Alys POV
Nobody moved.
The tunnel before us seemed to swallow every bit of light.
Sector Zero.
Even after the creatures had retreated, the silence they left behind felt worse than the fighting. Dust drifted through the ruined station while broken concrete cracked beneath our feet.
The countdown continued.
71:58:21
71:58:20
Every second reminded us that standing still wasn't an option.
Lucien finally spoke.
"...We have to go."
Nobody argued.
Not because we wanted to.
Because we knew the System wasn't giving us a choice.
Ryu tightened the straps on his weapon before turning toward the exhausted survivors.
"Anyone too injured stays here with the medical team. Everyone else follows us."
The older survivors nodded silently.
Fear had stolen most of their words.
Jay quietly walked beside me.
"...Alys."
I looked at her.
She gave me a tiny smile.
"We're still alive."
"...Yeah."
"We're really bad at dying."
Despite everything...
I laughed.
A tiny laugh.
It felt strange.
Wonderful.
Drake glanced at me for only a second.
Just long enough to make sure I was okay.
Somehow...
That single glance calmed my racing heart.
...
The group entered the tunnel.
Darkness surrounded us immediately.
Only emergency lights flickered every few meters.
Water dripped somewhere ahead.
Each echo sounded impossibly loud.
Nobody joked anymore.
Even Jay remained quiet.
That alone proved how serious this felt.
Lucien walked in front.
Ryu beside him.
The rest of us spread out naturally.
Drake stayed slightly behind me.
Not close enough to make it obvious.
Close enough that nothing could reach me first.
I noticed.
I didn't mention it.
...
Twenty minutes later...
The tunnel widened.
Everyone stopped.
The walls...
They weren't made of stone anymore.
They looked...
Metallic.
Smooth.
Almost alive.
Blue lines pulsed beneath the surface like veins.
Ren stared.
"...Is this technology?"
Lucien answered quietly.
"No."
"What?"
"It's grown."
Silence.
"...Grown?"
Lucien nodded.
"Sector Zero isn't a place."
"It's an organism."
Nobody spoke.
Jay slowly raised her hand.
"I would like to unsubscribe."
Percy sighed.
"Same."
Even Lucien almost smiled.
Almost.
...
The deeper we walked...
The stranger everything became.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness.
Strange floating lights drifted around us like stars.
Broken buildings stood inside enormous underground caverns.
Entire streets.
Schools.
Hospitals.
Homes.
Buried beneath the earth.
Mia whispered,
"...A city..."
Matt looked around in disbelief.
"How is this possible?"
Lucien finally answered.
"This..."
"...was the first city."
"What do you mean?"
"The first city consumed by the System."
Everyone froze.
Thousands...
Millions...
People had lived here once.
Now...
Nothing remained.
Only silence.
...
Suddenly—
A soft mechanical voice echoed around us.
"Identity confirmed."
Everyone raised their weapons instantly.
Blue light flooded the street.
One by one...
Human-shaped figures appeared.
Children.
Parents.
Students.
Teachers.
Hundreds of them.
Transparent.
Like ghosts.
Gorya gasped.
"...They're holograms."
The figures ignored us.
Instead...
They continued living ordinary lives.
Children laughed.
Couples walked together.
Students rushed toward school.
A normal morning.
Before...
Everything changed.
The peaceful sounds stopped.
Sirens echoed.
People screamed.
The sky above the holograms turned completely black.
Dark cracks spread across the buildings.
Monsters poured into the streets.
Exactly like ours.
Everyone watched in complete silence.
Families were separated.
Friends disappeared.
The city fell within minutes.
The recording ended.
Darkness returned.
Jay wiped her eyes quietly.
"...They never had a chance."
Nobody answered.
Because she was right.
...
Drake suddenly stopped walking.
"So."
Lucien looked back.
"...You sensed it too."
Drake nodded once.
Something...
Was watching us.
From everywhere.
A whisper echoed through the city.
"Interesting..."
Another.
"They arrived earlier than expected..."
Every light around us turned red.
The ground shook.
Massive footsteps echoed from the darkness.
Everyone immediately formed a defensive circle.
Weapons raised.
Ready.
Then...
A gigantic metal gate slowly opened.
Something walked out.
Not a creature.
Not human either.
It wore black armor covered in glowing blue symbols.
Its face was hidden behind a cracked white mask.
In one hand...
A massive sword rested against its shoulder.
Its voice echoed calmly.
"Visitors."
Jay blinked.
"...Another talking one?"
The figure looked directly at her.
"...Correct."
Jay sighed dramatically.
"I miss the days when monsters just screamed."
Percy whispered,
"That was literally yesterday."
"I KNOW."
The masked warrior ignored them.
Its gaze settled on Drake.
Then...
On Lucien.
"...Supreme Student."
"...Former Guardian."
Lucien's expression darkened.
"So..."
"It really is you."
The warrior slowly removed its mask.
Several people gasped.
It looked...
Human.
Young.
Maybe twenty.
Cold silver eyes.
Expressionless.
"...My name no longer matters."
"I am the First Guardian."
Silence.
Lucien lowered his weapon slightly.
"I watched you die."
"You watched my body die."
"...The System kept my mind."
A chill ran down my spine.
The First Guardian looked at every one of us.
"I was the first survivor."
"The first hero."
"The first failure."
No one knew what to say.
Then he lifted his sword.
"I have one purpose."
"To determine..."
"...whether humanity deserves another chance."
The countdown above us flashed.
71:41:03
71:41:02
The First Guardian pointed his sword toward us.
"Survive."
The ground exploded beneath our feet.
Stone pillars erupted upward.
The street split apart.
Walls collapsed.
Everyone scattered instinctively.
"LOOK OUT!" Ryu shouted.
The First Guardian moved.
He vanished.
Then—
BOOM!
His sword collided with Drake's.
The shockwave blasted through the street.
Windows shattered.
Dust exploded into the air.
Neither of them moved an inch.
"...Strong," the Guardian admitted.
Drake answered simply.
"So are you."
Their weapons separated.
The battle began.
Around us, more armored Guardians emerged from the shadows.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Ace immediately stepped in front of Zien as two charged toward them.
Without a word, he cut one down before it could strike.
The second swung from the side.
Zien blocked with trembling hands.
Ace glanced at her for only a moment.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"I'm okay."
"Stay behind me."
"...Only if you promise not to get yourself killed."
A tiny smile tugged at Ace's lips.
"I'll try."
Nearby, Kiefer caught Jay's wrist just before a collapsing beam crashed where she had been standing.
"You really attract danger."
Jay looked up at him with a grin despite everything.
"And yet you keep following me."
"I have to."
"Why?"
"Because someone has to stop you from doing something reckless."
Jay laughed.
"I'm already doing something reckless."
"What?"
She squeezed his hand.
"Liking you."
For one brief second...
Even in Sector Zero...
Kiefer forgot the battle.
He leaned down.
Their foreheads touched.
"I like you too."
Jay smiled so brightly it almost chased away the darkness.
Then, before either of them could think twice, she stood on her toes and gave him a quick, gentle kiss.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
When they pulled apart, both were smiling.
Percy shouted from across the street,
"YOU TWO CAN FLIRT AFTER WE DON'T DIE!"
Jay pointed without looking.
"WE'RE MULTITASKING!"
Even Kiefer let out the smallest laugh.
And somehow...
That tiny moment reminded everyone why they were still fighting.
Because after all the fear...
After all the loss...
There was still something worth protecting.
The future.
Their future.