[Side Quest Active: Survive First Contact]
Time Remaining: 71:18:03
I ran.
Branches slapped my face. The cube Lux had tossed me pulsed faintly in my hand. I still had no idea what it was—or if it was going to explode—but I clutched it like my life depended on it. Because it probably did.
Behind me, the sound of metal wings cutting through air got louder. They weren't just circling anymore. They were hunting.
"System," I gasped between breaths. "Status check. Anything useful?!"
[Analyzing... No combat-ready skills. Defensive Protocol: LOCKED. Suggestion: Use environment. Improvise.]
"Helpful as always."
I spotted a break in the trees—an ancient ruin swallowed by nature. Stone archways covered in bio-luminescent moss, glyphs half-buried in the dirt. It looked abandoned… which probably meant something else lived there.
But right now? Shelter was shelter.
I ducked into the structure just as the first drone-like creature descended from the sky. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't even metal. It was… something else. Its wings were like bone laced with circuitry. Its face was a glowing mask, emotionless and watching.
[Entity Identified: "Watcher-Class Fragment." Level: ???. Threat: Extreme.]
I backed deeper into the ruins. The Watcher floated outside, scanning, waiting. My hand still clenched around the cube. Without thinking, I threw it into the air.
[Detonator cube armed.]
[Ten-second countdown.]
"Ohhh, Lux, please let this be good."
9. 8. 7…
I dove behind a cracked pillar.
3. 2. 1.
The cube pulsed—then bent space around it. The Watcher screeched as reality distorted. A shockwave of violet energy burst outward, folding the air in on itself. No fire. No sound. Just silence.
When it ended, the Watcher was gone.
I stood up slowly, stunned. "Okay… THAT was awesome."
The System pinged again.
[Cube used: CHAOS-type anomaly detected.]
[Attention drawn: Proximity alert—additional lifeforms inbound.]
"More? You've got to be kidding me."
But this time it wasn't just machines. From beyond the ruin's overgrown path, I saw people.
Well... beings.
They wore cloaks made of leaves and nanoweave. Their eyes glowed faintly blue. They held staffs and tech-weapons fused with crystal. At least five of them, all pointing directly at me.
The tallest stepped forward. His voice was calm, but edged with suspicion.
"You carry a CHAOS spark. Who are you?"
I raised my hands. "My name's Alex. I'm not from here—I kind of fell into this whole thing. Literally."
They glanced among themselves.
One whispered, "Off-worlder?"
Another: "No. Look at the flux trails. He's newly coded."
The leader narrowed his eyes. "You should not exist. The CHAOS protocol was locked. Long ago."
"Yeah, well," I said, lowering my hands slowly, "tell that to the guy with the white hair and the creepy death book."
Their expressions shifted at that. A few took a step back.
"You've met the Archivist?"
"Wait. You know him?"
Silence.
Then, one of them—an older woman with a mechanical arm—stepped forward.
"If what you say is true, then you're not just a glitch. You're a threat... or a prophecy."
"Great," I muttered. "I was hoping for 'guest' or maybe 'friend.'"
The leader finally spoke again.
"Come with us. If you are lying, we'll know. If you are telling the truth... then the world is about to change."
I didn't like either of those options. But I had a system in my head, glowing symbols on my wrist, and no better plan.
So I followed them.
Because maybe, just maybe, they had answers.
And if not?
I still had Code Break.
And a deal with Death to honor.
They marched me in silence through a glowing forest trail. The trees whispered in a language I couldn't understand—somewhere between static and birdsong. Bioluminescent insects floated around like data fireflies. The entire world felt like it was humming in its sleep.
Eventually, the trees gave way to stone. A hidden entrance slid open, revealing a cavern lit with floating orbs and curved tech etched into natural crystal. Inside: a living base, half grown, half built—ancient yet alive.
I was escorted through a long corridor until we reached what looked like a command chamber. Screens hovered midair, displaying shifting maps and sigil clusters. A massive stone table stood in the center, surrounded by armored figures wearing cloaks of woven moss and metal.
One of them turned as we entered. Older, regal. Horn-like cybernetic implants curled behind her ears.
"Another one?" she said sharply. "Do you people drag in every stray the system spits out now?"
"This one's different," the leader replied. "He bears CHAOS. And claims to have met the Archivist."
The entire room stilled.
Her eyes locked on mine. "Then the prophecy begins again."
"Okay," I said. "Seriously. What prophecy?"
She stepped closer. "Long ago, the system fractured. From it came three branches. Order, Oblivion, and Chaos. Most of us were born into Order—trained to bend with the system's flow. Others... turned toward Oblivion. They seek to erase the code of this world entirely."
"And Chaos?" I asked.
She looked me dead in the eye. "Chaos broke the rules. Created anomalies. Reality warpers. Glitches that bent fate."
"So what does that make me?"
"A problem," she said flatly. "Or a solution."
The tension in the room thickened. I didn't like the way some of the guards were eyeing their weapons. My fingers twitched near my bracelet.
Just then, one of the scouts burst into the room, panting.
"We've been followed."
Everyone tensed. I didn't wait for an invitation. "What followed us?"
The scout replied: "Hunters. Three. Oblivion-marked."
The woman hissed. "Already? That was fast."
She pointed at me. "You brought them here."
"Hey! I didn't invite anyone!"
"We'll settle this later," she snapped. "Guards—prepare for breach."
A deep rumble echoed through the base. Then came the scream.
Not human. Not machine.
Something in between.
[Combat Initiated]
The wall cracked as a blade tore through it—jagged, obsidian, and steaming. A figure cloaked in pitch black stepped through, its face covered by a fractured white mask, its body bleeding code.
[Entity Identified: Oblivion Stalker - Class: Hunter]
Level: 12. Threat Level: Critical.]
Everyone moved at once. Energy bolts fired. Shields activated. The room was chaos.
I ducked behind cover, heart pounding.
[System Alert: CODE BREAK Available. Target Selection: OPEN.]
I peeked at the masked figure, its limbs phasing through walls, turning real and unreal at will.
"Let's see what this does."
[Code Break: Activated]
Target: Oblivion Stalker
Subroutine Overridden: Phase-step Protocol]
The creature staggered. It turned solid—vulnerable. The nearest guard capitalized, slamming a charged staff into its core. It shrieked, black tendrils lashing out—but now it bled like code torn from corrupted memory.
"YES!" I shouted. "That actually worked!"
But another hunter burst through the opposite side of the room.
Too fast.
A blast of purple fire hit the ceiling and debris came raining down—toward me.
I raised my hands instinctively—
And the debris froze mid-air.
Everything stopped.
Time stuttered.
[System Note: CHAOS Anomaly Detected. Temporary Pause Protocol Triggered.]
Lux's voice echoed faintly in my mind. "Told you. You're rewriting things now."
I blinked.
Time resumed. The rubble dropped behind me. The hunter stood stunned for just a second. That's all the others needed to finish the job.
When the fight ended, the room was a mess. Two of the hunters lay disintegrating. The third had escaped. My heart was still racing. I was sweating, shaking, alive.
Everyone stared at me.
The regal woman stepped forward again. This time, not with anger—but with something else.
Recognition.
"You may not have asked for this," she said. "But you're part of it now."
She turned to the others.
"Prepare the Seer. The CHAOS heir walks again."
And just like that… everything changed.