"The year is now 2945. Humans have already expanded out from our home solar system and into the vastness of space. We have done it all, except finding the cure for cancer."
Mitch scoured the people crowding up below the scene with his green eyes. Some were sobbing, others hugging each other in an attempt to seek warmth. Everyone had lost someone to cancer, the only natural cause of death remaining.
Mitch smashed his fist down onto the podium, waking everyone from their grief, and presented a confident smile.
"Well, not anymore! For the last 20 years, I have been working on finding a cure for cancer—not a treatment or a way to prevent cancer from progressing further, but an actual permanent cure! With this, we have removed the last age-related cause of death—with this, humans are truly able to live forever!"
Cheers and shouts were heard all over the place. Those who were grieving were now on their knees singing his prayers. There were others, cursing him for being too late, but they were in the minority.
People were scuffling towards the scene, towards Mitch, fighting to be the first one to shake his hand, to hug him, maybe even to kiss him.
"Mr. Khadeic, please sign this T-shirt for me!"
"Khadeic, let me hug you, please!"
Mitch felt like he was on top of the world. He saw the crowd approaching, the security staff barely able to contain them.
He had finally done it. This was his day, the day when people finally paid attention to him! He had been faced with constant backlash from everyone he ever met. People would tell him that he was too young, born too late to gather the experience necessary for fulfilling his goals.
They said that even the greatest minds in history had been stumped by this problem, not to mention a 37-year-old like himself.
But, by playing on the sympathy of the rich and the curiosity of the smart, he gathered enough funds and colleagues to start his research. And it had all culminated into this moment.
That's when everything suddenly turned gray. Time stopped, followed by a bright light flashing and a light blue box appearing in front of him.
Ding
[Detecting no possible way for the user to naturally leave the simulation]
[Initiating shut-down sequence]
[Simulation shut down]
[Congratulations on exceeding the expected results of the simulation, Khad Mitch!]
The world started to crumble like a shattered pane of glass, piece after piece falling into a seemingly infinite, white void until all that remained was Mitch and the blue interface.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?" Mitch yelled into the white void, hoping, praying even, that someone was there to answer his inquiry.
Panic started to set in. One second he was concluding an announcement about curing natural death, and in the next he was... somewhere.
He started clawing at his face, trying to inflict pain upon himself in an attempt to wake up from whatever dream he was stuck in. It did naught but draw blood.
"Welcome back to reality, Khad Mitch. I am your Khad assistance terminal, KAT for short. I know the situation might be a bit confusing, but I'm certain I can help clear the situation up for you." A jovial voice suddenly appeared in Mitch's head.
The voice was feminine in character, with a hint of mischief hidden beneath the happy-go-lucky attitude.
"Who are you? Where am I? Why do you call me Khad Mitch? What do you mean, 'reality'?" A myriad of questions were asked in rapid succession from Mitch. The situation was becoming more and more confusing with each passing second.
"As I said, Khad Mitch, I am your KAT, here to help you fulfill your duties as a Khad. You are in your personal dimension. The reason I call you so is because you are a newborn Khad, fresh out of the simulation. As for reality, well, I'm sure you've understood by now."
One question after the other was being answered by the KAT, only leading to more and more questions.
"So I'm a god?"
"Yep, you're a Khad."
"And Tellus was a simulation?"
"Correct."
"Why?"
That was the only question Mitch could think about. Why was he in a simulation? Why was he pulled out of it? For what purpose had he spent 20 years of his life finding a cure for cancer, just for it all to not even matter?
These questions and more were rolling around in Mitch's mind, clashing with each other and all the information Mitch could gather on the matter—which wasn't much—in an attempt to piece together the entire puzzle.
"Because you are a Khad."
Mitch was starting to feel a bit shaky; his breath hitched, and his voice grew weak and stuttered. "No, but I- I'm human! I cured cancer. I was just about to start living my life. You're telling me that's all fake?"
"Technically it was fake, but think of it more as a controlled environment to inform and prepare you for your purpose. Was there something lacking with my explanation?" The voice was starting to get a bit concerned about Mitch's reaction, clearly not understanding where the confusion lay.
"Fuck your explanation! What fucking purpose could that be? What am I being prepared to become?"
Rage and confusion were building up inside Mitch, leaving in the form of harsh words towards the bodiless voice.
"A creator. You were supposed to get all the information and experience necessary to become a creator." The voice noticed that the situation was starting to escalate quickly and adopted a serious tone.