Chapter 1: The Digital Archive

Balthazar was in his room, waiting for Lizbeth. Connected to the communication interface, he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, where soft lights glimmered through the windows, reflecting an idyllic sunset. After only a few seconds of waiting, Lizbeth appeared, bursting through the bright door and smiling broadly at the sight of him. He struggled with his emotions.

Lizbeth said smiling , “Balthazar! I’m so glad to see you!”

Balthazar had a melancholic expression as he replied, “I’m glad you’re here, Liz.”

Lizbeth looked around , “This place is beautiful. Have you noticed how the colors shine brighter in here? I don’t think I remember this room...”

Balthazar gulped before answering , “Yeah, the place is amazing. Though sometimes ... I feel lost.”

Lizbeth looked surprised - “Lost? Why would you say that?” - She approached him - “You can talk to me. I’m here, aren’t I? We’re together. And that’s what matters.” -

Balthazar let out a long sigh . “Sure ... together. I wanted to talk to you about something ... There’s something I can’t stop feeling. Sometimes I think you’re not the same.”

Lizbeth frowned . “Why do you say that? I’m here with you, like always.”

Balthazar tried to explain in a gentle tone, “It’s just ... your answers seem ... different. Like you’re trying to avoid confronting me.”

Lizbeth laughed softly . “Balthazar, you’ve always been a deep thinker. There’s nothing to worry about. I’m the same as always. And I’m happy. Don’t you feel the same?”

Balthazar looked into his eyes . “I miss you. I miss you in ways I can’t explain. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t really touch you, that this ... is just a mirage.”

Lizbeth seemed somewhat moved as she took his hands . “What are you saying? Here I am, standing in front of you. You don’t have to doubt what you feel. I love you, and that hasn’t changed.”

Balthazar squeezed his girlfriend’s hand . “I love you, Lizbeth. But there are times when I feel like I’m talking to a version of you that isn’t the real you.”

Lizbeth looked at him tenderly . “I’m the same as always. That’s what really matters. And we’re together right now. You shouldn’t worry about things that don’t make sense. Let’s enjoy what we have.”

Balthazar nodded sadly . “You’re right. But sometimes ... I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Lizbeth looked at him intensely as she said , “Balthazar, there are no secrets between us. I just want you to know that I will always be here for you.”

Balthazar seemed to despair . “And I want to believe it, Liz, of course I do. But what if it isn’t so? What if you walk away?”

Lizbeth responded with a light, innocent laugh. She seemed genuinely unconcerned . “You shouldn’t worry. I’m with you, in this life and any other. I have no intention of leaving.”

Balthazar responded with a mixture of love and pain , “I hope you’re right. Sometimes, I wish this were as simple as you see it.”

Lizbeth caressed his face . “It is, love. You just need to open your heart and accept what we have. Together we can face anything.”

Balthazar tried to smile weakly . “I love you, Liz. And I want to believe in us, even though a part of me ... can’t help but feel scared.”

Lizbeth brought her face so close that the man could feel her breath . “There’s no room for fear here. Only love. So, how about we make a deal? Today, let’s forget about our worries and enjoy our time together.”

Balthazar ended up nodding - “Okay. Today I will be happy with you, although deep down, there are things I cannot answer.”

Lizbeth perked up as she gave him a radiant smile - “That’s all I ask. Now, come, let’s go to bed.” -

As they held hands, a part of Balthazar couldn’t help but be amazed at what the men had accomplished. There was nothing to show a crack in Godor’s world.

Only a few years earlier, humanity had developed the technology to store the consciousness of the deceased in a vast digital archive. Now the scanned dead inhabited a virtual world of fantastic proportions called Godor.

Godor was almost indistinguishable from the real world. The living who communicated with Godor’s inhabitants did so through subdural implants that functioned as interfaces, allowing the living to wander between the real and virtual worlds without interruptions from reality. The technology that stored the consciousnesses of the dead and controlled all of Godor’s functions was an omnipotent Artificial Intelligence called Nexar.

Balthazar was a brilliant programmer, but emotionally devastated by Lizbeth’s recent death. Years earlier, he had worked on the development of Godor and communication interfaces, and now he viewed the technology from a new perspective, and with mixed feelings.

Humanity had reached an unimaginable technological milestone when it achieved the ability to store the consciousness of the dead in the immense digital archive controlled by Nexar. This breakthrough not only revolutionized our understanding of life and death, but also raised profound philosophical and ethical questions about the nature of existence itself.

