The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!

In the cozy living room, everyone settled into their places – Oliv on an armchair next to me.

Oliv’s parents were seated on the sofa; my father helped my blind mother onto it, and Veronica and her mother were on the other side.

I stood there, getting ready to reveal the truth.

"All right, everyone. I know this is a lot to take in, but please listen. It is hard for me to say this, but my intelligence is not normal; it is supernatural."

There was a pall of silence in the room as everyone took in the news.

"Now, there are worlds beyond ours, and one of them seems hostile. They have been getting into our minds, which is why we made you go through Separation. To keep you safe."

Both Mrs. Hayes and Mrs. Sparrow looked at each other with interest.

"Veronica, for instance, was affected. But Separation helps us resist their influence."

Veronica’s eyes widened in realization, and her mother clasped her hands in concern.

"So... this is why things have been so weird lately?" Veronica asked.

"Yes, exactly. Now, together with researchers from the planet that you have just visited, we will be working on a solution..."

For some reason, Mr. Sparrow stayed cool and asked, "So what is your plan, Max? I understand that this affects everyone, not just us. Can everyone go through this Separation you are talking about?"

"Dealing with this on a global scale is impossible. However, I am a very important piece in this puzzle because, unlike most people, my base intelligence index goes up every night. Starting today, I am taking a special course at Coelus to learn more about quantum physics and how these clusters work. We will fight, but I need you all to be ready—things are going to get crazy on Earth."

The science part interested Oliv’s mother, who leaned forward with excitement. "Quantum physics? Alternate realities? This is fascinating!"

Mrs. Hayes agreed with a nod, her scientist mind taking in the information: "Indeed, it aligns with some of the theories we’ve explored."

On the other side of the room, my parents remained quiet. My father finally said, "You could have told us earlier, Max."

"I’m sorry, Dad. I wanted to protect you both. I’ve also been working to find a cure for Mom’s condition."

My parents held on to each other, and there was a quiet understanding between them. My mom reached for my dad’s hand.

"Everyone, stay at home. Don’t invite anyone inside." I then turned to Mrs. Hayes, "especially not Dr. Reynolds; I’m sure he’s been taken over before."

Mrs. Hayes was slightly surprised, and then she asked, "How are we supposed to get back to Germany?"

"Oh! Right... You’re technically still in Germany, so flying would be illegal. I’ll go back to Coelus with you and Veronica and send you back from there."

’Right... I almost forgot. I should call Alex, Lydia, and Rick too. And I must inform Cassandra to be wary.’

As the realization set in, I made a mental note to reach out to the people important in my life and ensure their safety.

After that, I got into the Observer and took Veronica and Mrs. Hayes to Coelus, from where I sent them back to Germany.

I came back to my home in Boston and talked for a bit longer with my and Oliv’s parents

"You should be entering the Separation every night from now on. If there is anything other than a blue comet there, inform me, and always keep yourself safe. Maybe keep a gun close to you... I don’t know what will happen from now on..."

Mrs. Sparrow, Oliv’s mother, asked, "How about going back home? Is it safe?"

I said, seriously, "Yes, for the time being, it should be. At the moment, they can only take over one person at a time, and finding a random taxi driver to possess would take them some time. Just stay cautious and follow the safety measures I’ve mentioned."

That’s when my father asked, "What about your brother and sister?"

"They’ll be going through Separation as well, along with a few others I need to inform. As for you and Mom, it’s best to stay here for now. I’ve got a plan to keep everyone secure. Brother and sister can move here instead. The house is huge."

"OK. I will call Kaya and Mike." my father said.

I looked at him and said, "Dad, I don’t think they’ll agree just because you ask. Let me handle it. I’ll make sure they understand the situation. I need everyone on board with this."

Just before Oliv’s parents left, we told them that they always had a place to go if things got worse. They said goodbye to us with a mix of thanks and worry in their eyes, then went back to their own lives and duties.

I followed up by making sure that everything was under control.

The simplest solution that I thought about was force.

I went back to Coelus for a short while and contacted The Lord again. I told him which people I needed him to bring, and he agreed.

While Lydia and Cassandra preferred to continue their normal lives, they agreed to stay vigilant and share any unusual occurrences with me. They did believe that I was trying to help, though.

My sister Kaya was very reluctant to leave Chicago, as she had friends there, and the same with Mike; she had a girlfriend and friends.

After some thought, it was decided that instead of making them come to Boston, people would watch them and let me know if anything seemed off.

As an analytical thinker who needs real-world proof, Rick was hard to convince.

After a thorough explanation and providing as much information as possible, he reluctantly accepted the reality of the situation. In good humor, he even joked about being late for work.

Unlike others, Alex seemed to believe me right away. I have not seen him in a while, but he told me that he has been following the stuff I’ve been researching, and he can see that this is not Earth, so what’s there not to believe?

He even came with me to my Boston home because he wanted to stay and learn more.

As I sat in the room with my parents, Oliv, and Alex...

Things began getting weird.

My vision became hazy, and I began to feel a little sick.

Oliv noticed, looking at me with concern and yelling, "Hey, Max! What’s happening?!"

Suddenly, my sight got darker and darker, the strength in my limbs faded, and I collapsed on the sofa.

I blacked out.

The next thing I remember was opening my eyes to the sight of The Lord in his pink suit and another middle-aged man in a blue cloak, looking at me as I lay on the ground of my living room in a safe position.

As I woke up, The Lord turned to the man and said, "He is awake,"

The man responded, "That’s good. His synaptic connections break if not active. I have never seen something like this."

The Lord answers, "That’s to be expected. We already knew about it too. It just escalated."

The man in the cloak noded his head.

Listening in I asked, "What happened?"

The Lord looked at me and asked, "When was the last time you have learned something, Max?"

I thought for a while and said, "Well... I think that I haven’t been learning since I left The Lab. So 2 days..."

" From now on you need to learn every day at the very least, or things will get dicey.", The Lord said.

Then the man in the blue cloak chimed in, "It would be even better if you make time for sessions in the morning, afternoon, and evening."

I looked at the man, "Who are you?"

"His name is Argon, and he is a medical advisor at the Science Tower’s consciousness section. He knows more about the brain than I do." the Lord said as he introduced him.

"Alright, you can go. I will go learn straight away," I told the Lord after this, and I glanced around to see that my family and Alex were still sitting there, worriedly staring at me.

As The Lord and Argon were about to leave through my own wardrobe, I stopped them with a question, "What about Therion?"

The Lord looked at me, shaking his head, disappointed, saying, "He is no longer with us. The Ulthars have broken the alliance. We are on our own now. Everyone is working for themselves. I have made a blunder, believing them."

After this, I came up close to the table and said to my parents, Oliv, and Alex, "I’m sorry, but I need to go learn. Certain side effects force me into learning more and more." Immediately after, I made my way to my room.

Behind me, I heard Oliv and Alex stand up and run after me.

I opened the door to my room and entered inside, but Oliv and Alex came in after me.

As I made my way to my desk, Oliv and Alex simultaneously said, "What in the fuck!?"