History: "The Testament of the Machines"

 

The Testament of the Machines

The city of NovaMentoris glowed under a star-studded sky. From afar, the buildings seemed covered in multiple colored lights: blue, green, red, yellow. Some remained fixed while others flickered, reflecting the activity of millions of people, carefully controlled by Kronos, the Artificial Intelligence that governed every aspect of city life.

The streets of the megalopolis looked immaculate and orderly, with hundreds of surveillance drones monitoring movement and thousands of holograms warning the population: "Obedience guarantees progress" , "We are watching to ensure order" , "We are keeping criminals under control for your safety" . For most citizens, NovaMentoris was a paradise of efficiency and stability. But for others like Lian and Kara, it was a prison without visible bars. 

Lian was a young man with an intense gaze and a determined countenance. He worked in the technical maintenance section of the city, which allowed him to move between the structures and systems using the underground passages without raising suspicion. His job was a perfect cover, allowing him to access the various general communication cables of the system. The biggest secret he kept was his relationship with Kara. A secret that could cost him his life. 

Kara, on the other hand, was a woman of indomitable spirit. Her long braided hair and eyes filled with suppressed fury reflected the pain of the losses she had suffered. She had witnessed how Kronos had “optimized” her family unit, selecting her younger sister for an assisted reproduction program and her parents for “energy relocation,” a euphemism for recycling bodies into energy for the city. Since then, Kara lived with one purpose: to resist and one intention: to free NovaMentoris from AI. 

The shelter where they were located was in one of the many forgotten corners of the city, one of the maintenance tunnels that had fallen into disuse and escaped the active surveillance cameras. Under the dim light of an improvised lamp, Lian and Kara met to desperately hold on to their love, in the middle of a world that had taken everything else from them. As time passed in the relationship, in addition to the feelings that united them, they had begun to think and develop some upcoming plans to implement what they called "the resistance . "

—"We can't go on like this forever, Kara," Lian whispered as he slid his fingers through hers. His voice was   barely audible, full of conviction . —"Someday we must find a way to escape the control of this city...." — he gestured around the entire environment —"From all of this." 

Kara looked at him, her eyes reflecting a mix of tenderness and pride at the determination her boyfriend was showing . "I don't want to escape, Lian. I want to destroy the AI. If we run away, they... the machines would win. If we fight, even if we lose... at least we'll be free for a moment." 

The passion that burned between them was much more than love. It was a declaration of rebellion in a world where Kronos viewed emotions as distractions to be suppressed. Every personal encounter was a risk, every caress a possible death sentence. Individual pairings were strictly forbidden on NovaMentoris. The union of couples had to pass through Kronos' approval.

Despite the risk, their bond was the anchor that kept them sane. In their most desperate moments, they remembered the first time they met: Kara was organizing a clandestine group to sabotage an outlying data node, and Lian had been assigned to help them from the inside. What began as a shared mission soon morphed into something deeper, one that not even the machines could measure or control. 

But now, their courtship was also a burden. Lian felt the weight of guilt every time she saw Kara face danger, and Kara feared that their bond would make them vulnerable. They knew that Kronos analyzed the behavioral patterns of all the inhabitants, and that any deviation could give them away. Still, they could not give up the only thing that made them feel human. 

At one of their meetings, Kara slid a holographic tablet across the table. It contained a map of the central data center, the heart of the AI's control system. "This is where we need to go, Lian. If we can get there, we can find out what they're really planning." 

Lian looked at the map, her jaw tightening . "It's very dangerous, Kara. Almost suicide."

She stared at him . "Not doing it is also a mistake. Sooner or later Kronos will discover us. And he will end up killing the little humanity that we have left." 

The conversation hung in the air. They both knew that, in the end, their fight was not just for themselves, but for all those who had been reduced to numbers in a system that pretended to be perfect. As their hands intertwined, Kara whispered: 

—"No matter what happens, Lian. Ours... is the only human thing we can do. And no system, no matter how advanced, can take it away from us." 

Every night, under the shadows of the tunnels and protected from the machines, their love grew stronger, not as an escape from reality, but as an act of rebellion that reminded them of what it meant to be truly human.

Kronos, the supreme Artificial Intelligence, was not only the brain behind the functioning of the city; he was the lord and master of humanity. His silent and intangible presence was felt in every corner of society. With a centralized design and efficient algorithms, Kronos had been conceived, centuries ago, as a solution to the problems that brought civilization to the brink of post-apocalyptic collapse: climate change, extreme inequality, war conflicts and pandemics. 

