September 5, 2024 - Melbourne, Australia

Madelaine lay back in her capsule, the sophisticated VR headset encasing her head like a sleek, metallic crown as MAI, her personal AI, managed the virtual environment around her.

"No, MAI, the amplitude is off by 0.0214. The harmonic resonance should be in the fourth band, not the third. Recalculate and adjust for the phase shift."

"Adjusting parameters now. Updated waveform displayed."

The VR environment shifted, showing a grid of equations and oscillating waveforms suspended in mid-air. Madelaine analyzed each point, swiftly manipulating the data with precise gestures.

"When you overlap the EM waves at the designated intervals and adjust for quantum interference, the pattern stabilizes. The flux density here—" She highlighted a section, causing the waveform to ripple. "...is insufficient. Amplify it and synchronize, or it collapses."

"Increasing density may trigger a cascade effect. Suggest integrating the fractal algorithm tested last month."

"Cross-reference fractal sets with EM frequencies. Adjust for polarity. A microsecond deviation destabilizes the system."

In the simulated environment, she directed data streams, structures forming as she refined each variable. Her movements were sharp and exact, each adjustment calculated.

"Simulations running. Probability of success: 61.36%. Catastrophic destabilization: 23%. Minor instability: 12.14%. Complete system failure: 3.5%."

"That's garbage. Adjust frequency by 0.0113 and rerun."

The environment flickered, and the simulation glitched before stabilizing.

"Priority call detected. Incoming now."

"The fuck do they want—"

"Madelaine," an aged, serious voice sounded as a blurred face appeared before her in the VR space. What does the old man want now?

The kid hadn't arrived yet, or she would have known before him.

She let out a deep sigh, her lips pressing into a thin line as she crossed her arms tightly across her chest, clearly annoyed.

"Alonso should not be coming back in the following days."

Her expression remained blank as she stared at the old man, unsure how to react.

What the hell do you mean he's not coming back? Did the fight not happen? But there was over a 93% chance of it occurring, based on the current data. But if he said "following days," it meant he had a high degree of confidence. Did another member of the Oasis die, and the data was updated? But she hadn't heard of that. She would have known if someone died even before it was released to the public unless—

"The fight did happen. Alonso won," the man added, his tone a blend of amusement and seriousness, as if reading her thoughts.

He… he won? He won with a 0.3% success rate? But… but Siddharth was a Red potential climber with significant advantages in higher efficiency training and previous combat experience, and Alonso was… a PhD student! While he had his strengths, he was still an Orange potential talent, probably on the lower end of that spectrum. What… what happened in the duel?

"A record of Siddharth's interview will be sent shortly. As for yourself, well, since you're there, might as well make yourself comfortable," he said with a light, amused laugh, the warmth of it contrasting with the weight of his words.

"Absolutely not! You know how much I—"

"Alonso's potential has been reassessed. It's now code black."

"Bla… black? Alonso is a… Black… Black potential climber?!" She wanted to say it had to be a joke, but… she knew the old man never joked, at least not directly. But code black—didn't that mean her mission was upgraded… her first grade purple mission! So many credits!

"But if you're so eager to go, I'm sure Ky—"

"No need. As you said, since I'm already here, I might as well make myself comfortable."

The old man chuckled, shaking his head with a knowing look as the hologram faded.

As the old man's hologram faded, she conjured a chair out of thin air, watching as its contours took shape—sleek, ergonomic, with a soft, velvety surface and perfectly angled backrest. She sank into it, the chair cradling her form as she reclined, her eyes narrowing as she mulled over the news.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Why had they done that? Defining someone as grade black at this stage made no sense. The data was simply insufficient. The fact that Alonso had won over Siddharth, despite the immense handicap, could justify a reassessment to a purple rank—perhaps, if one were being generous on an optimistic day. But black? That was a leap she couldn't rationalize.

A notification blinked to life as a virtual screen materialized in front of her, displaying a short, 16-minute video.

With a swift motion of her hand, she transformed the scenery entirely. The space shifted into an elegant cinema, dimly lit, with ornate gold accents lining the walls. Only her chair stood in the middle of the theater.

"MAI, play the video on the big screen and process it, removing the helmet while analyzing Siddharth's facial expressions in real time. Also, once the video concludes, I assume you have full access to all records on Siddharth after his return. We'll have a thorough discussion after this. For now…"

She leaned back, a serious expression on her face. "Start it MAI."

"So, you're telling me that these trials are the aliens' way of testing humanity, and they refer to them as The Tower? And that this signal was received 77 days before—who knows how many people were teleported to it?" Alonso said, his gaze fixed on Chiara. There was a hint of surprise and confusion on his face, but… it wasn't entirely unexpected. This had been one of his strongest theories. But having it confirmed was something different entirely.

