What happened ? All I remembere is seeing the monsters weakness then there was blood... I thought as I stared at the graveyard. I saw one of the tombstones written.:
Kael
2000-2030
Is that me? A women with white her wearing a white night dress passed by . She looked familiar, had I seen her before ?
Blood started to rain. Her garments turned red along with her hair. I reached out my hand towards her.
She stopped and with longing eyes she gazed at me before saying, "I love you "
Everything glitches and there was darkness
Am I alive or dead?" I asked as my eyes
adjusted to the harsh white light above me.
"Sorry, but death wasn't on your side, my friend. Welcome back to reality."
The nurse's tone was flat, as if she'd said those words a hundred times.
"The head commander wants to see you the moment you're awake. If you can't walk, we've got a wheelchair ready for you."
I slowly turned my head to look at her. She looked like she wouldn't care if the moon came crashing down. Her hair hadn't seen a brush in years, and the bags under her eyes had their own bags.
I sighed. "Is everyone still alive?"
She paused her scribbling, barely glancing at me.
"I'm unauthorized to tell you that."
The chief commander stood at his office window with his arms folded behind his back, as rigid as the metal walls around us.
"Kael," he said, not turning around, "have a seat."
I lowered myself into the chair. The stiffness in my body reminded me that I was still alive,somehow.
"The mission was well executed, but—"
"Sir, is everyone still alive?" I cut in, unable to wait.
He didn't speak at first. Just stood there like a statue. Then, flatly:
"They are all dead."
I blinked. The words hit harder than the injuries I woke up with. Memories of Lucen's teammates and the oth⁶ers flooded my mind.
"Come on, old man, don't finish the kid off with a heart attack," came a voice from above.
I looked up sharply. Kaein was standing on the ceiling casually, like gravity didn't apply to him , he was focused deep in a novel.
He dropped down onto the table with a soft thud and looked me straight in the eye.
"Yo."
Tears blurred my vision. I limped toward him, arms wide with relief.
"Kaein, sir… I thought you were dead. I… I…"
He stepped to the side like I was trying to hug a shadow.
"Don't get carried away. I just fell asleep."
"Huh?! What do you mean you fell asleep?!"
"Kaein, stop playing around," the commander said, his eyes now watching us with irritation.
"Ayy, ayy," Kaein said with a lazy shrug.
"As I was saying," the commander continued, "everyone died ,except you, Kaein, and Lucen. He's in critical condition."
He stepped toward me, eyes narrowed.
"Is it coincidence that the weakest man in the squad, who also happened to enter a gate he was unauthorized for, is the only one who walks away while the rest perish?"
I lowered my head in shame.
"I… I didn't mean to enter the gate. I just wanted to prove to the system that I was capable too…"
"And so you thought the way to do that was to kill the person who took down the main boss? To erase the only evidence for your own approval?"
His voice was cold, sharp.
"You're lucky Lucen's still breathing. Otherwise, your punishment would be far worse than death."
"…Do you mean?" Kaein's voice suddenly dropped the playful edge.
"Yes." The commander's tone was final.
"You shall be sentenced to Ecardwark."
My heart sank. Ecardwark… The name alone felt like a prison cell slamming shut. Rage mixed with fear and swirled in my gut.
We stood in silence for a moment. Then the commander's right ear beeped. His brows furrowed, and he tapped on the airpod gently. A few seconds passed.
"But your sire , what makes this boy..."he froze, now pale.
Then, his tone shifted.
"…It appears I was mistaken."
He looked at me again, though his pride was clearly wounded.
"You shall serve cleaning duty. With Kaein. For disobeying the system."
Kaein groaned.
"Come on, old man. Why are you involving me in this mess…"
What just happened? I was about to be thrown into hell itself… and with one call, that all vanished. But it wasn't just the call , it was his reaction. Fear. Hesitation. Whoever was on the other end… they were above him. Way above him.
Could it be?
"Uhhm… sir," I said carefully, "is Lucen going to be alright?"
"Why do you ask?" Kaein smirked, tilting his head toward the corner. "He's right behind you."
I spun around.
