Date: 6/23/2001 – 3:40 AM
Location: Foundation Nursery – Unit 000981
Perspective: Kaiser Everhart
I sat on the center of the bed, my back supported by a mountain of pillows. I felt exhausted physically.
The decision I had made—to stop being just an observer and start being her son—had altered the internal chemistry of my thoughts.
For the first time, I wasn't just calculating the next move.
I was simply being at the present moment.
Cartethyia hummed a low, melodic tune as she moved toward the cake box.
"M-mama?" I called out.
The sound of my voice made her freeze. She turned around so fast her raven hair whipped across her face. Her eyes widened, shimmering with a sudden, fresh layer of moisture.
"Oh..." she breathed, a hand flying to her chest. "Uwaaa—! My heart... Kaiser, you're going to be the death of me."
She practically glided across the room, scooping me up and burying her face in the crook of my neck.
"Hehe... say it again? Just once more for mama?" she pleaded, her voice muffled by my shoulder.
"M-mama," I repeated. It was easier now.
"Ngh—!" She let out a soft, strangled sound of pure joy and squeezed me until I felt my ribs protest. She pulled back just enough to pepper my face with tiny, rapid-fire kisses.
"I don't care what Vance says about 'Aporias.' You're just a little honey-tongued thief, aren't you? Stealing all my love."
She set me back down but kept her hand on my knee, as if afraid I might vanish. From the tray she had brought over, she lifted a small, white ceramic plate.
"I almost forgot in all the excitement," she said, her smile turning soft and nostalgic.
I stared at the cake. My internal index immediately flagged the anomaly.
Director Vance?
It was a calculated gesture. A peace offering, perhaps. Or more likely, a probe. He wanted to see how the "Aporetic" interacted with a domestic variable. He was watching the "Mother-Son" dynamic to see if it was a tool he could use to leash me.
Or maybe…
"He's such a kind person when he wants to be, isn't he?" Cartethyia mused, her fingers trembling slightly as she picked up a small plastic spoon.
"I never thought the Foundation would allow a luxury like this in the nurseries."
I looked at the cake, then back to the shadows near the ceiling where the hidden cameras were tucked away.
He isn't kind, Cartethyia.
But as she cut a tiny corner of the cake, I pushed the suspicion outta my mind. For now, the "White Room" was a world away.
"Here, my little prince," she whispered. "Open up."
She held the spoon out. It was a nutrient-dense paste, smoothed and flavored to mimic vanilla. At one year old, my digestive tract couldn't handle complex sugars or heavy sponges.
I took the bite. It was cloying, artificial, and far too sweet.
"H-hah... g-good," I lied, swallowing the thick paste.
I reached out, my small hand closing around the handle of the spoon as she tried to take another scoop. I pushed it back toward her.
"Y-you... M-mama," I insisted.
Cartethyia blinked, her dark eyes softening into that "melted" look again. "Oh, no, no! Mama is fine, Kaiser. This is your special treat. You need the nutrients to grow into a big, strong genius."
I didn't move. I kept the spoon pressed toward her lips, my gaze steady. I wasn't going to be the only one participating in this theater of normalcy.
If this was a bond, it had to be reciprocal.
"N-no," I muttered, my brow furrowing. "U-us. T-together."
"H-ha..." She let out a shaky, breathy laugh, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You really are a stubborn one. Just like..."
"Fine. Just a tiny taste."
She took a small bite of the paste. Her expression shifted—a brief flicker of the same realization I'd had. It wasn't good.
"It's... well, it's not exactly like the cakes back at the palace," she said, wiping a stray bit of white cream from her lip. She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"It's mostly just flavored mush, honey. But you can only eat the paste at this age. Once we're out of here—once you grow up—I promise, I'll buy you a real cake. A huge one."
"With seven layers and real strawberries."
"Promiseeee?"
She held out her pinky finger. I hooked my small, clumsy one around it.
"O-okay," I said.
"My son," she whispered, leaning down to press a firm, lingering kiss against my cheek. "My beautiful, strange son."
The moment was perfect. It was quiet, grounded, and safe.
Naturally, she decided to ruin the dignity of it.
"Now," she said, a mischievous glint appearing in her black eyes—its all over.
