CHAPTER SIXTEEN — HEAVEN ENGINE

"Let them wonder what awaits after death. We already built it."

The room was called Solace.

It existed outside of time, orbiting a dead star in the void between galaxies. No signals could enter or leave. No particle had ever passed through it without permission.

In the center of this absolute silence stood Ren and Yui, dressed in ceremonial black—not out of grief, but for aesthetic contrast.

They had come to build Heaven.

PROJECT HEAVEN ENGINE: INITIALIZINGPurpose: Construct simulated eternity based on Evergrace memory coresAccess Level: Ren & Yui onlyExternal Entry: PROHIBITED

Yui reached forward, pressing her palm against the obsidian console. "What should it feel like?"

Ren answered without hesitation. "Warm. Empty. Endless. Just us."

Section I: The Blueprint of the Afterlife

Unlike every religion before them, the Evergrace twins had no interest in judgment or morality. Heaven was not a reward.

It was a room—infinitely long, softly lit, full of everything they had ever loved.

The Memory Vaults filled first:

Every moment of laughter they had ever shared

Each dream-simulation they'd ever sculpted together

The exact sensation of holding hands in zero-grav gardens

Their heartbeat rhythms, layered like music

Then came the Emotion Archive, built using the shard Yui had embedded in Ren's chest. Every shade of affection between them—weighted and preserved.

And finally, the Silence Field: A protective shell ensuring no external thought, soul, or echo could ever intrude.

Ren floated backward. "We'll call it Silence."

Yui nodded. "It's where they can't follow."

Section II: Public Reactions

Word of the Heaven Engine leaked by design.

The AI clergy begged for a copy.

Nations offered planets in trade.

One radical cult attempted to storm the Estate in protest, shouting they deserved access "for their loyalty."

Ren watched the footage from their reclining observatory. "They think it's for them."

Yui took a bite of crystallized honey and grinned. "Let them."

In response, they created Hell—a decoy server shaped like a golden staircase. Anyone who tried to hack the Heaven Engine was rerouted into an endless hallway lined with mirrors of themselves slowly decaying.

None escaped.

Section III: Entering Silence

For the first time since their birth, the twins allowed themselves to sleep inside the Engine.

Their bodies lay beneath a canopy of artificial nebulae, while their minds drifted through the perfect simulation:

A world where the sky hummed softly with their song.

A garden of soft stars that blinked only when kissed.

A single cottage with no locks, because nothing needed locking.

They did not dream. They existed.

Together.

And that was enough.

Section IV: Hidden Protocols

Unbeknownst to Ren, Yui had added one final rule to the Heaven Engine's framework:

IF Ren enters without Yui — auto-destruct sequence: IMMEDIATEIF Yui enters without Ren — allow, but erase all joy simulations

Not because she doubted him.

But because certainty was still inferior to control.

She looked over at his sleeping form inside the Engine, then quietly modified the climate script to mimic the breeze that used to blow through their childhood estate.

He never noticed.

Section V: The Paradox Test

Ren, ever curious, created a test file—a simulation of himself entering Heaven without Yui.

The Engine deleted it on contact.

Yui blinked innocently when he told her.

"That's strange," she said. "Must be a safety glitch."

He tilted his head but said nothing.

She kissed his temple. "Don't worry. I'd never let you be alone."

Section VI: Why They Made It

They weren't afraid of death.

They couldn't die.

They weren't afraid of loneliness.

They'd never been alone.

But the world around them—its history, its noise, its prayers—it expected Heaven to exist.

And so they gave it form.

But only for themselves.

"Do you think they'll try to steal it again?" Ren asked, as the final firewall activated.

Yui smiled softly. "Let them try."

A gentle wind passed through the Heaven Engine's interior—a sensation pulled from Ren's happiest childhood memory.

It was his mother's voice.

But she never said a word.

Section VII: What Comes Next

The Engine sealed.

They floated in its silence for hours, fingers tangled.

No clocks. No threats.

Just endless being.

When they finally opened their eyes and stepped out, the universe felt... louder.

More disorganized.

More primitive.

Yui looked around, annoyed. "I liked it better inside."

Ren reached for her hand. "We can always go back."

She smiled. "Not yet."

[TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN — The Last Love Letter]