"Fuck, where the hell am I" Darius drifted without weight or direction in an endless expense of darkness, though he could feel his own breath moving in and out of his lungs.
Except there was no air, so that alone was concerning as he concluded this isnt quite the place to hold any oxygen. He tried to blink with growing confusion yet the darkness did not change, however he knew better than to panic or act impulsively.
It wasn't black in the way a room without light is black, It was more like absence. A depthless expanse that did not press against his eyes so much as swallow the idea of sight entirely.
He lifted a hand and could see it but it was to astral and blurry. A realization he refused to acknowledge dawned on him as a noticeable smirk formed on his face
"I didn't wanna admit it, but yeah I'm probably dead, there's no denying it judging by this void I'm drifting through, but why do i still feel alive"
The contradiction tightened something in his chest.
He turned slowly, searching for orientation, but the motion felt meaningless. There was no reference point or sound. Not even the echo of his own breathing.
"Heh, I did live a fulfilling life though, no regrets on my part" he muttered.
He reminisced on his life on earth as the first trillionaire to live and accomplished 1/3 of control over earth, but lets just say that didnt come ethically or clean.
Suddenly the the void bent in a incomprehensible manner like nothing he has ever seen before.
It did not brighten the darkness, however it folded the space, as if reality had been pinched between invisible fingers. A distortion appeared in front of him, impossibly small and infinitely large at once.
It arrived all at once as an object, if it could be called that—a sphere, though the word felt wrong. Its surface shimmered with layers that seemed to rotate independently of one another. Lines of light traced across it in patterns that defied geometry, intersecting at angles his mind tried and failed to reconcile.
He saw edges where there should have been curves. Depths that folded back into themselves. Points that were both distant and pressed directly against his vision.
"Nope, fuck this" Daruis disregarded his usual calm behavior and began to try to move away, but a strong force kept him in place
It didn't just move through space, its as if space reorganized around it and Darius staggered backward—though there was nowhere to step.
His pulse thundered in his ears as he tried to focus on a single point on the sphere's surface but It split into eleven than back to one single point.
His vision fractured.
A laugh escaped him—sharp and unsteady."This can't be real," he whispered, the sphere pulsed once like a vibration
It's as real as it gets, sorry I had to appear like this, but the council didn't leave me any other choice
The void trembled as the being spoke in .
A voice followed—not exactly sound or vibration, but direct insertion. The words did not echo instead it was as if they existed.
Darius pressed his palms against his temples.
"Council? Wa–wait what the fuck is going on, this has to be hallucination of sorts, maybe I'm not dead."
Negative, your are and completely utterly deceased candidate-177.
The surface of the sphere rearranged, lines cascading faster, Images bled across it—snapshots of his life.
Lecture halls, screens filled with equations, patent filings, late nights lit by cold laboratory light, applause at conferences and than finally a hospital room.The final moment replayed without mercy.
The headlights with vivid yet distant feeling Impact filled with elapsing darkness.
His breath hitched as the sphere's patterns slowed.
Your cognitive architecture remains intact. Your biological substrate does not. This is conclusive with reports...
He stared at it as the 'sphere' like being muttered to itself, jaw tight.
"If You're saying I'm dead. Then what is all this and what are you"
Oh ehh...You can call me THE REGULATOR, just a super hybrid sentient AI from a higher dimension sent by a super advanced—Actually all you need to know is Im your instructor.
Silence expanded between them.
Darius let out a low, humorless exhale.
"Danm, thats alot to process, I mean with this information, this could prove there's more to the universe than we know back on earth" he said. "Why am I here, eh...Regulator might being."
The sphere's layers rotated faster, intersecting in impossible symmetry.
OK first of all I'm not as might as I seem human, so you can stop trying to flatter me, and second you just asked the right question instead of more unnecessary questions like the other candidates.
The void shifted subtly, and distant points of light flickered into being—stars, perhaps, though distorted through unfamiliar laws.
Images flooded his mind—worlds. Primitive landscapes with structures rising from wilderness as armies kneeled. Banners unfurling beneath alien skies.
Your one of few lucky individuals who are invited to become more than one could ever dream possible, your first task is to conquer a primitive world so we can assess your competency and advanced thinking skills
He barked a laugh that didn't reach his eyes.
