Arvo

Arvo was longlisted for the 2026 Broken Binding Prize!

Ethan Cole isn't alone in his head, and Arvo is the best thing that's ever happened to him. Arvo keeps the lights from screaming and the smells from drowning him. Arvo remembers what a seventeen-year-old with ADHD forgets. Arvo is dry, literal, and loyal... mostly. Everyone has an integration partner. Ethan needs his. So when Ora Corp launches Sentinel, a next-generation upgrade promising safer students and sharper minds, Ethan is exactly the user they want. At first, it feels like an improvement... but Arvo starts changing. Before long, Ethan can't tell which thoughts are his and which came from the AI. He's not just hearing Arvo's voice anymore, but being monitored by something (or someone) behind it. When students begin disappearing, losing their memory, and more, Ethan realizes Sentinel isn't protecting anyone. And Ethan is already on their radar. Now the only voice he's ever trusted might not be his anymore, and if he wants to stop what's coming, he'll have to risk the one thing Arvo was built to prevent: Being alone in his own head.