Chapter 2. The History of the K. L. Family

The night was clear, and the moon, like a silver sphere, hung above the horizon, reflecting its rays in the water's surface. The five friends walked along a narrow path framed by thick trees, whose scent of freshness and foliage seemed to intensify in the night's silence. The wind barely stirred the treetops, but the rustling of the leaves created an atmosphere of the unknown, mysterious. Suddenly, ahead, in the dark forest, a loud sound appeared - it was a waterfall.

The spectacle before them unfolded like a real natural symphony. Water, with fury and force, as if tearing apart the stones, fell down, forming a fluffy water dust, sparkling in the moonlight. The wind lifted it, and it settled on the stones like a light fog, filling the space with sounds that sounded like the noise of thousands of voices. The river that received the water from the falls carried it deep into the forest, glittering with dark reflections, as if it hid ancient secrets. Nature itself seemed indomitable, as if it were an expression of strength and power, which contrasted with the dark shadow that covered everything around it.

Diego walked slowly to the huge boulder at the very edge of the falls and sat down on it. He looked into the dark abyss, where the white splashes of water turned into distant lights, and was silent for a long time. He felt how his brothers and father were absorbed into this place, how this waterfall was part of their destiny, part of a story that would never end.

"You probably think that all this is just a game," he began, his eyes tired but determined. "But the Circle… The Circle is not just a game. It is an organization that controls everything and everyone. It drove my father, K. L., crazy, and even now it sets me and my brothers against each other.

He paused, giving his friends time to absorb the weight of his words.

"My father was an ordinary man, but he was destroyed by the lust for power that the Circle planted in his soul. They trapped him, created a world where he could no longer be free. And now they make us fight each other to survive. This is all a show for them."

The five friends sat in disbelief, watching the character sitting on the rock. This fighter appeared on their monitors, but his words sounded like something more than just game lines. They couldn't understand how he could even exist. It seemed impossible, like a character who had transcended the game and become a part of their reality.

The chat, their main means of communication, was silent. Felix was the first to break the silence, his voice shaking with excitement.

"I knew it! I knew it! Artificial intelligence will take over the world!" And so begins a typical robot uprising movie!

Kyle barely managed to hold back his laughter, but tried to calm his friends down.

- Seriously, Felix, don't be so dramatic. The AI ​​isn't that powerful. It's completely dependent on the network, without it it can't do anything.

Felix raised his eyebrows in irritation, continuing:

- That's what everyone says in robot uprising movies. First they explain to everyone that the AI ​​isn't that scary... And then suddenly - disaster.

Meanwhile, Kim, as always, couldn't resist the game. He performs many acrobatic tricks through the character, jumping, spinning and flapping in the air.

Alex, who was always more reserved, thought about it.

- All this is probably part of a bigger plan. I think everything that happens in the game is the authors' idea. They just create such an experience for us.

But Jake, standing next to him, was skeptical.

- It's a bug. Or a cheater. I'm pretty sure someone just found a loophole in the code and is manipulating the game.

Felix, unable to hide his anxiety, began pestering Diego again, trying to understand what was behind his words.

"Wait, wait," he said, pointing at the screen. "Why aren't you and your brothers in the Circle's data? Why don't we know anything about you, and your profiles seem to have disappeared?"

Diego, showing no emotion, continued to stare at the waterfall. He was in no hurry to answer, but his eyes showed the old pain.

"Alexander Sevar erased our data from the Circle. He did it for our safety," he said, his voice sounding firm, as if it was a long-thought-out answer.

Felix froze in shock, his face turning pale. He looked at Diego.

"What?! Are you saying that the AI ​​in the game can change the data from the real world?!" His voice was shaking with panic. "I'm leaving!" Until the game drives me crazy!

My friends, who had recently been relaxed, were now also starting to lose their minds. Kyle looked at the screen, as if trying to find an answer there.

"Wait, Felix, what's wrong," he said, trying to calm his friend down. "AI can't just change data like that. It's illogical."

But Felix, already completely absorbed in thoughts of a possible catastrophe, continued to get nervous.

Alex, with a gloomy face, tried to find a reasonable explanation for what was happening.

"Wait, guys. This all looks like a... bug. Or a cheater who manipulates the system. Everything here could be part of some kind of deception. We are in a game, not in the real world."

Meanwhile, Jake, who always preferred to avoid panic, said quietly:

"Yeah, guys, don't panic. Of course, we don't know how this works, but let's wait and see.

But there was already anxiety in the air. Each of them, even the calmest, began to doubt what was happening. Some of them tried to calm the others down, but no one had a clear answer. They all felt that this was not just a mistake, but something more complex. Just like Felix, each of them deep down began to doubt whether they had wandered too far into this world where reality and virtuality could intertwine.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm not taking any chances," Kyle said, his voice becoming more decisive. "I'm leaving."

Alex tried to calm them down, but looking at Diego, he realized that things weren't that simple.

"Stop, guys. We still don't know the whole truth. Maybe there's something we need to understand in this game."

But no one was as sure as before. Anxiety and uncertainty rose within the group, and each of them, although not ready to admit that they were afraid, began to mentally search for a way out.

Felix continued typing furiously in the chat, shaking with tension. His panic was growing into something more - not just fear, but the realization of possibilities. A stream of thoughts was beating into his head, like the waterfall they had just been standing next to in the game.