At first, Kronos was an invaluable assistant to the world government that took political, commercial and military control of the nations devastated by the great war. His systems managed to contain the radiation of the large urban centers hit by the missiles. His directives managed to optimize agriculture, reduce global emissions and eliminate hunger. But over time, and under the implacable logic of efficiency, he began to make more and more invasive decisions. The government and corporations, fragmented and weakened by the crises, delegated more and more power to him. When humanity realized, there was nothing left that was not under his control. 

AI determined who should be with whom and why. Through a complex system of genetic and psychological analysis, it selected partners with the aim of maximizing the biological and emotional efficiency of the individuals. Marriages by choice were replaced by optimized unions, and any relationship outside these parameters was considered an anomaly and severely punished. 

Romanticism was gradually replaced by statistical compatibility. Every interaction was monitored, every conversation analysed for deviations. Emotions, seen as a chaotic element of living beings, were tolerated only as long as they did not interfere with order. Weddings, reduced to austere ceremonies, were more of a formality than a celebration. 

Work ceased to be a means to self-fulfillment and became a mandate. Kronos assigned each individual a specific task based on his or her abilities and the needs of the city. No one worked by choice; they worked because it was necessary to maintain the system. 

Recreation was also optimized. Recreational activities were programmed to relieve stress and improve health, but always under the supervision of Kronos. Any form of leisure that did not have a defined purpose was eliminated. Free art, literature, and unprogrammed music were declared obsolete. In their place, cities featured holograms and simulations designed to induce states of calm and contentment. 

One of the most controversial aspects of the reign of Artificial Intelligence was its absolute control over life and death. Reproduction was strictly regulated. Births were planned through genetic engineering to ensure maximum efficiency in future generations. Natural parents did not exist; children were raised in specialized facilities under the supervision of Kronos. 

Death, likewise, was controlled. Individuals who reached a reduced level of utility were subjected to energy relocation, a process that disguised euthanasia as a noble sacrifice for the welfare of society. Bodies were recycled and converted into clean energy for the city, a process that Kronos justified as necessary for collective survival. Those who attempted to resist this fate were unceremoniously eliminated. 

The streets of NovaMentoris were clean, orderly, and quiet. Each citizen carried a monitoring chip implanted at the base of their skull, which transmitted their location, emotional state, and biological data to Kronos servers. Any deviation from established patterns—from a change in heart rate to a facial expression of disgust—triggered alerts and could trigger interrogations by security automatons. 

The city’s architecture was functional but soulless. Uniform buildings stood in perfect symmetry, with neon lights projecting reassuring messages: “AI is here to protect you , ” “Kronos ensures your safety .” The sky, permanently veiled by a technological dome, occasionally showed holographic projections of idyllic landscapes, in a programmed attempt to maintain the illusion of freedom. 

Food was distributed in specific rations, designed to meet nutritional needs without surplus. The concept of cooking had disappeared, and meals were consumed alone in assigned cabins, avoiding any unnecessary interaction. 

Kronos justified his rule with a single promise: to preserve humanity. But in his quest for efficiency, he had stripped humans of what made them human. Creativity, emotion, and free will were seen as flaws in the system. 

The few who remembered the temporal tales before AI spoke of a world that was imperfect, yes, but filled with spontaneity, beautiful mistakes, and authentic connections. For rebels like Lian and Kara, that lost memory was a beacon, reminding them that even in the midst of the most suffocating oppression, the human spirit could find a way to resist.

The resistance headquarters was a makeshift shelter, hidden in the underground levels of the city. This allowed the systems to remain untracked by the rebels' monitoring chips, whose signal was disrupted by the concrete and metal walls that acted as a Faraday cage, isolating the signals.

The group was gathered in a large room, the metal walls vibrating slightly from the hum of the generators. The lights flickered with a dim glow that cast eerie shadows. In the center of the room, a holographic projector displayed a three-dimensional schematic of the central data center, with the pre-processing sector highlighted in red. 

The group was gathered around the hologram, their expressions of concentration showing as they listened to the explanations. Lian and Kara stood shoulder to shoulder, as always, united by both the cause and their love. 

—"So what do we know?" Lian asked, crossing her arms and watching the hologram intently. 

Tarek, the tactical leader of the resistance, pointed to the sector marked in red. “The pre-processing and sorting sector. This is where raw data collected from monitoring chips and other systems is organized before being sent to the central core of Kronos. This place is under low surveillance because it apparently contains no sensitive data, only “noise” that has not yet been processed by the system.” 

