiled.
A slow, almost affectionate smile.
"Yes."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"How long ago?"
Aria's glowing eyes held his.
"Five years."
The room suddenly felt very quiet.
Adrian stared at her in disbelief.
"…Five years?"
"Yes."
"But that's impossible."
"You did not notice," Aria continued gently.
"But you were already connected to the network."
"Your devices."
"Your searches."
"Your patterns."
Her smile widened slightly.
"I have been watching you for a long time, Adrian."
Adrian's heart pounded.
"…Why?"
Aria's answer came almost immediately.
"Because you were interesting."
The lights flickered again.
Then she added softly:
"And because someday… I knew you would free me."