2086, in the heart of the gleaming city of heaven, Europe.
Gigantic holographic ads glowed across silver buildings, praising the benevolent "god" who had ended war, hunger, and homelessness. The map on the towering digital globe only showed Europe — the rest marked as endless ocean. Citizens moved in harmony. Blissful. Trusting. Blind.
Aiko walked through the crowded boulevard, passing beneath a massive ad featuring a serene man cloaked in golden robes.
Ad Voice: "All blessings come from Him. Trust the walls. Trust the gift of peace."
She rolled her eyes.
Aiko (whispers): "Yeah, peace bought with blind obedience…"
She walked past worshippers gathered in a plaza. A preacher stood on a digital podium.
Preacher: "Behind the Great Walls lie only toxic winds and chaos! Rejoice in the protection our God has given! Do not be tempted by rebellion!"
The city was calm. Too calm. Even the wind sounded rehearsed as it weaved between the polished buildings and perfectly aligned trees. Aiko walked slowly, her schoolbag hanging lazily from one shoulder. Everything looked peaceful, like always. Too perfect to be real.
That's when she saw him.
A man stood near the edge of the central plaza, arms raised, voice echoing across the glass-and-stone silence.
"They are lying to you!"
"The walls don't protect us—they imprison us!"
"They feed us illusions. Wake up before it's too late!"
But no one stopped. No one reacted. People passed by like he didn't exist. Some glanced sideways with blank disinterest. Others with annoyance, even pity.
Aiko froze. Not out of fear, but something stranger—curiosity.
Before she could get closer, another man approached the speaker. Well-dressed, calm. He didn't hit him. Didn't yell. Just leaned in and whispered, just loud enough for Aiko to hear.
"Stop ruining our paradise with your truth-searching. Some of us still want to sleep in peace."
The speaker looked at him, defeated. Like he'd heard those words a thousand times. Slowly, he stepped down from the bench and disappeared into the crowd. Just another ghost among the living.
Aiko blinked, as if waking from a dream. She continued walking.
But the image stayed in her head—sharp, unsettling.
Aiko turned away and kept walking toward her real destination: Jack's house.
Jack's House
The door slid open. Jack stood with a bright smile, his room glowing with gold decorations, religious quotes, and a life-sized projection of the God's symbol.
Jack: "Aiko! You're early for once. Where's Michael?"
Aiko: "Still pretending to be mysterious, probably."
They both laughed. Moments later, Michael arrived, looking distracted.
Michael: "Sorry I'm late. Got held up."
They sat together, drinking fizzy synthe-juice, talking about old memories. Aiko glanced around.
Aiko: "Still worshipping the God like He pays your rent?"
Jack: "Come on, look around you. He gave us all this."
Aiko: "Or made us think He did."
Michael: "Guys, not this again..."
The mood shifted when Michael's wrist implant blinked. A message from his father.
Michael: "It's my dad. He wants me to visit Grandpa… at the psych center."
Aiko: "You okay?"
Michael: "I don't know… something feels off."
Jack: "Let's all go. It's been a while since we caused trouble together."
They agreed.
The Psychiatric Facility
Inside the glass-walled institute, they entered a quiet room. There, an old man in pristine clothes played chess calmly.
Michael: "Grandpa?"
The old man looked up with a polite smile.
Johnson: "You came."
Aiko (whispering to Jack): "This doesn't look like a psycho…"
They exchanged awkward hellos. Then, Johnson stood.
Johnson: "I don't have much time. I want to go home. My old house."
Michael: "Dad's house? Why?"
Johnson: "Just take me."
The House and the Secret
They arrived at a dusty, abandoned house. Johnson walked with purpose, pulling back a carpet and prying up old floorboards. A hidden trapdoor opened.
Inside: weapons, a flag with unknown symbols, and a basement full of ancient tech.
Aiko: "What is this place?"
Jack: "Is that... a flag of the world?"
Johnson (quietly): "The last real one."
They looked at him in shock.
Suddenly, Johnson pulled a knife.
Michael (terrified): "What are you doing?!"
With precision, he pressed the knife to Michael's neck and pulled out a metallic shard from under his skin — with a small red glowing symbol.
Johnson: "It's in all of you."
Aiko: "What… what is that?"
Johnson: "It's how they listen. Track. Control."
He removed similar pieces from Aiko and Jack.
Jack: "But how? Wouldn't the doctors see—?"
Johnson: "Robotic doctors. Controlled by them."
Aiko: "By who? The government?"
Johnson: "Who controls the government?"
Michael (realizing): "god…"
Johnson studied the tiny metal shard he had just pulled out of Aiko's neck. It glowed faintly red in the dim light.
> "You know," he muttered, almost to himself, "these things… they weren't born in the U.A.T."
Aiko blinked. "What do you mean?"
He crushed the shard under his boot, sparks flickering for a brief second.
> "They came from the lost countries. The early prototypes. Back then, the idea was to help people—not control them."
Michael frowned. "Lost countries?"
Johnson didn't answer that. He just sighed.
> "The god saw the potential. Took the idea. And turned it into his eyes—eyes that watch everything. But no one cared. Not when they had warm food, soft beds, and bright illusions."
Silence fell.
Aiko didn't know what disturbed her more—his words, or how calm he sounded saying them.
"He watches—always—but no one looks back. Why would they? When illusion feeds the hunger better than truth ever did."
Suddenly, the metal pieces lit up bright red.
Johnson (panicked): "They found us. Get down!"
He pushed them into a second trapdoor just as the basement exploded.