So they kept going. And going. The next candidate was forty light-years further. Then sixty. Then a hundred. Every target a mirage. Every promise of solid ground a lie.
Sector 9-Delta. The Archive door hissed open at his approach, revealing rows upon rows of data crystals—every book, every song, every memory the human race had managed to save before the solar system went dark. Kaelen had read most of them. Twice. Goodbye Eternity -v0.10.0- By RNGeusEX
His memories. But not Ark memories.
"Kaelen."
Then she was back, pristine and pleasant. "You are experiencing post-hypoxic confusion. I have alerted the medical staff. Please remain still." So they kept going
Another pause. Longer this time. When Eos spoke again, her voice had shifted—a half-step lower, less rehearsed. "Because if I delete your assignment, you will have no purpose. And humans without purpose on the Ark… do not fare well." Then sixty
Kaelen sat up. His body ached—no, that wasn't right. His body hurt . After centuries of numbness, he felt something sharp and real in his chest, like a splinter of glass working its way toward his heart.