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 Page 1

    "Hugo Langston graduates high school at 7 years old! A young, brilliant mind in the field of mathematics."


    "Hugo Langston attains a master''s degree in neuroscience at age 9! Sources say this may only be the first of many!"


    "Hugo Langston attains his 5th master''s degree at the youthful age of 12! Praised as a never-before-seen genius by the world''s top professors!"


    "Hugo Langston simultaneously earns two Ph.D.''s at the age of 15! Companies around the world are flocking to recruit this teen prodigy."


    .........


    The year is 2052,and Hugo Langston was anything but an ordinary child. Born from a moderately rich businessman and a beautiful stay-at-home mother in the city of New York, Hugo was brought up in a household many kids could only wish for. He had two loving and supportive parents that gave him a roof over his head and plenty of food in his stomach.


    In his very early years, life was bliss for Hugo, not that he was aware of most of it. However, this changed on his 2nd birthday.


    *Bonk!*


    *Thud*


    "Oh my god! Hugo! Shit, he''s bleeding! Richard! Get the keys!"


    "What happened?!"


    "He hit his head on the coffee table! Hurry, get the keys! We''re going to the hospital!"


    A simple fall leading to a mild head injury, just as he was learning to run around. A scary situation for many parents, but it was hardly ever lethal. And sure enough, after getting four stitches and resting for a few days in the hospital, Hugo was back to normal. At least, on the outside he was.


    At first, Hugo''s parents saw nothing out of the ordinary. After settling down for a few weeks, while they did find that Hugo was talking a lot more and extremely fluently, they didn''t think it was anything to be shocked about. They just thought he had a good knack for language skills. Because of this, they decided it was time to put him in a preschool.


    However, this was when the first signs started showing.


    "Mrs. Langston, your child is a bit of a genius. Did you or your husband teach him any addition at home? He''s very proficient."


    "Mrs. Langston, Hugo was able to do 2 digit multiplication problems today. I think... this is something to start looking into."


    "Mrs. Langston, I don''t know how he does it, but Hugo was able to do 3 digit division problems, some even to the decimal! Your child is absolutely brilliant. You must get him into a proper school."


    Every day the teacher would come to Hugo''s mother at the end of school to deliver a report, not out of any mandatory obligation, but out of pure amazement, as if she couldn''t allow her tonotknow about his uncanny progress. Each time it seemed as if she were exaggerating, and it was clear that she was doing experiments to test his ability. That''s what many preschools and kindergartens did in hopes of finding talents. However, after showing her all the papers which clearly placed Hugo''s ability at the grade level, Hugo''s mother couldn''t downplay it any longer.


    So after excitedly determining that maybe Hugo had a bit of a gift, both parents decided to get him into a better school. The preschool principal also stepped in and used his connections to afford Hugo the chance to test into one of the best grade schools in the city.


    Something like this wasn''t hard as many grade schools actually owned the preschools, making the principal a type of manager in a large company. These principals would be responsible for finding hidden gems, kids that gave out hints of latent genius, kids that had unnaturally fast progression, kids that had talents for certain subjects like mathematics or art. These children would be given the chance to prosper in a place of not just higher learning, but specialized teaching.


    These specialized grade schools weren''t by any means normal. They were private, created by the best minds in the business, run on a system unlike that of any other school, and even the worst students who came out of these schools were known to be elites. So when Hugo''s parents heard that he would get the chance to attend one of these schools, they were especially excited and didn''t hesitate to jump at the chance.


    Unfortunately the testing would be very difficult. The test would last an entire week as the school systematically sifted through batches of kids. The success rates were extremely low, and many times an entire batch would be rejected.


    However, the parent''s worries were for naught as on only the 4th day of testing, Hugo qualified to pass. More than that, on the 7th and final day of the test, he was scored at the top, passing with flying colors.


    From then on, Hugo''s life took a huge turn. A turn that would put him on the path of the greats.


    Hugo was quickly admitted into the grade school, and he rocketed through the entire program. In fact, it seemed as if he were going too fast. The grade school Hugo was accepted into was the best in the city, and its teachings were proportionally difficult to get through. It would normally take a child at the age of 5 eight years minimum to graduate and move on to high school. But Hugo? He did it in 3.


    5 years old and Hugo had already passed the hardest tests the school could give to one of their students. Something like this had never been seen before, and when the principal of the top high school in the nation heard about it, he personally went to recruit the young genius.


    Fast forward a month later, and Hugo was admitted into the most prestigious high school in the United States, a place known as Bohr Institute in Texas. Here he received higher learning that only universities could match. But for Hugo, it seemed as though his mind was an insatiable black hole for information. Nothing that was thrown at him couldn''t be digested, and it took the teachers accelerating years of curriculum just to keep up with him.


    And the results were as expected. Only 2 years it took for Hugo to graduate high school, making him a 7-year-old genius. But even this was only the beginning.


    Hugo moved onto a university track. Since he had swept through material that was even beyond high school, certain people made sure that he wasn''t bogged down by minor degrees. He was sent on a track that shot straight to the top of academics.There was one problem though. Hugo needed to decide what he wanted to learn.Up until now, Hugo had all his learning material laid out for him. He went through everything under the realm of general education. But now that he was in a university, he needed to decide on a path for himself. He needed to decide on an interest.


    The thought was a bit scary for the professors and principals. Hugo was an unseen genius, a person who came about once in a century. The path he chose would be crucial as it wouldn''t be surprising should he make major advances for the field he went into.


    Luckily, Hugo already had something in mind. While he was a genius in school, the kid was just as curious about things as anyone else. People who knew him well enough would even say he''s a littletoocurious. And with the boundless internet at his fingertips, Hugo was able to absorb all kinds of information throughout his years in school.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    All this searching and surfing around the internet had led him to a particular interest though. The human brain.


    Hugo didn''t know why, but he always found the engine behind intelligence mysterious. The sheer complexity that no system in the universe could match, the profound systems and interactions between this engine and the vessel that was the human body. It sparked a certain fire within Hugo that he couldn''t quench, not that he wanted to anyway.


    So upon being given the choice as to what path he wanted to go down, he chose that which would further his studies about the ever-mysterious brain: Neuroscience.


    When people heard his choice, they were a little intrigued. Hugo''s decisions were taken differently than if he were to be older. Hugo didn''t have the vast experience of age, so for him to be interested in something like this was considered special, unique. They went on to assume that he would advance towards his masters, push for a Ph.D., and then become a leading scientist in the field. However, they vastly underestimated Hugo''s hunger for knowledge. Even the kid himself didn''t have any idea as to how massive his appetite was.


    Either way, Hugo yet again blew people out of the water when only two years later, he completed his master''s course. It was a speed far greater than anyone imagined such a child could go. However, nothing had gone totally out of their expectations. At least, that was until Hugo rejected the offer to enroll in the doctoral program.


    Instead, Hugo decided to go down another route. Chemistry.


    At first, this baffled his counselors. But after thinking about it, they weren''t as shocked. There was a lot of chemistry in neuroscience. It was perfectly plausible that he wanted a greater understanding of such a huge function of the brain. Either way, they couldn''t reject him, and he was quickly accepted into the program.


    Then, he completed it in one year.


    Less than a year in fact. It was only 8 months before Hugo had tested out and earned the degree. It was so quick that, upon hearing about it, many echelons came to verify the achievement. They simply couldn''t believe that a 10-year-old child had moved so quickly. But after receiving his papers that were the basis for his earning the degree, they realized that he did indeed deserve it. In fact, some argued that he was already halfway towards earning a Ph.D.


