The Footsteps Echoed Louder With Every Beat Of His Heart As If They Belonged To Someone Who Knew Him More Intimately Than He Knew Himself
Ethan Turned Slowly Muscles Tense Every Instinct Screaming That What He Was About To Face Was Neither Illusion Nor Enemy But Something Far More Dangerous
System Alert Presence Detected Soul Bound Signature Identified
He Walked Toward The Sound Each Step Taking Him Deeper Into The Library Until The Walls Shifted And He Stood Inside A Room Draped In Midnight Curtains With No Windows And One Chair
And In That Chair Sat A Woman Her Legs Crossed Her Body Cloaked In A Dress That Seemed To Be Woven From The Night Sky Itself
You Look Like You Have Seen A Ghost She Said Her Voice Soft Yet Commanding Her Eyes Familiar Her Smile Infuriating
Who Are You Ethan Demanded Though Deep Down He Already Knew
She Stood Slowly The Dress Sliding Over Her Skin Like Liquid Her Movements Too Perfect To Be Human
You Already Know My Name Ethan You Just Forgot It
System Notification Mind Memory Barrier Triggered Access Denied
He Gritted His Teeth I Do Not Have Time For Riddles
She Laughed And The Sound Wrapped Around Him Like A Lover In The Dark
You Think The System Is Yours To Control You Think Lust Is A Tool You Can Master Let Me Tell You A Secret You Are Not The Only One With A System
Ethan Froze His Breath Catching In His Throat
What Did You Just Say
She Walked Up To Him Her Finger Tracing The Line Of His Jaw Her Touch Burning But Not With Desire With Truth
There Are Others Ethan And One Of Them Wants You Dead Because You Are The Variable That Cannot Be Calculated
System Warning Conflicting Aura Detected Intruder Has System Access
Ethan Stepped Back Instinctively Ready To Fight But She Held Up A Hand
Not Yet We Are Not Enemies Not Today I Came To Offer You A Deal
What Kind Of Deal
She Leaned In Close Her Lips Brushing His Ear
You Help Me Break The Chain That Binds Us Both And I Will Give You What No Other Can Your True Identity And The Key To The Final Seduction
System Alert Hidden Quest Offered Binding Pact Of Shadows
Objective Agree Or Refuse
Reward Locked
Penalty Unknown
Ethan Looked Into Her Eyes Searching For The Lie But All He Found Was Fire And A Deep Endless Sadness
Why Me He Whispered
Because She Said Stepping Into The Darkness Again Only You Can Choose Who Burns And Who Survives
And Then She Was Gone Her Scent Lingering Her Words Etched Into His Soul
Behind Him The Chair Was Empty The Room Already Dissolving But A Message Was Burned Into The Floor
One Choice Will Save You
One Will Destroy Everything
Make It Before Midnight
Midnight Was No Longer Just A Time It Had Become A Countdown Etched Into Ethan's Mind With Every Passing Second Echoing Like A Drumbeat Of Fate
He Stood Alone In The Shifting Room The Message Burned Into The Floor Still Fresh In His Thoughts The Woman's Voice A Whisper That Refused To Fade
One Choice Will Save You One Will Destroy Everything
The Words Hung In The Air As The Room Slowly Dismantled Itself Piece By Piece Folding Into A Corridor He Had Never Seen Before Walls Of Black Marble Reflected His Image With Unnatural Clarity Each Step Forward Felt Like Walking Deeper Into A Mirror Of Himself
System Notification Hidden Quest Accepted Binding Pact Of Shadows Initiated
Objective Meet The Host At The Circle Of Memory Before The Final Bell
Reward Unknown
Penalty System Lockout For Seven Days
He Walked Quickly Each Step Taken With Purpose Yet Beneath That Purpose Lay Doubt Who Was That Woman How Could She Have A System Why Did Her Presence Shake Him More Than Any Lust Illusion Had Ever Done
As He Reached The End Of The Corridor A Circular Platform Emerged In The Middle Of A Void Lit Only By A Crescent Light Hanging From Nowhere The Circle Of Memory A Place Said To Hold The Forgotten Truths Of System Bearers
There She Was Again This Time Standing At The Center Arms Spread Wide As If Embracing The Darkness
You Came She Said Smiling Softly I Was Not Sure You Would
I Need Answers Ethan Replied His Voice Steady But Cold If This Is A Game You Will Not Like How I Play
She Nodded Slowly This Is No Game Ethan This Is Your Past Present And Future Colliding
Then Tell Me Everything
She Raised Her Hand And The Air Shifted Images Formed Around Them Moving Like Ghosts Through Time Ethan As A Child Locked In A Room Surrounded By Men In White Coats Monitors Beeping As They Injected Him With A Glowing Liquid
What Is This
The Beginning She Whispered You Were Not Chosen By The System You Were Built For It
Ethan Staggered Back Eyes Wide That Is A Lie
It Is Not She Said And The Proof Is Inside You The Reason You Can Bend The System Why Your Lust Points Feed More Than Your Body Why Your Aura Awakens Powers Not Even The Developers Expected
Who Are You Really
She Looked At Him Her Eyes Glowing With Something Ancient And Painful
I Am The One Who Failed To Stop It Last Time And You Are My Second Chance
System Warning Emotional Surge Detected Core Memory Access Approaching
Ethan's Hands Shook But He Did Not Move I Want To See It All
The Circle Pulsed With Energy And The Visions Intensified A Facility Underground Rows Of Children Monitored As Systems Were Forcefully Installed Into Their Souls Some Survived Others Did Not Ethan Was Among The Strongest
You Were The Alpha Model She Said But They Lost You Before The Final Phase You Escaped Your Memory Was Erased The System Went Dormant Until It Awakened On Its Own
Then What Is This Place What Is This Test
It Is Not A Test Ethan It Is A War And Your System Is Not Just A Weapon It Is A Gate
A Gate To What
To The Original Network The One That Connects All Systems Across Worlds
Ethan's Blood Ran Cold Why Me
Because You Are The Only One Who Can Destroy It Or Merge With It And Become Something Else Entirely
The Platform Shook A Bell Rang In The Distance Low And Heavy
Midnight Had Come
System Update Pact Binding In Progress Final Choice Required
Will You Accept The Key To The Core
Reward Access To Origin System + System Fusion Potential
Penalty Unknown
Ethan Looked At Her Then At The Echoes Of His Own Past Then At The Darkness Beyond The Platform
And Then He Spoke Just Two Words
I Choose