Jayar had called his friends the moment he heard of the opportunity. They all knew the game inside and out, its mechanics etched into their minds through countless hours of play. All they needed now was to find that single bug — the one no one else could uncover. Excitement and adrenaline coursed through them as they prepared for the journey into Jasonia.
Jasonia. The Land of Mysteries.
No one knew what truly awaited them there. Rumors painted Jasonia as a forbidden territory, hiding not only powerful enemies but also secret places — fragments of a hidden story arc.
The moment they arrived, they felt it. The land was cloaked in dark fog, the air thick and oppressive, filled with unseen threats. What had once been familiar looked warped, distorted, dangerous. The mobs behaved differently here, less predictable, as though something deeper was at work.
Alex scanned the horizon, unease tightening his jaw.
"A story arc? Jasonia looks… too real."
Kim chuckled, muttering something in Avar they all half-understood, a teasing remark to cut the tension.
But Jayar remained focused. For him, this was no mere curiosity. The bug was here. He could feel it. And this was their chance — a chance they could not let slip away.
Hours of wandering brought them to the heart of Jasonia. As the fog parted, an abandoned city emerged from the gloom. Buildings leaned precariously, streets lay silent but for the occasional shadow darting from corner to corner.
Kayav's eyes narrowed as he took in the ruins.
"This doesn't look like any city I know. Something's wrong here."
But Jayar, eyes fixed on his screen, ignored the unease. He unfolded the map, tracing his finger to a single point.
"Here. The central square. That's where it begins."
The closer they drew, the heavier the air became. Threat markers lit up their screens one after another — the Ootsoro clan was near. The mobs were irrelevant now; all attention gravitated toward the square.
There, rising above the ruins, stood a colossal monument, its surface carved with strange symbols and sealed in chains of light. It radiated power, as if the entire city bent around it.
Felix stepped forward, fingertips brushing the cold stone.
"What is this?" he whispered.
The sigils shimmered faintly, resembling runes from forbidden magic rather than any game mechanic they knew.
Kim's quiet murmur in her native tongue only deepened the unease.
Then Jayar's screen flickered. A message burned across it:
You have found the starting point of the story arc. The arc cannot be canceled. Prepare to defend Jasonia.
A voice, neither human nor machine, echoed in the square.
They froze. Jayar's eyes darted to his friends.
"This is it. This isn't a bug… it's the story."
The seals flared, flooding the plaza with blinding light. Darkness surged outward, shadows coiling like living things. From the corners of the ruins, mobs emerged — and with them, the Ootsoro clan.
A boy stepped into the light. His entire form — skin, hair, scales, even his garments — was flawless white, gleaming like frozen marble. His eyes glowed with the same icy pallor. He was a statue come alive, a creature carved from winter itself.
Kayav snorted, half-joking, though his gaze betrayed unease.
"Typical interpretation of racism."
"Kayav!" Jayar snapped, voice tight with anger.
Kayav only shrugged.
"I'm Black. I'm allowed."
Even as the tension mounted, Jayar's lips twitched in a reluctant grin. Only Kayav could find humor while the world collapsed around them.
The bots appeared then, rising like phantoms from the fog. Their eyes glimmered white, cold as stars, their movements sharp and purposeful.
Weapons drawn, the five friends braced themselves.
The silence broke with a crack — like lightning splitting the sky. One bot surged forward, scales snapping into armor, its marble-white body gleaming in the moonlight.
Jayar's command rang out, sharp and steady:
"This is just the beginning."
The bots fought with uncanny precision. They were no mindless constructs, but soldiers, each movement calculated, coordinated, as if they shared a single mind.
Kim charged first, blade flashing. The bot caught her strike with inhuman speed, twisting her arm and nearly hurling her to the ground. She tore free, giving Felix the opening to fire. His shots landed true, piercing one bot's joints and forcing it down.
Kayav launched himself at another, shouting over the chaos.
"Teamwork! Stick together!"
But even coordinated strikes struggled against their regeneration. The bots rose again and again, armored bodies almost unbreakable.
Alex's bolts sought weak points — eyes, joints — anything to slow them down. Jayar directed their formation, forcing openings, calling for simultaneous strikes. Still, the enemy pressed forward.
And then, in the frenzy, one bot collapsed — but instead of fading into code, something slipped from beneath its scales. A scroll.
Felix seized it, unrolling it with trembling hands.
"Look! Coordinates. A name… Azartsum."
The fighting slowed as Kim approached, reading the strange map. Her eyes widened.
"Azartsum… he's the leader of the resistance against the Ootsoro clan."
Jayar's gaze hardened, the weight of revelation sinking in.
"Then we've found the trail. This will lead us straight to him."
Kayav chuckled darkly, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Good. More adventures ahead. Seems this trip wasn't for nothing."
The five exchanged a glance. Determination burned in their eyes. This was no bug-hunt anymore. This was destiny.
And then, from the shadows, a tall figure stepped forward — long blond hair gleaming under the moonlight.
"Know me as Dugan, son of K. L., scion of his blood" he said, His voice was hoarse, almost wild."...Vas K. L."
He was a guy with a perfectly smooth scar on his face from his forehead to his lower jaw right over his right eye. His face was covered by his pronounced blonde hair color. His gray left eye studied everyone here, including the remains of the Ootsoro clan.
Felix's hands flew across the interface, searching for the character in the game's database. Nothing. No record of Dugan existed.
His heart sank. A bug? Or something far worse?
He sent the data to his friends. The truth stared back at them, heavy and undeniable.
This was only the beginning.
...
Three days ago
City BI
Alex jumped on the roofs of destroyed buildings, shining his nexus with red threads.
Several guys crowded around him with the same strength as his own.
"Eight against one? Do you think you can beat me?" Alex asked them.
One of them went forward and spoke looking into his eyes.
"before we came here, Alex, we were in Yasonia, where there were a hundred and fifty people like you."
"We've absorbed them all, which means that it's not one against eight, but one hundred and fifty-eight against one. ." Another interrupted him.
Alex tried not to show it, but he was trapped. One of the people standing behind Alex spoke up.
"Guess who gave us the order," he said with a grin.