Lucen leaned against the wall, eyes closed, breathing unsteadily. Unlike my hospital clothes, he wore an open white shirt with his chest wrapped tightly in bandages. His breathing was heavy but calm.
He pushed off the wall and began walking toward me.
"Lucen… thank you. For everything. I'm sorry, I...I should've been more careful, I—"
He passed by me without a word.
I stood there, fists clenched at my sides, shame burning in my chest. Then he stopped walking.
"You faked your power level," he said, not turning around.
"You waited until the very end to show off. It must've been amusing, watching me fail from my own ignorance."
His voice wasn't cold like before. It had… feeling. Real emotion.
"Just watch," he continued. "I'll surpass you. No,I'll surpass all of you. Next time we meet, I'll be more than a hundred times stronger. I'll become the Systemfall."
The commander raised an eyebrow.
Systemfall...?
What is he talking about? He's not speaking in his usual voice. He means it. Every word.
I couldn't help but laugh through the lump in my throat.
"Do I loo—"
"I won't sit around and let you do that," I said, stepping forward. "Let's see who gets there first."
We turned our backs on each other.
But in that moment ,without looking ,I knew.
We were both smiling.
Despite the mask, I could still smell the foul stench of the System's cockpit. My arms were falling off from scrubbing floors, washing dishes, and bleaching warriors' uniforms.
Meanwhile, Kaein lay upside down on the ceiling, casually reading his tenth novel. He refused to help, saying this was good training for my "strength and discipline."
I broke a mop in frustration… but reluctantly agreed.
I asked him why he had fallen asleep during the mission.
He shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"Too hungry to focus," he muttered.
I frowned, but my thoughts drifted to Lucen's words. Systemfall. What did it mean?
Before I could ask, I was distracted. I'd reached for another pile of laundry and came across a piece of clothing in my hand,
It was... feminine.
And oddly shaped.
"I bet she's an 8.5 out of 10," Kaein said boldly without even looking up.
"Don't joke around like that!" I snapped, face burning.
He grinned. "Don't tell me you've never gotten laid. Actually… knowing you, I bet you've never even spoken to a hun in your life."
I froze.
My thoughts flashed back to all those girls, I rejected about a 700 of them huh? I sighed.
Almost like he read my mind, Kaein added,
"I see so you'r e a royal follower of the bro code."
Sometimes, he used his brain the right way, I thought with a small smile.
He dropped down from the ceiling and sat elegantly on the edge of the sink.
"I'm bored," he said. "Wanna find out what Ecardwark is?"
But sometimes his...his like this.
"Why do I always listen to you?" I sighed, already regretting it.
He grabbed me by the collar and walked across the ceiling like it was solid ground.
We slipped through the dorm halls unnoticed, until we reached a massive metal door covered in chains.
Dust choked the edges.
"I don't think anyone uses this door often," I whispered.
"I'm getting impatient."
With that, he stepped through like it was literally made of water.
My skin prickled. What was this guy?
"Welcome to Ecardwark," he whispered.
The room was pure white.
Clean. Cold. Familiar.
It looked like the same room I woke up in after choosing the red gate…
But the atmosphere was wrong.
Rows of children lay in hospital beds.
Devices clamped to their heads.
They weren't just drawing blood.
They were extracting something ,glowing white orbs that floated.
Each orb was alive.
Some screamed.
Some wept.
Some laughed.
Then… something darker was implanted in their heads ,
a new orb, dim and heavy, yet strangely mixed with light.
A twisted balance. The light seemed to be over the darkness.
The children changed.
Obedient. Empty.
They followed orders without question.
Some didn't receive a replacement orb at all.
Their bodies were tossed aside.
Their original orbs,red or blue ,were stored in tubes along the wall.
My head split with pain.
Kaein grabbed my mouth before I could scream.
I was drenched in sweat, shaking.
A drop fell from my chin.
It landed on the shoulder of a nearby scientist.
He paused.
Wiped it.
Looked up.
Nothing there.
We were now back against the chained door, silent. My head slowly cleared.
I turned to Kaein, voice
.
"What… what was that place?"
"That", said the chief commander "is the heart of the system "