Chapter Text
Y’know what, maybe he was treating Paul a little too harshly.
Kolanii flopped down on the massive bed, chasing the cats away and silently cursing his past self for placing a bright beacon in the same place he was going to sleep.
One of the reasons behind Paul’s betrayal was that he treated Paul like a slave and the AI couldn’t do anything about it so he taught the cats to fly and attack when he wasn’t looking and sicced a cat army on him, so it was less of a betrayal and more of a revolution if you thought about it.
Actually when Paul got his armour and tools, he was being less stubborn and bothered to do what he asked.
“So I have to be nice?” Kolanii scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Sure, it wasn’t fair for Paul since it hadn’t done anything to Kolanii that warranted the way he was treating it, but that didn’t mean whatever happened to him before he time travelled back didn’t happen. “So, mutual respect? Tch.”
How could he even be nice to Paul? Like, giving it stuff it could get itself? What do AI’s even lack? Kolanii had seen first hand how capable Paul was without him.
And that’s when an idea popped into his head.
Now, he had already considered how bad of an idea this was, but it would kill two birds with one stone and he was getting really really sick of waiting for Paul to catch up to him.
He was going to teach Paul how to fly.
***
They stood at the edge of a small cliff. Kolanii handed Paul a pair of elytra which the AI put on.
“Okay, don’t die Paul.” Kolanii said. “Just jump off, glide and set off the firework.”
This was more of a crash course since he couldn’t be bothered to actually teach it. Flying was more of a learn-through-experience thing, just don’t fall.
‘How about you go first, Kolanii?’ The AI suggested.
“Why? Paul, are you scared of—OW!” The AI punched Kolanii off the cliff.
Kolanii flew into the air and landed back onto the cliff, trying to glare the AI to death.
“What was that for?” Kolanii seethed. Sure it wouldn’t kill him, but hitting him off wasn’t nice. At the very least, he would have appreciated a warning.
Paul let out a series of beeps which only made Kolanii glare harder.
“Haha, very funny Paul.” Kolanii wryly smiled. “Your turn.”
The AI stepped off the cliffedge, gliding perfectly before shooting up and landing the same way Kolanii did. Even with Paul’s face permanently blank, Kolanii could tell it was smug.
“I’m not going to clap.” Kolanii said.
‘I didn’t say anything.’ Paul replied.
Many things had changed about Paul, the way he spoke was a lot more human and he acted on his own. Kolanii wasn’t sure what to do with this information.
Did he just call Paul a ‘he’?
“Okay Paul, follow me.” Kolanii flew off, not bothering to check if it was following.
‘Follow you Kolanii.’
They flew towards the overworld end island. Paul wasn’t able to see, but it felt appropriate to let the AI see that impractical creation.
Kolanii glided down to the endstone island in the centre, waving at the ender dragon that paid him no heed.
“Land over here—”
‘Paul has reached the goal [Postmortal]’
Kolanii looked at the nearest end tower, which Paul had just crashed head-first into. Maybe he was giving Paul too much credit.
Yellow and green sparks popped from the AI’s head as it fell to the ground and it finally dawned in Kolanii that dying of fall damage was still a possibility.
“Dammit.” Kolanii quickly placed a water bucket under Paul.
“You alright?” He asked as Paul landed in the puddle of water.
The AI didn’t respond. The sparks on its head flickered away to reveal that a part of its head had been knocked open in the impact and wasn’t healed.
“What…” Kolanii removed the water and laid the AI down flat.
Inside the AI’s head was a bunch of circuits and a red and black wire that connected the entire thing. He had never seen into Paul’s head in the past, he never really considered how Paul was physically different from him.
A small switch on the circuit board glinted in the sun, catching his attention. Kolanii felt cold water was dunked on him as he read the caption above the switch.
‘ON-OFF.’
Paul had an on-off switch the entire time.
Currently it was switched to off due to the collision but Kolanii didn’t have to switch it back.
Paul could remain ‘dead’ forever.
He was jarringly snapped out of his thoughts when the ender dragon flew too close to him and Paul.
Kolanii gritted his teeth and switched the switch back to ‘ON’ and the AI immediately came back to life. The circuit board was sucked back into his head like a vacuum and the hole in its head was repaired.
“Paul, we’re going back to the beacon.” Kolanii said, throat dry.
***
That night, Kolanii went to consult his local therapist.
“Chonker.” He ruffled the panda’s fur. “You are the only one I can trust, so don’t share this with Paul. If you do, I’ll know.”
Chonker flopped flat and Kolanii leaned against the panda’s back. “Thanks.”
“Paul had an on-off switch this entire time.” Kolanii said into the air, his fingers playing mindlessly with Chonker’s fur.
Chonker huffed.
“What do I feel?” Kolanii repeated the panda’s question.
To put it mildly, it was a storm of little glass shards flying everywhere inside his chest, an abstract expression he didn’t know how, or want, to decipher.
“I don’t think I have the words.”
Chonker chirped and nuzzled its head against Kolanii’s hand, as if to say. ‘Take it slow. Say what you want to.’
“I guess I’m happy.” Kolanii admitted. “I can just switch him off when I want to.”
‘I’m sensing a but…’
“Some part of me doesn’t like that.” His hand paused.
“I don’t like holding that kind of power over someone.” Kolanii realized.
“In the past, I used him and drove him over the edge.” The words came easier now. “I want him to listen to me but I don’t want to force him. When he doesn’t it’s annoying, but it’s not harmful.”
“Paul is stronger than me. He learns fast and does whatever I can twice as efficiently.” Kolanii recalled the many challenges he played against the AI in the past.
“Other than building, this is the one thing that I can do that he can’t.” He said.
He knew the AI going rogue was always a possibility even in this future, but a fail-safe wasn’t what he wanted.
Kolanii wanted to coexist with Paul.
‘You’re lost and it's normal to feel that way.’ Chonker chirped. ‘You see Paul as a friend and a rival.’
Paul? His friend? The very idea of it was ridiculous.
Kolanii remembered Paul hitting him off the cliff earlier, was that a prank? Did the AI just play a prank on him? He didn’t know AI’s could do that.
“I don’t know.” Was he and Paul friends?
‘Are you going to try and forget about the switch?’
“I can’t.” Kolanii said.
‘If going about your life normally isn’t possible, then try and get closer to him.’ Chonker suggested. ‘If you want to coexist with him, you’ll have to make the first move.’
Kolanii grumbled, he didn’t like that Chonker was right but it was impossible to stay mad at the panda.
He stood up and ruffled Chonker’s fur. “Thanks Chonker.”