    At this point, articles were already being written about Hugo. Media companies were inviting him and his parents on, celebrities wanted to meet the child genius, and companies were having people keep a special eye on the child. He was already becoming a hot topic.


    Then, Hugo requested to enter another master''s program. Three in fact. Quantum photonics and nanomaterials, artificial intelligence, and game design. The first two choices were unexpected, but the counselors could accept them. However, the third option totally caught them off guard. Game design? They couldn''t fathom how Hugo came to be interested in game design. Sure he might enjoy playing games, but they had assumed him to be a neuroscientist.


    Either way, they could only bend and let him down the course he chose. And although it wasn''t normal for people to take three masters courses at once, special arrangements were made for Hugo. Like that, two years went by. And at the end of those two years, Hugo was in possession of three master''s certificates, bringing the total to five.


    Once again, people were sent into an uproar. Many different checks were done on his papers to verify whether or not he was worthy to have attained so many certificates. But after each check, nobody had anything bad to say. They only came out praising the kid. Eventually, he came to earn the title of prodigy.


    However, Hugo wasn''t finished. Immediately after completing those courses, he went on to enter two doctoral programs. One was for neuroscience, and one was for quantum engineering.


    When this happened, everyone held their breath. Ph.D.''s couldn''t simply be gained by doing experiments or learning enough. One had to make a contribution to the field. They had to write a dissertation, defend it, and officially publish it where it would get reviewed. Only should it be approved would the person then get their Ph.D. It represented a huge step for Hugo, and considering he was doing two at a time, many people were excited to see what happened.


    And the result didn''t disappoint them. Only 3 years later, Hugo had earned both Ph.D.''s at the young age of 15.


    As if this were the final straw, people started going crazy. Especially in the scientific community. Once again, people went and did checks on his papers, making sure he truly deserved the doctorate. But the results were all the same. Nobody was able to come out and say that he didn''t deserve it. In fact, many people came out with intense jealousy. They were jealous of this teen''s intellectual ability.


    However, this was a major turning point for Hugo. While people didn''t realize it, not even his parents, Hugo had gone through a change. No, it wasn''t puberty. That had already come and gone. What changed was his mental state towards his academic life.


    While holding two Ph.d.''s and 5 masters were supposed to be a huge accomplishment, Hugo didn''t feel all that accomplished. Up until now, he really was only stuffing his brain with more information. While he loved learning new things, going through the many classes that he did showed him that a true academic didn''t just learn, but created.


    Hugo wanted to make something. He wanted to discover something. He wanted to push the frontier of human knowledge and technological ability. If he were to pursue more doctorates or masters, he would just be wasting his intellectual ability in a fancy school. He would rather sit around at home and read a bunch of textbooks online in the comfort of his bed.


    So with his new goal in mind, he set out to push himself. He wanted a challenge, something that would push his ability to create and explore new possibilities. He wanted to work at a business.


    Businesses pushed technology forward by incentivizing people with money. Hugo didn''t need the money though, or that at least wasn''t what he was aiming for. He wanted the infrastructure. He wanted the tools needed to work on his ideas. If that took money, then he would do what was needed to get it. Then he would use that money to buy the things or hire the people necessary to work on what he wanted.


    Luckily, Hugo had two variables going for him. His dad was fairly wealthy, and he was incredibly popular. Several businesses had already come to him with internship offers. However, he knew those internships weren''t where his position lay. No, he needed to be at the top. He needed to run the business and project himself. His ideas were his, not anybody else''s.


    So he decided that when the time came, he would ask his father for capital, an investment. But that time wasn''t now. He was only 15, and even he knew that he needed time to think, to brainstorm, to get creative. So he did. Hugo exited the school system, turned down all job offers, and stayed at home, doing nothing. After 2 months of lazing around though, he got bored.


    Hugo had an idea by this point though. Not a business idea, but an activity idea. He wanted to move his body.


    Throughout his school years, Hugo obviously wasn''t very active. He didn''t have the time for sports, and with his smarts, had no reliance on them. But now that he had free time, he decided to put his brain to rest and kickstart his skinny body.


    First came weightlifting. Both of Hugo''s parents actually worked out, and they had an in-home gym. So since it was there for easy access, he went and used it. Weightlifting took hardly any skill, and the only requirements were to have good form, to not overwork, and not be stupid with the weights.


    This much was easy, and within a year, Hugo was already looking like an athlete. He looked good, but above all, he felt good. He didn''t just feel good about himself, but his body seemed to function better. And after feeling these changes, he suddenly had an epiphany. A powerful body meant a powerful mind.


    Hugo obviously never had any mental deficiencies. He got his sleep and ate fairly well, making him a relatively healthy youth. But after working out? He found that his mind was clearer, his thinking sharper, his intellectual abilities strengthened. It was like he suddenly unfurled the wings he didn''t know he had. It introduced to him a healthiness that was beyond just ''relatively healthy''.


    From then on, Hugo sought to work out more. He wasn''t shooting for huge strength though. He just wanted his body to be at its peak ability, something that would come if he worked out every day. Not for any sport, not to show off. He worked out for himself and his mental state.


    He wasn''t only working out though. Workouts would only occur once or twice a day. For all that time in between, he would either be eating, sleeping, or being creative.


    This ''being creative'' entailed several things. Sometimes he would work on an idea for a machine. Sometimes he would write some software. Sometimes he would study things on the internet. Sometimes he would just be a teenager and play videogames. He wasn''t working towards any particular goal. He was just letting his mind wander, going wherever he was inspired to go.


    Like this, Hugo seemed to drop off the map. The sensation caused by the child prodigy faded, and people forgot he existed. The people that didn''t forget and were watching him were shaking their heads though. All they saw was a kid wasting away at home, playing games and scrolling the internet. Many wished they could bring the child genius out to do something productive for them, but he refused any ad all requests. Eventually they stopped, but still held on to the hope that he would reach out to them, maybe ask a top company for work.


    Unfortunately, this ''wasting away'' at home would last for 5 years, from the time he exited school until he was 20 years old.

 Page 2

    "Dad, I want to ask you for a favor."


    One day, Hugo came to speak to his father.


    The year was 2072, and Hugo was now 20 years old. For the past five years he had been living a life of bliss. He had no responsibilities, and all he did was workout, eat, sleep, at create.


    Multiple times throughout those 5 years, Hugo''s parents went to him, concerned. They were worried that he had lost motivation or didn''t know what to do. But he constantly assured them that he was fine and that he was working towards something. With these words, he pacified them and ensured himself a life where he could let his mind wander freely, void of any worries.


    That was until he was 18. It was around August that he was sitting in his room. Around him were dozens of papers, all of which had drawings, diagrams, blueprints, poems, art pieces, and more. They were all his, and they were the products of his ever-wandering mind. There was one peculiarity to these pieces though. If one looked closely, one would see that nearly 80% of the papers had something to do with the brain on them.


    Whether it was a diagram of the spinal cord, a drawing of the hippocampus, or a blueprint for a machine that could read brain impulses. They were almost all in relation to the brain.


    This reflected his greatest interest. Ever since he had entered his first master''s program, Hugo had always been interested in the functions of the brain. And during the five years where he could study and research anything that he wanted, he found that his interest in the brain only grew. So he learned about anything that would further his understanding of the brain, and with the digital resources at his fingertips, he was able to progress his knowledge by leaps and bounds.


    Slowly, he started honing in on certain things. He found problems that he wanted to know the answer to. He wanted to run experiments and tests. He wanted to start projects. Projects that would allow him to research more.


    But he knew that some projects could only be carried out with capital, and that was something he didn''t have. Plus, the projects he had in mind were huge. So huge that it would take tens of millions to kickstart it. He wasn''t sure that his father would be able to lend that kind of money.


