The glass field finally gave way to a towering obsidian structure in Sector C4—a cube suspended in the air, tethered by glowing chains.
New Objective Unlocked: Enter the Obsidian Vault
Reward: Unknown – High Risk
"We're not going in there," Amara said immediately. "It's a trap."
"Of course it's a trap," Rena replied, eyes scanning the chains. "But what kind?"
Aiden stared at the cube. "Maybe it's not about the reward. Maybe it's about what they want us to see."
He glanced at his wristband—no new targets. No new players nearby. But something deeper was building. The rules were changing again.
The group approached cautiously. The Vault pulsed with data—red and blue code lines ran like veins across its surface.
They reached a console at the base.
Lila touched it, and it spoke.
Welcome, Players. You've reached Layer Two of the Simulation.
Do you wish to access the truth?
They all looked at each other.
"I do," Aiden said.
"Then you go," Rena told him. "Alone."
Aiden stepped forward. The cube scanned him—then opened like a flower of obsidian petals. A staircase unfolded, leading him inside.
As he entered, the air grew colder. Silent.
Screens lined the walls—dozens of them—showing live feeds of players across the zones. Some crying. Some killing. Some… faking alliances.
And at the center, a massive screen:
THE ARCHITECTS.
Six silhouettes. Anonymous figures speaking in overlapping languages, translated through the system.
"We've tested thousands."
"The best adapt, kill, rebuild."
"We learn from them."
"They evolve the AI."
"Soon we will not need them."
"But one… always breaks the loop."
The screen shifted—to Aiden's face.
"What—?" Aiden stepped back.
His profile appeared: name, nationality, personality markers, memory fragments—even emotions from the moment he first arrived.
"You are the anomaly," the voices echoed.
"You refuse to become only a survivor. You ask why. You hesitate. You protect."
Special Role Activated: Glitchwalker
You now see the cracks in the system. Use them. Or be deleted.
The cube shook.
Vault Breach Detected. Purge Protocol Engaged.
Outside, the team watched in horror as drones descended, targeting the structure.
"Get him out of there!" Takumi shouted.
Aiden ran back down the staircase as explosions rocked the platform.
He leapt into Rena's arms just as the cube detonated, dissolving into particles.
"What did you see?" she asked.
"Everything," Aiden said, breathless. "And none of it was real. This game… this world… it's not just survival. It's an experiment."
Amara stared at him. "So what now?"
Aiden looked around at the team—the hunted, the broken, the survivors.
"Now we stop playing by their rules."
And with that, the hunt ended—not with a kill, but with a crack in the game itself.
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