Beyond the main gridlines of the reborn world, where reconstructed cities thrived and updated quests flowed smoothly, lay a territory completely off the map—a void of silence. No players visited. No data updated. And yet, deep within it, something pulsed with ancient energy.
Kazen stood before a portal sealed by twelve spinning code rings. Each ring bore a crest—symbols not of guilds, but of *eras*.
Rael stood beside him, sword half-drawn. "Are we sure about this?"
"No," Kazen said. "But if we're facing forgotten enemies, we need forgotten allies."
Patchling materialized from a shimmer in the air, her voice hushed. "This gateway connects to a fragment realm. Not part of the system—never was. It was born from a failed merge."
"Merge?" Rael asked.
Kazen nodded. "Between our world and an earlier prototype. One with no levels, no resurrection, just skill and death."
He pressed his palm against the rings. Each one spun, unlocking with a burst of light.
> System Notice: Access Granted
> Realm: Forgotten Faction - The Vanguard Null
> Status: Sealed since Cycle 0.1
> Members: 9 Remaining
> Condition: Bound by Oath
They stepped through.
The sky turned crimson. Mountains floated in anti-gravity fields. And on the horizon stood warriors—not in armor, but in woven data-tattoos, ancient relics strapped to their backs. Their eyes glowed with static.
One stepped forward. A tall man, blindfolded, with his hand resting on a hilt wrapped in chains.
"You aren't supposed to be here," he said.
"I'm Kazen," he replied. "I'm the system's new core. And I need you."
The man tilted his head. "The system killed us."
Rael stepped forward. "It killed all of us. But we're building something new."
Patchling floated ahead. "You are the only faction that existed before the system had rules."
The warrior slowly smiled.
"Then maybe… we're the only ones who can break them."