Some truths do not explode when spoken. They sink. The palace remained endless, endless and unmoving. Yet after God's question what happens when everyone wakes up the silence inside the hall was no longer neutral.
It was disturbed. The shogi pieces moved quietly across the board, but with every move, the air grew heavier. Ayoto pushed his pawn forward.
"When they wake," he said calmly, "they will finally understand that what they believed to be real… never was."
A low murmur passed through the thrones.
One of the watcher-creatures spoke, its voice uncertain, "If nothing was real… then what are we?"
Ayoto did not look up.
"You are thoughts," he replied, "Existing inside a dream."
A chill spread through the palace, as if something cold had crawled along its spine.
Another creature leaned forward.
"And when everyone wakes up… what happens then?"
Ayoto answered without hesitation, "This entire Eternal Mega-Omniverse will end."
God's hand hovered above the board.
"End," God repeated slowly, "You're saying… an end?"
Ayoto moved his piece.
"An end," he said, "But not the first one."
Several beings shifted on their thrones. For the first time, eternity felt fragile. A watcher asked, almost whispering, "How long have you two been playing this game?"
God smiled faintly, "96373829029837467482902109374748399374674849492010101029838849493929764950402100384884 years," he said, "Or perhaps longer. I stopped counting."
The creature scoffed nervously, "That's absurd."
God adjusted a piece on the board.
"I joke when I'm bored," he replied, "I am not bored now."
Ayoto stared at the board.
"Every time everyone wakes," he said, "everything ends."
"And then?" someone asked.
Ayoto paused.
"Then," he continued, "we begin again."
Something crazy not in sound, but in understanding. God looked at Ayoto.
"This time," he asked quietly, "who wakes up first?"
Ayoto did not answer immediately. He moved another pawn.
"This time," he said, "the one who wakes… will also awaken the others."
God's gaze sharpened.
"Kumar," Ayoto said.
The name spread through the palace like a vibration. Simple yet unbearable.
"Kumar will wake," Ayoto continued, "And when he does, everyone wakes with him."
A creature rose halfway from its throne, anger trembling in its voice, "Then why create us at all, if everything is meant to end?"
God finally turned his gaze toward the thrones.
"When you dream," God asked calmly, "do you create the people inside that dream?"
The creature hesitated.
"No," it admitted, "Our minds imagine them."
God nodded.
"This is no different," he said, "This is not creation. It is imagination."
Ayoto continued the thought.
"And within imagination," he said, "there is no future only possibilities."
Another shogi piece moved.
"What you call the future," Ayoto added, "is nothing more than a guess."
Fear finally took root. A quiet voice asked,
"When this ends… what happens next?"
God answered.
"Kumar will open the Tier God Gate."
Several beings stiffened.
"The Tier… God Gate?" one whispered.
Ayoto spoke evenly.
"Beyond that gate, Kumar will enter directly into me."
God's pawn stopped mid-move.
"And after that?" God asked.
Ayoto looked up for the first time.
"After that," he said, "everything begins from the place where nothing ever truly began."
The meaning of the game was unraveling
while the game was still being played. A watcher finally spoke again, "One thing still doesn't make sense."
Ayoto gestured slightly, "Ask"
"If everything is a dream," the creature said slowly, "and there was never a beginning or an end why separate everyone into different worlds? Why not a single world?"
Ayoto laughed softly. For the first time in
96373829029837467482902109374748399374674849492010101029838849493929764950402100384884 years, he said, "you've asked a worthwhile question."
God lifted a piece.
"In the beginning," God explained, "there was only one world."
"But its future was limited," Ayoto added,"So we created two," God said, "Then three," Ayoto continued, "Then thousands," God said, "Then trillions," Ayoto finished.
"Because," God concluded, "the more worlds there are, the more possible futures we can observe."
Several beings exchanged glances. For the first time, the purpose of the multiverse became clear. Then a small, almost innocent voice asked, "God… who created you?" It turned toward Ayoto, "And who created Ayoto?"
The palace froze. For a moment, no one breathed. Then God and Ayoto laughed together.
"No one," they said in unison. God leaned forward slightly.
"In truth," he said, "we are also part of imagination."
Ayoto finished the thought, "And so are all of you."
Shock rippled through the hall. The game resumed. But now everyone understood this was no longer about winning. This was about waking up. And somewhere beyond the palace, a consciousness had begun to stir. A name no longer spoken as a plan Kumar.