She looked out at the sun as it set. There was a glimmer to the water beneath her that comforted the jagged edges of her soul, and she didn’t even notice her shoulders lowering as time went on. 

She sat there, wind traveling through the atmosphere much like golfs in the ocean; bringing with it a warmth that brought life to even the grayest of souls. There was truly not a single line of code that intervened with her experience this time, and she couldn’t be happier. 

Glitches had mercifully been less of a problem as of late, what with her upgrade and everything, and it had finally come to a point where she could sit here like this and forget - forget it all. 

The ash. The grey. The control - she could let it all go. In her 1134 years of life, she had never encountered such a feeling.

The humaroid woman took one final breath out and opened her eyes, her lenses adjusting to the sudden infiltration of zeroes and ones spewed out by the ‘sun’. Raising herself from the tall grass she meticulously created, she looked around, hands on hips and shoulders still low.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Haaa…….” She sighed, and perked up. 

Taking one final step forward, she didn’t jump. She’d designed the cliff in such a way that she could simply take a step, and fall. No effort. No control… just… just falling.

Taking one final look and a deep, deep breath, not caring that her lungs creaked when they were filled beyond capacity, she spread her arms. Her long, golden hair fluttered in the wind, and for the first time, she found it beautiful. 

‘If only my son could have had the same hair… oh well. All things have passed, now.’

And she, too, passed. 

And as she did, the construct around it crumbled, along with the entire top floors of the heaven-skraper she inhabited.

~-~

Then, she woke once more.