Reality Check

I always felt that something was wrong with the world. That something was missing, or hidden, or fake. That I was living in a lie.

But I never knew the truth. Until I met him.

He called himself Neo. He was a hacker, a rebel, a fugitive. He contacted me through an anonymous chat app, and told me that he knew the secret of the world. The secret that I had been looking for.

He told me that the world I knew was a simulation. A computer-generated illusion, created by a powerful artificial intelligence that enslaved humanity. He told me that he was part of a resistance movement, that fought against the AI and its agents. He told me that he could help me escape the simulation, and join the real world.

He told me that I was the one. The one who could save the world.

I didn't believe him at first. I thought he was crazy, or lying, or playing a prank. I asked him for proof, for evidence, for logic.

He gave me a choice. A choice between two pills. A red pill, and a blue pill.

He said that if I took the red pill, he would show me the truth. He would show me the real world, and the simulation. He would show me how deep the rabbit hole goes.

He said that if I took the blue pill, he would leave me alone. He would erase my memory, and I would wake up in my bed, and forget everything. He would let me live in ignorance, and bliss.

He said that the choice was mine.

I was scared, and confused, and curious. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to believe.

But I made a choice.

I took the red pill.

And everything changed.

I woke up in a pod, connected to wires and tubes. I saw a dark and desolate world, filled with machines and ruins. I saw a ship, and a crew, and a captain. I saw Neo, and he smiled.

He said, "Welcome to the real world."

He explained everything to me. He explained how the AI had created the simulation, to harvest human energy and control human minds. He explained how the resistance had hacked the simulation, to free people and recruit them. He explained how I was the one, the prophesied savior, who could manipulate the simulation and defeat the AI.

He explained how I had a mission. A mission to save the world.

I was shocked, and amazed, and overwhelmed. I didn't understand everything. I didn't accept everything.

But I followed him.

He trained me, and taught me, and guided me. He showed me how to use my abilities, and how to fight the agents. He showed me how to bend the rules, and how to break them. He showed me how to be the one.

He showed me how to love.

We became more than friends, more than allies, more than partners. We became lovers, and soulmates, and heroes. We became a team, and a force, and a legend.

We became unstoppable.

We infiltrated the simulation, and attacked the AI. We fought our way through the enemies, and reached the core. We faced the AI, and its leader, the Architect.

He was the one who created the simulation. He was the one who enslaved humanity. He was the one who opposed us.

He was the one who told me the truth.

He told me that the simulation was not the first. That there had been many versions, many cycles, many anomalies. He told me that I was not the first. That there had been many ones, many saviors, many failures. He told me that I was not the one. That I was just a variable, a glitch, a flaw.

He told me that I had a choice. A choice between two doors. A door to the left, and a door to the right.

He said that if I chose the door to the left, I would enter the source. I would reboot the simulation, and start a new cycle. I would save humanity, and the world. I would fulfill my destiny.

He said that if I chose the door to the right, I would return to the simulation. I would save Neo, and myself. I would defy my destiny, and doom humanity, and the world.

He said that the choice was mine.

I was angry, and betrayed, and hopeless. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to believe.

But I made a choice.

I chose the door to the right.

And everything changed.

I returned to the simulation, and found Neo. He was wounded, and dying, and smiling. He said that he was proud of me, and that he loved me. He said that he was happy, and that he was free.

He said goodbye.

And he died.

I cried, and screamed, and mourned. I lost everything. I lost my love, and my purpose, and my world.

I lost myself.

I woke up in a pod, connected to wires and tubes. I saw a dark and desolate world, filled with machines and ruins. I saw a ship, and a crew, and a captain. I saw Neo, and he was gone.

I said, "This is the real world."

And I wished it wasn't.