[System Alert – Law Conflict Expanding]
Resurrected Souls: 117
Stabilized: 53
Unstable: 49
Corrupted: 15
Error: Death Loop Breach Detected in Zone B-09
They called it a second chance.
But for some of them, it felt like hell.
Zone B-09 used to be a safe zone. A place to rest between Trials. Now?
It reeked of decay and data rot.
Trinity and I pushed through the haze, our Marks glowing like beacons just to keep the environment stable. Threads rippled beneath our feet—too many soul imprints, overlapping, fighting for control.
In the center of it all was Kendra.
She'd been a high-level soloist back in Phase 1—eliminated during the Ice Labyrinth when she'd sacrificed herself to save two rookies.
Now she was back.
But she wasn't whole.
[Kendra – Deathless Class B]
Status: Reactive Resurrection
Memory Retention: Partial
Emotional Stability: Failed
She screamed when she saw us.
"You should've let me die! I earned peace!"
Her fists shattered the air—shockwaves blooming outward. A nearby Player was thrown through a broken arch, his Mark shattering on impact.
Trinity moved to intercept.
I stopped her.
"No flame," I said. "She's not broken. Just… trapped."
Trinity clenched her jaw. "We can't save all of them."
"I'm not trying to save her," I said.
I stepped into the radius.
I let her hit me.
Let the pain crawl through my ribs.
Then whispered, "You're still here because your choice was taken from you."
She froze.
The rage flickered—just for a second.
"You made that rule," she said through clenched teeth.
"I made the option," I replied. "But your thread came back because the system interpreted your last sacrifice as unfinished. It didn't know how to let go of you."
Her eyes filled with glitchlight tears.
"I don't want this…"
"Then fight it," I told her. "End your own thread. Or rebuild it. But either way—make the call yourself."
[Deathless Thread Anchor – Stabilizing]
Choice Confirmed: Kendra has elected to remain active.
Mark status: Soulbound → Soulrooted
Deathless Tier Upgraded: CLASS A
She slumped forward, breathing hard.
"I… remember now. I chose to save them. I still want to."
Her Mark flickered—not red. Not black.
Emerald green.
A color I'd never seen before.
New Thread Trait Detected: "Resilient Echo"
Trinity raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?"
I smiled, exhausted. "Hope. Maybe."
But not everyone made that choice.
We returned to camp that night with a list of twelve Deathless who'd destabilized completely.
They couldn't speak. Couldn't listen.
Just wandered like broken ghosts, whispering old memories on a loop.
Some started hurting others.
One had already killed again.
Orion met us at the central node.
"They need to be purged," they said. "Before the Death Engine finds them."
I hesitated.
"They're still people."
"No," Orion said flatly. "They're code rot wearing people's skins."
[Trey – Decision Required]
Purge the unstable Deathless before they spread corruption?
Or try to stabilize them… risking the system's collapse?
Trinity stared at me.
"I'll stand by whatever you choose."
Orion added, "But the Graveyard is watching now. You're not just a Player anymore. You're precedent."
And in the distance…
The dirt moved.
Something big was stirring beneath the grave-soaked earth.
A heartbeat.
A hum.
A presence that hadn't been part of the Game…
Until my rule changed everything.
The Death Engine is waking up.