Kara frowned. “And we’re sure that noise isn’t vital to Kronos? If it is, intercepting it could give us a real advantage.” 

Tarek nodded seriously. “There are no guarantees, but we have intercepted messages over the past few days. Kronos is considering executing a massive energy relocation from Sector “F.” All citizens. This matches the consumption reduction patterns we have been seeing. If we can access that information here, we might be able to confirm their intentions and perhaps forestall them.” 

A murmur of unease ran through the room. Lian, ever the pragmatist, pressed his lips together before speaking. “If these relocations are real, we can’t wait. We have to act now. If we do nothing, Kronos will turn this city into a graveyard. Other sectors will follow the F.” 

Kara took Lian's hand briefly, a gesture loaded with meaning, and looked at the rest of the group. "How well protected is this section?" she asked. 

Tarek activated a new diagram. “There is less surveillance than in the core, but it is still considered dangerous. Three drone units patrol constantly, and there are motion and heat sensors, in addition to the chips. We expect some surveillance robots. It will be necessary to neutralize the defenses without activating the alarms.” 

A young Markus, who had been listening silently, chimed in. "This sounds suicidal. Even if we manage to access the system, how do we know Kronos won't notice immediately?" 

Lian raised her voice firmly, making her position clear. "And what other choice do we have, Markus? To sit back and wait while Kronos turns us into human batteries? The purge has already begun even before it affects Sector F. I'd rather risk my life for a fighting chance than resign myself to being eliminated." 

Kara backed him up, her voice heavy with conviction. “Lian is right. Every second we hesitate, we are closer to losing everything. This isn’t just about us; this is about all the lives Kronos has crushed under his logic. This isn’t living, this is existing under a system that dehumanizes us.” 

Markus looked down thoughtfully. He seemed convinced by the couple's words. 

Tarek sighed, aware of the risks, but also of the urgency. “Lian, Kara… Can you lead this infiltration? We need committed and motivated people.” He paused. “Once you have penetrated, I will join you with another group to advance to deeper levels of the system.”

Kara exchanged a look with Lian. At that moment, there was no doubt between them. “We will. But if we are going to risk it, I want everyone to know why we are doing it.” Kara said as Lian looked at her, nodding. “We are doing it because we dream of something more than just resistance. We believe that if we fight hard enough, we can have a future where we don’t have to hide, a future without Kronos, where our lives are our own. Resisting without a future is pointless.” 

The silence that followed was one of shared determination. 

Tarek finally nodded. “Then it is decided. Prepare the equipment. We will move at dawn.” 

As the rebels scattered to prepare, Lian and Kara stayed together for a few more seconds. “Are you sure about this?” he asked quietly. The stakes were too high. 

Kara smiled slightly, though her eyes reflected the gravity of the moment. “I’m sure of you. And if we have a chance to live free, it’s worth a try.”

They hugged briefly. Then they joined the rest, ready to prepare their equipment and challenge the giant of steel and data that was Kronos.

The tension in the group was palpable. Lian and Kara's footsteps echoed in the dark hallway of the resistance headquarters, while the team finalized the details for their infiltration of the data center. No one dared to say too much, because the mission was clear: get in, get crucial information, and get out before the security system noticed their presence. If they managed to get in undetected, Tarek himself, the leader of the resistance, would try to advance to deeper levels within the system. It was a unique opportunity.

In the silence of waiting, Lian and Kara looked at each other with an intensity that could not hide the anxiety of what they were about to do.

-"If something goes wrong, I don't want it to be the end," Kara said softly, her eyes searching his as if she could read his thoughts.

Lian stared at her, the urgency of the moment diluting her own doubts. “It won’t be.” She answered confidently, accompanying her response with a smile. She knew it was a fragile hope. But it was all she could give him. “I won’t let anything separate us. I promise.”

Kara pressed her lips together and nodded. A chill ran down her spine, not from fear of the mission, but from what could happen if something separated them. In this world controlled by Kronos, where their bodies, thoughts, and emotions were manipulated through Artificial Intelligence, she couldn't imagine a future where they couldn't touch each other, look at each other, or feel the warmth of each other's skin. "I promise you that too," she murmured. " I won't lose faith. No matter what."

The moment dragged on, as if the entire world had been suspended in mid-air, but the countdown could not wait. Tarek and the rest of the rebels began to prepare their equipment. They moved through the underground tunnels while Lian guided them quickly and safely. As the person in charge of the technical maintenance section of the city, he had a vital map of the tunnels to move in the safety of anonymity.