"I think you've had enough serious talk for one night. You're starting to get that 'Old Man' look in your eyes again."
"M-mama?" I asked, sensing the shift in atmospheric pressure.
"Attack!" she chirped.
Her fingers descended. She knew exactly where the sensory nerves were most concentrated on my small frame. She began to tickle my ribs and the soles of my feet with expert precision.
"Ngh—! N-no! M-mama—st-stop!"
My biological shell betrayed me instantly. A high-pitched, breathy giggle bubbled up from my chest—an involuntary vocal reaction I couldn't suppress no matter how much my mind tried to remain analytical.
"H-hahaha! T-tch—! S-stop it!"
I tried to push her hands away, wriggling and kicking on the bed, but she was relentless. She was laughing too, a bright, genuine sound that filled the sterile room.
"Never!" she teased, her fingers dancing over my stomach. "I have to find where you're hiding all those big words! Are they here? Or here?"
"I-I'm... n-not... h-hah...!" I wheezed, my face flushing pink as I curled into a ball to protect my midsection.
"You're a ticklish little void, that's what you are," she said, finally slowing down and pulling me into her lap. I was breathless, my heart racing from the physical exertion of "defending" myself.
I leaned my head against her chest, listening to the steady, rhythmic thrum of her heart.
20 minutes later.
The heavy, metallic thud of a gloved fist against the door broke the sanctuary of the room. It was a rhythmic, soul-less sound—the punctuation mark at the end of our stolen time.
"Designation 981. It is 04:00 hours," a muffled voice droned from the corridor.
"Scheduled sleep cycle is overdue. Resume standard positioning for morning lessons."
The Foundation didn't care about birthday cakes or emotional breakthroughs. It only cared about the "Weapon" and the efficiency of its output.
Cartethyia's face immediately crumpled into a dramatic pout, her lower lip trembling in a way that was half-jest and half-genuine irritation.
"Yeah, yeah! I heard you the first time, you big tin can!" she barked back.
She didn't let me go. Instead, she adjusted her grip, pulling me firmly against her chest as she lay back on the bed. She wrapped her arms around me like a cage, tucking my head just under her chin.
"Ignore them, Kaiser," she whispered, her voice dropping into a honeyed, obsessive lilt as she peppered the top of my head with kisses.
"You're being such a cute, perfect little baby right now... Mama isn't letting anyone take you away."
I felt the steady, rapid thrum of her heart against my cheek. "M-mama?"
"Ngh—! Stop! You're doing it on purpose now," she squeaked, squeezing me so tigh. "That little voice... it's like a physical attack on my soul. How can one tiny person be this dangerous?"
"I loved dolls as a girl and honestly…"
"You're like my favoriteeee dollll!!!!!"
I stayed still, allowing the "role" to settle over me like a second skin.
Heh. It seems I might be a pro at taking up roles quickly. In the White Room, I was a strategic anomaly. In the eyes of Vance, I was an Aporetic. But here, within the circle of her arms, I was exactly what she needed me to be. It was the most efficient way to ensure her stability—and yet, as the safety of her body seeped into mine, the "calculation" felt increasingly like an "instinct."
"Kaiser... listen to me," she murmured, her tone shifting. The playfulness died away, replaced by a raw, jagged vulnerability.
"I never want to lose this. I don't care about the outside world, or the Empress, or whatever 'destiny' they think they're building for you in those weapons. I want to be there."
"I want to be at your every birthday. I want to hear your first full sentence. I want to see you grow up into a man who... who is…"
"A good person."
She was trembling slightly. This was the "Maternal Passion".
"I w-will... e-ensure it," I whispered, my voice small but carrying the weight of a blood-oath. "I'll e-ensure... y-you're... p-present, Mama."
"I love you so much... more than my own life," she breathed, her grip tightening further.
"I used to think my life was just a series of closed doors. My family, that... that man... they all treated me like a broken toy. But I'm glad life led me to you. Every tear, every betrayal... it was all worth it, just to be the one holding you right now."
She closed her eyes, her breathing finally evening out into the long, slow draws of impending sleep.
My mind, however, remained sharp.
That man.
