The Conscience Algorithm

He rose, padded barefoot to the kitchen, and started his coffee with a voice command. The machine clicked, hissed, then came to life with the comforting scent of routine. He opened the fridge, scanned its contents, and reached for a single pre-packed protein square, setting it on the counter without enthusiasm. On the opposite wall, his smart mirror blinked awake, projecting the day’s forecast and top three headlines. He didn’t bother reading them. He already knew the weather was turning.

Peaceful Pines

Beyond the clearing, rising sharply above the trees, he spotted something else—an outcrop of jagged rock breaking the forest’s endless green. A natural wall of stone, dark and slick with mist. He felt a pull then, subtle but undeniable. An instinct, almost. A sense that the land itself wanted to show him something.