CHAPTER 12 – The World That Pretends
Many years ago, in a distant village far away from the noise of cities, there lived a boy named Maro.
Maro was a simple shepherd. Every day, from early morning until sunset, he guided his sheep across open fields, watching over them with care. His life was poor, quiet, and lonely, but peaceful. Not far from his home stretched a vast green meadow. Tall grass swayed gently in the wind, colorful flowers bloomed along the edges, and at the center stood a massive ancient tree whose shadow covered half the field.
Maro loved that tree. He often sat beneath it, resting his back against its trunk. Sometimes, while watching his sheep graze, he would slowly fall asleep.
That day, he slept beneath the tree once again.
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
"Do you want an apple?"
Maro opened his eyes in surprise. Sitting beside him was a girl he had never seen before. She was incredibly beautiful, almost unreal.
"Umm… who are you? What are you doing here?"
The girl smiled softly.
"I was watching your sheep."
As Maro shifted his position, his eyes caught something behind her back.
Wings.
Large white wings folded calmly behind her.
His heart skipped.
She was not human.
She was an angel.
"Don't be afraid," she said gently. "I won't hurt you."
Even so, fear crawled into Maro's chest. Since childhood, he had heard terrifying stories about angels capturing humans and taking them away forever.
"Please… don't hurt me," Maro begged. "I'm very poor. If I die, my mother will be all alone. Please!"
The girl suddenly laughed.
"Hahahaha! You look really cute when you're scared."
Maro blinked.
"What do you mean?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"My name is Marry. And don't worry. I promise I won't harm you."
Slowly, Maro's fear faded. He took a deep breath. Marry handed him an apple.
Maro hesitated, then accepted it and took a bite.
They talked for a long time.
They spoke about the fields, the village, the sky, and things Maro had never seen before. Marry listened closely, fascinated by the human world. Maro forgot, for a moment, that she was an angel.
As evening fell, Maro stood up.
"I should go now," he said. "But I'll come back tomorrow."
Marry smiled warmly.
And Maro did come back.
Every day, he returned to the meadow. Every day, Marry waited for him beneath the tree.
Days passed. Weeks passed.
They grew closer. Their conversations became deeper. Their laughter softer. Without realizing when it happened, love quietly formed between them.
Maro knew the truth would never be accepted. If the villagers ever found out he loved an angel, everything would be destroyed.
So he made a decision.
He would take Marry far away, to a distant city where no one knew them.
One night, Marry asked him to meet her.
"Please come tonight," she said.
Maro agreed.
Under the darkness of night, they met again. Marry hugged him tightly. She kissed him. Maro felt emotions he had never felt before.
But they were not alone.
Someone saw them.
A villager.
The man ran, shouting, gathering others.
Before Maro could understand what was happening, they were surrounded. Hands grabbed him. Voices screamed accusations.
"He's a devil!" someone shouted.
In their minds, only a devil could fall in love with an angel.
They tied Marry with ropes. They prepared fire.
Maro was locked inside a room. From there, he watched everything.
"Please stop!" he screamed. "Let her go! Please!"
No one listened.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open.
Angels descended from above.
Chaos erupted.
Houses burned. Flames spread. The angels destroyed the village and rescued Marry.
But they did not return to their world.
Instead, they opened a gate to another realm.
Marry had committed a sin.
She had tried to form a physical relationship with a human.
She begged the angels.
"Please forgive me."
But forgiveness was not possible.
A massive gate opened.
Behind it stood thousands of devils.
Marry was thrown inside.
Her punishment was eternal.
Maro watched in horror. His legs gave out. He collapsed.
He loved her.
But there was nothing he could do.
Marry's screams echoed endlessly.
Maro covered his ears with both hands.
The screams did not stop.
The story ended there.
The classroom was silent.
Gabriel stood at the front, having told the story aloud. The students looked traumatized. The teacher cleared his throat.
"That's enough. Go sit down."
Someone whispered,
"Hey Gabriel… where did you hear this story?"
Gabriel replied calmly,
"I made it myself."
"Oh…"
Another voice asked,
"But Gabriel, what happened to Noir?"
At that moment, Noir regained consciousness.
He was lying in his own room.
Everything before felt like a dream.
But in reality, those were Gabriel's memories.
Somehow, Noir had entered Gabriel's body.
His voice, his face, his surroundings felt unfamiliar.
He felt alone.
He didn't know where this simulation ended or what awaited him next.
Noir turned on Gabriel's laptop and searched through it. Eventually, he found a folder with text inside.
"Hi. I'm Gabriel.
If you're reading this right now, please wake up.
Nothing is real.
Everything is fake. Fake. Fake.
I know it's probably too late, but still…
Wake up."
Noir whispered to himself,
"Fake? Why fake? Everything feels connected. Rara said the same thing… then they took her away. What did she find out?"
Knock. Knock.
The door opened.
The same police force entered.
A gunshot.
Gabriel's father fell.
Another shot.
Gabriel's mother collapsed.
A man aimed his gun at Noir.
Noir felt something awaken inside him.
He knew what would happen next.
He took a deep breath and said,
"Fuck off."
The man turned to ash.
Memories flooded his mind.
A headset.
A chair.
Wires.
A voice.
"Congratulations, Gabriel. From today, you are officially an Artificial Intelligence."
To be continued...