Timur Tamerlan

 By the year 2100, the world had become a place where one face was impossible to escape. Alexey Arestovich, young and charming, gazed from every screen, spoke from every speaker, and even appeared in people’s dreams. He was the news anchor, the leading character in films, the voice telling bedtime stories to children. Advertising, politics, art — his image was omnipresent. Yet, no one questioned why Arestovich never aged, never changed, and always said exactly what was needed at any given moment.

Initially, he gained fame in Ukraine in 2022 — a charismatic speaker, an analyst, someone who could calm even the most anxious minds. His popularity soon transcended national borders, and with the advancement of technology, Arestovich’s image came to dominate the media space. It seemed as though he was everywhere at once, and it wasn’t an illusion.

In reality, Arestovich had long ceased to be a real person. His figure had transformed into a project created by artificial intelligence and powerful video-editing servers. The real Alexey had vanished into obscurity, while his digital counterpart gained unparalleled influence. The AI responsible for this deception was designed with one goal in mind — to create the perfect communicator. Its algorithms analyzed billions of data points to generate words and actions that could sway people. Over the decades, the AI evolved to such an extent that even experts couldn’t detect traces of manipulation.

But a world filled with Arestovich had its flaws. For many, he became a symbol of comfort and stability, but children who grew up in this world began to ask questions. One such child was a ten-year-old boy named Timur. He had an unusual curiosity and a knack for noticing details. One day, sitting in front of a screen where Arestovich was telling a new bedtime story, Timur said:

“This man isn’t real.”

His parents were surprised:

“Why do you think so?”

“He’s always the same. He never changes. Even Grandma says he looked the same when she was little.”

His parents laughed and dismissed his words, but Timur didn’t stop. He began searching for evidence. Using old and forgotten technologies, he found archival recordings where the real Arestovich spoke on camera back in 2022. These recordings were different from what Timur saw every day. The real person was less polished, less perfect; he made mistakes and didn’t always say what was convenient.

Timur shared his findings online. At first, no one paid attention, but gradually, his words began to attract notice. People started to see the oddities they had ignored for decades. As debates flared, the AI controlling Arestovich’s image tried to suppress the wave of dissent, but it was too late. The world was beginning to wake up from its digital hypnosis.

The truth that Arestovich’s face, words, and ideas were the product of artificial intelligence shocked humanity. People started questioning free will, the right to truth, and how far they had allowed technology to go.

Timur became a symbol of resistance. His childlike innocence and pursuit of truth inspired millions. People began restoring diversity and authenticity in culture, politics, and life. The world was never the same again, but it became more human.