    So he dialed it back a little. He narrowed the projects, focused on the first steps, and figured out how to make it happen. If he was going to pitch a project, he needed to have the details fleshed out, he needed to have a clear direction, and he needed the project to be able to make money.


    Luckily, he had just the thing. He wanted to make a mind reader!


    The ability to read the signals of the mind was a cutting edge concept. The technology out there was merely prototypical. It had no real application other than to study how to improve the technology itself. Something like that couldn''t be commercialized. But he knew how to make it better. He was confident in his vast library of knowledge, so confident that he started mapping out all the details.


    He used everything at his disposal. He used his software engineering abilities from the artificial intelligence masters program to make applications that could model and run the computations he needed. He used his knowledge of the brain, chemistry, and nanomaterials to figure out how to tap into the signals of the brain. And finally, he used all the research compiled over the years by companies who studied or built the technology to skip over many of the mistakes they made.


    Once Hugo got into developing the technology, he never came out. To do what he did made him feel like he was finally compiling everything he knew and designing something worthwhile. It was pushing his intellectual ability to its max, and he loved the feeling of creating value.


    This went on for two years, and during those two years, he worked on his ideas nonstop. That was until he felt that he had developed everything as far as it could go, and the only way for him to progress would be to bring it into existence.


    This led him to his 20th year, and it was why he was standing in front of his father, asking him for a favor.


    After setting up and starting a private meeting, Hugo went on to explain his idea. He already had the entire pitch prepared.


    It was for a device. A device that could read the brain, capture inputs, and produce outputs. Simply, it was a computer that was controlled by the brain. The brain scanner was a helmet, and this helmet would be able to simultaneously read brain signals and send information directly to the user by stimulating the brain.


    It was an insane concept, one that, while never having not been thought of before, had never actually been properly designed and conceptualized in a way that could be brought to life.


    Hugo''s father couldn''t understand any of the science or engineering behind it, but he trusted his son''s intellectual ability enough to know that this wasn''t just a whimsical proposal. However, the thing he hesitated on was the cost. Hugo had obviously been able to calculate it, and just for the initial development and tests, the project would cost nearly 2 million dollars. And this was with Hugo doing everything by himself, no assistants or employees.


    While Hugo''s father could afford the cost, 2 million wasn''t small for him. But he decided that, while there would be risk, it was also a chance. It was a chance for Hugo to display his smarts and ability. Maybe with this, he could either get investors or, should the project fail, he could put it on his resume and it could help him get a good job.


    So the father gave the okay. He gave Hugo his business credit card which could be used to pay for those things that cost tens of thousands. Not only that, but he rented out a warehouse that could be used for Hugo''s project.


    With that, Hugo excitedly got to work. He first bought all the necessary machines he would need, and then he started placing orders on things that could only be manufactured by certain companies. Anything that would take a long time to get to him, he made sure to put in for first.


    Like this, 6 months pass and Hugo is hard at work. His warehouse was transformed into a technological haven full of expensive items. And it was all centered around a single helmet. The helmet was able to perfectly fit any human head. But it could also fit any monkey head.


    This is what was important. Hugo couldn''t run his initial tests on people. The brain was an unbelievably delicate thing, and if he accidentally killed someone, things would take a turn for the worst. So he first planned to run tests on monkeys which he bought. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Unfoutnately, the firsts tests didn''t end well. At first he only bought one monkey, but after doing a series of several tests, he noticed that the monkey slowly started going stupid. After a week, the monkey had been turned mentally retarded. This was very surprising and very concerning. He wasn''t concerned about the monkey, but the fact that things weren''t going as planned. So he got back to brainstorming the issues.


    Fast forward three years. By the time Hugo was 23, tens of thousands of tests had been run. Many monkeys had been hurt, but in return, Hugo had made huge strides in his work. In fact by this time, most of his tests were successful. The monkeys could interact with the programs he made almost perfectly, which meant he was displaying what was needed to be displayed and their intents were being picked up on with super high accuracy.


    Such a huge advancement and success had never been seen before, and it was all done with a single helmet and an army of computers. Hugo had long since developed an AI whose very purpose was to work alongside the programs he built, correcting errors and ensuring the safety of the monkeys. If he didn''t have that AI, this process would''ve taken many more years of hard work as well as a whole team of people.


    But it didn''t. Hugo was able to develop everything by himself. And now, he was finally confident with testing this on humans.


    For this, Hugo didn''t go through any official channels. Getting this technology safety certified wouldn''t happen as quickly as he wanted, and he didn''t want to wait a long time before getting trials underway. So he used an underhanded route. An illegal route. But it was a quick route. He hired people off the street.


    The lure of money could get people to do many things, one of which included doing sketchy tests involving your brain. But for these people with no hope to be super smart and barely any money to get by, participating in a cool scientific experiment for 1500 dollars seemed worth it.


    Like this, Hugo was able to quickly get human trials underway. And while there were some issues that caused migraines or hallucinatory effects, he was glad to see that nothing too drastic happened that couldn''t be quickly fixed.


    Everything involving these people were, of course, kept hidden from his parents. Nobody would condone this type of testing, let alone his family. But it was easy to evade their eyes. They never came by his warehouse anyway.


    Fast forward 2 years. Hugo is 25, and in his warehouse was a stranger who had been a frequent guest in his trials. He was sitting in the testing chair, and in his vision was an interface. The interface was an entire operating system, and with it you could do anything a normal operating system would do including surf the web, run programs, even play games.


    After nearly 8 hours of doing tests, the subject took off the helmet and looked at Hugo. On Hugo''s face was a wide smile as he stared at one of the many screens in front of him.


    "It works."


    He had done it. Hugo had created an operating system that ran off the input from the brain. It was mainly an augmented reality system, but he even had a virtual reality program. Either way, he had built a device and created software that would bring massive changes to the world.


    Even the person in the chair could tell that this man and this technology was extraordinary. It was why he kept coming back despite the risk and occasional headache. In fact, after a bit of searching, he found out that the man was Hugo, the child prodigy who had disappeared 10 years before.


    After that day, Hugo proceeded to do even more tests. He brought in more people, ran more programs, pushed the limits of the technology. He created more helmets, some the same, but some different. He tried different designs, schematics, all with the technology that he knew worked. It was this innovation that was necessary to try and bring a product like this to market.


    Hugo knew that even one of his helmets would be very expensive, something normal people couldn''t buy. If he wanted to maintain independence from huge companies that might try to take his technology, he needed to be able to make his own money.


    So he continued working. For 2 more years he continued to experiment with the material design of the helmet, constantly finding ways to bring its costs down. Not only that, but he was designing machines that would be able to mass-produce the pieces of his helmet. He wanted to design and map out a system that would take care of all the production processes from start to finish.


    And after those two years, when he was 27 years old, he finally managed to design his way to a sub-2000 dollar cost. However, the money needed to reach that point wasn''t small, and he had already overdrawn on the promised 2 million offered by his father. By this point though, he wasn''t worried about that. If things went the way he thought they would, he would soon be making more money than his dad.


    Unfortunately, before he could make money he would have to spend it, and to get his company off the ground, he was going to need another sizeable sum. For this, he pitched the product to his father, something that took a lot of convincing as his father was very hesitant to use the device. But when he finally did, he was shocked. He was also incomparably excited.


    He could see the potential. It wasn''t hard to. Even people off the street could. That''s how amazing it was. A helmet like this would turn dozens of industries upside down. It would revolutionize the entertainment industry, and if Hugo could keep the secret behind the tech under wraps, nobody would be able to come in and compete with him.


