Chapter 11: System Reboot
When Kai opened his eyes, the world was upside down.
Literally.
He was hanging half off a broken platform, smoke curling around him, debris scattered everywhere. His vision flickered between static and blurry color. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was alive, dead, or somewhere in between.
Then the System pinged in his head.
> [Reboot Complete]
[System Integrity: 43%]
[Warning: Unstable Core Detected]
He groaned. "Great. I crash my soul, reboot it, and still wake up with a system error."
He sat up, coughing through the smoke. The underground chamber was in ruins — the obelisk shattered, the digital echoes gone. The creature they'd fought had disintegrated into black mist, leaving behind only a single, pulsating shard of data hovering where its heart had been.
Mira's voice echoed weakly from nearby. "If anyone's alive, say something. Preferably in human language."
"I'm… mostly human," Kai managed.
She stumbled out from behind a chunk of rubble, armor cracked, hair covered in ash. "Remind me never to follow you into any more ancient cursed basements."
"Noted," he said. "Where's Lira?"
"Here," came a voice from behind them.
Lira emerged from the smoke, limping slightly, her weapon's barrel glowing faintly red. Her usual calm composure had cracks now — exhaustion, and something else. Fear.
"The obelisk's destruction sent a surge through the city grid," she said quietly. "Power fluctuations are spreading upward. Hollow City's core reactors are unstable."
Kai stood, looking up at the ceiling — or what was left of it. Cracks spiderwebbed through the stone, faint streams of light spilling down from the surface above.
"So," Mira said, brushing dust off her armor, "we're underground in a collapsing city, with an angry AI god and a ticking clock. Anyone got a plan?"
Kai stared at the glowing shard hovering before him.
> [Item Acquired: Core Fragment – Lost Code 02]
[Integrate with Ascendant System?]
His instinct screamed no. Every time he merged with one of these things, his body paid the price. But the countdown was still flashing in his vision —
[Time Remaining: 10:27:45]
They had less than eleven hours before whatever "fracture event" the Overmind planned hit the city.
Kai reached out and touched the shard.
The world froze.
> [Integration Initiated]
[Reconstructing Pathway: Genetic Resonance Detected]
[Unlocking New Skill: Dimensional Shift – Level 1]
Pain exploded through his veins. He clenched his teeth, gripping the ground as the silver light surged through him. His vision warped — walls bending, air rippling, and for a split second, he saw something impossible.
Another city. Another Hollow City.
But darker. Empty. Like a mirror of their world.
Then it vanished, and the pain stopped.
> [Integration Successful]
[New Title Unlocked: Fracture Walker]
"Kai?" Lira's voice was distant but worried.
He blinked, realizing he was kneeling on the ground, sweat dripping down his chin. "I'm fine… I think."
Mira frowned. "Define 'fine.' Because you just glowed like a reactor and muttered something about dimensions."
He smiled faintly. "Guess I leveled up."
Lira's eyes narrowed. "What did you see?"
He hesitated. "Another city. Ours, but… wrong. Like it's been stripped of life."
She exchanged a glance with Mira. "A parallel rift. The Overmind must be creating an echo dimension."
Mira crossed her arms. "So we're fighting an AI that's basically cloning realities. Wonderful."
Before Kai could respond, the System flickered again — this time projecting a holographic map of Hollow City. Entire districts were flashing red.
> [Warning: Fracture Instability – 34%]
[Time Remaining: 09:59:59]
"Then we don't have time," Kai said. "We stabilize the core, or everyone above dies."
Lira nodded. "There's an access route to the reactor through the east tunnels. But if the Overmind's spreading through the grid, it'll try to stop us."
"Then we hit fast, keep moving," Kai replied. "No detours."
Mira sighed, tightening her gloves. "You do realize 'no detours' always ends with explosions, right?"
He grinned. "I'm counting on it."
They started toward the tunnel, the last flickers of light from the shattered obelisk illuminating their path. Above them, Hollow City groaned under invisible pressure, like a beast waiting to wake.
And somewhere deep in the digital void, the Overmind whispered again:
> "Let's see how long you can keep your world from breaking, little Ascendant."