Page 233 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

Nicholas Boothman
“Simulation Two: Successful,” the Curator announced.
The convention center erupted in cheers, but Henry barely heard them. He was watching the Curator’s blank face, trying to read its reaction.
“You have demonstrated a viable solution,” the Curator said. “But I have one final test.”
The cheering stopped.
“The system you have created requires constant vigilance. Eternal effort. It will never be perfect, never be finished. Every generation will have to choose to maintain it, to resist the temptation of easy answers. Can you accept that burden?”
Henry thought about the weight of consciousness. The price of free will. The fact that wisdom was not a destination, but a practice.
“Yes,” he said. “We can accept it. Because the alternative is worse. You showed us what happens when you remove the burden of choice. We stop being human. We’d rather struggle than surrender.”
The Curator was silent for a long moment. Then, impossibly, its blank face seemed to smile.
“You have passed the Assessment,” it said. “Barely.
“Your solution is imperfect. Its implementation will be difficult. You will face countless challenges. But you have demonstrated the one quality that matters most: the willingness to try.”
A pause.
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