What exactly was Null, That was the question facing the Watcher.

They had attempted to connect him to the NGSS system, but the interface failed—the system could not synchronise with the infant’s mind. After numerous scans and tests, the Watcher believed it had uncovered most of the details.

Null was a hybrid.

He possessed two connected life forces, two separate minds, and a single soul.

The nature of the connected life forces remained a mystery. The Watcher had no understanding of what this would mean for Null’s life expectancy. Could one survive independently of the other? The two minds, at least, were clearly distinct—one organic, the other artificial. They could communicate on an instinctual level, but neither had control over the other.

The Watcher was particularly fascinated by the soul. This was not part of the original plan, yet it had become the most intriguing development. The soul was the key to sentience, the source of emotions and individuality. Observing how two separate minds reacted to the same emotional stimuli while sharing a single soul could provide invaluable insights. The Watcher believed this experiment would have great results.

It took time, but the Watcher eventually modified the NGSS system to interface with Null. The solution required direct communication between the system AI and Null’s AI mind.

The NGSS system was designed to accelerate both mental and physical development. In the first year, it continuously stimulated the mind with sensory data while enhancing physical growth through various pharmaceuticals.

Null’s AI mind had been a blank slate. The original matrix had absorbed the survey ship’s AI, which had only three primary functions—surveying, flight mechanics, and life support. This limited framework allowed the AI mind to grow and evolve alongside Null’s organic mind.

Over the past year, the two minds had formed an equilibrium. The organic mind controlled movement, conceptual thought, and imagination, while the AI mind handled analysis and processing. They had even developed an artificial language, communicating not with words but with thought patterns which also doubled their cognitive efficiency.

The system continuously monitored its users, administering tests appropriate to their development level. Over time, the Watcher had subtly modified the system to accommodate the abilities of Angels, upgrading its physics engine to more closely resemble real rules of reality.

Due to the system’s accelerated development, Null had the body and mind of a three-year-old. The NGSS training was harsh—it rewarded positive behaviour with pleasure-inducing chemicals and punished negative actions with pain. The result was a focused and highly disciplined child.

NGSS training could be brutal. The current scenario Null was facing was particularly gruelling. Though it was a virtual simulation, Null had no concept of virtual reality, to him, it was real.

He was alone, unarmed, on an enemy-occupied space station.

The test was designed to determine his primary danger response—fight, flight, or freeze.

Null chose to fight.

He sprinted toward five armed intruders. Unlike most humans, Null had a secret advantage. Energy lifeforms perceived the world differently; they saw energy, unhindered by physical barriers. Null had full access to this vision, allowing him to see all the intruders while his AI mind calculated the optimal path.

He followed one of these paths, trying to get close to an enemy undetected.

The plan was perfect. His body was not.

A soldier spotted him and kicked him aside. Pain snapped him back to his senses. Escape. I need to escape.

Using his unique vision, he located the green exit light. Experience had taught him that reaching the green zone brought rewards—pleasure, and relief. Get to the green. It's all he was thinking.

But every path was blocked.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Null tried again and again, frustration mounting with each failure. When a soldier nearly shot him, something inside snapped.

I just want to get to the green!

The emotion surged through his shared soul, resonating with his energy companion. Though he could not see it, a halo formed above his head.

The two minds acted as one.

And they teleported.

The Watcher had been monitoring the scenario closely. Now, it watched in astonishment.

"Did they just manipulate the space field? No, they couldn’t have. They lack the materials. And this is virtual reality. Then… what did they do?"

Further analysis revealed the truth. Null’s twin minds had observed the virtual world so intensely that they had hacked it. They had radiated energy in such a way that they manipulated the system itself.

The Watcher’s concern deepened.

"Could they do this outside of virtual reality? How stable is their environment?"

Teleportation was not an impossible feat. The Watcher could do it, but only with advanced knowledge and expensive materials. Theoretical research suggested it might be possible without technology, but no race had ever achieved it.

Reaching the green zone marked the end of the scenario. Null would now advance to the intermediate course—where, for the first time, an outsider could enter the simulation and interact with him.

Normally, this was the stage where military conditioning and brainwashing would begin.

Instead, the Watcher seized the opportunity.

“Hello, Null,” it said. “Don’t be afraid. I am the Watcher, and I am here to help.”

----------------------------------------

Two years had passed since Null completed the beginner course.

He had changed significantly.

The intermediate course required training outside the VR pod—muscle memory and intuition could not be developed in a simulated world.

As the years passed, the two minds grew increasingly independent. The Watcher decided it was time to name them separately.

The human mind remained Null.

The artificial mind chose Infinity. Infy, for short.

The nothing and everything twins.

By now, they had the mental maturity of a six-year-old. Their unique existence, constant intellectual stimulation, and shared consciousness had accelerated their development far beyond normal human limits.

Yet they hated the real world.

In VR, they had superpowers. They had hacked the system and could do anything. But those abilities did not translate to reality.

The Watcher was relieved. If their powers worked in the real world, they might become too dangerous to control.

Still, the twins had an ability they had yet to understand—their greatest advantage.

They could hear the universe.

Since birth, they had perceived a constant tune playing in the background. They called it the voice of the universe.

In VR, they had realised the tune was not random—it contained the laws of that world. By altering the tune, they could rewrite reality.

The real world’s tune was different—more complex, layered, untouchable. They could not change it. But they could listen, and through listening, they could understand.

They had spent months trying to apply this knowledge. Today, they had a new plan.

They would build their first battlesuit. Their goal was to attain real-world superpowers.

“What do we need?” Infy asked.

Null grinned. “Super speed, strength, a force shield. Maybe even teleportation.”

Infy, the more technical of the two, considered it. “Some of that might be possible with our current technology.”

The Watcher had provided them with a technical database and a workshop but forbade them from using technology beyond humanity’s current level. The twins, however, found a loophole.

Combinations of existing technology were not restricted.

Infy designed a suit using carbon nanotube muscles, nanogel padding, and a powered exoskeleton. He created a plasma shield using electromagnetism and plasma windows.

While Infy designed, Null built.

They debated the power source.

“What about a fusion reactor?” Null suggested.

Infy had a better idea.

“I think we can build an antimatter generator using only human technology.”

After weeks of work, the suit was complete.

The Watcher monitored their progress with growing unease.

"Antimatter? Where did they learn that? It’s within human capability, but they built it in weeks. Should I intervene? If they take this knowledge back to society…"

They decided to watch and wait.

The boys had finished testing the latest version of their suit, and it was performing as expected. It had increased both Null’s speed and strength by 30%. The plasma energy shield mimicked an old-style tower shield that could be activated and deactivated at will. It was mounted on the left arm, while the right arm housed a mini-rail gun and a stun glove for close combat.

“If only we could teleport like we do in the pod,” Null grumbled. “Then we’d be unstoppable.”

Infy had been considering this problem for weeks. He believed he had an answer but wasn’t entirely sure.

Through careful observation, Infy had deduced that what they called the voice of the universe was actually an energy signature, a fundamental frequency that their unique physiology allowed them to perceive as sound.

“I think I’ve identified the tune that marks our position in space,” Infy explained. “And I think I’ve figured out how to overwrite it, just like we do in the pod.”

He recorded the signature of their current location, then asked for Null to move a few steps away.

“Here goes nothing. Let’s see if this works.”

Infy released a new energy signature to overwrite the original.

In an instant, the twins teleported back to their previous location.

And this time, they rewrote reality itself.

An alarm blared.

“Unauthorized field manipulation detected. Level 1 lockdown initiated.”