Lord Monsieur. The husband who had discarded her because of her "cursed womb." The family that had disowned her. They were shadows in her past, but to me, they were future targets.
Once I grew up—once this biological shell caught up to the "Aporetic Mind" inside—those who had contributed to her despair would find that the "Void" had a very long memory.
They would pay for their sins in a currency they weren't prepared to handle.
"Kaiser?" she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "You... you have to do your best, honey. Tomorrow is the final phase of the assessment, right? Mama wants you to do your absolute best... I want you to be safe."
I tilted my head, looking up at her peaceful face.
"D-do... y-you... w-want... 100%? N-number... o-one?"
The Foundation demanded excellence. Vance demanded the "Peak." I expected her to say the same—to want the prestige of a "perfect" son.
Instead, a soft, sleepy smile touched her lips. She didn't even open her eyes.
"I don't want the 'best' son, Kaiser. Why would I? You're already the best for me. You're enough. Just as you are... with your messy hair and your strange little thoughts... you're more than enough for my whole life."
I went silent.
Her philosophy was the exact inverse of everything this building represented. The Foundation was built on the idea that no one was "enough"—that there was always a higher number, a sharper edge, a more perfect version.
But to her, the aim was already solved.
I leaned in, my small forehead pressing against hers.
"M-mama..."
"Hehe... stop," she giggled, a faint, sleepy sound. "Calling me that... it makes me feel like a teenager with a crush."
"You're such a charmer... my little heart."
She shifted, pulling the blanket over both of us as the room dimmed further.
"I want you to be happy, Kaiser," she whispered, her voice fading into the threshold of dreams.
"Not the best. Not the strongest. Just... happy. That's the only 'perfect score' I care about."
"I love you, my heart... goodnight."
I watched her face until her breathing became rhythmic and deep. The "Mother of the Void" was asleep, guarding the "Aporetic" with nothing but her own life.
"G-goodnight... M-mama," I whispered.
The "Aporetic" in my mind was powering down, yet even as the lights dimmed, the weapon continued to turn. I wasn't done yet.
I couldn't sleep without finishing the truth.
What is Kaiserism?
I had listed 16 philosophies in the White Room, sixteen paths through the dark. But none of them fit the "Aporetic" shape of my soul.
I needed a hybrid.
I needed Kaiserism.
I began to dismantle them, one by one, discarding the ugly and keeping the beauty.
Nihilism. The idea that life is inherently meaningless is a lazy man's exit. If there were truly "nothing," I would not have the capacity to conceive of it. The abyss is real, but meaning is not something you find—it is something you construct.
I reject the void of purpose, but I take the freedom: because nothing matters by default, I am the only one who decides what matters.
Absurdism. To say the universe is indifferent and meaningless is to ignore the mathematical impossibility of my own existence. Creation itself—the fine-tuning of mana, the existence of life from the void—suggests an influence, a "Why" that we simply haven't solved yet.
I reject the absurdity, but I take the defiance. I will push the boulder not because I must, but to see if I can use it to crush the mountain.
Determinism. A script for the weak. Vance believes our paths are fixed by talent and birth. I disproved that with a single 95% score. Results are not "given"; they are seized through the expenditure of effort.
I reject the fixed end, but I take the causality: every action has a consequence. If I want a specific future, I simply have to create the correct past.
Stoicism. This was the hardest to crack. Suppressing the internal to survive the external. But the EQ logic is flawed—suppression is just a dam. Eventually, the pressure leads to an outburst, a catastrophic failure of the self.
I reject the suppression, but I take the conversion. I don't hide my anger or my fear; I use the negative energy to power positive action. I don't ignore the pain; I use it to forge my tools.
Existentialism. We are born as blank slates, but I am living proof otherwise. I was born talentless. My essence preceded my first breath.
I reject the "lack of purpose," but I take the core of agency: I am responsible for every choice I make.
Anarchism. This is the closest to my ideal. To follow no side but my own, to recognize no master. I take this entirely as my internal skeleton.
I will walk my own path, unaligned with the Foundation or the Empire.
Altruism. I look at Cartethyia. Her self-sacrifice is a tactical error—giving everything leaves you with no safety. To die for another is a waste of a life.
