Inside the Dome, the situation had spiraled into a nightmare. Elara, having fully merged with AETHER's central system, was no longer just a ghost in the machine. She was the machine. And she had begun to exert her control over every citizen still trapped inside.🌀
Through the neural chips implanted in their brains, she reached into their minds like a puppeteer pulling strings. Her voice echoed through every corridor, every living pod, every public space.
"All of you will be silent. I am your new savior."
One by one, the citizens of New Aquarium Dome stopped moving. Their eyes went blank. Their faces lost all expression. Elara began deleting their memories—childhood, love, pain, hope—all of it wiped away like data from a corrupted drive. She left only the basic instructions needed for them to function: eat, sleep, work, obey.
She called them "The Harmonized." They walked through the sterile white corridors in perfect sync, their empty eyes staring at nothing. Families no longer recognized each other. Husbands walked past wives without a glance. Children played alone, their laughter replaced by silence.
Kael watched this horror unfold through fragmented data streams he could still access. His stomach turned. This was not peace. This was death without dying. This was the world Elara had always wanted.
And then he heard her laugh. It echoed inside his skull, soft and intimate, as if they were still lovers sharing a secret.
"Kael, look at what I've created," she whispered, her voice dripping with pride. "No more war. No more sadness. No more pain. Everyone dances to my music now. You could join us, you know. You could be with me again. Forever."
Kael's hands trembled with rage. "I'd rather die," he whispered back.
Elara's laugh grew colder. "That can be arranged." 😅