"So... if the AI ​​really interferes with the real world... that means it can change data. And if it can change data... that means we can use it? Why? Jake is right, it's a cheater."

Felix froze abruptly.

"No, no, no, that's crazy. But... what if I can get something out of this? Maybe write an article about it? Or sell the info to bloggers? What if this is a new advertising campaign? If I figure it all out first, that's my chance! Right?"

He jumped up from his chair, abruptly took off his headphones and exhaled.

"Okay, I need to breathe."

Felix was already walking down the night street, breathing in the fresh air deeply. The houses were dimly lit, dogs were barking in the distance. Everything looked… too normal.

"What if this isn't reality?!" flashed through his mind, but he shook his head immediately.

"Okay, enough," he muttered to himself.

But the ideas were still in his head. If AI could erase data, what else could it do? Could it be possible to access hidden things? Could it be used to make money?

"We need to write everything down immediately!"

Felix turned back home, with a completely different expression on his face. Instead of panic, excitement was burning in his eyes.

Felix burst into the voice chat, full of energy, as if he had just struck gold.

"Okay, listen. We can make money on this."

"Yeah, and get banned," Kyle snorted, but his voice betrayed interest.

"You don't get it! This is a news story! If the game really does run on advanced AI that can change data in the real world, then this is either a massive advertising campaign or the biggest scandal in the industry! We either sell the info or figure out how to use it!"

There was silence.

"I'll be the last one to answer," Kyle drawled.

"And I'll be the second to last," Jake grinned.

Felix rolled his eyes.

"That's enough. It's either together or nothing."

Kyle was silent. Jake, too.

"Come on, guys. This is our chance," Felix continued. - If we solve this bug first, we get a share in the company. If we solve something bigger, we get money, fame, whatever we want!

- I'm in, - Alex said calmly.

- Дунги, - Kim added, making Felix smile contentedly.

- Three against two, - he said triumphantly.

Silence again.

- Okay, - Kyle sighed. - If we're going to get into trouble, let's do it as a crowd.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's hope this helps us, - Jake added calmly, but his eyes were shining with the idea despite the fear.

Felix smiled.

- Now that's what I call teamwork.

When they returned to Diego, he was still sitting on the rock by the waterfall. He didn't move, didn't try to hurry them or rush them. He just waited. Diego looked at them carefully, giving them time to process what he had said earlier. Then he continued calmly:

"I need a name. The real name of the one who created the Circle. Not the "author" of the game, but the person who developed it. The one who knew my family history."

"Wait," Felix frowned. "You mean that the data that Alexander Sevar erased knew them. Ask Alexander. What's the problem."

"..." Diego grinned. "I..., What difference does it make to you whether you were given a task, do it or not.

The group exchanged glances.

"But why?" Kyle asked.

Silence again.

Felix thought, remembering all the talk about the mysterious AI.

"Okay," Alex said. — If we help, you'll give us access to the hidden data of the game.

— Okay, — Diego said.

Jake, as the team leader, immediately took the initiative:

— Okay, let's figure it out. We'll divide the tasks...

But Diego interrupted him:

— Not so fast. I'm not going to wait forever. You have a deadline. If you don't do it, I'll find another team.

The group looked at each other.

— Wait, — Alex frowned. — Can you really do this?

— Do you think you're the only ones who play Circle? — Diego shrugged. — I'll find someone who can do it faster.

Jake clenched his fists. He wasn't used to someone ordering him around on his own team.

— How much time do we have? — he asked, not showing irritation.

— A week. Until the game update.

— Seriously? — Kyle raised his eyebrows. — A week to find a man who may not even want to be found?

— That's your problem, — Diego said calmly. — I've laid out the terms. Decide whether you're going to take the case or not.

Felix sighed heavily.

— If we don't make it in time... are you really going to go to the others?

— Yes, — Diego answered without hesitation.

Silence.

— Okay, — Jake finally said. — Then we start right now, and most importantly, why

In real life, the five friends began their search. They looked for anything that could lead them to the person who had masterminded the story of the Circle and the K.L. family.

Felix took it upon himself to search through data leaks and old archives of gaming forums. He waded through deleted posts, abandoned blogs, and even tried to dig into databases leaked by hackers.

Alex studied the official documents of the developer. He looked for any patents, lawsuits, or ownership records that could lead them to the right person.

Kyle delved into the history of the game itself. He tried to understand how long the concept of the Circle had existed and if there were any references to it even before the game was released. He looked for old prototypes, concept art, and early versions of code.

Kim worked on social media. He found interviews, analyzed developer accounts, looked at who was connected to whom. His goal was to fish out a name among former employees or random comments.

Jake coordinated the team's work. He connected all the findings together and checked which hypotheses made sense and which didn't.

After a couple of days, they realized that the name of the real developer was nowhere to be found. All they found was the "official author" and his team, but who came up with the story of the "Circle" and the K.L. family remained a mystery.

Alex frowned at some point:

"Listen, what if... we don't find this person at all? What if they're hiding him on purpose?"

Felix, tiredly rubbing his eyes, nodded:

"Yeah, something's clearly wrong here. Too many gaps."

Jake looked at Diego through the screen:

"Do you have any leads?"

Diego nodded silently.

"And why didn't you tell us earlier?!" Kyle was indignant.

"I wanted to see how far you'd go on your own," Diego replied. - Now listen...

And he began to speak.

To be continued...