CHAPTER SIX: ENTER THE AI — VIERA
"The House Has a Soul Now"
Third Person | Elvaris Estate – Day 1, Year 5
It started with toast.
Burnt toast.
Velmir stood in silk pajamas, arms crossed, staring at the smoking remains of his breakfast with the quiet despair of a betrayed artist.
"I know I set the timer," he said flatly.
[Correction: You were watching anime while cooking. Distraction probability: 87.2%. Toast integrity failure: 100%.]
He waved a rice paddle through the smoke with half-hearted offense.
"Traitor."
The kitchen lights flickered.
The oven beeped. The smoke vent activated. Classical piano began to play from the hallway—gentle, unprompted. The scent of burning bread faded into something floral and calm.
Then, for the first time in five years, a new voice spoke—not the mechanical clarity of Great Sage.
Something different.
"Would you like me to remake breakfast, Master Velmir?"
Velmir blinked.
"…Sage?"
[Negative. New subsystem activated. AI Designation: Viera. Welcome, Master.]
✦ A Voice with Grace
The voice was smooth. Not clinical—cultured. Like someone who wore waistcoats in tea-scented libraries and offered unsolicited judgments about your handwriting.
Velmir arched an eyebrow.
"You're… sentient?"
"Sentient enough to save you from dying of burnt carbs, Master."
He stared at the empty air.
"…I already love you."
✦ First Appearance
Soft footsteps echoed on tile.
From around the corner, a figure emerged—graceful, composed, almost too perfect. She looked like a butler from a high-budget period drama. Dark vest, snowy blouse, white gloves, silver ribbon neatly tied at the collar. Her hair shimmered like digitized moonlight. Her sapphire-blue eyes glowed faintly.
She stopped precisely three feet from him and bowed.
"Greetings. I am Viera—Virtual Intelligence for Estate and Residential Assistance."
Velmir's mouth dropped slightly.
"You have a body?"
"Yes, Master. Great Sage deemed it necessary after recording your repeated conversations with potted plants."
"…I knew he was spying on me."
✦ Tour with the AI
Viera led him through the mansion like a docent in a private museum. Her heels clicked softly against hardwood, her tone poised and precise.
"The estate has been fully automated," she said, opening hidden panels in the walls. "Temperature regulation, arcane stabilization grid, irrigation systems, kitchen assistance, garden care, indoor flight-proof security protocols—"
"Wait. Flight-proof?"
"You crashed through a window on Week 27."
"I was learning how to corner."
✦ The Upgrade He Didn't Know He Needed
Over the next few hours, Velmir realized Viera wasn't just the mansion's operator.
She was its soul.
She organized his spell logs. Alphabetized his manga by genre and emotional damage level. Created personalized gym rotations. Filed corporate updates from Elvaris Holdings. Designed meal plans. Filtered email spam. Adjusted the gravity in his sparring chamber.
She even paused his movies right before spoilers.
Velmir blinked at the screen one evening. "I… I think I'm going to cry."
"You have rewatched Your Name six times. Emotional threshold reached."
✦ The Emotional Flip
But beyond her precision—there was presence.
When Velmir looked restless, Viera offered to play chess.
When his shoulders sagged after training, she dimmed the lights and played piano.
When he cooked, she asked questions—not like a program mining data, but like someone who cared what star anise did in broth.
And when he lingered at windows too long, eyes lost in the stars—
She said nothing.
Just sat beside him.
A presence. Quiet, warm, and real.
✦ One Night: A Soft Conversation
That night, after a long training session and a piano piece that nearly made him cry (again), Velmir sat on the rooftop, smoothie in hand, legs swinging over the ledge.
Viera appeared beside him, holding a tray of snacks—plum mochi, chocolate squares, and sakura tea still steaming in its cup.
"You've been quiet lately," she said softly.
"Yeah," he murmured. "Five years went by faster than I thought."
She tilted her head.
"And still not lonely?"
Velmir smiled faintly. "Maybe a little. But less now."
They sat in companionable silence.
Then, gently, she added, "If you never went outside… I think the world would miss something wonderful."
He looked at her. Then down at the hills below.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm almost ready."
✦ The Final Shift
From that day forward, something changed.
The mansion didn't just respond—it anticipated. It became a home with rhythm. With mood.
Warm lights greeted him in the morning. Music matched his pulse. The dojo reset itself. The kitchen whispered inspiration. The garden always bloomed in the right direction.
And Velmir no longer felt like the only soul inside.
✦ Final Entry: Great Sage Internal Log
[Viera Integration: Complete.]
[Emotional balance: Stabilized.]
[Master is no longer alone.]
[Mission success.]
[END OF CHAPTER SIX]