Artificial Light

The stone temple was quiet, except for the terminal in the middle of the large room.

It made a slight buzzing sound as if powered.

You walked up and tapped the screen.

[Data Entry 10030...0143*(10^2300)/10030...0144*(10^2300)]

[Connection Established]

[Whispers of God Granted]

[We appreciate your benevolence. Continue onward and carry our memory in vain.]

The audio recording started, and a deep raspy voice filled your ears.

"To don the sky with artificial lights we ascended to the heavens and massacred the stars.

We were desperate for a great device, a machine that could carry our consciousness to the void above.

Did we reach too far?

The night sky screamed in agony as it was filled with the lights of our minds, and our souls drifted out of existence.

We sent rockets and great ships into the sky, they populated Mars, then Europa, then Pluto, moving ever onwards towards the edge.

Eventually, we left our system, evolved towards machinery and absolution.

Bionics we engrained into our bodies, and we lived forever.

The night sky was blanketed with white light, turning the night into day.

We thought we had done it, we had become the gods we worshipped.

The sky then turned red.

I wish we could go bac-"

[Connection Terminated]

[Confidentiality Maintained]

[Move on with your feet, before your feet move on without you.]

[Good night. Hope the sky stays dark.]

The terminal turned off.

The temple fell silent.