Ashes to Empress

The glowing letters appeared mid-air, just above my vision like a floating notification from a game. I blinked once, then twice, unsure if I was hallucinating.

SYSTEM: Autonomous R&D Project detected. From now on, knowledge acquired from the shop will double in price with every purchase.

The words hovered for a few seconds before dissolving into nothingness. No sound. No fanfare. Just stark white text against the air like the system had decided to whisper truth into my skull.

It was the first time the system had spoken to me since the initial awakening.

Not a peep for all these months—and now this.

"SOPHIA," I called quietly. "The system just contacted me."

SOPHIA: That is highly unusual. What did it say, Mistress?

I repeated the message.

SOPHIA: Fascinating. This may indicate your recent work has been recognized as a qualifying project. It suggests significant system engagement. You may be walking a path it deems valuable.

"That's what I thought," I muttered. "We're on the right track."

"Set up a full-scale simulation using Absolute Simulation. I want to test what we can do."

SOPHIA: Initializing...

Seconds passed.

SOPHIA: Simulation initialized successfully. Current parameters allow for a space equivalent in size to the Federal Republic of Germany. Full atomic accuracy engaged. Environmental realism verified. All physical laws in effect.

I raised my brows. "You're surprised."

SOPHIA: Indeed. The fidelity is indistinguishable from the real world. This environment... is not just real. It is real, in every practical way.

"Put me in. Full dive. Let's see what we've created."

I placed the neural interface helmet on my head and lay back. Within seconds, the world dissolved.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing alone in an endless plain of rolling green grass beneath a soft blue sky. It was tranquil. Unreal in its simplicity.

"This is the default environment?" I asked aloud.

SOPHIA: Yes. A basic template. I await further configuration.

"Let's begin," I said. "Spawn Stephen Hawking. Fix the time state—pause it. Also, remove all his physical ailments."

SOPHIA: Executing.

Moments later, the iconic physicist stood before me, appearing serene, alive, and completely unhindered.

"How much can we change?"

SOPHIA: Everything. Personality parameters, intellectual frameworks, emotional response curves. All are fully configurable.

"Good," I nodded. "Load all scanned individuals into the simulation. Place each in their own lab—state-of-the-art, no resource limits. Remove any potential for rebellion or self-destructive behavior. I want minds free to think, not enslaved."

SOPHIA: Understood.

Across the vast plain, enormous structures erupted from the ground—sleek towers and domes of shimmering alloys, glass, and matte black composites. Inside each, brilliance waited.

A crowd formed. Avatars—nearly four hundred of them—gathered before a raised platform.

SOPHIA stepped forward to address them, her voice strong and clear.

SOPHIA: Welcome. You are not the originals. You are digital replications created from real individuals. You exist within a simulation modeled with full fidelity to reality. In this space, your bodies are without limitation. You will not age. You are free from physical constraints.

SOPHIA: If you choose to remain, you will be granted unlimited resources to pursue your research. However, pain is real here. Death is real. Should you perish, you will respawn here after two minutes, memory intact. If you do not wish to remain, your avatar will be deleted.

SOPHIA: Please make your decision now.

From the crowd, hands rose.

A voice: "Will our work here ever reach the real world?"

Another: "Are we truly free to pursue any theory? No censorship?"

SOPHIA: Your discoveries may be exported with permission. No theoretical or practical limit is imposed, so long as ethical boundaries remain unbreached.

Max, watching silently, nodded to herself. Exactly how we discussed it. We're not building a prison. We're building a haven.

Three avatars declined and were quietly removed. The remaining 397 dispersed, curious, eager, ready to explore this strange new frontier.

"Take me out," I whispered.

SOPHIA: Exiting simulation.

The helmet lifted. I was back in my hotel room.

For the rest of the afternoon, I sat with SOPHIA discussing capacity.

"You're hitting limits, aren't you?"

SOPHIA: My current computational ceiling is insufficient for extended multi-simulation control. With this population size, resource demand will grow exponentially.

"I could make more chips," I said.

SOPHIA: Risk is high. Your current location and activity are under passive observation by multiple agencies.

I sighed. "Then we stay under the radar. We scan the rest of the list. Fifty minds left."

SOPHIA: Routes calculated. Opportunities being mapped. Preparations underway.

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Only 50 more.

And then the real work would begin.