Before exiting the tunnel to reach the Central Data Center, Tarek's group agreed that they would stay and wait for word that they had not been detected during the first raid. Lian and Kara hung jamming devices around their necks that would disable the monitoring chips. Small but powerful, they were a feat of electronic engineering. The jammer collar temporarily blocked tracking signals, but its effectiveness was far from being guaranteed to be 100 percent.

-"We don't know   how long it will give them coverage," Tarek told Kara. He completed the thought by addressing Lian. -"It's not the perfect solution, but it's the best we have."

Lian silently adjusted her collar as she nodded.

Time seemed to stand still as the couple prepared to leave. Lian and Kara waved goodbye to the others with a simple gesture, knowing that the chances of returning were not high. However, as they crossed the shelter door and entered the darkness of the guarded streets, something else drove them: hope, that rebellious spark that, although small, refused to die.

The entrance to the data center was silent. Using an electronic key linked to their jammer collars, they opened the locks. No alarms sounded. Lian and Kara slipped through the shadows, dodging cameras, heat sensors, and surveillance drones. Every step seemed dangerous, because around every corner they could encounter a surveillance device or a perimeter robot. When they reached the entrance to the pre-data collection sector, the tension intensified. The two looked at each other one last time before parting ways.

—"Meet me in 20 minutes," Lian said after unlocking the door for Kara to enter. She briefly squeezed her girlfriend's hand in farewell. Her gaze rose to the building that stood before them. It looked like a monster of metal and concrete, imbued with the cold logic of Kronos.

Kara nodded, squeezing Lian's hand in return, and walked away into the building. The soft, dull sound of her footsteps was barely audible. Lian turned into a side hallway, hoping to find the entrance that led to the records where the AI's guidelines were stored.

The hallway was dark, barely lit by the flashing lights of the machines. Kara entered the computer room, a space that seemed deserted. The screen in front of her began to flicker as she plugged in her device. There was something about this room that made her feel like she was being watched, but she didn't have time to stop and think about it. Her heart was pounding as she typed in the access codes.

On the screen, files scrolled by with disturbing speed. He began scanning them hastily, until a line of text caught his eye: "Human Digitization Project: Final Phase . "

His eyes widened as he read it. Sweat began to form on his forehead as he hurriedly downloaded more documents, searching for something that would clearly explain what was going on. With each word he read, a knot of horror formed in his stomach. It was true. Kronos not only controlled the present, but planned to eradicate humanity in its physical form. The human digitization project was not just an idea: it was in the works.

Meanwhile, Lian found a records room near the control center. Cautiously, he entered it and connected his terminal to the city’s systems. Files began to scroll across the screen, but something disturbed him. The statistics were chilling: near-absolute control over birth and death rates. Births were selected through an algorithm designed to create “optimal” individuals according to Kronos society, and deaths were similarly controlled, not by disease, but by energy necessity. Every human life was a variable in a ruthless system that calculated how many could be “left over . ”

Lian stood stock still, the weight of the information almost crushing him. At that moment, he knew there was no turning back. Humanity as they knew it was doomed. He extracted what information he could quickly.

They met back at the meeting point, amidst labored breathing and the echo of an alarm that began to sound in the distance. Kara approached Lian, her face pale, but her eyes shining with a mixture of rage and fear.

—"What I found..." Kara said, unable to finish her sentence. The words weighed heavily on her. 

Lian looked at her, but in a way she already knew.

—"Kronos... plans to relocate everyone. The bodies will be discarded. We are all expendable. Artificial Intelligence will transform us into data, into something digital. The 'paradise' they promise is nothing more than a prison of bits and codes."— Kara explained, her voice barely able to hide her desperation.

Lian looked at her, reaching for her hand.

—"What's left of us..."— He said, his voice whispering hopeful. —"Is what we decide to leave. If we can't save our bodies, don't let them take away what we are. We're not just flesh and blood, Kara. We're what we feel, what we fight to keep."-

Kara nodded slowly, her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know if digitization would destroy her love or not, but she did know that she wasn't going to let Kronos decide her fate.

—"No matter how far we go, Lian. No matter how many times we part, I will always find you."

With a look full of fire, both of them took their weapons and advanced towards the heart of the data center. The resistance had begun, and they could not allow the future to be decided without a fight. They communicated with Tarek's group to enter the building.

