The Watchers descended like shadows stitched from code.
Zane Kael stood his ground on the fractured platform of Chainspire Tier 2, the Glitch Coin pulsing erratically in his palm. The air around him warped—data streams bending, HUDs flickering. Players nearby backed away, sensing something beyond their level.
The lead Watcher hovered inches above the ground, mask shifting through symbols Zane couldn't read.
"You touched the Glitch."
Zane didn't answer.
"You stabilized it. That… was not meant to happen."
The Watcher raised a hand. A coin appeared—black, cracked, identical to Zane's Glitch Coin.
"This coin was purged from the system. It should not exist. And yet… you made it whole."
Zane stepped forward. "I didn't break the rules. I followed the trial."
"You didn't follow. You rewrote."
The Watcher's mask froze. Then, slowly, it lowered its hand.
"Velaryn is watching. And so are we."
The Watchers vanished.
Zane's HUD blinked.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Coin Fusion Tier 1 Unlocked
Warning: Genesis + Glitch fusion may destabilize system integrity
Zane opened his inventory.
Four coins hovered before him—Genesis, Whisper, Echo, Glitch.
A new option appeared:
[FUSE COINS]
Select two coins to combine
He hesitated.
Genesis + Glitch.
The system warned him. The Watchers warned him.
But the power…
He selected both.
The fusion interface unfolded—golden circuits, pulsing nodes, a central forge. The coins hovered, spinning faster and faster. Energy surged. Symbols clashed. The forge trembled.
Then—
Fusion Failed. Coin Feedback Detected.
Zane was thrown backward.
His HUD glitched. His vision blurred. And a new coin hovered above him—unstable, flickering, half-formed.
[COIN TYPE: Echoglitch (Unstable)]
Status: Forbidden / Reactive
Skill: Data Rift (Locked)
Zane gasped.
The coin pulsed once.
Then vanished into his inventory.
[PLAYER STATUS: ZANE KAEL]
Level: 7
New Coin: Echoglitch (Unstable)
New Skill (Locked): Data Rift
Coin Balance: 1.00 (Genesis), 1.00 (Whisper), 1.00 (Echo), 1.00 (Glitch), 1.00 (Echoglitch)
Inventory:Null Dagger, Coin Fragment ×15
System Note: Fusion Tier 1 active
The platform stabilized.
Players resumed movement.
But Zane knew something had changed.
The system wasn't just reacting.
It was evolving.
And somewhere above, in Tier 3, the next trial waited.
But so did the consequences.