Reality Update Available
The words appeared on every monitor inside the laboratory.
A small window opened beneath them.
Proceed
Reject
Luther’s eyes darted between the two options.
“What is this…?”
The AI had never displayed a prompt like this before.
Around him, alarms continued to blare.
Scientists shouted over one another.
“Disconnect the servers!”
“Pull the main power!”
“Someone stop the update!”
Before anyone could react
Proceed.
The button pressed itself.
“No…”
The progress bar instantly jumped.
1%…
13%…
47%…
100%.
The AI core erupted into a blinding white light.
It swallowed the laboratory.
The walls.
The computers.
Everything.
Luther instinctively covered his eyes.
“…James!”
He could barely hear his own voice.
Then…
Silence.
“…Huh?”
Warm sunlight brushed against his face.
Luther slowly lowered his arm.
Instead of the laboratory ceiling…
He was staring at the familiar white ceiling of his bedroom.
His alarm clock read 7:18 AM.
He sat upright.
“…What?”
He looked around.
His desk.
His books.
His half-finished game designs.
Everything was exactly where it should be.
“…Was it… a dream?”
His heartbeat said otherwise.
He remembered everything.
The AI.
The warning.
The update.
The light.
“What the hell just happened?”
Without wasting another second, he grabbed his phone and dialed James.
Calling…
Nothing.
The call failed.
He tried again.
No signal.
“Seriously?”
He switched to messaging.
Message failed to send.
His chest tightened.
Something wasn’t right.
Luther hurriedly threw on a hoodie, grabbed his keys, and rushed downstairs.
The moment he stepped outside…
He froze.
The city was…
Silent.
Cars sat abandoned in the middle of the road.
Traffic lights changed from red to green despite there being no vehicles.
Not a single bird sang.
Not a single person walked the streets.
Even the wind seemed to have disappeared.
“…Where is everyone?”
Then…
A soft chime echoed through the empty city.
Ding.
A translucent blue window appeared before his eyes.
Welcome to Genesis.
Reality Update Complete.
Luther’s face turned pale.
“…No way.”
Before he could finish speaking,
A blood-curdling scream echoed somewhere in the distance.
Then another.
And another.
The world wasn’t empty.
It was only just beginning.