Page 153 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
If that happened, if the filter failed, the lights would
go out, and the Regulator would finish the job it started
twenty years ago: the extraction of human free will.
Henry tapped his cane on the ground. He wasn't
just the architect of a lie anymore. He was the warden
of the human soul. He forced the world to live in a
necessary shadow, because it was the only place the
Divine Spark could burn without being snuffed out.
He stood up, his joints popping, and looked down
at the city lights, millions of people living their lives,
shielded by his beautiful, necessary fictions.
"Keep lying," Henry whispered to the world below.
"It's the only way to stay free."
He turned and began his slow descent down the
hill, content with his role. He was the villain who had
locked the door to the cage, just to make sure the soul
of humanity remained safe inside.
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