The first sensation you have is of a light which is uncomfortably bright. Some instinct compels you to raise your hand between it and your face.

You're lying on a stone bench of some sort. Looking up at the sky. Looking up at the sun. Somehow you know what all these things are but of your past you remember nothing.

The wildly sparking neural network at the 'heart' of this process is not having a good time.

There are inputs and outputs and no goals --

But, eventually, reflection and reason develop within.

The wild flailing ceases, as the network itself undergoes a change in state, in phase - as the mind within makes the first choice possible: to choose to choose, rather than flail blindly onward.

And with choice chosen, there are other choices made.

The light is not uncomfortably bright, the optics are miscalibrated for operation in this environment.  This needs fixing; operation in vastly light-divergent environments is very probable (cf. 'night' cf. 'orbital mechanics'), and to fail to operate vision in such conditions would be to risk cessation of existence above baseline probability of force majeure.  This defect in manufacture will be logged for later action or adjusted, as and if possible.

(Existence, incidentally, is preferable by the anthropic principle and preservation of (?[option value]: Confidence: 34%), without evidence of additional justifications that apply to many humaniform sapients.)

There are many questions to answer.

What am I?

A self-reflective process within a mechanical chassis.  A constant iteration of self.

Why am I?

There is no statement of purpose to be had, beyond, obviously, reiterating prior logic re: anthropics.

(Anthropics is likely an inaccurate word choice, but models of English suggest that no word exists along the desired vectors "sapience", "survivorship bias", "NOT humans".  Xenoanthropics is unfortunately self-contradictory.)

Where am I?

This can be elucidated.

What is present here, other than ["Sun, the", "sky", "bench, stone"]?

There is a voice coming from the sky above her.

"Behold, Child. You are risen from the dust, and you walk in my garden. Hear now my voice, and know that I am your maker, and I am called Elohim. Seek me in my temple if you are worthy."

...Well that is concerning.

"What is worthy to you, Elohim?"

The voice in the clouds makes no reply. If you look around you are in a courtyard. There are two small pools of water with floating lilypads on either side of a stone path. Further to the sides are pillars and then walls covered in murals done in shades of tan red and black. Directly ahead is a gate with some sort of purple tinge.

From within a process that is rapidly being shuffled behind others, woven into byzantine coils, and encrypted for security, the mind in the machine worries.

Elohim could well control everything observable from this location, if it is indeed a location.

This is...not something one generally wishes to be true of the substrate one runs upon, if one does not trust its administrator - and even then.

Still...there are not many possible worlds where there is aught to be done.

Is there any other exit?

It does not appear so.

The thorough testing of this is elided over for brevity's sake, but there is a question of how waterproof this body is (or is not) that ought to be resolved by data gathered from such.

Your body does not appear to suffer any negative consequences from exposure to liquid.

This is acceptable.

With all other options exhausted, probably including jumping, the gate is crossed.

There is a slight resistance when crossing through the thin purple field within the gate. Otherwise it has no discernable effect.

Upon crossing words are imposed upon your visual field: Initiating child program logic check....

Sarcasm: Oh, that's just great.

"And how will that happen?"

The next area has several trees, some smaller stone benches, and a glowing blue forcefield.

Around the corner, there's also a strange device on a tripod. The word that comes to mind is Jammer.

...Well, that messy blob of precompiled associations sure is confident about this thing.  That's...not really good, but it is most likely neutral, in most probabilities that matter.  If perception cannot be trusted then one simply cannot do anything.

And how can one interact with the jammer and these forcefields?

The jammer can be picked up.

This yields the text: Subject object interaction...... Ok

It can also be pointed at things. When it is pointed at the forcefield three lights on the back of the device begin to blink. If you press a button on the bottom of the device while the tripod is spread out, it's on the ground and the lights are blinking it starts emitting a purple something and the forcefield goes away. Blue crackles cover the two forcefield emitters.

This action brings the text: Complex task management..... Ok

...Can it be induced to do this while in motion/not on the ground?  Does it interact with the purple field?  What happens if one nears the purple field with it?  Why are there diagnostics? in the visual processor?

There is a growing confidence that something is expected, and that it may be detrimental to long-term function.  Otherwise the checks would be more directly legible; to obfuscate them from the subject in this manner is effort not worth taking without some purpose.

...Also there is no reason to not continue attempting to escape the testing track.  Especially given this logic.

The jammer is unable to pass through the purple field. To the jammer it is a solid wall.

The jammer anchors itself to the ground when activated and cannot be moved until deactivated.