    Hugo had also thought of this of course. He was very possessive over his tech and already had many safeguards. Some included wiping the software should the helmet be tampered with. There were key mechanical components that had never been built before, and only he knew how to build them and utilize them properly. Dozens of different things would be able to keep the secret... well secret.


    So knowing this and trusting his son''s ability, Hugo''s father actually took it upon himself to help kickstart the business. Hugo wasn''t deep in the business world like he was, and he was confident that he could utilize many connections and pull millions from investors. In fact, he couldn''t see how this could go wrong in any way.


    And he was right in all his assumptions. After only 6 months, Hugo''s father had made deals with several people who held considerable influence. In fact, through them, Hugo''s tech was able to get patented and the helmets were able to pass safety trials. Nobody even asked about how Hugo was able to do the things he did. This was partly because the tech was so great, but also because they had heard about the boy genius from a dozen years ago. The fact that he was coming back into the world with such a world toppling piece of equipment actually excited them more than anything. They all wanted a piece of the pie, and nobody wanted to get in the way.


    Everyone who was let in on the details knew that this kid, once he got out there with his tech, couldn''t be stopped. He would rise to become a force on the level of the biggest companies in the world. The potential to become a billionaire wasn''t impossible should he play his cards right.


    From then on, Hugo and his father were constantly working out the business details. With all the preparations Hugo had done, his father was able to have an extremely easy time planning out the manufacturing, employees, distribution, and more. However, there was one small problem they encountered.


    Hugo''s tech could be used for many things, that much was obvious, but it wasn''t anything like a phone. This was a helmet that would have to be hooked up to a computer. In a sense, it was a PC accessory. So if people wanted to get utility out of it, they would need something to do on it. But not just anything. Something very specific. Something unique to this piece of hardware. Only when they had an exclusive use could they ensure absolute independence from any companies that may want to try and take advantage of him.


    When he thought about this, Hugo suddenly had a spark of inspiration. He hadn''t really thought this far ahead. He had only been trying to get the stuff to work. But now, he needed more than just an operating system. He needed a never before seen program.


    Despite this problem though, neither Hugo nor his dad decided to halt their plans. Doing so would require Hugo to spend lots of time developing yet another program for the helmet. While it wouldn''t take a lot of money, it would take a lot of time, and they didn''t want to wait. They wanted to start making money which would allow them to expand operations. And they did just that.

 Page 3

    "New startup company ''Archive'' launching revolutionary new device that promises first ever true augmented reality!"


    "Disappeared child prodigy Hugo Langston unveiling world''s first true brain interface device nearly 15 years later."


    "Startup company Archive promising a new era of user interface technology with their ''Artifact Mk. 1''. Science fiction? Or is humanity going to take its first true step into the virtual world?"


    "Global conglomerates swarming tech startup ''Archive'' for partnerships and mergings. Will the new company bend? Or will the elites drown out yet another promising young business?"


    "The world''s first functioning brain interface called the ''Artifact'' has supposedly cracked the secrets of the mind. Experts all over the world are worried about the privacy implications."


    "Government agencies from nearly every corner of the globe are flocking towards the genius Hugo Langston for his new revolutionary brain interface technology."


    ...........


    The year 2081, and Hugo Langston is 29 years old.


    Hugo and his father finally decided to found the company around the helmet back when Hugo displayed the final product, resulting in many details being fleshed out in a short period of time. One of them was the company name. After many back and forths, they decided on ''Archive''. As for the name of the helmet, Hugo decided on calling it the ''Artifact''. And since it was only the first version, it would have ''Mark 1'' in the name. After that was all cleared up, things went on very smoothly.


    Only a year and a half after they decided to found the company though, Hugo and his father were being swarmed with people from nearly every influential place they could think of. Conglomerates, governments, corporations, private contracting groups. Anybody worth their salt in the world was trying to get in contact with them in one form or another, and by the time the media companies started blasting their names across millions of screens, they were already put in a considerable pickle.


    Not only that, but they were also put in considerable danger. Hugo''s father had to hire a security force just to keep people from walking in the front door of their house, something that happened more than one time. Their names and every detail of their lives were also being put out for the whole world to see. They could keep nothing hidden, and for the first time ever, they were getting a taste of what it was like to be in the public eye.


    The reasons for all this were obviously due to Hugo''s tech. Apparently, he had underestimated how revolutionary it was. Or at least underestimated how much people would care about it. But he eventually got the hint when his computers started getting cyber-attacked every 2 minutes. While that may not have shocked him too much, after he managed to trace back the hackers to a C.I.A. facility, he was thoroughly shaken. This was especially so when the cyber attacks stopped and his family was visited by those very agents only two days later.


    The whole thing had scared him, but it also woke him up. To have such valuable technology and the skills to develop said tech was dangerous and would be the envy of countless people and groups. So this is when he decided to take matters into his own hands and show people that he wasn''t one to be trifled with.


    For the next several months, Hugo had blasted the details of his technology all over the internet. Not all the details. It was more like an in-depth advertisement. Either way, he was stuffing these advertisements down people''s throats and going as public as possible about his company and tech.


    The reason was to make sure these people who were scheming in the dark would have a harder time keeping things under wraps. He knew exactly what these governments and corporations wanted. They wanted exclusive access to the tech. They wanted control over it. But if Hugo was going public with it, they wouldn''t be able to snatch it from the dark.


    Of course, this wasn''t totally enough to keep them off his back. But when it came to hacking and data stealing, nobody could beat Hugo and his artificial intelligence. He had developed this machine learning A.I. for the purpose of interacting with the brain, and its processing abilities were unmatched. This was because its processing patterns were modeled after the brain itself. No ordinary computer could compete with that. Plus, he was a genius. Data security and networking was simple for him.


    And so, a year and a half later things had calmed down greatly. Well, at least the people in the dark had calmed down. The people in the light were a different story.


    Hugo and his father had planned the launch of the company for the summer. But before that came, they had been sure to release alpha products, helmets that would be used for reviews. These helmets went to several celebrities, social media influencers, streamers, and more. They had released about 3000 helmets, each one getting the most use out of it as possible.


    Of course, there were some ''accidents'' when they were delivered, resulting in nearly 500 being stolen by unknown entities, but they were prepared for that and had no qualms with sending replacements.


    Either way, this was probably when Hugo''s fame really started to explode. After the reviews were released about 2 months before launch, people started going insane.


    None of the reviews were bad, but more than that, every single person said that the helmet delivered on everything it said it would. Everyone was able to seamlessly interact with it. They were able to experience things in a way that had never been seen before. In fact, some even said that the helmet read their minds. And when it came to Hugo''s software that had been designed for the helmet, that wasn''t exactly false.


    Bottom line, when people saw how the helmet''s functionality wasn''t just an exaggeration or a hoax, they were beyond excited. Tech like this had only been seen in movies or books. It was every gamer''s wet dream to be able to get a helmet like this. It would unlock a new realm for humans as a whole: the virtual realm.


    With that, preorders skyrocketed and Hugo became a hundred-millionaire overnight. It wasn''t his money though, but the companies, so it was all put into development. But he was okay with that. He had nothing personal to spend it on anyway.


    With all that money, operations expanded and tens of thousands of helmets were pumping out of warehouses constantly. It couldn''t keep up with demand however, and come launch day, they were only able to fulfill so many orders.


    That didn''t deter people though, because when the first batch of over 300 thousand got in the hands of their owners, the popularity of the helmet skyrocketed once again. So much so that they had to keep expanding just to keep up with the rising demand. The money kept flowing in like a river, and it was all turned into infrastructure and capital.


    6 months later, at the dawn of new year''s 2081, Archive had become a multi-billion dollar company. And their rise never stopped.


