A dangerous thought arrived and settled comfortably: What if this isn't reality at all? What if everything is a simulation, a world where everything feels real but takes place inside a computational mechanism? If so, I can break it. I can undo it. I can save her.
Obsessive hands opened a new tab. I stayed up until the sky paled, devouring papers and forums and lectures. Simulation theory, hypothesis, papers about perception and memory, conspiracy threads that smelled like paranoia but thrummed with possibility. Each click confirmed my sense of exceptionality and my permission to act.
I called the others. They came over: Joel drifting in with the same half-smile, Vanzz like a taut wire, James fidgety as ever. I sat hunched over my desk, laptop open, pages of notes scattered everywhere. My eyes seemed lifeless, but my expression was sharper than ever. When my friends arrived, they found me waiting, serious, unreadable, as if I had already stepped into another world.
Me: "You're not going to believe what I'm about to say, but listen carefully: we are probably not living in base reality."
Vanzz (chuckling): "Oh, come on, Ducce. I know things have been hard for you, but this? These coping mechanisms will only drag you deeper."
James: "For real, bro. You're drowning yourself in internet theories. Go outside, breathe, do something normal."
Joel (leaning forward, unfazed): "Why are you both so surprised? Look at us. These powers we have don't fit physics. Not one bit. Go on, Ducce. Explain."
Vanzz and James exchanged uneasy looks. They weren't convinced, but Joel's calm acknowledgment forced them to listen.
Me: "Exactly, Joel. None of this makes sense under physical law. Abilities like ours should not exist in a reality governed by consistent universal laws. And think about the direction technology is heading, just a decade ago, games looked super unrealistic; now they feel almost real. Also consider the progression in AI technology, now most people rely on it for all sorts of works and projects, with the development in computational power, progress will continue rapidly, and if consciousness is understood as something that arises from biological interference, neurons being organised in a certain way to produce the feeling of subjective experience, we will eventually be able to replicate it. Which means one thing: if it's possible to simulate consciousness even once, then there are not one but billions of simulated worlds. Since if it can be done once, it is most likely it has been done before and we are a product of it on the journey of creating our own simulated world until the cycle keeps continuing. Statistically, we are almost certainly inside one of them right now if this theory is right"
James shifted uncomfortably. Vanzz frowned, his skepticism thinning but not gone.
Joel: "Even if you're right, Ducce, this is still our reality. What can we possibly do to influence the framework we're trapped in?"
Me: "That's what I thought at first. But here's the catch: if consciousness is fundamental, if it can't be copied perfectly, then this world isn't a true simulation in the sense that everything about us being simulated, including consciousness, it's likely a virtual construct where our consciousness has been integrated. Which means our real bodies are elsewhere, in base reality, while we exist here in a manufactured state. And our powers? They aren't random. They could be experiments. Or entertainment. Either way, our powers prove we matter, cause as far as we know we are the only ones with power, so it's most likely that we aren't just random characters in the simulation, but they also indicate we are not in base reality. This theory seems more reliable cause how can no conscious elements give birth to consciousness of this level, it's probably more like micro consciousness coming together to form a bigger one, our biological structure giving it a richer form"
Vanzz: "Even if that's true, then what? What are we supposed to do? Live with the knowledge? Start breaking things?"
Me: "If the theory is right, then yes, we can crack the system. How? By overstimulating consciousness or at least conscious-like behavior until the framework collapses. Look around; most people may not even be fully conscious. If chaos spreads, absolute chaos, the system could overload and force a break, since it takes a great deal of computational power to keep the conscious like beings functioning."
James: "Or… hear me out, we just off ourselves. That would be faster, that's if this is a virtual reality and our real bodies are in a different world"
Me (shaking my head): "I thought about that too. But if our avatars are linked to our real bodies, dying here could kill us there. Suicide isn't an escape; it's a risk we can't afford."
Joel (quietly, almost resigned): "Reality or not, it feels like we're built only to suffer. What if base reality is no different?"
Me (sighing, my voice breaking for a moment): "Then I'd rather suffer on my own terms. I'd rather shape this world into something I can control than stay powerless in a cage someone else designed or at least try."
Vanzz: "Fine. But even if none of it is true, the feelings we experienced are real and that should be enough to not burn the whole thing down."
James: "I agree with Vanzz. But I also get where you're coming from, Ducce. Either way, we need more proof before we gamble with… everything."
Joel (narrowing his eyes): "You're all overlooking something. If this is a simulation, then it's probably being monitored. Every move we make, every decision, it could be scripted already. If so, chaos won't break us free. We'll either be stopped, or we'll do exactly what they expect us to do."
Ducce: "Maybe. But we won't know until we try something that truly changes the course of events."
Joel: "…So, chaos."
Ducce (smiling grimly): "Exactly. Absolute chaos. Are you in?"
Vanzz hesitated, torn in two.
Vanzz: "My instincts are split. Part of me wants to stand with you, but the other part screams to back off. Because even if this world isn't real, even if the people around us may not be 'real,' I feel a deep connection with my mom, my dad, my sister, my friends, my girlfriend, and the feelings are real. I won't gamble their lives on a theory. I won't risk their safety for an outcome none of us can guarantee."