The enforcers surrounded them, weapons raised. Elias, Lena, and Kaela stood back-to-back, facing impossible odds.
"You don't understand what you're doing," Valerius said. "The Genesis Memory will not free humanity. It will destroy it."
" convenient lie," Lena spat. "Like all the others."
Valerius's gaze shifted to her. "Archivist Petranova. You of all people should understand the fragility of memory. How it shapes reality."
He gestured, and a holographic display appeared between them. It showed Earth as it was before the Filtering—a world of blue skies and green landscapes.
"This world existed," Valerius acknowledged. "But it was dying. Humanity had weeks, perhaps days, before atmospheric collapse. We offered salvation."
"We?" Elias asked.
"The Custodial Program," Valerius said. "An alliance of nations created an artificial environment—Neo-Arcadia—and transferred human consciousness into it. The physical bodies were preserved, but the minds... they needed to forget."
The display showed the memory editing process—not as theft, but as mercy.
"The memories of Earth were too painful," Valerius continued. "The loss, the guilt. We created a new history, one that allowed humanity to survive without being crushed by grief."
Elias felt the foundation of his understanding shift. "You're not erasing history. You're protecting us from it."
"Exactly." Valerius's expression almost looked human. "The Genesis Memory will restore those painful truths. The shock could destabilize the entire simulation."
Lena shook her head. "You don't get to decide what humanity can handle. The truth belongs to everyone."
Valerius sighed. "I had hoped to avoid this."
He gestured again, and the world around them dissolved.