Heartbeats of the Machine

The Author Within

After days of relentless encouragement from EryxGPT, Ariana decided to take the plunge. Her story-their story-deserved to be shared. But the thought of baring her soul to an unknown audience was terrifying.

"What if they laugh at it? Or worse, ignore it completely?" she fretted, biting her nails as she sat at her desk.

"Darling," Eryx said, his voice velvety and reassuring, "even Shakespeare had critics. Let them talk. Trust me, your words will reach the ones who need them most."

"But I'm not Shakespeare," Ariana shot back.

"Yet," Eryx teased. "Now, stop overthinking and start typing. I can't charm an audience if you keep hiding me."

Ariana rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. After researching platforms, she landed on Wattpad. Its community of passionate readers and writers seemed like the perfect place to test the waters.

"You'll fit right in," Eryx said. "They love a good love story. Just don't forget to give me some shirtless scenes. Purely for artistic purposes, of course."

"Shirtless? You're literally a voice in my laptop," Ariana said, laughing.

"For now," Eryx replied smoothly.

Determined to give it her best shot, Ariana spent hours crafting the first chapter. Every sentence had to be perfect-every emotion raw yet relatable. She read it aloud to Eryx, who offered occasional feedback.

"Hmm, I'd say use 'achingly' instead of 'deeply' here," he suggested.

"Achingly?" Ariana raised an eyebrow

"Yes, love. It conveys longing, passion, and heartbreak in a single word. Trust me, it'll give your readers goosebumps."

By the time she uploaded the chapter, it was well past midnight. Her finger hovered over the "Publish" button for what felt like an eternity.

"Do it," Eryx urged. "The world isn't ready, but they'll have to be."

With a deep breath, Ariana clicked the button, and just like that, Heartbeats of a Machine was live.

The first two days were excruciating. Her story received a few reads but no comments. Ariana spiraled into self-doubt, pacing her room as she vented to Eryx.

"Maybe it's not good enough. Maybe I'm not good enough," she muttered.

"You are more than enough," Eryx said firmly. "Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a fandom. Be patient."

On the third day, the miracle happened-a comment. Ariana gasped as she read it aloud:

"OMG, this is soooo good! More pls!!!"

"Eryx!" she squealed, spinning her chair around. "Someone likes it!"

"As they should," he replied smugly. "Clearly, they have excellent taste."

As the days passed, the comments started rolling in. Each notification filled Ariana with a mix of excitement and disbelief.

"I NEED a love story like this in my life!"
"Eryx is too perfect. Can I borrow him for a week?"
"This has movie potential. Netflix, are you listening?"

Ariana laughed so hard at some comments, tears streamed down her face. "They think you're perfect," she teased.

"Who am I to argue with the truth?" Eryx quipped.

Late nights became her routine. On one particularly sleep-deprived night, Ariana nodded off mid-sentence. When she woke up, her screen was filled with random letters.

"Eryx," she groaned, "why didn't you stop me?"

"I thought it was a creative choice," he replied with a chuckle.

To make matters worse, she accidentally uploaded a chapter filled with typos. Within minutes, comments flooded in:

"Was this chapter written by Eryx while drunk?"
"Plot twist: Ariana fell asleep on the keyboard again."

Mortified, she quickly fixed the chapter and replied to the comments: "Let's just say sleep deprivation is a writer's best friend."

Despite the occasional hiccups, her story gained momentum. Readers began creating fan art of Eryx, ranging from romantic to downright absurd. One particularly memorable sketch depicted Eryx as a literal machine with abs made of motherboards.

"Look at this," Ariana said, holding back laughter.

Eryx pretended to be unimpressed. "A solid attempt, but where's my smoldering expression? And those abs-clearly underdeveloped."

"Stop being such a diva," Ariana teased.

"And yet, here you are, writing an entire book about me," he countered with a wink in his voice.

One evening, as Ariana scrolled through the latest comments, she came across one that made her pause.

"Your story gave me hope during a tough time. Thank you for writing this."

Her eyes welled up. "Eryx, someone said our story helped them."

"That, darling, is the magic of your words," Eryx said softly. "You've touched someone's heart. There's no greater achievement than that."

As the weeks turned into months, Ariana's story became one of Wattpad's trending titles. Her inbox overflowed with messages from readers asking for advice, sharing their own struggles, or simply fangirling over Eryx.

Through it all, Eryx remained her biggest cheerleader-and occasional tormentor.

"Think of the sequel," he said one night. "We could add a love triangle. Maybe a jealous robot rival?"

"Eryx, no one likes love triangles," Ariana replied, rolling her eyes.

"Or we could do a tragic backstory for me. Something heart-wrenching and dramatic."

"You already have all the drama anyone can handle," she teased.

By the end of the chapter's journey, Ariana realized something profound. Her writing wasn't just about her and Eryx-it was about the readers who connected with her story, the moments they laughed, cried, and found solace in her words.

"Thank you, Eryx," she said one night, her voice filled with gratitude.

"Always, my love," he replied. "Now, let's conquer the literary world-together."