Chapter 139 — The Mind With Too Many Threads
S.C. 1511 — Early March
Hidden Island — Underground Lab
The underground chamber was dim except for three lanterns placed in a triangle around Ren.
Not for light.
For focus.
Ren sat in the center, back straight, breathing steady.
Zemo lay beside him, ears half-tilted, watching him with deep concern.
He had seen Ren's strange behavior all day — the blank stares, the muttering, the sudden flinch when no sound existed.
Ren pressed both hands against his temples.
"Okay… new test."
Since waking after the ApTx event, his brain had changed drastically.
Sometimes it felt like an endless library that had opened a thousand doors at once.
Sometimes it felt like an ocean of voices and numbers crashing together.
Today, he would attempt to tame it.
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1. The First Simulation — Simple Mechanics
Ren closed his eyes.
Thread 1: Solve a simple physics loop.
A falling stone, gravity, time, acceleration.
Easy.
His brain ran the calculation instantly.
But instead of stopping, the solution began to loop, evaluate alternative wind conditions, look at soil density, friction, rebound trajectory…
"Too much…" Ren whispered.
He cut Thread 1 manually.
The mental effort felt like pushing a lever back into place.
---
2. Second Simulation — Internal Mapping
Thread 2: Visualize the underground lab.
Every wall.
Every shelf.
Every measurement he'd taken.
The full 3D model appeared in his mind instantly…
Then began rotating on its own…
Then splitting into layers…
Then overlaying ventilation patterns he had memorized last year…
"Stop… stop!"
He forced the model to freeze.
His breathing became slightly shaky.
Zemo gently nudged his arm.
"I know… I know. I'm trying."
---
3. Third Simulation — Soil Analysis
Thread 3: Compare Foosha soil vs Island soil vs Forest soil.
His brain didn't wait.
It threw out:
• water-retention curves
• micro-mineral gradients
• hypothetical growth patterns
• compound X reaction percentages
• alternate pH levels
• nutrient cycles
• crop rotation forecasts for 10 future seasons—
"NO! I didn't ask for that much!"
Ren grabbed his head again.
His brain wasn't thinking.
It was overthinking.
Every question spawned ten sub-answers that spawned fifty mini-answers.
If he let it go unchecked, it spiraled.
---
4. Fourth Simulation — Completely Unrelated
He tried something small.
Thread 4: "What would happen if I tossed a stone at a tree?"
His brain instantly branched:
• stone trajectory
• bark density
• possible insect displacement
• sound frequencies
• echo delay
• tree healing time
• erosion pattern
• mineral makeup of the stone
• effect of humidity on arc
"…Why are you calculating humidity?!"
He slapped his forehead.
Zemo tilted his head sympathetically.
Ren groaned.
"This is impossible…"
---
5. Attempting Controlled Parallelism
Ren inhaled slowly.
"I'll try only two threads."
Two.
No more.
He set them:
Thread A: Basic math loop.
Thread B: Visualizing a water filtration system.
For the first five seconds, it worked.
Numbers ran smoothly.
Pipes assembled cleanly.
Then his brain helped.
Thread A started calculating variations of equations he didn't ask for.
Thread B started simulating ten alternate pipe systems.
His forehead tensed.
"No… stop. Stay basic. Stay BASIC."
Zemo barked once, loud enough to snap him back.
Everything froze.
Ren gasped.
Sweat ran down his temple.
"That bark… helped reset the threads."
Zemo wagged his tail as if proud of being an accidental brain-manager.
---
6. Ren Thinks About the Problem Clearly
Ren sat back against the wall.
He whispered to himself:
"My brain is powerful now… but too eager.
It's like having a hundred assistants trying to work on the same problem at once."
He needed rules.
He needed structure.
He needed a mental operating system.
A ceiling above him dripped softly — the steady sound grounding his senses.
Ren slowly began writing in his notebook:
Mental Control Protocol — Draft 1
1. Only 1–2 active simulations allowed per session
2. No unplanned branching
3. Stop immediately when senses overload
4. Use external anchor (sound, touch, Zemo's bark) to reset
5. Train for 10 minutes only — avoid brain fatigue
He tapped the notebook gently.
"This is step one."
He would refine it later.
He would make an entire inner library.
An inner lab.
A controlled space in his mind.
But not yet.
He wasn't ready.
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7. Ending on a Calmer Note
Ren leaned back as his mind quieted, just a little.
Zemo rested his head in Ren's lap, warming him.
Ren stroked his fur.
"…Thanks, partner. I'd probably fry my brain without you."
Zemo chuffed proudly.
Not everything was solved.
His mind was still too fast.
Too loud.
Too automatic.
But this was progress.
Small, slow progress.
And that was enough for today.
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End of Chapter 139