Victor landed with a thud, knees buckling slightly under the weight of the transition. The Nexus Gate dissolved behind him, its strands of shimmering data fading into the dark horizon like a severed tether. The world he emerged into wasn't quite like the Anchor or the glitch-laced wilderness of the Core. It was... quieter. Still. But not in a comforting way.
The sky above was a flat, oppressive gray, devoid of stars or sun. Metallic clouds hung motionless, and the terrain stretched endlessly in every direction—cracked stone and rusted ruins, scattered with broken fragments of what looked like ancient code constructs.
> [Zone Unlocked: Hollow Verge]
Unique Protocol Path: Player is now a Root Node. Limited support available.
Local Difficulty: Adaptive (High)
Victor rolled his shoulders, the air biting against his skin despite no actual wind. It felt cold in a way only digital environments could—a simulation of emptiness. He glanced at his system HUD. No party. No map. No local player pings.
He was completely alone.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see what 'breaking the game' actually means."
The UI flickered, then stabilized, and a small icon appeared in the top-right corner: a slowly spinning black-and-white spiral.
> [Hollow Core - Seed Status: Dormant]
Objective: Ignite the Seed. Establish a Hollow Haven.
"A haven?" he said aloud. "In this place?"
He walked forward, every footstep echoing too loud on the stone. Shadows clung unnaturally to the sides of broken buildings—half-rendered towers and defunct data shrines. This was a dead zone, one the main narrative had likely buried.
But something stirred here.
Victor approached the base of a fractured obelisk. As he drew near, the Echobind trait flared in his mind. The world shifted—subtly, like a lens being wiped clean.
A flickering memory appeared before him: a ghost of a player, armored in white and gold, their avatar badly corrupted. They knelt beside the obelisk, voice ragged.
"We tried... to build something here. Something between. But the system wouldn't let us. It called us errors. Nulls. Glitched."
> [Recovered Memory: Forgotten Architect - Entry 1]
Victor stepped back. The memory dissipated, scattering like ash.
"So this place... others have tried," he whispered.
He pressed his hand against the obelisk. The Hollow Core pulsed.
> [Hollow Seed Interface Available] Would you like to establish a Haven Point here?
Requires: Catalyst x1 | Data Anchor x1 | Core Willingness: Pending
Victor frowned. "I don't have a Catalyst. Or a Data Anchor."
He pulled open his inventory—mostly basic gear, a few consumables, and the glitched crystal Luna had given him. But no Catalyst.
And then—
> [Object Recognized: Corrupted Core Fragment (Unique)] Would you like to attempt a Forced Haven Ignition?
Warning: High risk. Entity attraction inevitable.
He hesitated. But there was no path forward without making a move.
"Do it."
He plunged the fragment into the obelisk's hollow slot. The stone screamed.
Lines of red and blue light snaked through the ground like veins. The world convulsed.
> [Hollow Haven Established: Status - Unstable]
Integrity: 12%
Defense Systems: Offline
Faction Attraction: Detected - Unknown entities en route.
Victor barely had time to draw his blade before a ripple tore through the sky. A shriek echoed across the Verge.
They came fast—jagged silhouettes with glitching limbs and static trails. Not NPCs. Not corrupted mobs. Something in between. Half-rendered. Half-deleted.
> [Hollow Wraith - Level 18]
[Hollow Wraith - Level 21]
[Unknown Entity - Level ???]
Victor activated Echo Pulse, the ability granted by his trait. A wave burst from him, distorting the enemies' forms.
Two Wraiths flinched, slowed. He charged, sword dancing. The first strike split one cleanly down the middle—its body dissolving into ribbons of static. The second lunged, but he rolled under it, countering with a heavy blow that knocked it into the side of the obelisk.
Then the third entity stepped into view.
A tall figure, cloaked in data fire, its face a hollow void. Text scrolled across its chest like a broken marquee.
> [Echo Error: Archive Unnamed | Sentience: Partial | Protocol: Consumption]
Victor knew he wasn't ready for it. But the Haven wouldn't survive if he ran.
"Come on then," he growled.
He struck first. His blade bit in—barely. The creature countered with a whip of energy, knocking him back into the rubble. His health dipped dangerously.
> [Echobind Surge Unlocked: Hollow Rewrite (Beta)] Would you like to activate experimental code manipulation?
Warning: Instability may cause system rejection.
Victor slammed the yes key.
Time stuttered.
He was everywhere and nowhere—his body a haze of fragmented pixels. He saw code. Layers of it. The entity before him was not just one creature—it was multiple failed routines mashed into a corpse.
He reached into it—not with a weapon, but with thought—and rewrote.
"Error Line 78: Function —> Null."
The creature spasmed. It began to scream.
Then it exploded into static shards.
Victor dropped to one knee, panting. The obelisk behind him flared with light.
> [Hollow Haven Integrity Stabilized: 38%]
You are now the Architect of Hollow Verge.
New construction options unlocked. NPC allies may now be recruited. Unique storyline branch initiated.
Victor looked around at the wreckage.
"Step one," he said. "Make this place livable. Step two... find out who else survived."
The Hollow Core pulsed again.
And somewhere, deep in the code—something woke up.
A hum began to grow beneath his feet. Subtle at first, like the purr of old machines waking from slumber. Then louder, as if a hundred data engines were spinning to life underground. The ground trembled faintly.
> [New Threat Detected: Hollow Forge Beast | Level 26 | Bound to Incomplete Protocol]
Victor turned. The ruins to the east had shifted—bricks pulling apart like puzzle pieces. Something massive was crawling out of the earth, its body made of jagged steel and roaring flame, chained by glowing runes that cracked as it moved.
"Great," Victor muttered, tightening his grip on his sword. "Another guest."
The battle for the Hollow Verge had only just begun.