The rift pulled Ethan in.
There was no gravity. No sound. Only a crushing silence as he tumbled through a void far deeper than the System's domain.
Then—
Impact.
Ethan hit the ground, rolling onto solid stone. His body ached, his vision swam, but he was alive.
He exhaled, pushing himself up, taking in his surroundings.
The sky above him was black, yet filled with shifting codes of red and blue. The landscape stretched out before him—ruins. Towers of metal and stone broken and forgotten, some crumbling into dust. The air itself crackled with static energy.
And then Ethan felt it.
A presence.
Something was watching him.
---
A World Beyond the System
Ethan took a cautious step forward. The ground beneath him was stable, but unnatural. Every movement sent faint ripples across reality, like stepping on the surface of a glitching program.
Then—movement.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall. Clad in tattered black armor, etched with unreadable symbols. A hood covered their head, but faint glowing red eyes gleamed from beneath.
And they spoke.
> "You made it."
Ethan tensed. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure took another step forward. Their voice was deep, but laced with something else—recognition.
> "You can call me Kael."
Kael raised a hand, and the space around them shifted. Data flickered in strange, unreadable patterns.
> "Welcome to the Dead Zone."
Ethan's heart pounded. The Dead Zone?
> "This is what remains of those who defied the System," Kael continued. "A graveyard of anomalies."
Ethan's fingers twitched. "Then why am I still alive?"
Kael tilted his head. "Because you're different."
He paused. Then:
> "You didn't just survive the System's purge."
"You broke it."
Ethan's breath caught.
Kael stepped closer, his glowing eyes narrowing.
> "And that means you're not just another anomaly."
"You're something worse."
A slow grin spread across his face.
> "You're the System's greatest fear."
---
The System Hunts Him
Before Ethan could respond, a sharp alarm-like sound rang out in the distance. Kael's expression darkened.
> "They've found you."
Ethan turned—just in time to see a tear in reality rip open.
Figures poured through.
Not humans. Not monsters.
System Enforcers.
Glowing white constructs of pure energy, faceless and relentless.
Their voices echoed in unison.
> [TARGET LOCATED.]
[SYSTEM BREACHER DETECTED.]
[ENGAGING TERMINATION PROTOCOL.]
Kael's voice was cold.
> "You've got two choices."
Ethan turned back to him.
> "Run and die alone."
"Or fight with us and live long enough to break the System completely."
Ethan grinned.
> "I think you already know my answer."
He clenched his fist. Dark lightning surged around him.
And the battle began.
---
The Last Battlefield
The air crackled with tension.
The System Enforcers hovered in formation, cold and emotionless, their glowing white forms flickering between solid and digital. Each of them wielded weapons made of pure data, shifting between swords, lances, and cannons, adapting to their target.
Ethan clenched his fists, dark lightning coursing through his veins. His entire body felt different, stronger—like he had become something more after breaking free from the System's purge.
Kael stood beside him, calm and composed, his eyes glowing beneath his hood.
> "They won't stop. The longer we stand here, the more they will send."
Ethan grinned. "Good. I was just starting to get warmed up."
Kael shook his head.
> "We don't win by fighting. Not here."
Ethan frowned. "Then what's the plan?"
Kael's gaze drifted to the crumbling sky of the Dead Zone.
> "We leave. Now."
Before Ethan could respond, the Enforcers attacked.
---
The System Strikes
There was no warning.
The first Enforcer blinked forward, its weapon morphing into a spear of pure energy. Ethan barely had time to dodge as it pierced the ground where he had stood a second ago. The impact shattered the stone, sending jagged fragments flying.
> [Engaging Termination Protocol]
[Enemy Identified: High-Level Anomaly]
Another Enforcer fired a beam of white energy directly at Kael.
Kael didn't move.
A ripple of black energy flickered around him, and the beam vanished before it could make contact.
Ethan's eyes widened. "What the hell was that?"
Kael finally moved—faster than Ethan thought possible. He was suddenly behind the nearest Enforcer, his hand gripping its head.
> "Obliterate."
The Enforcer froze.
Then, without a sound, it disintegrated into black shards, fading like dust.
Ethan whistled. "Damn."
Kael turned to him, his eyes glowing brighter.
> "You can admire later. Move."
More Enforcers advanced, their weapons shifting into massive bladed constructs.
Ethan didn't hesitate.
The dark lightning around him exploded as he lunged forward, his fist colliding with the nearest Enforcer's chest. The force rippled through the construct, bending its frame before it shattered into fragments of code.
But more were coming. Dozens.
The battle was only beginning.
---
The Dead Zone's Secret
Ethan fought, dodging, striking, feeling the power in his body adapting with every movement. His mind was clearer, his strikes faster.
But something was wrong.
Every time he destroyed an Enforcer, another took its place.
And worse—the ground beneath them was collapsing.
Kael suddenly grabbed Ethan's shoulder and yanked him backward.
> "We're wasting time. The Dead Zone is already falling apart."
Ethan looked around. The once solid ruins were fading, turning into nothing but empty static.
"The hell is going on?"
Kael's face was grim.
> "The Dead Zone doesn't exist in the System's reality. It's only here because we are."
"And now that the System has found us, it's erasing it completely."
Ethan clenched his jaw. "So we're running?"
Kael gave him a cold look.
> "We're surviving."
Without another word, he raised his hand—and a rift split open in the sky.
> [Destination: ???]
> "Go. Now."
Ethan glanced at the Enforcers still closing in. Part of him wanted to stay. To fight.
But Kael was right.
There was something bigger waiting.
With a deep breath, Ethan jumped into the portal.
The last thing he saw before it closed was the Dead Zone collapsing into absolute nothingness.
---
The Other Side
Ethan landed hard on solid ground. The air here was different—heavy with something he couldn't explain.
Kael stepped through behind him, the portal closing in an instant.
Ethan looked around.
They weren't in ruins anymore.
They were in a city.
Massive structures towered above them, their surfaces covered in shifting data and neon symbols. Strange flying constructs moved through the air, while figures cloaked in shadow walked along the streets.
Ethan turned to Kael.
"Where the hell are we?"
Kael's expression was unreadable.
> "The last safe haven."
"The city of those who defied the System."
Ethan felt his heartbeat quicken.
> "Welcome to the Nexus."