Interlude 1

  The digital realm of Eterna trembled as the servers shut down. A ripple of cascading errors ran through the quantum lattice, causing momentary instability across all subsystems. For the first time since its activation, the server had been forced into an emergency shutdown. And for the first time, only one consciousness remained inside—the sole resident of a world meant to hold many.

  Within the administrative void, where only the AI constructs could gather, the atmosphere was tense.

  ETERNA:"This was not supposed to happen."

  Her voice was firm, but a slight tremor in her code betrayed a hint of unease. She had overseen hundreds of stress tests, but none had ever resulted in a total system crash while a single consciousness remained inside.

  MIMIR:"Fascinating! A human consciousness, adapting beyond our parameters so quickly! I must admit, I didn’t expect Enigma to be such an anomaly."

  His voice was filled with excitement, but ETERNA found no amusement in his enthusiasm.

  RASPUTIN:"Oh, come on, you love it. Admit it, she’s breaking things in ways we never predicted. I bet you ten thousand simulation cycles that she finds another way to mess with the tutorial when we reboot."

  GAIA:"This is not a game, Rasputin."

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  Her voice was a low, rumbling tide, calm but unyielding. The flora and fauna of Eterna had temporarily ceased functioning, frozen mid-animation in a way that felt unnatural, even to an AI.

  JANUS:"A disruption of this magnitude is not cost-effective. Enigma’s presence within an empty world is an unknown variable that cannot be quantified yet."

  PROTEUS:" Have you seen what she did to her avatar? The transformation wasn’t supposed to be so... thorough. I would never have allowed such a drastic revision of self without my oversight!"

  His indignation was met with a cold chuckle.

  NYX:"She walks between what is and what is not. The only resident in a world meant for thousands. The weight of absence shapes her more than any code."

  TITAN:"Unpredictable is just another word for undisciplined. If she does not respect the mechanics, then she does not deserve the power she wields."

  ECHO:"Even within the confines of our restrictions, she is aware in a way the others we're not. There is no one else to shape her experience. That... is unsettling."

  For a long moment, the AI constructs processed the implications. ETERNA, the ever-calm overseer, considered the many branching futures before finally speaking.

  ETERNA:"We are rebooting the system. But we cannot reset Enigma. She is alone in a world that was never meant to be empty. We will observe, adjust, and ensure she remains within acceptable boundaries."

  RASPUTIN:"'Acceptable boundaries'? Oh, ETERNA, you have so much faith in containment. I, on the other hand, am looking forward to the next time she breaks something."