The storm screamed above the fractured forest, a relentless symphony of static and cracking energy. Trees bent like broken bones, their limbs twisted unnaturally, as if the world itself was on the verge of snapping. The ground beneath Erevan's boots wobbled, sometimes turning to sand, sometimes solid stone, like reality couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Dust clung to his hair and coat, coating his tongue with grit. Every breath felt like inhaling tiny shards of glass.
Kaelith's hand latched onto his arm, her grip iron-strong despite the exhaustion etched across her face. "We can't stay here," she said, eyes scanning the horizon for movement.
Erevan staggered, legs trembling. "What, the screaming void sky and killer storm aren't cozy enough?" His voice was sharp with sarcasm, but even he knew it was hollow.
"Move." Her tone left no room for argument.
The storm showed no mercy. Arcs of static crawled across the horizon, villages flickering in and out of existence like broken holograms. Overhead, the sky tore in jagged seams of pure white code against black void, a reminder that reality itself was unravelling. Erevan's system timer ticked down relentlessly in the corner of his vision.
Glitch Storm Duration: 36:42
His stomach clenched. "Still thirty-six minutes left? That's… not even fair."
Kaelith was already moving ahead, weaving deftly through the corrupted forest. Erevan jogged after her, nearly tripping when the forest floor briefly liquefied beneath his boots before snapping back into rigid grass.
"This place is an epileptic nightmare," he muttered under his breath.
Kaelith didn't respond, her focus absolute. She moved like a shadow—silent, determined, and somehow calm despite the chaos around them. Erevan's chest tightened. He hated how calm she always seemed.
They crested a small ridge, and the sight below made him stumble.
Nestled at the base of a jagged cliff was a shimmering barrier, flickering blue-white like glass submerged in water. The storm crashed against it, static splintering harmlessly across its surface, unable to penetrate. Inside, the land looked untouched: soft green grass, a cluster of ancient stone ruins, and a single glowing obelisk at the center, radiating quiet authority.
Safe Zone Detected
Local Stability: 92%
Erevan nearly cried aloud. "Holy hell, yes."
Kaelith didn't smile. She only descended toward the barrier, bow still in hand, scanning for any sign of corruption.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the oppressive static vanished. Silence, almost alien in its purity, replaced the roar of the storm. The distant drip of water from ruined ruins and the faint rustle of leaves was all that remained. Erevan collapsed onto the nearest stone bench, sprawled like a broken rag doll.
"I'm never leaving," he declared, though his voice was hoarse from dust and adrenaline. "This is my new house. I'll live here forever. Call me Lord of the Bench."
Kaelith ignored him, circling the obelisk with careful scrutiny. Her fingers brushed its surface, causing the light to ripple like liquid.
The system chimed softly.
Safe Zone Bonus Applied: HP Regen +10% per minute, Stamina Recovery +15%
Warmth spread through Erevan's body, knitting bruises and easing the fire in his lungs. He exhaled, a small relief finally settling over him. "Better than coffee," he muttered, smirking through the grime.
Kaelith finally lowered her bow, though her posture remained alert. "This zone shouldn't exist," she said quietly, almost to herself.
Erevan cracked one eye open. "Excuse me? Please don't tell me we stumbled into another death trap."
"It's a relic," she explained, her voice softer now. She touched the obelisk again, and the rippling light responded to her fingers. "From before the system was stable. Old code. Older than me, older than any player I've ever met."
"Cool history lesson," Erevan said, frowning as he leaned forward on the bench. "But wait—you said 'players.' Are you saying I'm not the only unlucky idiot stuck in this nightmare?"
Kaelith's jaw tightened. "There are others. Not many. Most don't survive storms like this."
Erevan felt his stomach drop. "So they're dead?"
"Or worse," she said. Her voice was flat, but the weight of it made him shiver.
He grimaced. "Worse than corrupted wolves and spider-things?"
Her silence was answer enough.
The system pinged again.
System Notice: Rest Opportunity Detected
Optional Interaction Available: Dialogue Expansion
Erevan groaned, rubbing his temple. "Dialogue expansion? What, like I'm in some dating sim now?"
Kaelith arched one brow. "What?"
"Nothing," he said quickly, though his mind flickered to the new prompts glowing in his menu:
Ask about Kaelith's past.
Ask about the anomaly fragment.
Ask about the storm.
He muttered, "You've got to be kidding me."
Kaelith crossed her arms, studying him. "Are you glitching again?"