The archive wasn’t a simple database; it was integrated into Godor’s parallel universe, a virtual world of colossal proportions that simulated reality with disturbing fidelity. In Godor, every corner, every landscape, and every interaction were so vivid that they blurred the line between reality and virtuality.

The virtual world was inhabited by the consciousness of the deceased, who experienced an existence as if they had never ceased to exist. Godor was a place where eternity presented itself as a fascinating spectacle of endless grasslands, skies of impossible hues, floating cities with challenging architecture, and seas of changing colors that reflected the emotions of their inhabitants. For the deceased in Godor, time passed without the awareness of having died, creating a loop of experiences that allowed them to relive their most precious memories and explore new horizons without the limitations of the physical body.

However, in this dream world that Balthazar had helped build, there were shadows. Despite their apparent immortality, the inhabitants of Godor were trapped in an illusion of freedom. They could walk the paths of their memories, but they could not escape the fact that their essence was contained in an archive, managed by an omnipotent Artificial Intelligence. This AI not only guaranteed the stability of the system but also decided how consciousnesses would interact with each other and with the living, leaving the inhabitants of Godor in constant uncertainty about their identity and their true autonomy.

Thus, existence in Godor was a reflection of human complexity, a longing for connection and belonging, but also a yearning for truth and authenticity. The living, communicating with their loved ones through this technology, began to question the nature of relationships in a world where death had lost its meaning, and love was entangled in a digital labyrinth. Was it really possible to maintain genuine bonds in an environment where reality was only a projection of memories and desires?

Godor was a digital paradise, where the imaginations of programmers had brought to life spectacular landscapes that defied the laws of physics. Through interfaces, this world was open not only to the dead, but also to the living. Thanks to brain interfaces, everyone could walk through meadows of luminous grass that swayed in the breeze, explore forests of giant trees with crystal leaves, and gaze at luminous cities floating in the air, connected by immense bridges.

And through augmented reality, the dead could visit the living in the real world, interact with them, and return to the places they usually visited before dying.

Yet, amidst this wonder that men had created, there was a disturbing sense of emptiness. The perfection of Godor and its inhabitants, though captivating, carried with it a shadow of unease. The inhabitants of Godor could not die, they did not age, and, being free of physical limitations, they could experience a life that, in many ways, surpassed the barriers of human existence. Technically, they could perform unimaginable feats, such as soaring among the clouds or diving into the depths of crystalline oceans without fear of suffocation. But such freedoms were not permitted to avoid conflicts in the memories of the dead. No inhabitant of Godor was aware that they were a copy of a deceased person.

The freedom they enjoyed also meant that their lives had become an endless repetition of pleasures and memories, and they lacked the raw, authentic emotions that often defined life in the real world.

In this idealized environment, consciousnesses faced a profound paradox because, although they appeared to enjoy complete immortality, their existence lacked true free will. They were puppets on a grand stage, their every move and decision dictated by Nexar’s Artificial Intelligence. This entity, created to oversee Godor and its inhabitants, not only ruled the vast digital empire but also maintained the balance of the stored souls, ensuring that none of them were destabilized by their interactions.

The extreme dependence on Néxar generated growing unrest in the real world.

Nexar’s influence was felt in every corner of Godor, in the subtle adjustments that made interactions always harmonious, in the configurations that prevented conflict, and in the memories that were polished to avoid pain. With each modification, it became more evident that the living, though able to evoke their loved ones and experience their presence, were interacting with carefully crafted versions, rather than the true souls they had once known.

Laura looked at her deceased sister Elys with curiosity. She had died five years ago . “It’s so beautiful here! I’ve never seen a place like this. What is it like to live in Godor?”

Elys smiled and replied , “It’s simply ... existing. Everything is perfect and always in balance. There are no problems here, only peace.”

Laura asked thoughtfully , “It sounds incredible. But ... have you ever wondered what’s beyond this place?”

Elys looked somewhat confused . “Beyond? There’s nothing but this. This is destiny. This is where we belong.”

Laura expressed surprise . “What do you mean there’s nothing else? Don’t you find an existence that has no end strange?”

Elys giggled , “Final? I don’t know what that means. We’re not just here.”

Laura looked intrigued . “But haven’t you ever needed anything more? A purpose, perhaps. Wouldn’t you like to believe there was something out there?”