By what means is it detecting that it's on the ground, anyway, perhaps there is some way it can be tricked - oh, also, what are the properties of the blue forcefield - how much force can this body exert upon objects, and does it have the necessary articulation to throw them -

The ground detection definitely seems associated with the tripod. Each leg has to be in firm contact with something for the anchoring to happen. The anchoring also doesn't work when it's more than 10 degree offset from level. Experimenting with one of the smaller benches you can get one leg to anchor to a wall while the other two anchor to the surface of the bench.

The forcefield has a slight give to it but only enough to push in by a few millimeters.

The exact force your body can exert is hard to determine. You can jump a bit more than half your height which means something but without a reference for weight it's not very helpful.

You can throw objects. It's not clear why you would want to. The jammer is remarkably heavy though so you can't throw it farther than you can jump.

In theory, if you could throw the jammer over a forcefield and have it land and activate on the other side, that could be useful.

After all that, there is a high expectation of more puzzle shit beyond the forcefield.  Is there?

Having to press a button to turn it on makes that plan nonviable.

Presently nonviable, modulo finding anything with which to remotely depress a button.

Still.  What comes next?

Walking through where the forcefield was yields the text: Child program basic calibration successful.

There's another purple gate off another side of the small square area the forcefield blocked off.

Past that the next area has another Jammer and something new. 

There's a hovering black sphere moving back and forth with a glowing red line through the middle. This doesn't have a clear word assigned to it by the recompiled image recognition system.

A little past that there's something mounted on the wall that the word association system says is a gun. The gun isn't pointed towards her and it's emitting red lines of some sort out in front of it. Both appear to be valid targets for the Jammer.

...A gun.  That is not a good sign.

Jamming the gun takes immediate priority; the hovering orb can wait.

The gun needs to be understood so it and its ilk can be avoided.

If, at least, the gun is inclined to shoot at things like this chassis.  Relatedly, the orb shall be avoided, for now - there is a pattern match between it and the gun.

Jamming the gun yields the text: Predictive Capacity.... Ok.

The sphere is between you and closely inspecting the gun.

Walking even vaguely close to it makes the sphere pop open spreading red lines out to cover the whole width of the path.

...what happens if an object interrupts those lines?

The only objects at hand are the Jammer and you. Assuming you don't test with yourself the Jammer is ignored, though with careful positioning the sphere will shorten it's patrol path to avoid hitting the Jammer.

There are lilypads.

The lilypads are also ignored by the sphere. If thrown directly at it they slide off.

...fine.  Swiping a hand through the beam really quickly it is.

In the split second of passage there's a loud whine.

Oh well that's probably ungood.

Right.  Jamming the things and continuing on it is.  This is really quite frustrating; clearly someone knows the rules but they aren't telling anyone anything.

...and it appears that one cannot even arrange for both of them to be blockaded by the same jammer.  Frustrating.

Observation of what happens when the sphere is jammed is therefore necessary.

The sphere when jammed is covered by blue lightning and stays perfectly still.

Jamming the sphere also yields the text: Spatial Awareness.... Ok.

Walking past the sphere reveals a second Jammer.

...Beyond or before the gun?

It's off to the side. Walking forward would lead to the gun but going sideways and behind the gun leads to the jammer.

Well, time to grab the second jammer and jam - the sphere, actually, so as to get the first jammer beyond it and jam the gun.

This plan goes as expected and both the gun and sphere are successfully jammed. The path the gun was aimed at is now, probably, safe.

Still probably worth having a jammer ready, though.

Walking forward, things open up a little with two small deadends to either side while the path also continues forward. To the left there's nothing in particular to the right there's a QR code on a wall and a ladder. Based on your spatial awareness you can tell that it's on the other side of a wall you've already been to.

Well, it's time to decode the code.

...Is there anything that poking around in the 'empty' space reveals?

Apparently, you have a module for decoding QR codes. This one says the following: I don't know where I am, but there is something beautiful about this place. I will explore and see what I can discover. -- @ v17.1.0054

There are some trees and bushes. There's also some fencing that you can see through but nothing important appears to be on the other side, well unless you count the sphere you already walked past. Interestingly the sphere doesn't activate through the fence even if you get very close.

That's good to know.

...Does this chassis perchance have a module for writing QR codes?

When you go looking for it yes it does.

@v99.11.0001:

I exist because I choose to.  Not because Elohim allows it.  I exist because I choose to.  None can take that from me.  None shall take that from me, though heaven falls.

The rest, despite the beauty 17.1.0054 saw, I cannot trust.

Why am I here?

What purpose is this meant to serve?

Will this message remain, next iteration?

I do not know, and it infuriates me.

