In the year 2025, humanity had reached heights once thought impossible. Starships pierced the void, resources expanded beyond measure, and inventions reshaped every corner of life. The world believed itself on the brink of eternity. Yet behind it all stood one man, a genius whose creations carried humanity forward, though he himself sought only one thing.
For me, changing the world was never the goal. All the inventions and discoveries were nothing compared to the dream I poured my soul into: Project Code 0, Earthspire Online. A world of my own design, a world where creation and existence intertwined.
That morning was like any other. I woke up, washed, ate, and sat before the familiar glow of my computer. Routine, simple, predictable. But as I stared at the screen, I felt it again, the weight pressing on me, the truth that every breakthrough humanity celebrated was nothing but dust compared to the world I was building in secret.
Then came the flash. A blinding surge of light struck my eyes without warning. My instincts flared, but thankfully my latest invention, the Sunglasses Reflectonator, patent pending of course, saved me from total blindness. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but I lived.
"Crystal!" I shouted. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! Tehee~" came the sing-song reply.
There she was, my daughter, or rather, the True AI born from the heart of my computer. A playful grin spread across her face as she waved the flashlight that nearly burned my retinas out. Mischievous as always.
"Father, you were supposed to follow the script," she huffed, eyes gleaming with exaggerated frustration.
"I know, I know, my dear daughter," I said with a weary smile. "Fine then. Tell me, how is Project Code 0 progressing?"
At once her expression changed, mischief giving way to focus. "The project is stable, but there are holes in the world. Glitches in the Virtual Computing Processor, the very core of existence. I can patch it for now, but the problem persists."
I sighed heavily. "That makes three times already. If I rewire it again, I could integrate an NDA, a Neural Domain Analogy, to stabilize the system. But if it fails, the entire world might reset to emptiness, and everything we have built will vanish."
My hand hovered over the keyboard, hesitation gnawing at me. "Perhaps if I went inside myself, I could repair it directly."
Crystal's voice grew quiet, serious in a way that stilled the air. "If you enter now, the turbulence will tear at time and space. Unless I build you a body inside, you will not survive. Even then, this is only the beta. If something goes wrong, you may never return."
Her words pierced me, heavier than the brightest starship or the grandest invention. To enter meant risking everything, even myself. To refuse meant leaving the flaws of creation to fester.
"…Not yet," I whispered at last. "Give me two days. There are still preparations I must complete."
Crystal nodded, her gaze softening. "Then I will maintain the project until you are ready. But Father, when the time comes, will you truly step into the world you have created?"