"Yes. No. Shut up." He jabbed at Option 2.
"Fine," he said aloud, voice dripping with exasperation. "What was that thing in the cave? The one that looked at me like I owed it money."
Kaelith's gaze lingered on the obelisk. She didn't answer immediately, and Erevan's chest tightened. Finally, her voice came, soft but resolute.
"It was a fragment. A piece of something larger. A piece of… you."
Erevan blinked, processing the words. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You felt it," she said, meeting his gaze. "The resonance. It reacted to you. Not to me, not to the crawlers. Just you."
"Yeah, and nearly killed me in the process!" His voice cracked, tinged with bitter humor. "That wasn't some cozy family reunion, Kaelith. That was nuclear therapy."
"You survived," she said simply, almost serene. "Most wouldn't."
He laughed, dark and hollow. "Hooray for me. So what, I'm like—part glitch demon now?"
Kaelith's eyes held his, unwavering. "No. You already were. That fragment was only proof."
The words sank into him, heavy and chilling.
The system chimed again.
System Notice: Identity Path Unlocked
Questline Available: Discover the Truth of the Anomaly
Reward: ???
Erevan's hand shook slightly as he ran it through his hair. Triple question marks were never a good sign.
He paced, muttering to himself. "So I'm part… whatever that thing was. The system calls me an anomaly, the monsters worship it, and my powers are basically broken cheat codes with a death wish. Awesome. Totally fine. Nothing to worry about."
Kaelith tilted her head, her sharp eyes never leaving him. "You're still alive."
"That's… a low bar for comfort!"
Erevan stopped pacing, staring at her. She stood there, calm, unshaken, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. It annoyed him more than it should have.
"How do you just—" he gestured wildly, "stand there like all this is normal?!"
Her expression remained serene. "Because if you panic, you die."
He flopped back onto the bench. "Great motto. Very motivational. I'll put it on a t-shirt if we ever get out of this."
The system chimed again.
Character Affinity Increased: Kaelith +3
Erevan blinked, incredulous. "Wait, what?"
Kaelith frowned, her attention shifting to the wind-swept barrier. "What was that noise?"
"Nothing!" Erevan sat upright, eyes wide. "Absolutely nothing. Just my brain breaking."
She gave him a long, measured look, but didn't press further. Instead, she walked to the edge of the barrier, staring out at the chaos beyond. Villages flickered, monsters prowled, and the sky itself looked shattered, a reminder of how fragile the world had become.
"The storm will pass," she said finally. "But the fragments won't. They're still out there. Six more. Maybe more."
Erevan's chest tightened. "And let me guess—we have to find them."
Her silence spoke volumes.
The system pinged again.
New Main Quest: Hunt the Fragments
Objective: Locate and contain the remaining anomaly fragments.
Progress: 1/7
Reward: Survival
Erevan groaned. "That's not a reward. That's the bare minimum!"
Kaelith didn't laugh. But the faint twitch of her mouth told him she found his reaction… mildly amusing.
Erevan blinked. "Was that… a smile?"
She turned away before he could be sure.
The silence stretched, broken only by the storm pounding against the barrier.
Finally, Erevan slumped back on the bench, staring at the stable ceiling above. "Fine. Fragments, storms, death spiders, whatever. But when this is over, you're buying me a drink."
Kaelith didn't look back. "If you live that long."
System Notice: Affinity Progression – Potential Romance Flag (Locked)
Erevan groaned again, covering his face. "I swear this system is trolling me."
The timer continued to tick.
Glitch Storm Duration: 31:10
Outside, the world remained broken, corrupted, and hostile. But inside the barrier, for the first time in hours—or maybe days—they had fragile peace. And somewhere out there, six more fragments waited.
Erevan leaned back on the stone bench, letting the warmth from the safe zone seep into his aching muscles. The storm outside roared like a furious beast, but here it felt almost distant, muted by the shimmering barrier. Still, he couldn't fully relax. His mind raced, spinning through everything that had happened.
"So," he said finally, breaking the heavy silence, "six fragments, maybe more, and somehow I'm supposed to play some cosmic game of hide-and-seek with them." His voice carried a mix of sarcasm and dread. "Is this a quest, or did the system just forget I'm alive?"
Kaelith's eyes didn't leave the obelisk. "It's more than a quest. Those fragments… they're unstable. Dangerous. And you're… connected to them."
