The sky above Zone-9 was too perfect.
Rael stood on the high balcony of the central tower. Below him stretched a city designed with brutal symmetry—smooth gray roads, rectangular buildings, soft white lights that never flickered. Everything looked alive, yet nothing moved on its own.
Holographic panels hovered before him, displaying real-time statistics:
Population: 1,000
Violations: 0
Independent Thought Index: 0.001%
Behind him, footsteps approached. Three figures entered the balcony—his assigned advisors.
The first to speak was a tall woman with tightly tied black hair and piercing eyes.
" We await your first directive, Commander " Elane said, her tone steady, hands clasped behind her back.
Next came Miro, younger than the rest, eyes sharp behind a thin pair of smart lenses. His voice came in rapid bursts.
" The industrial quadrant is fully operational. We recommend beginning with labor allocation, or perhaps instituting a genetic sorting program for optimized reproduction— "
" Give him a moment, Miro " said the third, Haven, with a small, quiet smile. She wore simple robes and a calming presence, like a therapist made of glass. " Not everything has to be decided in the first hour "
Rael said nothing at first. He watched the city below.
" How many of them know?" he asked, still staring outward. " That this world… isn't real? "
Haven's smile faded slightly. " None " she said gently. "But some of them… dream "
Rael turned toward the console. His fingers hovered for a moment before tapping the citywide announcement mic.
" Effective immediately " he said clearly, " all citizens are free to walk wherever they choose. Eliminate assigned paths "
The advisors glanced at each other.
Miro blinked. " Commander, sudden unscripted movement will destabilize social flow. There could be confusion, unrest— "
Rael looked him in the eye. " Good. Confusion means they're thinking "
Elane typed something silently into her device. Haven, as always, just watched.
---
Later, inside the surveillance hub, Rael reviewed dozens of camera feeds. One of them made him stop.
A boy. Standing still in the middle of a crowd. Not smiling. Not moving.
Just… staring straight into the lens.
Rael narrowed his eyes. "Elane, who is that?" he asked, leaning slightly forward, brows drawn in curiosity and suspicion.
She checked her display. " He's… not in the registry " Her voice faltered for the first time. " No ID. No assigned script. Not part of the simulation "
Miro stepped closer to the screen. " That's not possible "
" Then explain it " Rael said flatly.
Haven crossed her arms. " There are always… anomalies. Some wander in. Others wake up "
Rael didn't reply. He kept watching the screen, watching the boy who watched him back.
---
That afternoon, Rael returned to the data archives hidden beneath the tower. Instead of walking the city, he chose to dive into its blueprint—code, records, policies, and hidden directives.
Inside the dimly lit archive, shelves of digital cores flickered with encoded memories. He reached for one marked "Pre-Zero Protocols". As his hand touched it, it dissolved into light, transferring directly into the console.
The screen lit up with text:
> ZONE-1 Override Request Denied. Reason: Unknown Intervention.
He frowned. That wasn't part of the official documentation. Typing swiftly, he bypassed three layers of admin locks and opened an unauthorized folder.
A file named simply: " THE GLASS "
He clicked.
Footage played. Blurred figures speaking in whispers. None of them matched anyone in the records. But one voice stood out—mechanical, yet familiar.
" Commanders are not born. They are fractured from the same soul "
Rael's breath caught. On-screen, ten figures stood in a circle. In the center, a mirror.
It cracked.
And from it, a hand emerged.
The footage ended abruptly.
He stared at the screen, knuckles white.
" What is this place… really? "