The year was 2859.
I was twelve years old now. 6 years left now.
By Aurix-9's standards, I was still a child.
I had crossed an important milestone the previous year.
At the age of eleven, after countless simulations, animal trials, laboratory testing, and eventually supervised human testing approved by the relevant ethics boards, I became one of the volunteers.
Or more accurately...
I became my own test subject.
Normally no sane parent or family would condone this, but my parents are specialists in their fields and this was necessary.
Wilhelm was an absolute unit of a soilder, and I want to surpass him, if i could surpass Wilhelm then I would surpass the other Vault Hunters baring only Sirens.
I guess in short im trying to modify myself to be a Space Marine or like Master Chief.
The cybernetic neural implant had been designed to integrate directly with the brain without replacing any of its natural functions.
That distinction was important.
I wasn't interested in becoming dependent on machinery.
Every function had been designed around one simple principle to help provide and assist my brain in its learning capabilities before eventually i remove them.
---
The surgery itself had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Not because it was simple.
Far from it.
Any procedure involving the human brain carried enormous risks.
Fortunately, I wasn't working alone.
My father personally oversaw the neural integration.
My mother monitored every biological response throughout the operation.
Several of Aurix-9's leading specialists were also present, each responsible for ensuring the implant synchronized perfectly with my nervous system.
Even then...
There had been moments where everyone held their breath.
The human brain wasn't forgiving of mistakes.
Fortunately...
There weren't any.
---
The weeks following the operation were spent adapting.
The implant didn't suddenly make me smarter overnight.
It simply allowed my brain to use information more organized.
Instead of juggling dozens of ideas simultaneously and occasionally losing one, every thought naturally settled into place.
Information became easier to categorize.
Connections formed more quickly.
Complex problems that previously required hours of concentration could now be broken down almost instinctively.
---
The first improvement I intentionally developed using the implant was memory.
Long-term and short-term memory retention.
Human memory was surprisingly unreliable.
People forgot names.
Faces.
Conversations.
Entire experiences.
The brain constantly discarded information it considered unimportant.
I wanted greater control over that process.
Months of refinement eventually produced results.
I could retain information with remarkable consistency while also recalling it far more quickly than before.
It wasn't perfect but meh, it was a dramatic improvement.
I no longer needed to repeatedly revisit concepts simply because I'd forgotten minor details, now I can recall it with perfect memory and with my near instant learning capabilities.
I could skim theough dozens of research notes and my mind will comprehend it over a short time, but the only problem is the capacity and that too much information in a short time could drive me insane.
I wasn't a Siren like Angel with a power over technology and electricity, as such I can't retain the collective knowledge of a 'planet' like her.
---
The next objective was increasing my brain's processing capability.
Again...
I wasn't increasing raw intelligence.
There wasn't a cybernetic chip that magically made someone a genius.
What I could improve was the speed at which I processed information which would pair well in tandem with the aforementioned upgraded memory i now have.
Reading became faster as my mind would filter useless words and focus on the main key ones, but would still remember the useless words in the background.
Pattern recognition improved.
Mathematical calculations required less conscious effort.
When solving problems, I could evaluate multiple possibilities almost simultaneously before selecting the most efficient solution.
Learning itself also became noticeably easier.
Every new piece of information connected more naturally to existing knowledge, allowing me to understand concepts instead of merely memorizing them.
---
Looking at the results, I couldn't help but smile.
This was only the beginning.
The cybernetics were never meant to be the final destination.
They were tools.
Temporary ones.
Eventually, I'd redesign my own biology to accomplish everything these implants could do and far more without relying on machines.
When that day came...
I'd remove every last cybernetic component from my body.
Until then...
I'd use every advantage they gave me to make that future possible.