The world came apart all at once.
Not in fire. Not in screams.
In numbers.
Lines of code unfurled like vines across Cael's vision. The chamber dissolved into light once more—this time colder, sterile, like an abandoned server room on the edge of the world. The Core—Foundation—floated ahead, its presence quiet but heavy.
[TRIAL PROTOCOL: ACTIVATED]
Scenario: "Collapse"Simulated Zone: Subterranean Colony – Pop: 49Threat: Structural Failure – Cascading Tunnel CollapseGoal: Save as many lives as possible using limited materials and time-constrained blueprints
Time Remaining: 3.5 Sparks
That was… less than four in-world days.
The simulation snapped into place with a hard blink.
He stood at the center of a semi-developed tunnel network. Crude walls, haphazard shelter clusters, weak energy relays. The population? Digital phantoms—but each wore a face. Human enough to stir emotion.
The interface blinked red.
Collapse Origin Detected: Sector C2Failure Propagation: HighCasualty Projection: 62%
Blueprint Access: LIMITEDAvailable Inventory:
Modular Wall: 5 Units
Support Beams: 4
Digging Drone (Low Battery): 1
Emergency Comms Node: Damaged
Golem Unit: None
No miracles. No weapons. Just pressure, math, and time.
Cael scanned the map. There were three critical choke points—each could be reinforced, but he didn't have enough materials for all. Worse, every choice he made left someone unprotected.
He knelt and began modeling—projecting walls, assigning beams. Reinforce C2 first—absorb the collapse. Divert airflow to Sector D, seal off the faulty power grid. Block Sector B entirely?
That meant sacrificing seven workers.
The system pinged.
[MORAL CALCULATION NODE UNLOCKED]You may issue a Public Directive to the simulation.Choose tone:
A. Cold Efficiency ("There will be losses. Survive anyway.")B. Controlled Transparency ("Some of you will stay behind.")C. Hopeful Unity ("We survive together, or not at all.")
Cael stared at the options.
Then, with a breath, he chose B.
The phantoms didn't react. But something in the system shifted. Quiet approval, like gears clicking into place.
He issued the orders.
Drones activated. Virtual workers began sealing off sections. Walls rose. Tunnels dimmed.
As the timer reached its final quarter-Spark, the collapse hit.
The screen shook.
Stone fell.
And when the dust cleared…
Thirty-nine survived.
[TRIAL COMPLETE]Casualty Rate: 20.4%Blueprint Efficiency: 91%Decision Clarity: High
Core Trait Reinforced: Survival Through Precision
Reward:Blueprint Unlocked – Emergency Stabilizer Drone (Tier 1)System Mutation: MORAL NODE active in real-world interface
Cael staggered as the simulation dissolved.
He was back in the chamber, knees pressed to the glass floor.
He hadn't failed.
But he hadn't won cleanly either.
Foundation pulsed once—warm, steady.
"You chose to decide. That is what builds nations."
Cael stood.
He wasn't a ruler. Not yet. But he had made a decision that cost lives—even if they weren't real.
And the next time?
They would be.