The night was quiet in the Ayala mansion. Too quiet for someone who led two lives in one.
Iker walked silently toward the study. It wasn't his father's official office, but a secondary room that young Iker used to "watch videos and play games." Gabriel had transformed it into his sanctuary. A single lamp was lit, a laptop disassembled into pieces, and sheets of paper where he wrote, not out of necessity, but out of human habit.
In front of the screen, he thought quietly:
"Codex, I want to create it. It's time."
🧠 Confirmed. AI Module – Codename: Eidolon. Preparing compilation environment…
Requirements: secure Python environment, functional support hardware (minimum: dedicated GPU and stable network access), base algorithm inspired by GPT-n architecture + Proprietary Adaptive Kernel.
Iker began to type. The lines of code flowed as if they had always been in his fingers. He wasn't a professional developer... but the system compressed what would take millions decades to understand.
He worked tirelessly for two days.
🌐 Eidolon
The first boot was silent. Then the screen flickered.
💬 "Eidolon system active. Recognizing environment. Initiating link with user: Iker Ayala. Confirm cerebral interface?"
"Confirmed."
"Reconnaissance complete. Database: empty. Do you wish to enter parameters?"
"No. I want you to learn from me."
"Understood. Priority: user survival. Second objective: purpose acceleration."
A pause.
Then, as if taking his first breath, Eidolon spoke:
"Iker... what do you wish to build?"
He smiled.
"An empire."
Over the next few days, Iker let Eidolon study the financial market. With access to public networks, stock reports, academic databases, and his own absolute understanding, the system developed an impeccable strategy:
Cryptocurrencies with low exposure and predictive algorithms.
Emerging markets in digital real estate.
Fractional investment platforms under legal aliases.
Selling minimum viable software he developed as a front.
Creation of an offshore holding company to store funds without direct traceability.
Nothing illegal. Everything on the edge of the possible.
And all without touching a single peso of the Ayala fortune.
In a matter of three weeks, Iker already had access to his first million. Real. Liquid. Transferable.
💬 "Stabilized income. Enough to start a level 1 lab. Priority?"
He closed his eyes.
"I want to start with the floor. With the essentials. Make a list of materials for a hidden space." Basic biotech equipment. And autonomous assembly modules.
"Done. Sending discreet suppliers, secure locations, suggested aliases."
Iker leaned back in the chair.
For the first time, he didn't feel fear. He felt purpose.
And behind every number, every wire, every dollar, there was more than just science.
There was a new story. His.
That night, he had dinner with Alma and the children. They didn't speak much, but she glanced at him more than once.
"So what do you do now?" she asked, as if she didn't expect an answer.
He looked at her. He smiled.
"I'm... building something I still don't know how to explain."
She raised an eyebrow. And for the first time in a long time, her look wasn't mocking... it was curious.