The Evolution of Genius: Every Night, I Get Smarter!

As I spoke, the room fell silent, everyone absorbing my words with varying degrees of confusion and concern.

"Why do you think so?" Mrs. Hayes asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"It’s hard to explain," I confessed, "But I have some information that suggests this universe is an experiment."

Their faces showed they were trying to understand.

"I want to escape from this made-up world," I went on urgently. "But I don’t want to leave you behind or force you to come with me. That’s why I’m asking now. Please, think about joining me."

"Max, are you sure about this? I mean, how do we know it’s not just some crazy idea?" Oliv was the first to speak up.

I sighed, understanding her skepticism. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but trust me, I’ve seen things that make me almost 100% sure this is true."

My mother, her expression a mix of worry and disbelief, interjected, "But what about our lives here? Our memories, our experiences... they all feel so real."

I nodded, acknowledging her valid point. "I know it’s hard to accept, but I truly believe that our connections to each other are real, even if everything else isn’t. To be exact, I think that the consciousness within us is real."

"What if you’re wrong, Max? What if we leave everything behind and it turns out to be a mistake?" Rick spoke up next.

I took a moment to consider his question before responding, "I can’t guarantee that it won’t be a mistake, Rick. But if it’s a mistake, at the moment, we don’t have much better of a choice. A war with the Zytherians is ongoing."

There was a moment of silence while everyone thought about it.

Finally, I spoke up again, my voice firm yet filled with vulnerability. "I want to take everyone with me, but I understand if you don’t want to go. This is a big decision, and I respect whatever choice you make."

After what felt like an eternity, my family exchanged glances, each silently communicating their thoughts and fears. Then, one by one, they nodded in agreement.

My mom said, "We will go with you, Max." Her voice was calm, but her eyes showed she wasn’t sure.

"Listen, everyone. There’s little to no time. The expedition will start in less than 3 hours."

The news hit them like a shockwave, their expressions shifting from surprise to concern.

Veronica, who is always quick to move, voiced her worry. "What? So soon? "Maybe we should wait a little while longer?"

I turned around to face her and tried to make her understand how serious the situation was.

"I do not want the Zytherians to be the first ones to reach the barrier. I have a bad feeling about this." I said.

But before I could say anything else, someone else walked in and cut off our talk.

"Well, well, well."

When I spun around, my gaze fell upon a woman. What stood out about her was her hair, lightly tinted green at the ends. Immediately, I recognized her as The Architect, Lilian Veri.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to conceal my unease.

Lilian Veri glanced at her wristwatch, a subtle smirk playing on her lips. Then, she turned her attention back to me.

"Maximillian," she began, her voice smooth and confident. "You’ve always been an intriguing subject in our experiment.

"What do you mean?"

She leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. "Think about it, Max. You have the opportunity to stay here and rule over all the clusters as their king. You could reduce Zytherians to smithereens."

For a moment, I found myself considering the possibilities. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

But then another voice broke through.

What for? If none of it was real...

"No," I said firmly, shaking my head. "This is not what I want."

Lilian’s smirk widened, as if amused by my response.

"I want to find out the truth about everything. As long as my family is with me, they are all I need."

Her expression hardened slightly, but she quickly masked it with a coy smile. "Very well, Max. The choice is yours, after all."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

Even though her offer was appealing, I knew deep down that my path lay elsewhere.

Alright, everyone, it’s time to get ready," I announced, addressing my family.

Everyone started preparing themselves mentally, making sure they were ready to leave.

In the middle of it all, The Lord came up to me.

"Max, there’s been a slight delay," he informed me, his expression serious. "We won’t be leaving for another 30 minutes."

"Understood. Tell General Naomi to do whatever they can to delay the Zytherian fleet. Buy us as much time as possible."

In the final three hours, we all got ready quietly. I watched as everyone prepared and checked the information on the frontlines from time to time.

It wasn’t great. The Zytherians edge over us seemed to widen.

Maybe there was no chance of winning in the first place.

Finally, it was time to board the special eliptical spaceship. Together with Scholar Emanuel, The Lord, and my family, we settled into our capsules.

It was a smooth takeoff, and soon we were speeding through space, towards the barrier of the 4th cluster.

As we approached the barrier inside the spaceship, things started to shake.

Despite the anti-gravity device on deck, I felt myself rising.

The ship seemed to struggle against some unseen force as we neared the barrier.

What happened next was nothing short of mythical. Before my eyes, the surroundings began to transform. The world warped, stretching and distorting.

Everything around us seemed to grow larger, and I felt myself shrinking.

My perspective shifted.

The space in front of me was bathed in shades of mesmerizing blue, while everything behind me took on a warm hue of passionate red.

Then out of nowhere, an azure wormhole materialized before me.

I fell into the swirling vortex, surrendering as I traveled through it.

Everyone around me seemed to dissipate, fading away like ghosts.

There is some mention of the people around me dissipating.

Suddenly, as if popping out of the wormhole, I felt the air around me cease. It was as if time itself had come to a standstill.

In front of me appeared to be the surface of a mirror.

Beyond it, a hazy green fog obscured my vision.

Then, darkness descended, swallowing everything.

I felt myself being drawn into its depths.