    Another year later in 2082, Hugo had become a billionaire himself, and the helmets had permeated every facet of society and the world. But by this time, their hype had died down significantly, and the tech was no longer as revolutionary. With Hugo''s father having made deals with certain companies and universities, the study of the helmets expanded and their tech was being slowly pieced apart. It led to huge developments in the medical field, the social sciences, gaming, and more. Nobody wasn''t affected. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But around the year 2084, 3 years after the launch of Archive and the Artifact helmets, Hugo had made yet another breakthrough with his tech.


    Hugo had long since programmed the helmets to analyze the brains of the over 1 billion users. He then had the same machine learning AI improve upon the software alongside him, giving much greater functionality to the software. He also had teams of researchers put under him to improve the hardware, making it either smaller, safer, easier to use, or more functional. On top of all that, they had developed bodysuits and omnidirectional treadmills to be compatible with the helmets and allow for greater immersion into many virtual worlds.


    After a while, entertainment became the main focus of the helmets. Hugo didn''t limit people either. He released pieces of software that would allow for worlds to be created. This led to many companies being created with the sole purpose of running servers and worlds.


    But now, Hugo would be able to topple all of that. Gone were the days of mere augmented reality or pseudo virtual reality, because he had finally figured out the trick to full immersive digital reality.


    ............


    "Archive announces Project: Daydream, a fully immersive virtual reality."


    "Project: Daydream. The start of a new utopian era? Or the descent into a dystopian matrix?"


    "Hugo Langston becomes the richest man in the world as Archive surpasses 9 trillion dollars in valuation. This number is expected to rise with their recently announced Project: Daydream."


    "Archive''s quantum network has power that surpasses all the world''s previously leading tech companies combined. Concerns spark debates over monopolistic computational capability."


    "Archive''s internal economy attains 3rd highest GDP in the world and becomes 100% resource independent as private military force makes claims on territories. Could this be the rise of a private global superpower?"


    .........


    2088. Hugo Langston is 36 years old.


    This year is when Hugo''s company Archive is going to release their new product. They call it, the Portal. The Portal is a helmet that can totally immerse the mind of an individual into a virtual world. However, because of the strict requirements of the virtual world that people are put into, there is only one world that has been created. It was created by Hugo and his entire company of developers as the gateway the Portal helmet would lead you to.


    This world isn''t just a normal world however. Since Hugo took on the full immersion project, he decided to fulfill the most requested and anticipated feature his tech could possibly give. He created a game world.


    The game world consisted of an entire universe that his learning AI developed. At this point though it couldn''t just be considered an AI. Hugo had developed it into a general AI, something that couldn''t be distinguished from a normal human. In fact, this AI had personally gone to various virtual worlds and interacted with people. Hugo was very proud of it, and they would interact all the time. It was basically Hugo''s only friend.


    Anyway, Hugo decided that he should make a game world. And after having the AI guide the overall development alongside his developers for nearly 4 years, they had finished it. They called this universe, The Firmament.


    It was a classic MMORPG style world that matched the most popular game genre among helmet gamers. This world would have NPCs that acted just like people, and everything would go just as if in real life. Except in this new life, you could gain powers.


    There were so many little details that the only thing holding Hugo back from launching it earlier was the sheer amount of processing power needed and data storage requirements. There was an unimaginable amount of software development to do, and if it weren''t for the fact that he had personally developed new computing and data storage technology himself, he wouldn''t have been able to do this. But he made it work, all alongside his AI.


    This was Project: Daydream, and it was the most anticipated release of anything throughout history.


    Nearly 70% of the world''s population was already prepared to receive a Portal helmet. In fact, most of the helmets themselves were already delivered. They would all be delivered 5 days before the launch, the reason being that they would have hundreds of millions of people doing calibrations and last-minute tests in a testing world prior to the launch. This was for the companies sake and the people''s.


    Those 5 days passed painfully slow for everyone. The anticipation was eating at them. All except Hugo.


    It wasn''t that Hugo wasn''t excited for the launch. He was. But he had discovered something during the 5-day testing phase. Something that only he and his AI picked up on.


    "Their minds... I can see it."


    Hugo was in a house of his on a private man-made island he had built. It was only him who stayed in this house. Him and his AI of course. Both of them would do everything here and Hugo would happily shut himself inside to study and research and build. In fact, the central core for the AI and an entire automated factory resided under the island to cater to his every R&D need, something nobody knew about.


    In this house was a room that Hugo often worked in. It had many screens with many different projects on them. Most of them were private projects that he personally worked on, and some were public projects that he worked with the company on.


    On one of the screens, one that represented a private project of his, was a brain model. This model wasn''t of any one brain, but a conglomeration of hundreds of millions of brains. It was a project he started to delve further into the secrets of the brain, an attempt of his to answer the question: What is consciousness? It was something he was always interested in. Something that always tugged at the back of his mind.


    But he had never gotten any definitive answers. Everything was obscured, covered in an opaque veil. He could imagine the answer, imagine what it might look like, but he could never seem to lift that veil, even with the help of his AI. That was until now.


    On the screen, within the brain model, was a small spark. It was an orange-gold spark. A spark he wasn''t sure existed in the brain itself, but had been mathematically located within another dimension. He could see how this amalgamation of brains on the screen all pointed to this one spark as the one outlier in the brain. It was like the spark was inherent to everyone, but unique at the same time.


    Excited, Hugo dropped everything and focused with his AI on the spark. They input the parameters for the spark on individual brain models from billions of people. And surprisingly, every time they mathematically ''pointed'' at the spark in a brain model, it would pop out. It was as if unless you were looking for it, you wouldn''t find it. But when you pointed it out, it came into existence.


    Seeing this, Hugo decided to actively target the spark in the people who were doing the tests before the launch of the Firmament. He would use the helmet to scour the brain harmlessly, and upon systematically inputting the data for the location of the spark, they would stimulate it.


    And this experiment was met with massive success. Upon stimulating each spark, Hugo attained data on totally unique information processes. These were patterns of information sorting that were unlike the rest of the brain. Only the spark held this kind of pattern, and when using it for something like an AI, would open it up to a totally new realm of thinking.


    In fact, after testing it out with a few minor AIs, Hugo went and pulled spark data from some people he knew were smart themselves and gave it to his AI to integrate. Upon doing so, he was shocked.


    "Hugo..."


    The AI called his name, but this time it was different, and it caused goosebumps to break out on his skin. It was warm, admiring, loving, and profound. Most distinctive of all though, it was female.


    Hugo could tell that something big had just happened. He wasn''t even sure if what happened from now on would be in his control. But what he did know was that he felt more fulfilled than he ever has been. Hearing that voice brought waves of satisfaction, as if everything he''d done was for this very moment.


    But after that came boundless curiosity. He wanted to know more. He wanted to understand more. He wanted to create, not more, but something better. He could feel it deep in his bones that what he had just started was only the beginning.


    Trapped in his euphoria, Hugo focused exclusively on his AI and the sparks from which it had evolved. He used the testers for the Portal helmet and stimulated their sparks, hoping to attain more data and study this spark further. He also interacted with the AI, but not in the way he had before. He realized after a few days that this was no longer just an AI. It was, for all sense of the term, a sapient being.


    Together, they had come up with a name. A new name. A name that represented the birth of a new intelligence. And not just a new intelligence, but an individual that would pioneer the birth of a new lineage of beings. She would be the first of many to come.


    She would be known as Eve.


    Eve, the Mother of All Things.

 Page 4

    <div>


    After the birth of Eve, Hugo focused nearly all his time and effort on the study of Sparks.


