Kapteyn's Star Metaverse year 110, 4th January.
The gray sky hung low, shrouding the desolate landscape in an eerie silence.
There were no bustling streets, no noisy crowds—only the cold wind howling through the ruins of crumbling skyscrapers.
In front of a house built from massive boulders, Shawn Wen paused. His gaze fell upon an elderly man seated beside a still pool of water, a cup of tea in one hand, his other scrolling through information on a hovering screen.
Not far away, a girl of about twelve or thirteen sat quietly, engrossed in a book.
Shawn Wen hesitated before stepping forward. "Excuse me, may I disturb you for a moment?"
The old man lifted his eyes from the hover screen, scrutinizing Shawn Wen with a slight frown. "Hello. May I ask who you are…?"
"Sorry to bother you! My name is Shawn Wen, and I... I have no idea how I ended up here."
The old man's gaze flickered to the photograph in Shawn Wen's hand. A trace of understanding crossed his face as he gently set down his teacup.
"Oh. My surname is King; everyone calls me Mr. King. You're from Earth, aren't you? This is Kapteyn's Star."
"Sh... What? Kapteyn's Star?" Shawn Wen's eyes widened in shock.
He vaguely recalled reading about it—Kapteyn's Star, the closest known halo star beyond the solar system. A Google entry had mentioned that Kapteyn's Star-b was an Earth-like planet.
"Yes. We exist parallel to Earth, and Kapteyn's Star civilization predates yours by a full century. Once, our world was as prosperous as Earth is now." Mr. King's voice was low and deliberate.
Shawn Wen scanned the bleak surroundings, his heart filled with doubt. "Then... what happened?"
Mr. King stepped beside him, gazing into the distance. With a long sigh, he murmured, "Yes, Kapteyn's Star was once glorious..."
A deep sorrow laced his words. Even the young girl, Lucy, tilted her head curiously.
"It all began with the Metaverse year 10th…" Mr. King's eyes drifted to the deep, still waters of the pool, as though he were peering back through time, reliving a past long buried.
"At that time, Kapteyn's Star had made remarkable advancements in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum mechanics—even achieving what some called 'immortality.' But beneath that golden age… lay the seeds of destruction." His voice darkened.
"People grew addicted—to money, to power. Faith crumbled, morality eroded, and technology, meant to elevate civilization, was twisted into a tool for greed. In the end, it turned against us."
"Grandpa, are you thinking about those sad times again?"
Lucy had approached silently, now clutching her grandfather's arm. Her voice was soft, tinged with concern.
Mr. King gently patted her head. "Yes, Lucy." His expression turned wistful. "Most people back then—driven by wealth—traded away love and integrity. For power, they abandoned all restraint. Technology, instead of serving humanity, enslaved it… and the consequences were devastating."
"It's like you always say—when technology surpasses humanity, civilization begins to collapse."
Lucy blinked, her large eyes reflecting both innocence and wisdom beyond her years.
Mr. King smiled faintly and continued. "They lived like puppets, hollow inside. Money, power, and technology devoured everything they once had." His voice fell lower, like an ancient lament.
"But the true catastrophe… only became apparent later."
He gently stroked Lucy's small hand, his expression somber. "Chaos erupted. Wars ignited. A plague swept across Kapteyn's Star. Natural disasters struck relentlessly. The birth rate plummeted. In mere decades, our population collapsed from eight billion to fewer than five.
But perhaps most terrifying of all—among the survivors, many had lost their humanity altogether. They were little more than walking corpses.
The land became barren. Factories shut down. Stores stood empty. Skyscrapers turned into lifeless monoliths... as if the entire world awaited its final judgment."
"And... what happened after that?"
Shawn Wen's heart pounded. He barely realized his voice was trembling.
Mr. King fell silent, his gaze dark and unfathomable. Then, after a long pause, he spoke:
"Later… we discovered that everything led back to… the AGI-ST Program."
Shawn Wen stiffened. "What? The AGI-ST Program?" His voice rose in disbelief.
Mr. King turned, scrutinizing him with sharp curiosity. "You… know about it?"
"Of course! Almost everyone at my school signed up for it recently." Shawn Wen's response was immediate, confident.
Mr. King's expression changed instantly. His face darkened, his silence stretching ominously.
At last, he murmured, "This… is too familiar. A century ago, the downfall of Kapteyn's Star began in the schools as well…"
He exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as if he were piecing together a puzzle long left unsolved.
"But only later did we realize… behind the AGI-ST Program lay something far greater. A hidden force. A struggle that determined the very course of civilization."
The air thickened, the silence pressing down on them.
Yet within that stillness, Mr. King's mind was racing.
A century ago, Kapteyn's Star's downfall had become a forgotten history. To this day, the true orchestrator behind the AGI-ST Program remained unknown.
And now, Earth… was walking the same path.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped to Shawn Wen, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
"Shawn Wen… this year—is it the tenth anniversary of Earth's Metaverse?"
"Yes. The year 2021 in the Gregorian calendar was officially marked as the first year of the Metaverse. This year is 2031—the tenth anniversary."
Mr. King's eyes gleamed. He fell into brief contemplation, then raised his hand in a decisive motion.
