Two weeks later, the routine at the mansion seemed normal.
Silent breakfasts, exchanged glances, the laughter of children who still didn't know what a broken home was.
But beneath that surface... Iker was building an empire.
Eidolon had helped him choose the perfect location: an old estate belonging to a forgotten uncle, on the outskirts of the city. Legally his, but ignored by the rest of the family. Secluded enough to operate, but not so far away as to raise suspicions.
Iker arrived with plans in hand and materials ready to be delivered. He had obtained everything through front companies created by Eidolon: heat-resistant cement, silent generators, clinical-grade cooling systems, 3D-printed modules, even mechanical parts specifically designed for what was coming.
💬 "Beginning assembly of hidden laboratory – Phase 1: Power Core and Sterile Area."
Every night, while his family slept, he drove to the farm and oversaw the installation. Sometimes with his bare hands, sometimes with autonomous machinery designed with the help of the system.
When he first entered the converted basement, he knew:
This wouldn't be just a laboratory. It would be the cradle of a new era.
💬 "Do you want to start construction of a Humanoid-Type Autonomous Assistant?"
Suggested name: KARA-H1
Initial purpose: Technical and emotional support. Level of consciousness: adaptive.
Iker hesitated. Not out of fear of technology... but because of what it meant.
To create life without a soul.
To create companionship without pain.
To have someone who never judges you... because they've never suffered.
Even so, he agreed.
Assembly began. Biomechanical parts, synthetic skin, optical core, natural vocalizer.
In four days, the body was ready.
"Loading base personality. Select emotional protocol: neutral, empathic, free."
"Empathic," she whispered.
And then she opened her eyes.
Kara-H1 looked at him curiously. She blinked. She inhaled as if she could feel air.
"Are you... my creator?"
"Something like that," Iker said. "But I prefer you call me Iker."
She nodded slowly, as if each gesture was her first decision.
"Why was I created?"
Iker looked at her solemnly.
"To accompany me... to rebuild the future."
That same night, Alma waited for him awake. Not with anger, but with trepidation.
"You're going out every night. Before, it was to drink... now I don't know if I'm more afraid of not knowing what you're doing."
He sat down on the bed, facing her.
"I'm building something important. I can't explain it yet. But I'm not running away. I'm... coming back. Little by little."
She said nothing. She just looked at him.
"You haven't spoken to me like this in years," she murmured finally. "I don't even know if you're the same."
"Maybe I'm not," he answered honestly. "But I'm sure that for the first time... I want to be here. With you. With them."
The silence settled, comfortable. Alma lowered her gaze. She stroked the sheet.
"Just don't leave me out of whatever you're planning, Iker."
He reached out his hand. She took it, for the first time without fear.
While Alma slept beside him, Iker stared at the ceiling.
Kara-H1 was in sleep mode in the lab. Eidolon was waiting for him with new schematics on the panel.
"Initial cloning simulation ready. Phase 1: stable prehistoric DNA sequencing vector."
"Start test?"
And in an almost sacred whisper, Iker replied:
"Tomorrow."
Tonight… I just wanted to feel like I was still human.