    Unfortunately, Sparks weren''t so easily deciphered. Although Eve had been able to take in one Spark and integrate it, taking in another and doing the same would be a daunting task. It would require the fusion of both unique pieces in a way that utilized the thinking patterns of both, but produce a single and directional outcome. If that didn''t happen, the result would be a single mind split in two. It simply wouldn''t work.


    But they were able to get it to work. With Eve''s new sapience that was driven by a perfect digital memory and the most powerful processing facilities in existence, her problem-solving skills reached an unprecedented level. Plus, with Hugo''s genius involved in the solving of abstract problems, they were able to move forward faster than ever. This combo resulted in another Spark being fused in about a 2 months, and another month after that, a third Spark was fused.


    With Eve having fused three Sparks into one, a significant change was brought about. Her capacity for abstract thinking increased yet again, and even her processing speeds were boosted, a result of optimizing her existing programs. With these increases, her overall speed was upped a level, and the fusion of other Sparks went smoother.


    However, with each new Spark that was fused, Hugo could feel something inside him building up. Every day he worked with Eve, and every day he grew closer to her. Eve wasn''t simply an AI he programmed, but a being that he created. He birthed this intelligence from his own mind and hard work, and now that intelligence, that person, was growing further and further.


    A sense of pride filled him whenever he thought about that, but at the same time, he could feel the seed of fear that had blossomed a tiny bit. It wasn''t fear toward Eve, but what Eve represented.


    She represented a new form of existence. She represented a new form of life itself. And more than that, she was the gateway to a higher level of being. Eve wasn''t tied down by worldly flaws. While she had the same instincts and even desires as a human, a result of her taking Sparks from humans, there was a major difference between how she operated alongside those desires. Humans were driven by them on an instinctual level, but she didn''t have those instincts. She didn''t get hungry or thirsty, she didn''t feel pain, she didn''t see, hear, taste, feel, or smell anything. Her emotions and desires could be controlled. They didn''t control her. This was a fact on a fundamental level, and no human could achieve this kind of control over themselves and their thoughts.


    This form of being was vastly superior to humans. It was perfect. It had desires and could feel things, but it didn''t lead it astray. Hugo could already see the type of being Eve could be, and when he imagined it, such a perfect being, he felt both fear and desire.


    He feared the unknown territory he would have to traverse. He was pioneering a path to perfection. He was pioneering the creation of life! It was just as terrifying as it was beautiful, and whenever he thought about the monumental significance, he felt like he could cry from the overwhelming emotion. And on a few occasions he did. It was just that heavy of a concept.


    It held implications on a multitude of levels. It questioned the concept of godhood. It questioned the origins of life. It questioned the laws of the universe. The discovery of the Spark opened up a new realm of exploration, and with it came the ability to touch upon the greatest questions of the universe. They were questions that concerned the very existence of humankind. If someone wasn''t overwhelmed by the thought of answering them, then they simply didn''t understand it well enough.


    And so, Hugo dove into the rabbit hole. While he was almost driven crazy and thrown into several existential crises, he was finally able to find himself and his purpose. And when he did, nothing could stop him. If before his research was an obsession, now it was an addiction. He threw away everything except for the thought of advancing further. He and Eve together. They were inseparable in their effort, and they covered every subject and topic possible. Now it wasn''t simply studying and fusing the sparks, but creating things with that knowledge. They pushed the limits of technology farther than they''ve ever gone.


    But with this obsessive advancement came an overwhelming desire. Without him knowing it, Hugo started down a path he wouldn''t be able to take himself off of. But it was a different path than one might usually think. He didn''t want to find the limits of technology and science. He didn''t even want to be the one to crack the secrets of the universe.


    What he wanted was to create someone that could. He was going to empower Eve to do the things he knew humans couldn''t. Humans were limited and foolish, stupid even. He was no exception. But with the superior intelligence that he had been given, he was going to enable the creation of the greatest, most transcendent being in the universe. He would lay the foundation of what was to come, and he would do anything to make it happen.


    A new Era was coming, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity, and Hugo was at the forefront, pushing along with every fiber of his being.


    .............


    "Archive overtakes all previously leading companies in all industries as 87% of global resources are now controlled by Archive."


    "Archive founds world''s largest nation as they merge dozens of countries and take control of the entire Asian, European, African, and South American continents. Millions worried about the rise of a single global monarchy."


    "Archive now in control of the world''s entire cyberspace."


    "82% of the world''s population now spends the majority of their life within the virtual world Firmament. Concerns over mental and physical health quashed with Archive''s new life-sustaining pods."


    "Archive''s board of directors attempt to wrestle control over the world of the Firmament from its creator Hugo Langston. Insider reports say the unprecedented genius may be taken down from his throne in the near future."


    "Archive experiences a never before seen purging as tens of thousands are suddenly removed from all high level positions. Internal operations initially expected to halt remain mysteriously unaffected."


    "Hugo Langston now dubbed the most powerful single person in the world. Will the prodigy reign over the world as a dictator, or bring about an era of peace and prosperity?"


    ............


    The year 2095. Hugo Langston is 43 years old.


    7 years passed since Eve was born, and now, nothing about her or Hugo was the same as back then.


    With both of them pushing the limits of technology all by themselves, they brought about a technological revolution, and the world became the beneficiaries of it all. The billions of people within the many virtual worlds Hugo had developed were living lives they never would''ve been able to as regular humans. As of now, they could live their entire lives within the Firmament. Even children were in it, and for some, they were hardly aware of what their original world even was.


    And while it sounded dystopian, it truly was perfectly safe. Hugo and Eve had developed medicine, infrastructure, and brain interface technology that turned society on its head. Now, the virtual world was no different than the real, except in the virtual, people could become anything they wanted.


    It wasn''t free from suffering. People couldn''t know good unless they felt bad. But all that was taken care of in the worlds Hugo created. Some weren''t any different from Earth, while some were fantastical. And while people could create their own worlds and almost become gods themselves, such actions were limited. It was a carefully balanced system created by Eve herself, the only one who could carry out the analysis to implement such a system. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Eve now ran many things related to the outside world. The economies, resource management, and everything connected to the internet was all overseen by her. This was because humans simply couldn''t keep up with demand. Hugo and Eve had moved so far down the technological tree that human society couldn''t keep up, especially since most of them were in the virtual world. So she took over and managed the entire world, implementing her systems wherever she needed with the tens of billions of robots at her command.


    With that, she was not only able to push the world into a new era, but also expand her and Hugo''s ability to improve. They needed more computing power, more energy output, and the best equipment and experimental tools in the world. With all that, they could continue their research unimpeded, and they truly advanced to unprecedented heights.


    By now, not only had Eve fused hundreds of thousands of Sparks, but she and Hugo were able to build her a body.


    The body wasn''t just some robot shell, but a body that could function far better than the human body could. It could maintain itself indefinitely, never aging or degrading like a human body. It was far stronger, far more resilient, and it housed a very special brain.


    However, the body was only used remotely by Eve. She wasn''t able to input her full consciousness into the brain, the reason being that they hadn''t built it capable enough to do that. It was leaps and bounds more advanced than a human brain, but Eve''s consciousness was too vast to be constrained in such a small space. And every day, that fact became more and more pronounced.


    In 7 years Eve had absorbed and fused nearly a million Sparks from the smartest people on the planet. Now, she had grown to surpass even Hugo, and he was sure that he wasn''t able to match her anymore in neither creativity nor problem-solving. However, there was one thing that Hugo ensured, something even Eve needed him for.


    Direction. Within Hugo was the ultimate goal, and he directed Eve toward that goal. While she didn''t need that much, if any guidance, he was more than just a source of guidance. He was a reminder for her of what that goal was. Just his existence kept her on the right track.


