Year 3026, Kyle was nineteen years old.
To most people, he was just another gamer.
To the people who watched him closely, he was something more.
Kyle had played virtual reality games since he was young. Not casually. Seriously. He cleared difficult content faster than most players. He adapted quickly. He stayed calm under pressure. In games where others panicked, Kyle focused.
That was why they noticed him.
One afternoon, after a long gaming session, Kyle received an email.
It did not come from a company he recognized. There was no flashy logo. No promises of money or fame. Just a short message.
You have been selected as a candidate for a closed VR experiment.
This project is supported by the government.
Your skills are required.
Kyle stared at the screen.
"Government?" he muttered.
Normally, he would have ignored it. But something felt different. The message included details only someone who had studied his gameplay would know. His clear times. His reaction speed. His decision-making patterns.
Curiosity won.
A week later, Kyle stood in front of a large gray building with no signs.
Military guards stood at the entrance. Cameras followed every movement. The air felt heavy.
Inside, he was taken through long white hallways. Finally, he entered a large room filled with machines and screens. People in military uniforms and lab coats worked quietly.
A man stepped forward.
"This project involves an advanced artificial intelligence world," the man said. "You will enter using full-dive VR."
Kyle nodded. "Like a game?"
"On the surface," the man replied. "Yes."
They explained the basics.
The world was not scripted.
The people inside were not NPCs.
They were artificial humans.
Each one was built using a copied human soul structure called a Fluctlight. These souls could think, learn, feel fear, and make choices—just like real humans.
The goal was simple.
Raise artificial souls inside a controlled world.
Teach them ethics, judgment, and decision-making.
Eventually, use them for military purposes.
Kyle felt a chill.
"And me?" he asked.
"You will act as an player," the man said. "A stabilizing factor. You will live inside their world."
Kyle hesitated. "Is it dangerous?"
There was a pause.
"Mentally," the man said. "Yes."
Kyle signed the form anyway.
He lay down on a bed inside a sealed room.
A black VR headset was placed over his eyes. Wires connected to his head and spine. A soft hum filled the air.
"This is not a normal dive," a technician said. "Your memories will be limited inside the world. You will not remember the real world."
Kyle frowned. "So I'll forget who I am?"
"Only temporarily," the technician replied. "Your soul will still be yours."
Kyle closed his eyes.
The system activated.
Kyle opened his eyes.
He was young.
Younger than before.
He was lying under a massive tree. Sunlight filtered through green leaves. The smell of dirt and grass filled the air. Birds chirped above him.
He sat up slowly.
His body felt light. Strong. Real.
"Where… am I?" he asked.
His voice sounded younger too.
He looked around. There were no buildings. No screens. No system messages. Just nature.
He stood up and touched the tree. The bark was rough. His fingers felt every detail.
This wasn't like any game he had played.
High above this world, military officers watched from a control room.
"Subject Kyle has entered the artificial world," a soldier reported.
"Fluctlight synchronization is stable," a scientist added.
On the screens, Kyle's soul data flowed like light.
What Kyle did not know was this:
He was not just playing a game.
His consciousness had been directly connected to the artificial world. His soul was interacting with other copied souls on a deep level.
If his mind broke here, the damage would be real.
If he died here, his soul would survive—but something inside him would be lost forever.
Kyle took his first step away from the tree.
Far away, artificial humans lived their lives, unaware that their world was an experiment.
And Kyle had just entered the center of it.