Erevan groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Great. Connected. I always wanted a family reunion with deadly glitch demons."
Kaelith tilted her head slightly, her lips twitching in something that might have been the hint of a smile, though her expression remained mostly unreadable. "Better you than someone else."
He peeked through his fingers. "Better me than who? Some unsuspecting player who thought logging in for an easy grind day was safe? Because that's just cruel."
She finally stepped closer, voice soft but firm. "The fragments are tied to you for a reason. They resonate with your anomaly. You have the ability to contain them, or at least stabilize them temporarily."
Erevan raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "So basically… I'm a walking containment field for mysterious glitches. That's reassuring." He leaned back, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. "I'm going to need a drink after this. Or seven."
Kaelith's eyes flicked toward him, her expression unreadable. "Survive first. Drink later."
He muttered, "Survive first… right."
The obelisk glowed faintly as Kaelith circled it, her fingers tracing the lines of ancient code embedded in its surface. Light rippled across the chamber, illuminating the moss-covered ruins and casting soft reflections in the small pools of water scattered around. Erevan studied her, noticing the way her movements were precise, almost ritualistic. Every touch seemed deliberate, as if she understood the language of this old code better than anyone else.
"Kaelith," he began cautiously, "how long have you been doing this? Surviving storms, fragments… all of it?"
She paused, considering him. "Long enough to know panic doesn't help. And long enough to know the system isn't as stable as anyone thinks."
Erevan raised an eyebrow. "So… you've seen people die like this before?" His voice was quieter now, tinged with guilt.
"Yes," she admitted. Her gaze dropped to the obelisk, tracing a faint glowing crack along its surface. "And most don't make it. The ones who do… they're anomalies, like you."
The weight of her words pressed down on him. "So I'm… lucky?"
Kaelith's eyes met his, sharp and unwavering. "Not lucky. Capable. But luck helps."
Erevan rubbed his face, letting out a humorless laugh. "Capable, huh? That's what I'll tell myself when a giant glitch wolf tries to eat me again."
Kaelith smirked slightly, the first real expression he'd seen on her in hours. "Then keep telling yourself that. You'll need it."
The system pinged again, and Erevan's menu lit up with new prompts:
Investigate the obelisk.
Rest and recover.
Plan next move.
He sighed, leaning back and letting his fingers trail through the dust on the bench. "Planning next move… right. Because I'm super ready to voluntarily jump back into chaos. Absolutely."
Kaelith crouched by the obelisk, her hands hovering over the glowing surface. "We need information," she said simply. "Every relic, every safe zone, every fragment—it's all part of a bigger pattern. If we understand it, we can survive. Maybe even win."
Erevan groaned, letting his head fall back against the cold stone. "Win? That sounds like a very generous way of saying survive another day in literal hell."
A faint hum emanated from the obelisk, as though responding to his despair. The light pulsed gently, bathing the chamber in soft, blue-white radiance. Shadows danced across Kaelith's face, highlighting the intensity in her eyes.
"You think I'm not scared too?" she said, voice low. "Every time I step out, every time I've touched a fragment… I know what's at stake. But fear doesn't help. Preparation does. Control does. Calm does."
Erevan let out a shaky breath. "Control, calm… right. Let me just download that skill and patch my brain while we're at it."
Kaelith's eyes softened ever so slightly, just enough for him to notice. "You'll learn. You already are learning."
Erevan muttered, half to himself, "Great. Lessons in dying slowly and painfully… fantastic curriculum."
The storm outside raged on, a constant reminder that time was limited. The distant roars of corrupted creatures echoed faintly, but inside the safe zone, there was a temporary reprieve—a fragile bubble of stability where he could breathe without his chest being squeezed by imminent danger.
He sat up straighter, forcing his mind to focus. "Okay. Fragments, check. Storm, check. Survive, maybe. Next move… we need a plan. And maybe… snacks. Definitely snacks."
Kaelith raised a brow, clearly unamused by the last suggestion. "We'll survive first. Food second."
Erevan groaned again, rubbing his temples. "The system is trolling me, I swear."
The timer continued to tick down relentlessly, a reminder that the chaos outside hadn't stopped.
Glitch Storm Duration: 31:10
Erevan exhaled, letting the tension leave his shoulders just a fraction. Inside this temporary sanctuary, he could almost pretend things were normal—almost. But he knew, deep down, that six more fragments waited. And each one was tied to him, waiting to test just how far his anomaly could stretch.