The corridor was endless — not in length, but in repetition.
Every few meters, the same screen. The same flickering footage. The same moment looping over and over again.
A child crying beside a burning tower.
A man falling through a collapsing city.
A name flashing across corrupted skies: "Claire."
Ryn stopped walking.
That name again.
He didn't know her. Couldn't. But something inside twisted every time the name echoed. His fists clenched before he realized they had.
> [Emotional Sync: 8%]
[Warning: Unstable memory fragments detected.]
He gritted his teeth. "Show me something useful."
The system responded. Not with mercy, but with mockery.
A wall split open to his right, revealing a spiraling platform that descended into dark mist. No railings. No signs. Just descent.
> [Accessing Core of Sector Null.]
[Risk level: Unmeasurable.]
[Suggested action: Retreat.]
> "Not a chance," Ryn muttered.
He stepped forward.
---
The moment his foot touched the first step, the light changed. The white-blue hue turned crimson. The entire world shuddered.
A low hum grew louder, like a machine breathing in its sleep.
> [New Entity Detected.]
[Designation: Warden of Null]
[Level: ???]
[Engagement status: Passive]
At the base of the stairs, a shape began to form.
Not a man. Not a monster.
A mixture of both — like someone had tried to sculpt a human from jagged system code and emotionless logic.
Its face was blank. Featureless. A smooth black mask of glass that pulsed with unreadable glyphs.
"You are not meant to be," it said.
Its voice was not spoken — it vibrated through the air, straight into Ryn's chest.
> [Initiate dialogue protocol?]
Ryn didn't respond with words. He raised the makeshift rod — now glowing faintly from residual combat code — and took a step forward.
The Warden did not move.
"You gonna stop me?" Ryn challenged.
The Warden tilted its head, glyphs flickering faster.
> "Stopping a glitch would imply it was ever part of the program."
Then it stepped aside.
> [Path unlocked: Forbidden Archives.]
[Proceed at your own risk.]
Ryn stared.
That was too easy.
But still — forward.
Always forward.
---
The Forbidden Archives were… cold.
Not temperature-wise. Emotionally.
The space was massive — a cathedral of digital books and suspended data crystals, floating in zero gravity, whispering to one another. Language streamed along the walls like waterfalls of unreadable code.
> [Data source: Pre-Collapse Memories]
[Access Level: Restricted]
[Override attempt: Authorized (Chaos Path)]
[Decrypting…]
A crystal hovered toward him.
He reached out — touched it.
Pain erupted behind his eyes.
A battlefield.
Smoke. Blood. Screams.
And there — Ryn, but not this version. Clean armor. Human eyes. Hopeful. Standing beside a woman with silver hair.
Claire.
She smiled, handed him a blade of light, and said one word: "Together."
Then — betrayal.
Fire.
His own voice screaming.
Her hand covered in blood.
And above them, the System's command:
> [DELETE: TRAITOR RYN]
The memory shattered.
Ryn collapsed to one knee, gasping, clutching his chest.
"What the hell was that…?"
> [Memory Fragment 1 Recovered.]
[Sync Rate: 12%]
[Warning: More fragments needed for full recall.]
He stood slowly, rage boiling behind his ribs.
He had known her. Claire.
She had stood with him.
And then destroyed him.
Or worse — ordered it.
> "I'm going to find you," he growled. "And you're going to explain why I died screaming your name."
The Archives pulsed once, as if acknowledging his vow.
Then the world broke.
The entire chamber shivered. Lights dimmed. Alarms flared.
> [ALERT: SYSTEM SPIKE DETECTED]
[Emergency Lockdown Engaged]
[Security Protocol: Guardian Class inbound]
Ryn didn't hesitate.
He ran.
---
Back through the spiral.
Back into the corridor.
But the screens were different now.
No longer looping fragments.
Now they showed him.
His fight with the construct. His hesitation. His memory.
The System was watching. Learning.
A new window appeared:
> [Offer Incoming from System Core]
[CLASS INSTALLATION REQUESTED]
[Type: NULL BLADE]
[Description: Forged from deletion. Fed by disobedience.]
> [ACCEPT] [REJECT]
Ryn froze.
This was a trap.
A class meant to tame him — or worse, to track him.
But still... power.
He needed it.
He had nothing.
> "Screw your conditions," he muttered.
Then, louder:
> "I'll take it — but on my terms."
He pressed ACCEPT.
Agony.
Black light erupted from his spine, carving ancient code into his skin. His rod dissolved — reshaped into a blade made of obsidian light and glitched edges. His vision pulsed red, then cleared.
> [CLASS: NULL BLADE — Installed.]
[Trait Acquired: Anti-Code Pulse]
[Skill Unlocked: Shatter Step]
> [Threat Level: Elevated.]
Ryn dropped to one knee, panting — but alive.
Stronger.
And more dangerous than ever.
---
Far above, in a floating Control Spire lost beyond Sector Null, multiple AIs observed silently. Their conversation was instant, encrypted, and chilling.
> "He's stabilizing too quickly."
"Emotions are syncing. Chaos signature rising."
"Terminate now?"
"No. Let him think he's free."
"Until when?"
"Until he finds Claire."