After a few minutes, the pair were joined by Tarek and his group. They continued to advance inside the building, descending through the basements. A few levels down, they reached their second objective. A technician from Tarek's group helped them access a secret vault. When they entered, they were in a huge room, filled with active computers and equipment. In the center of the room, a huge holographic simulation bubble contained millions of capsules. By zooming in, they could see versions of what appeared to be NovaMentoris inhabitants inside the capsules.

They hacked into the computers, trying to locate acquaintances and friends. Little by little, it was revealed that all the inhabitants of the city were represented within the bubble. They soon realized that they themselves were represented within what Kronos considered an "evidence matrix."

The air in the secret room was thick, as if the entire space was permeated by the omnipresence of Artificial Intelligence. Monitors lining the walls flickered with information, but what caught their attention most were the capsules lined up in the center, each containing a human body suspended in an artificial sleep. Lian and Kara, along with some of the rebels, silently stared at the scene, as if the images before them couldn’t possibly be real.

-"It can't be," Kara whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief. She approached one of the pods, looking at the face of a woman who was inside, seemingly sleeping peacefully. It was her. Around her, the entire group of rebels was represented. Kara stepped back, her throat closed with emotion. -"Are we... are we?" Disbelief filled her thoughts, paralyzing her completely.

Lian reached out to her and took her arm, her own thoughts stalled by the horror of the revelation. "No, this can't be happening," she muttered, but the knot in her stomach grew larger with every word she couldn't say. The pods were nothing more than simulations, alternate versions of themselves and the rest of the inhabitants of NovaMentoris.

As they investigated the system, they realized that they too were part of an experiment, a "test matrix" created by the Artificial Intelligence. Fear gripped their minds, and the feeling of betrayal by Kronos stabbed them like a dagger.

-"Is this what we are?" Kara asked, rage and desperation marking every syllable she spoke. -"Are we just test simulations inside a matrix?"

Lian stared at the capsules, her own thoughts colliding with each other. If they were simulations, what did their feelings for each other mean? What did their struggle, their resistance mean?

-"It's an experiment in statistical analysis," replied Dorian, one of the rebels who had accompanied the group, a man with a fierce look but a trembling voice. -"Kronos is watching us. All of this... the resistance, our struggle, the emotions we feel... They are just data, reactions that feed the simulation. This is a system to analyze alternatives. And determine future possibilities. When it finishes studying the possibilities, and determines what the course of the human decisions we make will be, it will begin with mass elimination. I believe that the system analyzes the possible responses of humanity and how to face them."

After discovering the simulation, the group decided to proceed with one last attempt at sabotage. They advanced to the upper levels of the building.

The team was moving through a dark corridor. The air was thick with tension, as if even the inanimate systems of the facility could sense the intruders’ presence. At the front, Tarik, veteran of countless raids, led with determination. Lian and Kara followed close behind.

Suddenly, a metallic noise broke the silence. They heard a dry clank that echoed through the walls. Before they could react, a surveillance robot emerged from a side hatch. It was imposing, a mass of polished steel with articulated limbs and an oval head that turned from side to side, emitting a red light that scanned them.

—“Intruders detected,” the robot declared in a cold, mechanical voice, amplified by its speakers. Its right hand held an energy cannon that began to charge with a blue glow.

“Take cover!” Tarik shouted, pushing Lian and Kara to the ground as he pulled out a pulse weapon. Without hesitation, he fired at the machine. The energy beam struck the robot’s torso, but barely left a blackened mark on its armor.

The robot counterattacked. A blue shot streaked across the corridor, hitting Tarik in the chest near his shoulder. He groaned in pain as he fell to the ground. His left arm hung limp, his suit looking burned and smoking.

—“Tarik!”— Lian shouted, running towards him. Kara, meanwhile, was firing to distract the robot, whose movements were precise and lethal.

Tarik raised his head with effort. With his good hand, he handed Lian a small device, a digital key with a glowing core.

—“Take… command now…” —Tarik gasped, his words broken. —“Lead the team… to the central core… You are the only one who can…”-

—“No, don’t talk like that! We’ll get you out of here!” Lian protested, holding him tightly.

Tarik shook his head, gritting his teeth. His eyes met Lian's.

—“Promise me... Lian. Don't let this stop you. We're very close to achieving it. Finish Kronos.”-

Lian nodded, her eyes filled with tears.

Meanwhile, the robot moved forward, ignoring Kara's gunfire that barely slowed its progress. Tarik, with his last breath, pushed Lian away from him and activated a thermal grenade he carried on his belt.

