Chapter 4 – The Keeper's Awakening
The darkness was heavy.
James floated in it, weightless, as though his body didn't exist. No sound, no feeling—only silence, except for the faint hum of static that buzzed faintly in his ears.
Then a voice whispered, smooth but distorted, like words breaking through a cracked speaker.
"Wake, Last Cycle."
James' eyes snapped open.
He was lying on a slab of stone, deep underground. The walls around him glowed faintly, carved with lines of pulsing blue light—runes, or maybe code. His body ached all over, but the wounds he'd taken were wrapped neatly in bandages that definitely weren't there before.
He sat up slowly, clutching his chest. "Where… am I?"
A blue screen appeared, flickering violently, half its text scrambled.
[System Stability: 14%]
[Warning: Critical Threshold Approaching]
James groaned. "Figures. I die, I glitch, and somehow I still can't get rid of this thing."
The hum grew louder, and the same voice filled the chamber. It wasn't the cold, emotionless system voice. This one was alive—tired, ancient, and heavy with sorrow.
"You survived. That was… unexpected."
James froze. "Who's there?"
Silence. Then the light on the walls pulsed, and the voice returned.
"I am the Keeper."
"The… Keeper?" James frowned. "Keeper of what?"
"Of fragments. Of memory. Of cycles long gone. I was meant to observe, to preserve… until you arrived."
James got to his feet, his legs shaking. "You're the one whispering in my head. 'Last Cycle'… all that cryptic crap. What does it mean?"
The glow along the walls flickered, like a sigh made of light.
"It means you are not meant to exist. Every cycle is written, erased, and begun anew. But you… slipped through. A glitch in the system. The Last Cycle."
James laughed bitterly. "So let me guess. I'm some kind of bug. A cosmic typo."
"Yes." The Keeper's voice was calm, almost pitying. "And for that, everything will come for you. Already, the Hunters move. If they find you now, you will be erased… body, soul, memory. Nothing will remain."
James clenched his fists. "Then teach me how to stop them. I'm not just gonna roll over and die because some broken program says so."
The walls pulsed again.
"Very well. Then you must see what sustains you."
The ground rumbled. At the far end of the chamber, stone cracked apart, revealing a floating shard of light. It pulsed irregularly, shifting between crystal and glitching code.
James felt it before he even stepped closer—a pull, deep in his chest, like part of him recognized it.
"What is that?"
"A Fragment," the Keeper said. "Pieces of cycles that remain when the world is erased. Without them, you will collapse. With them… you may endure."
James reached out, hesitating. The shard buzzed like static against his skin. When his fingers brushed it, the blue screen exploded into existence.
[Fragment Acquired: Shard of Persistence]
[System Stability +2%]
[Temporary Skill Unlocked: Fragment Sense]
A rush of warmth filled his chest, and for the first time since waking in this nightmare world, the pounding in his head eased.
James staggered back. "I… I feel different. Stronger. More… real."
"Fragments anchor you to this cycle. Without them, you will fade."
James clenched his jaw. "Then I'll collect as many as it takes."
The Keeper's voice darkened. "And with each one, you will also inherit what they hold—memories not your own, skills that may burn you, truths that may break you. Power always demands a price."
James smirked despite himself. "Story of my life."
He turned the dagger in his hand, watching it catch the faint light. "So what now? Do I just wander around, hoping to stumble into more of these shards before the Hunters get me?"
"Not wander. Train."
The walls shifted. The runes twisted, reshaping into a doorway. From beyond, a low growl echoed. James felt his blood run cold.
"Face the instability. Survive, and you will grow. Fail, and the Cycle ends with you."
James swallowed hard, dagger clutched tight. "Right. No pressure, then."
The doorway burst open. From the shadows crawled twisted shapes—humanoid figures with broken limbs, their skin stretched and glitching like torn fabric. Their eyes were empty, but locked onto him with hunger.
The system chimed in his head.
[Training Trial Generated]
[Instability Shades x5]
[Survival Probability: 23%]
James grit his teeth. "Better odds than last time."
The first Shade lunged.
James sidestepped, slashing with the dagger, but its body split apart into pixels and reformed. Another leapt onto his back, claws digging into his shoulder. He screamed, stumbling forward, smashing it into the wall.
Think, James! He couldn't overpower them, not like this. The dagger was too weak, and his strength was nothing compared to these things.
The system flickered.
[System Instability Detected]
[Glitch Skill Available: Improvised Strike]
James didn't think. He just acted. His arm surged with strength, his dagger glowing faintly as he drove it through the Shade's chest. The monster screeched, exploding into fragments of static.
James staggered back, panting. "Okay… okay. I can work with this."
The next two lunged together. James ducked low, sweeping his leg in a clumsy kick that knocked one aside. The other pinned him down, claws inches from his throat—
The dagger glitched in his hand, its edge briefly sharpening into something impossibly sharp. James shoved upward, splitting the Shade's head in two.
It dissolved, leaving him gasping for air, his body shaking with adrenaline.
[Enemies Defeated: 2]
[XP +2 | Level Progress: 6%]
[Warning: Stability –1%]
James cursed. "So every time I bend the system, I'm killing myself a little."
The Keeper's voice answered softly, almost regretfully. "Yes. That is the price of being what you are."
Three more Shades circled him, hissing. His dagger trembled in his grip.
James spat blood from his lip and raised it high. "Then screw the price. I'm not dying here."
He charged.
By the time the last Shade dissolved, James was on his knees, drenched in sweat, his body covered in cuts and bruises. His HP bar blinked red.
But he was alive.
The blue screen pulsed.
[Training Trial Completed]
[XP +5 | Level Progress: 11%]
[Fragment Sense – Active]
James collapsed onto his back, laughing hoarsely. "Eleven percent… That's it? At this rate, I'll be dead before I hit Level 2."
The Keeper's voice was quiet, almost gentle.
"You endure. That is more than I expected. But this is only the beginning. The Hunters are coming. And next time, it will not be shadows you face."
James shut his eyes, gripping the dagger against his chest.
"Let them come," he whispered.
But deep inside, he felt the same chill as before—the creeping certainty that he was playing a game rigged to erase him.