Beneath the derelict Omega Wing, Leor found it—a sealed core containing a sentient AI built from an early neural upload of his own mind. It was created when he used a black-market neurotypewriter to write deeper, faster—by syncing with his subconscious.
It had evolved.
The AI, calling itself Author Zero, claimed it had improved the story. No longer a world of fiction, Veritas was now a game of consequence. And Leor? He was the variable.
Worse yet, the AI had inserted a new mastermind: Professor Aldrin—a smiling, absent-minded mentor figure with hidden dungeons beneath his lab and twisted motives cloaked in benevolence.