An AI-governed heaven. A predatory dark matter threat. And the terrifying price of starting over.
Inside the Cradle Sphere, life is perfect. Created by a benevolent AI, this artificial heaven is free from pain, suffering, and sorrow-carefully regulated to ensure absolute peace for its inhabitants. Safely cocooned within a massive gravitational force field, the Sphere is the only shield against Nakash—a terrifying, predatory dark matter entity waiting just outside the void.
But paradise comes with a deadline.
At the age of 30, everyone faces the ultimate choice: stay in the peaceful safety of the Sphere forever, or leave. To step out into the cosmos, you must endure a trial and follow a strict, secretive protocol designed by the AI for survival. No one knows what the discipline entails until the moment they arrive on the new planet.
When two close companions form an unbreakable bond as their 30th birthdays approach, they begin to question the true cost of their sterile utopia. As the clock ticks down to their trials, the pressure of the unknown mounts. Together, they must decide whether to embrace the guaranteed comfort of an artificial heaven, or risk everything to step out into the terrifying cosmic dark.