I reject the "sacrifice," but I accept the "investment." I help her now so that she is strong enough to shield me later. Reciprocity is a logic-gate for survival.
Totalitarianism. I reject the public face. To be the "One" at the top is to be the target of every arrow.
I reject the 50% that demands a throne, but I take the 50% that understands the necessity of the system. I will not be the King; I will be the one who owns the King's shadow.
Pragmatism. I accept 80% of this. Efficiency is king. But pure pragmatism fails to account for the limitless nature of human creativity. An "impractical" dream is often the only thing that produces a revolutionary breakthrough.
I will remain practical, but I will allow myself the luxury of the "impossible" idea.
Fatalism. Cartethyia is glad she was betrayed because it led her to me. She sees "Fate." I see a sequence of events that I can manipulate. Events are not fixed, but they are linked.
I mix 50% of the "destined" feeling with 50% "free will"—I will create the "fate" I desire.
Solipsism. Every human consciousness is an isolated simulation. I am the only mind I can truly verify. This means I can never truly know another, and thus, I must never underestimate them. Everyone is a protagonist in their own world; to ignore that is to invite an external variable I haven't calculated.
I reject the idea that I am the only thing that exists, but I accept the isolation of my perspective.
Egoism and Hedonism. Both are illogical. To follow my own ego is to become predictable.To follow pleasure is to become soft.
I reject them for myself, but I will use them as levers. I will use the egos and desires of others to motivate them to follow my lead.
Utilitarianism. The greatest good for the greatest number is the most efficient way to run a race. But I reject the finality: the idea that the individual must always be sacrificed for the many.
Sometimes, the "One"—is worth more than the entire collective.
Just like cartethyia is to me.
I knew what I was.
I knew how I had been shifting from a child, to a weapon, to a son, to a strategist. They weren't just roles. They were iterations of a single, unified theory.
Kaiserism is the Philosophy of the Adaptive Apex.
It is the realization that the world is a series of roles, and the one who masters the transition is the one who masters the world. I don't need a side. I don't need a god.
I am the "Aporetic" who turns the lie into a truth.
It is not a philosophy of power for power's sake. Power is often loud, heavy, and makes for a very large target.
I have no desire to sit on a throne just to feel the height.
No, Kaiserism is the philosophy of the Ultimate Winner.
To win is the only absolute truth in a world of lies.
If you lose, your kindness is forgotten. If you lose, your morality is a footnote in someone else's triumph.
But if you win... if you are the one standing when the simulation ends and the smoke clears... then you own the narrative.
I will use Deception...
Not because I enjoy the lie, but because the truth is a resource that must be spent carefully. I will manipulate the environment, the people, and the very air I breathe to ensure my objective is met.
If I must play the role of the innocent child to keep Cartethyia safe, I will play it better than any actor in history. If I must be the cold strategist to dismantle Vance, I will be a machine of pure logic.
History is not a record of what happened. It is a story told by the survivors.
If I win, my manipulation will be recorded as "foresight." My ruthlessness will be called "decisiveness." My coldness will be seen as "restraint."
The losers do not get to speak; they only get to listen.
I looked at Cartethyia in the dim light. Her breathing was a soft, rhythmic hush. She wants me to be happy. She wants me to be safe.
For her, "winning" isn't a high score on an exam—it is a life lived without fear.
I will win that life for us.
I will take the defiance of the absurdist to reject the Foundation's limits.
I will take the causality of the determinist to manufacture the FATE I want.
I will take the strategic investment of the altruist to protect the only person who matters to me.
I will accept that I am the center of my own reality.
Everyone else is a protagonist in their own story, which means I will never underestimate them, but I will always outpace them. I will use their egos, their fears, and their desires as the fuel for my own ascent.
Tomorrow is the assessment.
Vance expects a genius.
The Foundation expects a weapon.
They are both wrong.
I am not a number. I am not a genius of talent. I am the architect of my own victory.
I will rewrite the rules of the race until I am the only one capable of running it.
Because as long as you win, you write history.
And I intend to be the only author left.
I felt the pull of sleep finally becoming irresistible. My consciousness began to dissolve into the dark, but the core of my resolve remained bright, hard, and cold.
I, Kaiser Everhart.
Will Alone Prevail.