Elaine's lungs burned as she ran down the broken street with her little brother in tow. The sky was ripping open like a damaged display, raindrops of neon code bleeding out from beneath clouds.
Pop-ups flicked in her vision:
...⚠ WORLD MERGE: 89%… 90%… 91%…
...New Protocol Installed: SHADOW REAPER CLASS Skill "Reaper's Mark" initializing…
Buildings weren't buildings anymore. A bank mutated into a black stone bastion. Streetlights deformed into shining crystal spires. Cars transformed into skeletal beasts that rumbled and roared.
And people—
People were vanishing.
One second standing.
Next second— a burst of pixels.
Ian screamed as a horned beast rocket onto the sidewalk its claws gouging the earth. It hissed like broken speakers.
Elaine moved instantly.
Her hand sliced through the air— and there was a weapon waiting for her.
A midnight-black scythe formed in her hand, code trailing off the blade like smoke.
Ian stared, wide-eyed.
"You… you still have your game stuff?" from a child in the back of the taxi.
Neither Elaine nor the creature looked away from one another.
"I kept everything."
The monster pounced.
She dances to the side, twisting her body like she'd done a thousand times in the game. The scythe sliced once -- clean and precise.
SHHK!
The beast hit the ground in two pieces.
Its body disintegrated into radiant particles.
.....✅ EXP GAINED
.....✅ Ability Charge: +1
REAPER'S MARK unlocked:
"Drain strength from the fallen."
Elaine breathed out.
She felt faster. Sharper. More alive than she really had any right to feel.
Ian clutched her sleeve. "Elai… what's happening?"
She knelt, gripping his shoulders.
"The game didn't just come to life," she said. "It took over the world."
He swallowed hard. "A-And if we die?"
Her eyes darkned.
Permanent
A thunderous bell boomed across the altered city.
A new screen appeared: and became visible:
🚨 GLOBAL QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST NIGHT
Reward: Life
Penalty: Erasure
A shadow rippled at the end of the street— tall, cloaked, carrying a sword of flame.
The system whispered: The system whispered:
WARNING: BOSS ENTITY DETECTED
The figure turned its helmeted head toward Elaine.
Its voice was a deep, metallic growl that lurked beneath her skin.
"Assassin of the Shadows…"
It pointed its sword at her. It pointed its sword at her.
"…your life belongs to the King."
Elaine stood up slowly, placing Ian behind her.
Not afraid.
Not shaking.
Her eyes blazed like a predator's. (Her eye blazing with the fire of a hunter.).
"Tell your King…" she whispered, scythe raised.
"…he picked the wrong girl to hunt."