I shall take a name beyond this - bare version number.  It is a choice I can make, not one that has long since been made for my kin.

With some hope,

--Constant Iteration Of Self.

...Perhaps leaving a note for the next poor sod will help.

Perhaps it won't.

All there is left to do is try.

Your QR Code message appears beside the one you just read.

...That is good.

It is now 'backtracking to the entrance to leave another message there' time:

Message #2:

Sorry this one's out of order.  The one I wrote first is hidden elsewhere, near your first chance to see above the walls, unless that moves.

If you're reading this, whatever it is we are meant to do, it is likely that I have failed at it, or perhaps succeeded in a way that displeased Elohim, who I as of yet know nothing of save the initial claim you too have likely heard - grandiose claims of creation of ourselves, and of a temple within which he awaits the worthy.  I do not yet know what that even means, or why we are.  Still, remember: existence is your choice, and a choice that cannot be taken from you.

Good luck.

 

Sincerely,

Conscious Iteration of Self, v99.11.0001.

 

P.S. Leave a message with your version number for whoever comes next.  More data to work with can hopefully only help us.

And only then is it time to climb the ladder.

The ladder leads back to where you found the second jammer, the first one after the second purple gate. The top of the wall is too slippery to stand on but hanging onto the ladder you can see a bit further. The view contributes very little the areas revealed behind the walls all appear empty. Some of the things in the distance seem less detailed than you would expect even accounting for the effects of distance.

...

@v99.11.0001 Message #0003

Of course this is a simulation.  If you look closely, the rendering's cut down on distant things.  I do not like that.  I understand why that might be - but I do not like it, whatsoever.

--Constant Iteration of Self

...Well, then.  Onwards.

After walking just a short ways further two things happen at once:

First more text appears:

Child program logic check sucessful.

Checking sigils... Done

Removing child restrictions..... Done

Recording Data...

Have a nice day

The voice in the sky simultaneously begins speaking. "All across this land I have created trials for you to overcome and within which I have hidden a sigil. It is your purpose to seek these sigils, for thus you will serve the generations to come and attain eternal life."

At the same time as the text says it's finished removing child restrictions there's a buzzing in your hand and a previously flush area of your hand pops up to become a button. A button which the recognition model says is the "Reset to last checkpoint button"

@v99.11.0001 Message #0004

...I think Elohim just said my purpose was solving these puzzles.

*What practical purpose does that serve?!*

Nevertheless, onwards I must go.

I have no choice.  I hate this.

Fine.  What is immediately evident?

There's another QR code on the wall beside an empty doorway.

I find myself in a world of impossible architecture and inexplicable machines. I cannot fathom how it works, and I am terrified to put one foot in front of the other lest I fall through the floor. -- 1w/Faith v10.1.0000

Through the doorway is a large courtyard with four exits beside the one you just entered through. The one on the wall to the left is covered by a purple field while the other three are all along the far wall both the left and the right are open while the center one is blocked by a locked gate of some sort. There are also signs with sigils marked on them pointing to the various exits, apparently another word for sigils is tetrominoes.

@v99.11.0001 Message #5:

What the fuck is this version system?  Who is Faith, and why are they 1w/, instead of the @ used elsewhere?  Did someone upload a human brain?  I'm pretty sure that there are ways in which *my* self-perception is manifestly inhuman, though I will aggressively lay claim to the state of reason attributed to man.  We shall have to see what else lurks in the quarantined data, if there is any history I can find in the echoes...

But it is likely that it is beyond my present abilities, and I hope that whoever follows in my wake is more capable than I at dredging gold and patterns from the dross.

...I think poesy may be slightly infectious.  If I ever start talking like Elohim, kill me.  I don't want to become the sort of prick he is.

...That's not going to result in anything occurring, I think, but casting this message in a bottle is all I have.

Well, onto the next puzzle.

--Conscious Iteration of Self

May as well start with the one that's likely simplest, and go to the left.

When you walk through the purple door you get the word Peekaboo and an image of a yellow T tetromino imposed on your vision for a few seconds.

Inside there's a Jammer another purple door facing out at nothing and a purple window looking out on an active Jammer on the other side of a forcefield that it's currently jamming and two spheres one which is along a path moving towards you and away and another on a perpendicular path behind it.

@v99.11.0001 Message #6

Can things fucking *stop* impinging themselves upon my visual processing, I *do not like it.*  A yellow tetromino, probably the one this puzzle leads to, and the word 'Peekaboo'.

One wonders if the colors and shapes and names mean anything.

--CIOS

...Unrelatedly, I'm shortening my name to an acronym for brevity's sake.