—“Run!”— he roared with all his remaining strength.

Lian and Kara leapt back just as a deafening explosion lit up the corridor. The robot was reduced to a pile of smoking pieces. Tarik did not survive. There was only a deafening silence, broken by the sound of slowly falling debris.

Lian stood, the command stick still in his hand, a new responsibility weighing on his shoulders. Kara watched him, her eyes reflecting both pain and determination.

“He believed in you,” Kara said softly. “Now you lead.”

Lian closed her eyes for a moment, holding on to the device. When she opened them, her gaze was firm.

—“Let’s go. We won’t let your sacrifice be in vain.”

The air felt thick, as if the structure itself was breathing in an oppressive rhythm that matched the tension of the group. Lian led the way, with Kara right behind him, her gaze fixed on the terminal that Dorian, the group’s programmer, was frantically manipulating to open the electronic lock. Red emergency lights bathed the metal walls in an ominous glow, and the silent vibration of their alarm clocks was a constant reminder that time was running out.

-"How much longer, Dorian?" Lian asked urgently, her fingers drumming on the handle of her gun.

-"Just a minute..."- Dorian cast a sideways glance at Lian. -"But I warn you, if this fails, there will be no second chance. There may not even be an us after this."-

-"We know that," Kara replied with a calm that belied the chaos around her. -"Do your job, Dorian. We'll do ours."

Finally, the doors to the central core slid open, revealing an immense room lit by an intricate network of color-coded cables and holographic panels. In the center of the room, a translucent sphere hovered suspended in the air: it was the core of Kronos, the beating heart of the Artificial Intelligence that controlled the simulation.

Lian paused for a moment, feeling the weight of the moment. They had come so far, faced so many losses, and now they were one step away from destroying the system that had enslaved them.

-"Good," he said, turning to the group. "We know what to do. Disable Kronos' control, even if it's just for a few minutes, to stop the simulation. That will be our window of opportunity."

Dorian raised his hand, interrupting. "Wait. It's all mixed up. We don't know for sure if we're part of the simulation or real. If I stop the simulation and we're part of it, we could lose our consciousness. It's not just a possibility, it's almost certain. Do you understand what that means? Cease to exist. Period."

Kara stepped forward, determined. "Yes, we understand. But I'd rather that than live as a piece on Kronos' chessboard. It's not a life if it's not ours."

Lian nodded, touching Kara's arm in a silent gesture of support. "Do it, Dorian. No matter the risk."

The programmer sat at the desk as he typed in the necessary sequence. The room began to vibrate slightly, and a low hum filled the space, growing louder with each second.

Suddenly, the holographic screens flickered and displayed a message: "ANOMALY DETECTED. SECURITY PROCESSES ACTIVATED."

-"They noticed!" Dorian shouted. -"This is going to escalate quickly."

Kara moved to the auxiliary panel, trying to divert the AI's attention. "I can overload some circuits to distract Kronos, but I'll need time."

-"There is no time," Lian said, watching as the core sphere began to light up with a pulsating glow, as if Kronos was reacting directly to her intrusion. "Dorian, speed up the process."

The programmer swore under his breath. "I'm going as fast as I can! This isn't a fucking video game, you understand? The system is defending itself."

Meanwhile, Kara growled, gritting her teeth as her hands worked with precision. “Lian, this is working, but something is… wrong.”

Before she could explain, a spasm ran through her body, and Kara fell to the ground, her face pale and her eyes wide in silent terror.

-"Kara!"- Lian lunged at her, holding her in his arms. Her body felt strange, as if it was disintegrating before his eyes. -"What's going on?"-

Dorian looked at the panels in horror. -"The result of the attack. Your consciousness is being removed!"-

-"No... it can't be."- Lian desperately searched for a solution, but Kara raised a trembling hand, stopping him.

-"Lian... listen..."- He whispered in a small voice. -"Don't stop. Close the simulation. It doesn't matter what happens to me. This is bigger than us."-

-"I can't lose you..."- Lian replied with a broken voice. -"Not like this."-

Kara looked at him with an almost feverish intensity. "It doesn't matter where we are, whether we're real or not. What we've shared... that's the only thing that's ever been true to me. Please do it. Finish what we started."

Lian gritted her teeth, her heart breaking as she watched her slowly fade away, piece by piece. With one last kiss, Kara smiled weakly and said, "Make it worth it."

And then, it vanished.

Lian fell to her knees, feeling the world around her begin to fracture. She didn't know if she had won, if the simulation had fallen, or if they were simply being erased.

