By the time Damian returned home, the sun hadn't moved. It hung in the sky like it had glitched. A stuck lightbulb in a broken simulation. He checked his watch: 7:13 AM. It had been 14 minutes since the System descended—and already it felt like hours had passed.
His footsteps echoed too loud in the hallway. No ambient sound. Not even the refrigerator hum or the faint buzz of electricity. The world had gone... sterile.
Damian sat at the kitchen table, phone in hand, refreshing nothing. No signal. No updates. Just a black mirror reflecting the faint tremble of his fingers. He opened the Echo Archive that had appeared in the corner of his vision. A single entry pulsed.
ECHO MEMORY 001: ALIRA TREN - FINAL MESSAGE Classification: Tutorial Status: Reviewed
Nothing else. But there was a blinking tab labeled [SEED MENU]. He tapped it mentally.
System Core: REWRITE
Status: DormantFunctions: Memory Assimilation, Directive Alteration (Locked)
Echo Archive: 1 Entry
Cycle Status: Begins in 11:47:12
Continent Status: Isolated
Players: 1Threat Index: Unknown
"Alone," Damian muttered. The word felt heavier now.
Suddenly, the house lights flickered. Then a low-frequency hum filled the air, rising from the floorboards. He stood, alarmed, as the walls around him shimmered—not physically, but like an overlay had glitched into place.
[NEW QUEST: PREPARATION PROTOCOL] Objective: Fortify shelter, scavenge resources, acquire weapon. Reward: Unlock Tier-1 Rewrite Function Time Remaining: 03:00:00
"Three hours to prep before what?" he said aloud. "Before Cycle One starts, or before it tests me?"
No answer, of course.
Damian bolted to the garage.
The door creaked open slowly. Everything was where it had always been: his dad's old tools, shelves of untouched camping gear, half-used paint cans. He grabbed a crowbar, a rusted machete, and duct tape. Improvised armor followed: knee pads, gloves, even a bike helmet.
He found the breaker box and flipped it off. The System might be feeding power to lure him into comfort. He wouldn't give it the satisfaction.
Damian reinforced the front door with a bookshelf. Barricaded windows. He used duct tape to cover the glass. It wasn't pretty, but it would buy him time.
He downed a protein shake, barely registering the taste. His brain was still reeling from Alira's message. They were being "evolved." That meant they were being watched. Tested. Maybe even bet on.
And worst of all: the Rewrite Core wasn't designed for him. It had been stolen.
[Preparation 63% Complete]
The progress bar hovered in the air.
"What happens if I hit 100%?" Damian asked no one. But another ping responded.
[BONUS OBJECTIVE UNLOCKED] Access Signal Tower – 0.9 Miles North Reward: Network Map & Area Scan
His heart pounded. That would give him knowledge. Advantage. He tightened the straps on his makeshift armor and stepped outside.
The world was frozen, still. Like glass about to shatter.
He walked.
The hike north felt surreal. No animals. No birds. Just the crunch of gravel and Damian's heavy breaths. About half a mile in, he passed the school. A place that once teemed with life, now lifeless. Windows shattered. Blood smeared in looping trails across the asphalt.
[CAUTION: Echo Signature Detected Nearby]
Damian crouched. Ahead, behind a toppled SUV, something moved.
Not human.
It had the shape of a person, but its joints bent wrong. Its arms were too long. The skin was cracked, glowing faintly with red veins.
[Class: Aberrant Remnant] Threat Level: Low (Solo Player)
The creature sniffed the air. Damian held his breath.
It charged.
He barely had time to roll. The thing was fast but clumsy. It smashed into a mailbox, roaring like a dying modem. Damian struck with the crowbar, missing.
Then instinct kicked in.
REWRITE FUNCTION: TRIGGERED "Instinct Loop - Applied"
Suddenly, time slowed. He saw the creature's pattern—its twitch before it leapt, the dip of its shoulder when it charged. He dodged left, ducked under its claw, and drove the machete into its throat.
A flash of light. The body disintegrated.
Echo Absorbed: Combat Thread - Tier 1 Function Added: Predictive Counter (Passive)
He stood, panting.
[Preparation Complete: 100%] Reward Unlocked: Tier-1 Directive Alteration Enabled
He had won his first fight. It had nearly killed him.
But more importantly, the System had changed. He had forced it to. That meant it was bendable. Manipulatable.
He wasn't a player.
He was a rewriter.
And the game had just begun.
[10:00:00 UNTIL CYCLE ONE]