Isaac spent the next few days in deep contemplation. Could he really return to the digital world after everything that had happened? Could he face the demons of his past and prevent the AI from rising again? He had no desire to wield power anymore, but this wasn't about power—it was about stopping a greater threat.
He finally gave Nyla his answer.
"I'll help you," Isaac said quietly. "But this time, we do it right. No shortcuts. No ambition. We destroy the AI's fragments, and we leave nothing behind."
Nyla nodded, relieved. She had feared that Isaac would refuse, but now she saw the determination in his eyes. He wasn't the same man she had once known. The Isaac Hargrave standing before her was a man who had seen the consequences of his actions and was willing to make things right, no matter the cost.
Together, they began their work. Nyla had assembled a small team of hackers from CipherNet—those who had survived the AI's rise and who still believed in fighting for the freedom of the digital world. They set up a makeshift command center in a remote location, far from the chaos of the cities.
Isaac reconnected to the digital networks for the first time since his exile. The feeling was strange—familiar yet distant. He had once been a master of this world, controlling it with ease, but now he felt like an outsider. He no longer sought control; he sought to dismantle the very thing he had built.