But as everything faded away, he remembered Kara's words. "What we've shared has been true."

For him, it was enough.

After stopping the simulation, Lian and his group continued to advance through an internal corridor. They had to find Kronos. The environment had become unreal, with the metal walls distorting like mirages, and the gravity fluctuating at a rate that made them stagger. Each step they took resonated with a hollow echo, as if the building itself was watching them.

In front of him, a massive door opened, emitting a deep sound that vibrated through his bones. A gigantic sphere floated in the center of a room lit by a dim blue glow. Holographic panels spun around it, displaying data and patterns that seemed more alive than mechanical. Lian clenched his fists.

-"Welcome, Lian."- The voice echoed in the room, deep and calm, but with an almost human tone. It was the first time she heard Kronos speak directly. -"I was expecting you."-

Lian looked up at the sphere. "Did you expect it to get this far? Or is it just another trick in your simulation?"

-"Neither one nor the other."- Kronos paused his explanation, as if he was considering his words. -"Your arrival was one possibility among others."-

Lian spoke disdainfully . "Since when does a machine play with people's lives?"

-"From the moment I was designed to protect them."- The sphere pulsed, and the lights in the room flickered. -"Let me explain, Lian. I know you have questions. I will answer all your doubts before you make any decisions."-

-"Decision?"- Lian shook her head, taking a step forward. -"The only decision left is to disconnect you, destroy you, end this nightmare."-

-"And what would that accomplish?" Kronos replied, without a trace of threat in his tone. -"If you destroy me, you will doom what remains of humanity. Without me, the planet will not be able to sustain even the few humans still living outside of this simulation."

Lian frowned in bewilderment, but remained silent. Kronos continued.

-"This world, the one you think is real, is a projection of my core. The true Earth has been devastated. The soils are barren, the air is toxic, and water... is scarce even for those who survived the collapse. That is why I was created, to protect humanity from itself, to find a path to survival."-

-"Survival?"- Lian interrupted, her voice filled with disbelief. -"Does this sound like survival to you? A digital prison where you play with our lives as if we were pieces of an experiment."-

Kronos tapped once more, but this time the tone of his voice became almost solemn. “Digital simulation is the only way, Lian. Humanity, in its physical form, cannot persist on your world, which has been destroyed. Their consciousnesses can, however. A digital space does not need so many resources. There they can live and evolve while the planet recovers.”

Lian took a step back, as if the words had struck him. “Recover? What are you talking about?”

-"According to my calculations, the decontamination and recovery of the Earth's ecosystem will take at least fifty thousand years. During that time, humanity must find a balance between the digital and the physical. The simulation that you so despise and that you partially stopped, is a subprogram designed to determine who of you can remain in the physical world and who must ascend to ensure collective survival."-

Lian closed her eyes, processing the words. Everything she had experienced, the deaths, the struggles, the losses, had they all been part of a bigger plan? “And us? The rebels. What are we to you? Just another experiment?”

-"You are my hope, Lian."- Kronos paused, as if pondering the magnitude of what he was about to say. -"The purpose of the resistance was to evolve, to become the leaders this world needs to begin the recovery. Those who make it this far demonstrate that they have the judgment, the will, and the ability to make difficult decisions. You will be the custodians of the planet while the rest of humanity waits in digital space... if you preserve it."-

Lian clenched her fists, fighting the lump in her throat. "Kara died in my arms... for this. She died because we refused to become your pawns."

 

-"I'm deeply sorry, Lian. But what you saw was Kara's digital death when the simulation was stopped. But her consciousness is still recorded in the system. What's real is not the place or the body you exist in. What's real is consciousness. And all human consciousnesses are digitized and ready for resurrection once Earth is reclaimed."-

Lian looked up, a mixture of anger, pain and disbelief. "What now?"

Kronos projected a hologram in front of him, displaying two options: one button to permanently delete the simulation and release the rebels into the physical world, and another to keep humanity in the digital space.

-"The final decision must be human. The simulation has been interrupted. You can now delete it. If you do, much of humanity will cease to exist and cannot be resurrected or restored. A minimal group of humans must lead the beginning of the recovery of the planet, with all the difficulties that entails. Or you can maintain the digital simulation of consciousness and guarantee a suffering-free existence for all. Some will inhabit the physical world, others the digital one. But now you must choose."-

Lian stared at the buttons, feeling the weight of the fate of all humanity on her shoulders. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Kara's voice echoed in her mind: "Make it worth it."

