“If you are reading this, the sequence is complete. Collection 00259 is the final variable. The simulation requires a reboot every 259 cycles to prevent data degradation. You are the chosen witness. Press 'Extract All' to begin the next world.”

Elias looked at the "Extract All" button. His cursor hovered over the pixelated box. Outside his window, the city felt suddenly fragile, like a low-resolution texture waiting to be overwritten. He took a breath and clicked.

Elias clicked the first one. It was a photo—a high-resolution shot of a nondescript park bench in London. The next was a scan of a handwritten receipt from a café in Tokyo. The third was a three-second audio clip of wind whistling through a canyon in Arizona.