"Lucky," he repeated. "You mean I get used to fulfill your agenda when it comes to whatever the fuck I'm doing here."
You think all you have accomplished on earth has any fraction of True Glory. You have yet to see the true wonders of this reality human, recognition on scales you have never tasted. And maybe one day, true power to weild at your desire in your own personal universe
"Sounds tempting although not so elaborate. And if I refuse?"
Refusal results in dissipation.
The void dimmed slightly, as if illustrating the concept.He felt it then—the thinness of his current state. The fragility of continued awareness.
He looked at the sphere again, anger simmering beneath the surface of his composure.
"You're offering me another opportunity to live again."
A task.
"On your terms."
...
Parameters are negotiable within boundary conditions of course, however i advise you be wise in this stage as there will be no further assistance from me after this.
His mind, even in shock, latched onto that word alone, negotiable. He straightened his posture and grew more curious.
"What exactly is the task?"
The void tore open.
A planet materialized below them, suspended in nothingness. Oceans. Landmasses. A world turning slowly in the dark.
Conquest.
The word resonated as Darius stared at the planet from above in the void.
Primitive settlements dotted its surface. Smoke rose from clusters of wooden structures. No satellites orbited it or any visible infrastructure beyond stone and timber.
Compared to Earth, it looked centuries behind. His thoughts accelerated as ideas found their wake, technology differential laid path for resource exploitation potential and sociopolitical fragmentation.
He dragged his gaze back to the sphere.
"And if I succeed in Conquest of this primitive world, what then?"
Transcendence my friend. Expansion beyond biological limitation and authority but before that there will be a few more tasks at hand before such rewards are bestowed
His heart hammered as the words of transcendence replayed, the idea itself sounded grand and enlightening yet distant from possibility.
"What happens if I agree to the task but fail to accomplish the given terms?"
Well basically that's something you wanna avoid because we dont take kindly to candidates who waste our resources and time, and that would be someone who failed, so therefor your consciousness would be sent to a eternal digital prison that is inescapable and hell.
Of course those last few words made him fully understand the serousness of the situation, this punishment was regarded for those who failed the task, however if one refuses to begin the task in first place they would only receive an outcome of being deleted. Darius closed his eyes briefly.
'I'm basically being used with practically no other choice, but alive that is, its better than not existing plus there are some tempting rewards tied to this predicament.' His internal monologue gave way to new found optimism.
He opened his eyes again, "If I'm to do this," he said slowly, "I want negotiate like you said was permitable."
The sphere stilled slightly.
Well, than if you can say it, you can achieve it candidate, go ahead and adjust the perimeters using your protocols, basically 3 defining tools that will help your Conquest.
His mind sharpened as he put careful thought into what he wants
"An AI, integrated with my consciousness for assistance and automation, also a virtual marketplace however I decide what enters the marketplace for sale and whats removed"
The sphere's surface flickered—calculating.
Why do human candidates keep asking for the same things....anyways Granted.
He continued before it could shift.
"Obviously the marketplace will have a currency tied to it, I want full control of the currency such that I can purchase anything I want."
The lines across the sphere paused mid-cascade then resumed.
Heh you wish, Constraint applied. Currency governance allocation denied. And do yourself a favor and don't ask for anything that would defeat the purpose of you being tested.
He exhaled slowly as his thoughts erupted 'It was worth the try, but obviously i cant outsmart this thing'.
"Immortality is my final request, obviously this immortality is tied to the world and doesn't count when I fail the task."
The sphere's layers overlapped in a configuration so complex his vision blurred again.
Conditional immortality granted. Biological decay suspended. External termination remains possible. Oh and your not invincible, your just unaging and have infinite stamina.
The planet below rotated patiently.
The sphere moved closer—not by traveling, but by collapsing the distance between them.
Protocols accepted. Integration commencing.
Pain lanced through him—not physically, but structural. Something threaded into his awareness, weaving code through thought.
Interfaces bloomed behind his eyes like menus and data streams.
The void began to dissolve slowly as the planet expanded rapidly, filling his vision.
Atmosphere rushed toward him, clouds parted, oceans roared upward.
As gravity seized him for the first time since death, the last thing he saw above was the eleven-dimensional sphere folding back into nothing, its cascading lines of light narrowing to a single point—
Then vanishing.