The sky above the capital shimmered in layers—data streams flowing gently across the new world, no longer chained by old commands. Cities rebuilt themselves, quests adapted dynamically, and players began to dream again.
Kazen stood atop the central tower of Nexus Core, the city that had grown from the very seat of the Godroot Terminal. His cloak rippled with threads of living code. His blade was sealed on his back—no longer needed every moment.
For the first time, he didn't feel like a weapon. He felt like a guardian.
Rael entered behind him, armor updated with flame-tethered runes.
"You see this quiet?" Rael asked. "Makes me nervous."
Kazen smirked. "Maybe the world's healing."
"Or maybe something's watching."
Patchling appeared, glitching slightly. "You're both right."
A screen opened in midair, shimmering with golden access.
> Alert: System Anomaly Detected
> Source: Legacy Archive Fragment
> Status: Hostile Reanimation
> Location: Blackserver Null
Rael cursed. "The Blackserver? I thought you locked that out."
"I did," Kazen said. "But I didn't delete it."
Patchling frowned. "Something… woke it."
Deep inside the alert window, a figure stood cloaked in static. He wore an admin's crest over shattered armor, face hidden beneath an inverted mask of the system's old logo.
> Identity: Fragment Lord Xerol
> Former Role: Admin-07
> Objective: Restore Original Hierarchy
> Threat Level: Overgod
Kazen stepped back. "He's not just an error… he's a backup."
Xerol's voice echoed from the screen.
"I've seen your rewrite. Your freedom. It's beautiful—and flawed. I will correct it. This time, there will be no glitches."
Rael cracked his knuckles. "We'll see about that."
Patchling's eyes widened. "Wait. He's not alone."
> Additional Signature Detected: Variant Core — User Zero
> Status: Unknown
> Power Class: Unscanned
> Note: Not from this system
Kazen turned. "Get the council. Wake the Sleeper Guilds. We're not just fighting remnants."
Rael nodded. "We're fighting other worlds."
And the war for the new system was about to begin.