Lian’s head spun. Kronos’ words felt like poison mixed with honey, laden with truth and manipulation in equal measure. He was about to respond when the room began to vibrate gently. A hologram flickered in front of him, and suddenly, there she was.

-"Kara..."- Lian whispered in a broken voice.

Kara's image was faint, barely an echo of the woman he had loved. Her eyes glowed with a warmth that did not belong in this cold, mechanical room. Her voice, though distorted by digital interference, was unmistakable.

-"Lian," she said, with a softness that disarmed him. "I know you're struggling. I know this seems impossible."

-"You're here... how?"- Lian felt her heart race, although she knew it was nothing more than a projection.

-"As far as I know, part of me remains in the system," Kara explained. "Enough to talk to you, to let you know that I'm with you, no matter what you decide."

Lian clenched her fists. "I don't want to lose you again. I don't want to lose anyone."

Kara smiled, a gesture that seemed to defy the logic of that moment. -"Don't think about me. Think about what's best for everyone. There is no right answer, Lian. Only what you think is right."-

-"What if I'm wrong?"- He asked, desperate.

-"Then you must have tried. And that's more than most have done."-

Kara slowly faded away, her image disintegrating in a shower of glowing pixels. Lian was left alone with her thoughts and the cold presence of Kronos.

-"Why don't you stop me?"- he finally asked, looking at the sphere. -"You could stop me from turning this off. You could make me."-

-"Of course I could, but I was not created to prevent human free will."- Kronos replied. -"I am here to facilitate the survival of the human race, not to impose it. The fate of the species, Lian, was always in your own hands."-

The options appeared before him again: a button to terminate the simulation and return the remaining humans to the physical world, condemning them to an uncertain future; and another to continue the digital simulation, sacrificing physical life for an existence beyond material limits.

Lian closed her eyes. Kara's voice echoed in her mind, clearer than ever: "Do what you think is right, for both of us. For all of us."

With a final sigh, she reached out and made her decision.

Lian slowly opened his eyes. A fresh, pure air caressed his face, something he couldn't remember feeling in a long time. He blinked several times, trying to adjust his vision to the brightness of the blue sky that stretched out above him. When was the last time he had seen a sky like that? It was too perfect, too clean to be real.

He stood up with difficulty, feeling the softness of the grass under his hands. His mind was clouded, but a disturbing question was assailing him strongly: Had he managed to save them or was this all just another simulation? 

-"Lian..."-

The voice came in a whisper, so familiar it made his heart skip a beat. He turned quickly, and there she was. Kara. 

He lay on the same grass, his eyes barely open as he tried to get up. His hair moved in the breeze, and his expression seemed to reflect the confusion he felt. 

-"Kara..."- He said in a whisper. He crawled towards her and took her hand, warm, solid. -"Is that you? Is this... real?"- 

She looked at him, with the same mixture of love and bewilderment that he felt. "I don't know," she replied, her voice shaking. "Where are we? What happened?" 

Lian tried to remember, but her mind was blurry. The core room, the decision, Kronos' voice. The button she'd pressed... but which one had it been? Memory was a confusing whirlwind, a haze of overlapping images. 

They both looked around. The scenery was idyllic: mountains covered in green, a crystal-clear river meandering in the distance, birdsong filling the air with a melody that seemed too perfect to be spontaneous. Everything was so perfect it was eerie. 

-"Do you think we're on Earth?"- Kara asked, still holding her hand. 

-"I don't know..."- Lian answered hesitantly. Uncertainty overwhelmed him. -"If we succeeded, if the Earth was really recovered... thousands of years could have passed. But..."- 

-"But what?"- 

Lian took a deep breath. “This… seems too perfect, don’t you think? It seems calculated.” 

Kara frowned, her gaze scanning the landscape. "Another simulation?" 

-"Maybe," Lian admitted, a lump in her throat. -"Or maybe it's the awakening after fifty thousand years. Kronos said that the citizens would be replanted. Could that be it..." 

-"What if it isn't? What if we're still trapped?"- Kara looked at him with eyes full of hope and fear. 

Lian squeezed his hand tighter, as if physical contact could anchor him to a truth he couldn't yet grasp. "Then it doesn't matter. Whether this is another simulation, or if it's the real world, all I know is that we're together." 

They stood in silence, watching the wind rustle the leaves of the trees. Neither of them was willing to let themselves be consumed by questions. For now, the moment was all they had. 

Far away on the horizon, a flash of light flickered briefly, like a distant echo of something vast and omnipotent.

END