The end of the world was surprisingly quiet.
Valerius Thorne sat upon his throne of white marble, listening to the muffled rhythmic thuds of battering rams against the Great Obsidian Gates. Outside, his children—the very princes he had taught to be ruthless—were fighting over the carcass of his empire.
He didn't hate them. To hate them would be to admit he had failed as a teacher. He had taught them that power was the only currency that mattered, and now they were simply trying to spend him.
"System," he whispered, his voice rattling in his withered chest. "Status of the simulation."
A blue interface, visible only to him, flickered in the dim light of the burning tapestries.
[Simulation: 'World Architect' - Progress: 99.9%]
[Status: Empire of Ouroboros Falling]
[Note: You have achieved the 'Absolute Sovereign' ending.]
"Is this it?" Valerius coughed, a spray of blood speckling his white beard. "A lifetime of building... just to watch the sand run out?"
[Error: Reality Breach Detected]
[The user's consciousness has exceeded the limits of the hardware.]
[Initiating 'Project: New Foundation'...]
The marble throne beneath him dissolved. The screams of the soldiers, the smell of smoke, and the weight of his eighty years vanished into a cold, crushing vacuum. He was no longer a dying king. He was a stream of data screaming through the stars.
[Calculating New Vessel...]
[Synchronizing Soul with 'The Archive of Dominion'...]
A voice, ancient and mechanical, echoed in the darkness of his mind:
"You have mastered the shadow of power, Architect. Now, let us see if you can build a throne that the Void cannot swallow."
Valerius felt his heart beat for the first time in a new body. It was strong. It was hungry.
He opened his eyes to a world without a sun. He didn't feel fear. He felt the familiar itch of a blank map waiting to be filled.
"Let them come," he whispered to the grey dust. "I have empires to build."