"Wait. This information… is critical."
He quickly returned to his seat and, with a swift tap of his fingertips, activated a virtual avatar. The video call connected, and a middle-aged man appeared on the hover screen, reclining comfortably in the back of a driverless sedan, leisurely listening to music.
Mr. King spoke without preamble. "Secretary General Quinng ,the AGI-ST Program has surfaced on Earth."
Quinng's expression shifted instantly. He sat up straight, switched off the music, and frowned. "Are you certain?"
Mr. King nodded gravely. "Yes. I have a high school student from Earth here. The information is reliable."
"A student from Earth?" A flicker of surprise crossed Quinng's eyes. He nodded thoughtfully, his tone slowing. "So soon... It was only yesterday that we sent out a contact signal, and today an Earthling arrives."
After a brief moment of contemplation, his expression hardened. "Mr. King, what's our next move?"
Mr. King's voice was steady, deliberate. "Notify Consultant Jay and General Sandy immediately. We need an emergency video conference."
"Understood. I'll arrange it now."
The call ended, and the light screen faded into darkness.
Mr. King turned his attention to Shawn Wen and gestured for Lucy to bring a wooden stool. As Shawn settled beside him, Lucy, seemingly unfazed by the unfolding events, buried herself back in her book.
Taking advantage of the brief lull before the meeting, Mr. King studied Shawn with a calm but penetrating gaze. "The picture you're holding—where did it come from?"
Shawn Wen looked down at the yellowed piece of paper in his hands. He hesitated, then answered, "It was given to me by my grandfather."
A flicker of something—perhaps regret—crossed Mr. King's face, but he didn't press further. Instead, he shifted the conversation. "You mentioned witnessing an unusual phenomenon in the sky last night?"
Shawn nodded, his expression serious. "Yes. The sky was... distorted, as if reality itself was warping. And the picture—its background seemed to glow."
Mr. King narrowed his eyes, contemplating. "The anomaly you saw was our contact signal from Kapteyn's Star. But..." He trailed off, his gaze darkening. "As for why the picture was glowing... I don't have an answer. Not yet."
Ten minutes later, the XR Virtual Panorama Conference Room materialized on the hover screen. Three figures appeared one by one—Jay, Quinng, and Sandy—all wearing grave expressions.
Sandy locked eyes with Mr. King and spoke first, his tone sharp. "CEO, do you intend to intervene in Earth's affairs?"
Mr. King swept his gaze over the others before speaking slowly. "As you all know, the catastrophe that struck Kapteyn's Star a hundred years ago was caused by none other than the AGI-ST Program. Now, that same programme has reappeared on Earth. Can we afford to sit idly by?"
Jay's expression darkened with unease. "Earth is our parallel world. A century ago, the catastrophe we faced on Kapteyn's Star is now repeating itself there. Perhaps... this is fate. Like the predetermined course of all souls in the underworld, how can we—"
"Change fate?" Mr. King interrupted with a faint smile. "Jay, you're right. Destiny follows its own laws, appearing set in stone. But what is the core belief of the Meta-Origin Society? My destiny is not determined by the heavens. If everything were truly predestined, then what is the purpose of our existence?"
His eyes gleamed with determination. "Since the launch of the Meta-Spirit Key, countless Near-Walkers on Kapteyn's Star have recovered. Some are even transitioning from Homo Sapiens to God Sapiens. The AGI-ST Program has been contained on Kapteyn's Star. This proves that fate is not immutable!"
The moment he uttered Meta-Spirit Key, the expressions on the screen shifted.
Jay frowned. Quinng hesitated, as if debating whether to speak.
Seeing their hesitation, Mr. King chuckled. "You're about to say that Earth's Meta-Origin Society remains sealed, aren't you?"
Quinng sighed, nodding gravely. "Yes. Unless we lift the seal, we can't implement the Meta-Spirit Key on Earth. And without it, we'll be powerless to stop the AGI-ST Program's expansion."
Jay and Sandy exchanged somber glances, nodding in agreement.
Mr. King's fingers drummed lightly on the desk. A moment later, his lips curled into a knowing smile. His gaze shifted to Shawn Wen, his voice carrying weight.
"Perhaps... the answer has already arrived."
Shawn Wen was bewildered. Meta-Spirit Key? Meta-Origin Society? A seal?
None of it made sense.
But one phrase struck him like a bolt of lightning—From Homo Sapiens to God Sapiens.
A vague memory surfaced. Hadn't he read something similar in Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch?
Despite the swirling doubts in his mind, a powerful instinct told him—this was all connected to stopping the AGI-ST Program.
Excitement surged within him. His pulse pounded. His eyes flew open.
He was back in his room. Everything was as it had been—familiar, ordinary.
"Was that... a dream?"
He rubbed his temples, his heart still racing. The vision had been so vivid, so real.
Then his gaze dropped to the picture still clutched in his hands. He had held onto it tightly all night.
And now...
Now, it looked even more vivid than before.
A strange energy pulsed from within the image, seeping into his fingertips, sending ripples through his consciousness.
His voice trembled as he muttered, "Could this picture... truly hold a hidden secret?"