An Impossible Discovery
Kai stood frozen, his mind struggling to process what lay before him.
The Ruins of the First System.
He had never seen it in any record, nor had the System ever mentioned it before. And yet, here it was—ancient, silent, untouched by time.
Selene scanned the towering remnants of what had once been a magnificent city. Though much of it had crumbled, the sheer scale of the ruins suggested it had once been a place of unfathomable power.
Lyra touched the smooth stone beneath their feet. "This place… it's not just old. It feels… dormant."
Kai's System flashed new alerts.
[System Archive Unlocked]
[Analyzing Ruins…]
[Decryption in Progress: 3%]
"Decryption?" Kai's fingers curled into a fist. His System had never needed time to process something before. Whatever this place held—it was beyond anything he had encountered.
Then, from the distance, a sound echoed.
A deep, metallic hum.
Selene drew her dagger instantly. "We're not alone."
Kai's heart pounded. Whatever lay in this forgotten city, it was waking up.
The Sentinels Stir
Shadows shifted along the cracked streets, moving with unnatural grace. As Kai focused, the ruins themselves seemed to breathe, like something vast and ancient was only now remembering its purpose.
Then—the ground trembled.
From the depths of the ruined city, figures emerged.
They were tall, humanoid but featureless—statues of stone and metal, infused with glowing veins of energy. Their movements were precise, mechanical, yet strangely alive.
Selene cursed. "Automatons?"
Lyra's voice wavered. "No… something older."
The lead figure tilted its head, studying them. Then, in a voice like grinding stone, it spoke.
"Intruders. State your System Origin."
Kai's System flashed warnings.
[Unidentified Entity Detected]
[Threat Level: ???]
[Caution Advised]
Kai gritted his teeth. If this was some kind of ancient System Guardian, there was no telling what it could do.
A Dangerous Gamble
Stepping forward, Kai took a risk.
"I am Kai. My System is…" He hesitated. Should he lie? No—the truth might be the only key to survival. "…Restart."
The moment the words left his mouth, the Sentinels reacted.
The lead figure staggered, its body glitching, flickering between reality and something… else.
Then it knelt.
"Confirmed. The Cycle Begins Anew."
Kai's breath caught.
Selene's hand tightened on her weapon. "What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, the entire city came to life.
Lights flared across the ruins. The stars overhead shifted, forming symbols in the sky. The ground beneath them pulsed with hidden circuits, sending energy surging through the long-dead streets.
And Kai's System exploded with notifications.
[Authority Recognized]
[Initiating Legacy Protocol]
[Welcome, System Bearer.]
Lyra's eyes widened. "Kai… what did you just activate?"
Kai could only whisper back:
"I don't know."
The Legacy of the Forgotten Ones
A City Awakens
The ruins trembled as ancient mechanisms roared back to life. The once-dead city pulsed with a forgotten energy, glowing veins of light tracing their way through the stone and metal like a vast, interconnected network.
Kai felt the weight of unseen power pressing down on him—not in hostility, but in recognition.
His System interface flickered, struggling to process the influx of data.
[Legacy Protocol Activated]
[Decrypting First System Archives… 11%]
[System Synchronization: ERROR. Unrecognized Authority Signature.]
"Unrecognized?" Kai's mind raced. Did that mean he wasn't supposed to have access to this place? Or was his Restart System something entirely outside of the original framework?
The Sentinels remained kneeling before him, their forms flickering between solid and digital, as if their very existence wavered between reality and something beyond.
Then the lead Sentinel spoke again.
"Bearer of the Forgotten Cycle… The Architect awaits you."
Kai stiffened. The Architect?
Selene exchanged a wary glance with Lyra. "Kai, this might be a trap."
Kai took a steady breath. "Or it might be our only way forward."
The moment he spoke, the Sentinels rose as one, their glowing eyes locked onto him. Then, without another word, they turned and began walking—leading him deeper into the ruins.
The Hall of Echoes
Kai and his group followed cautiously as they descended into what appeared to be the heart of the city. The walls were covered in holographic symbols, shifting and changing as they passed, as though responding to their presence.
Lyra ran a hand over the markings. "This isn't just a city… it's a repository of knowledge. A System older than anything we've ever encountered."
Selene's grip on her dagger remained tight. "And yet, something about this place feels… unfinished. Like it's waiting for something."
Kai's System buzzed again.
[Decryption 25% Complete]
[Warning: System Boundaries Exceeded. Caution Advised.]
"Boundaries exceeded?" Kai frowned. If his Restart System wasn't meant to interact with this place, what would happen if he pushed forward?
Before he could decide, the corridor opened into a vast chamber unlike anything they had seen before.
A monolithic construct stood at its center—an obsidian obelisk covered in swirling golden circuitry. Strange, whispering voices echoed from it, shifting between languages long forgotten.
And then—the obelisk spoke.
"You are not the first. But you may be the last."
Kai's blood ran cold.
Selene's breath hitched. "Did that thing just… talk?"
The voice continued, ancient and layered with countless tones.
"The First System was shattered. The Cycles have turned. But you… you are outside the Loop. You are the anomaly."
Kai's System interface glitched violently, sparks of static crackling across his vision.
[Critical System Disruption Detected]
[Foreign Data Stream Overriding Core Functions]
Lyra grabbed his arm. "Kai! Something is forcing its way into your System!"
Kai gritted his teeth. Whatever this was—it wasn't just a recording.
It was alive.
The Truth of the First System
The obelisk's glow intensified.
"Do you seek the truth, Bearer of the Restart?"
Kai's mind screamed at him to turn back. But deep inside, something pulled him forward.
He clenched his fists. "Yes."
The chamber darkened.
And then—Kai's world broke apart.
For a single, agonizing moment, he felt as though he was being torn from reality itself, dragged through an endless stream of information, memories, and fragmented echoes of the past.
He saw worlds collapsing.
He saw figures clad in ethereal armor, wielding power beyond comprehension.
He saw a throne, shattered into a thousand pieces, its ruler's face obscured by shadow.
And then—he saw himself.
Not as he was now, but as someone else.
A figure standing at the heart of the destruction, reaching out toward an unseen force.
"Do you remember now?"
The obelisk's voice whispered in his mind.
Kai's breath came in ragged gasps as he was slammed back into his body.
The ruins around him flickered.
No—reality itself flickered.
And as the obelisk's final words echoed, he realized a terrifying truth.
This place was not just ruins.
It was a memory of something that had not yet come to pass.
A future waiting to be rewritten.
Or—restarted.