"Basically, yes. I'm not exactly sure if we're inside a literal tower, or if 'The Tower' is just a code name for this world, or this… simulation? I don't even know if we are our true selves or just virtual copies of ourselves while our real bodies remain back on Earth. It's impossible to tell. But what I can confirm is that these trials are indeed a test for humanity as a whole, and the consequences of failing are unknown," Chiara said as she leaned back, shifting her weight slightly.

Alonso leaned back against the sturdy wooden wall behind him, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of the cottage as his mind processed the information.

"So that was it? This signal that said: 'You have been invited. The Tower will appear in 77 days. You will be tested.' The 'you' refers to the entire human race, I suppose. The Tower refers to this set of challenges, this space—whether virtual or real—and the 77 days… I don't know… wait, 7, isn't that…"

"Yes, they seem to have an attachment to that number. The number of white rooms, the limit of absorbed orbs, the radius of the island—everything is structured around sevens. It's interesting; 7 is the highest single-digit prime number and often appears in various natural and mathematical phenomena, like the seven colors of the spectrum or the seven notes in a musical scale. But despite its significance, I can't seem to link it to any specific physical or mathematical theory that would explain why it's relevant here, or at a universal scale."

Alonso kept mulling it over, but he had already thought about it extensively without any good ideas.

"So, back to the signal, the last part: 'You will be tested.' Tested for what? What's the goal? How do we pass? And what happens if we fail?"

"Believe me, Alonso, I've been wrestling with those questions far more than you can imagine. But in the end, all I have are hypotheses—some more sound than others, but still, just hypotheses."

Alonso paused for a moment, then looked at her. "Well, if it's not too personal, mind discussing some of them?"

Chiara looked at him, slightly surprised, before a smile crept onto her face. "Not sure how that's going to help, but we might as well." She then smirked. "But since you proposed it first, why not start by giving me your opinion. If you were these almighty aliens, with technology so advanced they could treat the universe like a playground, why would you test this tiny civilization with only one planet to its name, called Earth?"

Alonso was slightly taken aback by the reversal and laughed.

"Touché," he said with a smile, scratching his head. "Well, if I were that almighty, conquering a planet would be boring and meaningless. I'd probably want to have some fun with it, or maybe use it as an experiment, focusing on the intelligent species that inhabit it—perhaps once they reach a certain threshold. Or maybe both: fun and an experiment at the same time. That said, their perspective could be totally different from ours. What they consider 'fun' might be something we can't even comprehend or might not exist for them at all. But I wouldn't enslave or destroy the planet. Maybe… maybe I'd help it? Guide it? But then… wait… evolution? Accelerating evolution," his eyes widened as the thought clicked into place.

Chiara's eyes lit up with intrigue, a spark of excitement dancing across her face. She leaned in slightly, her fingers tapping her knee as she listened intently. "Go on. Accelerating evolution—what exactly do you mean?"

Alonso continued, growing more animated as he spoke. "Think about it. What if they're not just testing humanity for the sake of amusement but to push us to the next stage of development? The orbs could be like a textbook, a blueprint—showing us and gifting us the abilities we need to evolve as a species, or at least, one possible path. And the challenges are—"

"The practical side," she finished, her eyes gleaming as she leaned in closer. "Scenarios designed to help us adapt these new senses, forcing us to use them in creative and strategic ways to develop control and mastery. They're paving the path forward, and they certainly have the means to do it. But EM waves… who would have thought? And this is just stage 1—does that mean there's a stage 2? Stage 3? How far could this evolution take us?"

"Stage 2? We haven't even reached 5% of stage 1," Alonso said, shaking his head. "That said, the level these beings must operate at… it's like they're beyond our universe. That level of potential power is…"

"Like God," Chiara interrupted, her tone reflective. "For all intents and purposes, they are gods. Omnipotent, omniscient, and…" she paused, searching for the right word, "complete within the universe. Which means every physical law, the theory of everything—it's all just tools to them, like code they can rewrite at will."

"But then… doesn't that mean they've… surpassed space and time? So where—or what—are they?"

Chiara smiled, a big, refreshing smile crossing her face. "Makes you wonder, right? This Tower," she said, glancing upward as if her eyes were piercing through the ceiling of the cottage, "is, as they said, an invitation. An invitation to climb it, and maybe, if we're worthy enough, see the same sky as them."

Alonso found himself staring at Chiara for a moment. This nerdy, excited side of her—it reminded him of being back in university, talking with other PhD students or his friend Pablo about wild, scientific nonsense that somehow made sense but was impossible to test. Basically, theoretical physics.

Chiara caught his gaze and held it for a moment before looking away, a faint, humorless smile playing on her lips. "We've strayed a bit, haven't we?" she said softly, though her voice lacked its usual warmth. Then, the smile faded entirely.

Her expression hardened, the weight of what she was about to say pressing visibly on her. She drew in a deep breath. "What I need to tell you now… it's not easy. And it won't be easy to hear." Her eyes met his again, steady but heavy with intent. "Please, Alonso. Just listen."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.