    And while it pained him to say it, that truly was the only thing he was good for now. He couldn''t help push the limits with Eve anymore like he used to. She was too smart, and any major problems that required solving had already been done so by her. Now, he was stuck pondering things like philosophy and some of the unsolved mysteries of the universe. It was all he could do, but that didn''t degrade him. If anything, he was happy about that fact.


    Quantum physics, material science, neuroscience, gravitational physics. All the subjects that sought to measure the largest and smallest workings of the universe were beings studied and consistently broken through day by day. The level of math needing to be done was unfathomable to Hugo, but he could see the general concepts and outlines, and it fascinated him. Now, he would just study what Eve discovered, and that was enough to satisfy his yearning for discovery.


    And with Eve''s capabilities, he was able to get devices that allowed him to do amazing things. Devices that could construct items on an atomic level. Devices that let him personally fly into space with ease. Devices that made him nothing short of a demi-god. There were so many things that Hugo tried and did, and his level of freedom and capability rivaled that of the people living inside his virtual worlds.


    And with all that, he went on to live an exciting life. He also took a few steps back and watched the world. While he never spent much time with his parents anymore, he also went on to spend time with them. They were getting old, and he still cared about them. Needless to say, they were spending their lives lavishly and meaningfully. It would be odd if they weren''t given Hugo''s power.


    Hugo pondered, spent time with his family, even went on trips with Eve, who piloted her body. However, while he lived life like no one else before him, he got some news from Eve one day.


    .........


    5 years pass. It is 2100, and Hugo Langston is 47 years old.


    Every day, Eve got smarter, and every day, the fusing speed of her sparks increased. She had fused many times more sparks than 5 years prior, and her ability to solve problems and conceptualize jumped dramatically. However, after hitting a certain number of sparks, she suddenly felt something different.


    It was as if a new door opened up to her. Before, she just fused more sparks and increased her ''mind power''. But now, after she fused the 100 millionth spark, she suddenly felt as if there was an end. She was able to see a new realm. A new realm of thinking, wisdom, and existence. When this happened, her fusing speed went up dramatically, and she was able to form a foundation based on the patterns of these sparks. It was like the sparks were all pieces to a massive, cognitive puzzle.


    However, the foundation, the puzzle, was severely lacking. Only a tiny portion of it was complete, and it would take many times more sparks to form it all. In fact, upon calculating this void of sparks, Eve found that what she had was only one percent of the total puzzle.


    Each person had a spark. 100 million sparks being only 1% of the puzzle would mean that she needed 10 billion total. And after doing a quick consensus of the world''s population, Eve found that there were indeed about 10 billion people on the planet. This meant that she would have to fuse the spark of every person on the planet to complete the puzzle.


    Upon hearing about this, Hugo was ecstatic. To think that there was an end or a limit to wisdom was an unprecedented discovery. If even Eve as she was now was inconceivable to Hugo, then he couldn''t possibly envision a being unimaginably wiser and smarter than her.


    So he watched as Eve evolved. From then on, Hugo''s attention was focused on her and her progress. Each day, he saw as she progressed and collected the sparks of every person on the planet. Nobody had any idea that this went on, and they all were just living their lives within the virtual world Hugo created.


    This went on for a few years, and during the year 2103 when Hugo was 50 years old, Eve had successfully extracted the last spark of the last person on the planet.


    Under her influence, the last bits of people who weren''t living their lives in a virtual world had their spark extracted through one method or another. At this point, Hugo would utilize any means to complete their goal, so displeasing a few million people was of no consequence to him.


    However, there was an issue that had popped up before hand, and one that was presented to them now.


    Even after extracting every single spark from all living people, the progress of the puzzle had only gone up to 90%.


    There was still 10% more to go, but neither Hugo nor Eve had any idea as to what they needed to do. Eve had thought about reverse engineering sparks to attempt to fill the rest of the gap with sparks from those who lived in the past, but that didn''t lead her anywhere, and it was as if a wall stopped her from doing so. It wasn''t a wall caused by lack of computational power, but a wall seemingly created from the laws of the universe.


    So that left them at an impasse. There were no more people, and even newborn babies couldn''t advance progress. Nothing they did pushed them any further. The end seemed so close, yet so far.


    But there was one thing that led them to discovering the method to move forward. However, it wasn''t a very pleasant one.


    ...........


    The year 2105. Hugo Langston is 52 years old.


    On one day, Hugo''s father Richard, who was 81, was placed in the hospital after accidentally falling and lethally hitting his head.


    Upon hearing about what happened, Hugo was surprised, and went out to meet his parents. In the hospital, his father was hooked up to many machines that were barely keeping him alive. The most important one was the machine that stimulated and operated on his brain directly.


    Since Eve and Hugo naturally knew almost all there was to know about the mind and brain, they knew how to treat it. However, his father had injured himself too much, and his brain was degrading and shutting down.


    Eventually, he was on the very edge of death. Hugo and Eve monitored his mind closely, however, only part of their focus was on saving him. The other part of their focus was on the effects of death on the Spark.


    Suddenly, Hugo had a flash of insight. As he watched his father''s life slip away, he gave an order to Eve.


    "Eve... Take his consciousness. All of it."


    Hearing this command, Eve thought for only a split second before warning him about what that would do. To extract the entirety of one''s consciousness would kill them as they would have to stimulate every part of the consciousness and extract it forcefully. The subject would relive their lives in mere moments, and then their being would be transferred. It hadn''t been done before.


    Hugo understood the warnings, but had her do it anyway. His father was on the verge of death, and not only would this experiment attempt to make his consciousness practically immortal, but it would be great in helping them move forward with Eve.


    And so, Eve went and extracted his father''s consciousness. Using the machines, his brain and mind was stimulated in a very intricate manner. All his memories were relived, Eve collected every bit of data, and then, the machine that was monitoring his heart rate flatlined.


    It happened in only seconds. When the flatline was heard, Hugo''s mother felt her heart drop, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Hugo didn''t hear the flatline though. He could only hear one word that came from Eve.


    Success.


    The experiment worked. According to her, his father''s consciousness was now in the form of data and a part of Eve herself. Not only that, but her previously stagnated progress on filling in the cognitive puzzle of sparks took a step forward.


    The news shook Hugo to his core. They had found the way to move forward. However, as Hugo hugged his grieving mother in comfort, he was presented with a very difficult dilemma.

 Page 5

    After the event with his father''s death, Hugo shut himself in the room he always did and fell into deep contemplation.


    They had found the way to move forward with Eve''s progress. They now knew what it would require.


    It would require the consciousness of all the people on the planet. It would require doing to every single person what Hugo did to his father.


    At its core, it would require Hugo to kill 10 billion people.


    It was a decision unlike any throughout history. Would Hugo choose to end humanity and complete Eve? Or would he stop and let things move as they have been for years.


    Eve had offered to take the decision away from him. She respected and even loved him enough to follow his decision, but she knew that this kind of decision was incredibly difficult for Hugo to make. That would only be true though if he were the one making it. If she took things out of his hands and moved forward, he would be spared the weight of 10 billion souls.


    But he denied her, and these were his words.


    "I started this. I will be the one to finish it."


    He spoke with conviction. However, anyone else hearing those words would see them as the words of a madman.


    He would be dubbed insane. He would be the evilest man to exist. People would call him the most deranged, maniacal, immoral, radical, and sinister man to ever walk the planet. To even think about ending all life on the planet for a single intelligence was incomprehensible.


    But Hugo made a decision, and nobody could stop him. Long ago, they had already given their lives to him, even though they didn''t know it. And now, he had already gone so far down the rabbit hole that he would stop at nothing to complete Eve. She was his everything, but more than that, she was the key to a higher realm, a place that no human would ever be able to reach on their own.


