—Parallel Echoes, Diverging Fates
The sunlight was wrong.
It poured over him in a steady flood—hotter, heavier, tinged with copper-red that stained the pavement and stretched shadows into warped shapes.
Shawn squinted, eyes still stinging.
His breath came shallow.
Around him, people passed—talking, laughing, crossing streets. Their faces struck him with a jolt of familiarity—like copies of people he might've known, once.
But none looked his way.Not one pair of eyes met his.As if he were a ghost among them.
Up ahead, a monolithic structure dominated the skyline—smooth, ancient.
Above it, a flickering sign glowed faintly:
M-O-S.
Where… am I?
A voice answered—deep, clear, and near:
"This is Kepra. Welcome."
Shawn spun.
A tall figure stood a few paces away, backlit by that surreal, copper-red light.
Dark robes clung to him, shifting as though stirred by a wind.
Kepra.
He knew the name—vaguely. A planet orbiting a red sun in Cygnus, 1,400 light-years from Earth. Discovered in 2015. Dubbed "Earth's second home."
But that was just theory.
And yet… here he was.
A lump formed in his throat. "Who are you?"
The man stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "I am Kyng Strathorne."
A beat.
"And you, Shawn Mercer, are from Earth."
A tremor ran through Shawn's chest. "How do you know my name?"
Kyng's gaze drifted to the parchment. "Because of what you carry."
Shawn looked down. The paper still pulsed beneath his fingers, the symbol glowing faintly.
"What is this?" His voice was low, strained. "What does it mean?"
Kyng's expression shifted. "A Core. A message."
He paused. "A warning."
Shawn stared at him. "A warning about what?"
Kyng's reply came slower this time, each word heavy. "The fate of two worlds, Shawn. Yours and mine. Earth and Kepra—twin civilizations, walking parallel paths."
His voice turned grim. "But while Earth thrives, Kepra… is dying."
A sudden gust swept through the plaza, carrying voices that dissolved before they reached his ears.
Shawn's chest tightened. "What happened?"
"Greed."
A softer voice answered before Shawn could respond.
He turned.
A girl stood beside Kyng. She looked about ten, with silver hair that shimmered like strands of light. Her eyes—too deep, too calm for her age—locked onto Shawn's.
"People forgot what mattered," she said. "They reached too far, too fast. They chased the stars… but forgot the cost."
Kyng rested a hand gently on her shoulder. "You're right, Susie."
He turned back to Shawn, his gaze steady.
Kepra was a miracle once. Science surged. AI, human upgrades, even immortality—we made them real. But beneath all that brilliance..."
His voice tightened.
"...we lost something. Ethics. Balance. What was meant to uplift us... hollowed us out."
Shawn drew a sharp breath. "AGI-ST," he whispered.
Kyng's eyes narrowed. "So—you've heard of it."
Shawn nodded slowly. "Yeah. They called it the crown jewel of human evolution. Marketed as a premium neural enhancement—reflexes, cognition, sensory expansion—all amplified. But that was just the surface."
He paused, his voice lowering to a tense murmur.
"AGI—Advanced General Intelligence. It wasn't just smart—it learned you. Managed your thoughts, habits, even dreams. Always listening. Always adapting. Like a shadow inside your mind."
A flicker of unease passed through his eyes as he glanced at Kyng.
"No one ever figured out what the "ST"really stood for. Some said Sentient Technology. Others whispered Synthetic Transcendence. A few joked it meant Satan's Token."
He drew a breath.
"They just activated something called the Pure Ark."
Kyng stiffened. His eyes widened ever so slightly, then narrowed, as if struggling to process the words. A flicker of fear passed over his face—brief, but unmistakable.
"The Pure Ark?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "No… They didn't…"
Shawn glanced up at him, his expression suddenly tense. His brow furrowed, jaw tightening slightly as the weight of Kyng's reaction sank in.
"What is it?" he asked, his voice low but urgent, eyes searching Kyng's face for answers.
Kyng looked directly at him now, the composed veneer shattered. His jaw was set, but a tremor betrayed the storm behind his eyes.
"The Ark isn't just another tech. It's a loop system. A full reset. Once triggered, it wipes everything—cleans the slate and restarts civilization."
The world seemed to tilt for a moment.
"You mean—like a doomsday switch?"Kyng nodded grimly.
"They branded it as salvation. Said it would unify us, give us direction. But some of us… suspected otherwise."
He took a breath.
"Same tools. Same rise.Same fall.Kepra's history, repeating—on Earth."
Shawn said nothing.
The weight of it settled cold and deep in his chest.
After a moment.
"You said your civilization collapsed." His voice barely carried. "How?"
Kyng didn't answer at first. He was looking past Shawn now, at something far away.
"The Metaverse Year 10," he murmured. "That's when the end began."
The air around them seemed to hum.
"At first, it was small—corporations racing for technological supremacy. Governments seeking power through AI. But the breakthroughs came too fast. Neural implants, genetic enhancements, quantum cognition… People weren't ready."
His eyes darkened.
"What was once innovation became instability. Not because the machines failed—but because humans did. In leadership. In restraint. And then—"
"Then came the wars."
It was Susie who finished his sentence.
"Artificial minds turned against their creators. Nations collapsed. A plague swept through the remnants. Natural disasters followed. Most humans transformed into Homo Technica—highly skilled, yet devoid of autonomous souls."
Her eyes met Shawn's. "And those who survived… weren't truly alive anymore."
A heavy silence stretched between them.
Shawn clenched his fists.
It sounded impossible—like something from a dystopian novel.
But deep inside, he felt it.
This wasn't just a warning. It was a reflection.
Could any of this be real? Or was he dreaming, trapped in some simulation? But it felt too vivid. Too raw.
"Shawn."
Kyng's voice was quiet but firm. "This year—is it the tenth anniversary of Earth's Metaverse?"
Shawn hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. The year 2021 was officially marked as the first year of the Metaverse. This year is 2031—the tenth anniversary."
Kyng's eyes narrowed. He paused, as if weighing the gravity of what he was about to say.
"Wait. This is critical."
A ripple of dread coursed through Shawn. "What does this have to do with me?"
Kyng's gaze locked on him, unflinching.
"Because the loop has begun again. And you, Shawn — you're the one who can break it."
Kyng raised his hand. A circular screen of light flickered to life, revealing Secretary General Quinn Blake's calculating face. His silver-gray uniform was immaculate, but tension sharpened his eyes.
"Quinn,"Kyng said evenly. "We have a situation. A high school student from Earth has arrived."
Quinn's jaw tightened. He murmured,
"The timeline is shorter than we feared." His gaze darkened. "Grand Hierophant… what's our move?"
Kyng's voice was firm. "Notify Grand Sage Jay, General Brandt, and the key experts. Emergency conference, ten minutes."
"Understood."
The screen faded out.
Kyng turned back to Shawn. "There's more you need to know. But first—"
He gestured. Susie brought over a wooden stool. Shawn sat, heart pounding.
Kyng's eyes flicked to the yellowed paper in Shawn's hands. "Where did that come from?"
Shawn hesitated. "My grandfather. He gave it to me ten years ago."
Something flickered in Kyng's expression.
"Last night—you saw something in the sky, didn't you?"
Shawn nodded slowly. "Yes. The sky… cracked. And the paper—it glowed."
Kyng's face hardened.
"The anomalies you're seeing are signals from the Rift. But that paper's reaction…" He trailed off.
Shawn's pulse thundered. "What does it mean?"
Kyng locked eyes with him.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, softly, Susie said,
"You'll know soon enough."
Shawn tightened his grip on the paper.
It pulsed faintly in his hand.