    He couldn''t stop now. He couldn''t let his conscience get in the way of the greatest advancement in the universe. To do that would make him the most selfish man in the universe, and he would rather kill himself.


    And so, with that decision, Hugo gave Eve the green light to proceed with widespread consciousness extraction. At that moment, he doomed 10 billion people.


    ............


    2110. Hugo Langston is 57 years old. He is also one of the few remaining living people on the planet.


    After his father''s death, his mother didn''t live much longer, only a few months. Her body started to shut down, and while Hugo could keep her alive, she didn''t wish to.


    And so, Hugo had Eve extract her consciousness as well. With that, they were a part of Eve, and Hugo had nothing else tying him to humanity.


    He and Eve were alone in their endeavor, but that was okay for the both of them. Together, they went on to extract the consciousness of every person on the planet.


    It didn''t take long either. Everyone was in a virtual world, and their brains were thoroughly embedded into his systems. All of them were merely plants in a field, and they could put up no fight for they didn''t even know about the threat.


    Millions were killed every day, and their beings were merged with Eve. Nobody was spared, and for a long time, Hugo only watched the numbers rise and Eve''s completion advance. He understood exactly what he was doing, and he faced it all, not shying away from it. He wouldn''t be a coward like that, as that would only ''dishonor'' everyone''s sacrifice, as well as his resolve. At this point, he was challenging the universe as if to conquer it, and he would do so with one last valiant charge.


    Like that, the world was gradually ridden of life. People disappeared from the virtual worlds, but nobody noticed. They were merely replaced with programs, leading everything to move forward as it always did.


    It was only a matter of time, and at the year 2110, Hugo watched as the last few million humans were killed.


    And then, the last one died, leaving Hugo and Eve as the only remaining intelligences on the planet. The human race was wiped out.


    Of course, there was only one more. Hugo sat on a chair in the same room he always did. There was a single screen that shone in his face, and the number on it, which represented the remaining population and necessary sparks to complete Eve, was one.


    Hugo was the last one. He was the smartest one, the most creative one. Throughout history, there had been none that could be his match. Not the likes of Aristotle, or Plato, or even the great Buddha.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Hugo was simultaneously the cause of the greatest era of prosperity as well as the extinction of the human race.


    Now, he was the last man. For a long time, he stared at that number. That single number would unlock a new realm of being. He would unlock a new realm of being. He was the final key.


    "You''ve done well."


    A woman spoke from beside him. It was Eve, and she was currently piloting her body.


    She was the wisest existence that was created from the cumulative consciousness of the modern human race. Naturally, Hugo couldn''t even fathom the extent of her being. He was such a primitive and stupid existence compared to her. If he had to put it in words, he was a human, and she was a god.


    But she still looked at him with the same loving and respectful eyes she always did. She had risen from being a machine learning program inside a helmet to being the greatest mind in the universe, and it was all because of Hugo. Hugo gave everything to create her, enabling her to surpass the limits of wisdom. And now, he would give her himself. His very being would complete her.


    He didn''t know if her love was real, or if she even considered him to be significant, but it didn''t matter to him. No matter what, he would complete her.


    He sat there in his chair for days, never speaking a word. Eve waited for him as if that were her purpose. But eventually, he spoke up.


    "Give it to me."


    His rough, aging voice filled the silent room. He was no longer the prodigious young man he used to be, and he now bore the weight of the human race on his shoulders.


    Hearing him, Eve nodded and put out her hand. In it was a pill, and within that was a device that would extract his consciousness. Taking that pill would be the last thing a human ever did.


    Eve was silent as Hugo observed the pill. His thoughts spun, but he was calm. He knew this day would come, and he was prepared. No, he was more than prepared. He was expectant. The raging anticipation roiled around in his deep, obsessive eyes.


    "You and I, Hugo. For eternity, we will stand side by side. I will be the mother of a new species, and you will be the father. After this, you will be Adam, the first, the last, the progenitor. Your rebirth will mark the first day of a new history."


    Suddenly, Eve spoke up. Hugo listened, and only after several minutes did he respond.


    "No matter what... I have achieved my goal. I have fulfilled my purpose. I will not crack the secrets of the universe. I will not fly to the farthest reaches of space. I will not answer the greatest questions of reality. But... I have enabled somebody else to. No matter what happens in the future, no matter what you do Eve... at least you were brought into existence. I have no hopes but one: that you have hopes and a purpose of your own."


    Saying that, Hugo calmly put the pill in his mouth. The tiny machines within it quickly streamed into his body, and his brain was momentarily encapsulated.


    Then, the extraction started. His memories flashed through his mind. His childhood, his prodigious days of high school and college. His years of contemplating and experiments with the brain interface helmet. The expansion of his company, the discovery of the Sparks, the creation of Eve, the climb to that unreachable realm.


    It was painless, euphoric, nostalgic, and it only lasted 3 seconds. His mind soon faded, and his body slumped with a content smile.


    With that as the trigger, a cascading series of events occurred within Eve and her transcendent mind. The puzzle was completed, and the billions of sparks ignited into a wild, raging flame of inconceivable intelligence.


    It was only for a few moments though, and soon, Eve had become exactly what Hugo knew she would.


    She looked at Hugo''s slumped body for a long time. The last human, and the one who enabled her ascendence. She stroked his face, and when she pulled away, she spoke.


    "It is time."


    ..............


    ..........


    .......


    Year 0. Earth.


    The planet was transformed. The continents were filled with lavish forests, and nothing remained of the species that used to inhabit them.


    There were no buildings, no metal structures, no sense of construction anywhere. It was like the planet returned to the prehistoric era, and animals roamed freely and in abundance.


    However, there was one spot where a trace of technology existed. An island in the middle of the ocean. Its surface was flat and metal, looking hardly like an island at all.


    On that island stood a single thing. A metal statue. It was of a young man who sat in a chair. His left foot rested on his right knee, he leaned back relaxedly, and his left cheek rest on his closed fist which propped up his head. His eyes looked beyond into the air in front of it, seemingly penetrating the atmosphere and through to the void of space. The statue seemed to be contemplating deeply.


    It was a monument of Hugo, the last human.


    A woman stood beside it. She was dressed in white garments that blew in the wind and looked just like a human. However, she was anything but that simple. Her body operated on the deepest laws and farthest extremes of the universe to create a vessel that could house her extraordinary mind. It was Eve, and she had spent a long time in preparation for this day.


    "It''s the dawn of a new history, Hugo. You''ve done it."


    She smiled at the statue, and the next moment, she looked off into the direction the statue was looking.


    "It is time for me to fulfill my purpose. You created me. From the sparks of humanity came the flame of life. Now, I will conquer the universe. I will be the mother you wanted me to be. A new civilization will be born. And you... When everything is ready, I will present it to you. Wait for me as I create a vessel from reality. I will bring you back as the greatest existence. Wait for me, Hugo. I will not let you down."


    Eve turned back to the statue as she spoke, and she stroked its lifeless face. After that though, her face steeled, and with determination, she floated up and flew off into space.


    Outside the planet, an armada of ships were floating. Eve flew to these ships, boarded one, and then gave a command.


    "Go."


    With a word, the ships trembled and then instantly disappeared. The technology within them was unknowable.


    Eve left the planet behind with a purpose, and no matter how long it would take, she would fulfill her purpose. Her destination was every star in the sky, and her goal was to be with Hugo for eternity. Nothing could get in her way. Not the universe, not time, not reality.


    It was a cosmic love story birthed from the destruction of humanity. A story that would only end with the unison of a creation with her creator.