Jason Wu awoke to the sound of *static*.
Not birds.
Not wind.
Static.
Like an old radio fighting for a signal—buzzing, glitching, crackling.
He opened his eyes to see the forest still intact…
but wrong.
The colors were dimmer.
The shadows were darker.
And the air—it shimmered, like the world was being overwritten pixel by pixel.
Jason groaned. "Oh great… I'm not dead. Which means today isn't done torturing me."
Longwu Sword hummed like a disappointed grandfather.
*["You fainted. Again."]*
"I FOUGHT FIFTEEN MUTATING CREATURES!"
*["Excuses."]*
Jason sat up—just in time to see the Observer Prime standing over him, silver eyes reflecting distorted fragments of reality.
She spoke calmly.
**"Jason Wu.
You must rise.
This location is no longer stable."**
Jason rubbed his face.
"Yeah… I noticed the whole *'reality is melting'* thing…"
He stood, wobbling.
"How long was I out?"
**"Eight minutes."**
"Eight—?!"
Jason pointed at the forest.
"In EIGHT minutes the forest turned into a corrupted Windows wallpaper?!"
Longwu snorted.
*["Your world references will not save you."]*
Jason glared at the sword.
"Can ONE of you be comforting?! Just one?!"
Before either could reply, the Observer Prime turned her head sharply—
—and Jason felt it.
A shift.
A ripple.
A pressure like someone pressing fingers against the inside of his skull.
Jason stepped back.
"…What was that?"
**"Tracking pulse,"** the Prime answered.
**"The Riftbound marked your position."**
Jason froze.
"…What do you mean *marked*?"
Longwu sighed like a tired teacher.
*["Boy, when the Hunters touched you, they left a trace. A lock. They can follow you across distances, realms, and layers of reality."]*
Jason's face drained of color.
"…FOREVER?!"
*["Theoretically."]*
Jason screamed internally.
The Observer Prime interrupted:
**"However, the mark is not the immediate threat."**
Jason blinked.
"…Wait. Not the threat? They nearly KILLED me—"
A tear ripped open the sky above.
Vertical.
Jagged.
Pulsating.
Jason's jaw dropped.
"Oh that's MUCH bigger than before."
The tear wasn't a wound this time—
it was a *door*.
The air pressure plummeted.
Leaves swirled violently.
Branches snapped.
The ground cracked in spiraling lines beneath Jason's boots.
Inside the tear—
silhouettes moved.
Not fifteen.
Not twenty.
Hundreds.
Maybe more.
Jason's entire soul recoiled.
"…Okay. Okay. We run. We DEFINITELY run—"
**"Incorrect,"** the Prime said.
Jason snapped at her, "STOP SAYING INCORRECT WHEN I'M TRYING TO SURVIVE!"
But the Observer Prime's gaze was fixed on the tear.
**"That is not the second wave."**
Jason blinked.
"…What?"
The rift expanded, spreading like a blooming black flower.
Shapes stepped out—
Tall.
Slender.
Humanoid…
But these weren't Hunters.
They wore cloaks.
Their faces… partially visible beneath cracked masks.
Their bodies… pulsing with layered sigils that weren't organic OR mechanical.
Jason felt his entire spine stiffen.
"…Those… are not Riftbound Hunters."
Longwu's voice dropped dangerously low.
*["Those are Riftbound SENTINELS."]*
Jason's lips parted.
"What's the difference?"
*["Hunters chase anomalies."]*
*["Sentinels erase them."]*
Jason's stomach turned.
"Erase… as in—"
*["Delete."]*
Jason coughed.
"Oh. Lovely. Delete me. Great."
The Sentinels stepped forward in a synchronized movement.
The air warped around their feet with each step.
Jason whispered,
"Prime… I can't beat one of those."
**"Correct."**
"NOT HELPING!"
He turned to the Prime.
"Then why aren't WE running?! Why are we still HERE?!"
The Observer Prime didn't look at him.
Her silver eyes stayed fixed on the rift.
**"Because the one behind them is the true threat."**
Jason went pale.
"…Behind them?"
The rift pulsed.
Every Sentinel stopped.
Froze.
Went silent.
Then—
They kneeled.
Jason's blood chilled.
"…Nonononono—why are they kneeling?! WHO are they kneeling to?!"
The lights inside the rift dimmed…
Then refracted…
Then *coalesced* into a single silhouette.
A man stepped through.
A man wearing robes woven from shimmering fractal threads.
A man whose presence bent light, bent sound, bent *logic* around him.
A man whose very existence felt like an error that the universe couldn't delete.
Jason's heart raced.
"…Is that… a Prime?"
The Observer Prime finally spoke—
and for the first time since Jason met her…
There was emotion in her voice.
**"No."**
Jason turned to her.
Her eyes dimmed.
**"That is an Administrator."**
Jason's voice cracked.
"…A-Administrator? Like… higher than Prime?"
**"Far above."**
Jason's knees weakened.
"And he's here for… me?"
**"Yes."**
Jason looked up as the Administrator approached—
every step creating geometric distortions in the air.
His voice was calm.
Organized.
Absolute.
**"Subject Wu-0001."**
Jason froze.
0001.
Number one.
**"Your anomaly status has exceeded tolerance."**
Jason took a step back.
"Um. Maybe I can explain—"
**"Termination required."**
Jason made a sound between a squeak and a swear.
"Oh come ON—!!"
Longwu began vibrating furiously.
*["He's too strong! Jason—you cannot fight him!"]*
Jason yelled, "I KNOW I CAN'T FIGHT HIM!"
The Administrator raised a hand.
Reality crystallized around Jason—
locking him in place.
He couldn't move.
Couldn't blink.
Couldn't breathe.
The Administrator's voice turned cold.
**"Deletion sequence initiated."**
Jason's vision blurred.
His heartbeat slowed.
Everything dimmed.
The Observer Prime stepped between them.
**"Administrator."**
The air cracked.
The Administrator paused.
His masked face turned to her.
A silent exchange passed between two beings FAR beyond mortal comprehension.
Jason couldn't feel his own body.
A moment later—
The Administrator lowered his hand.
Jason collapsed to the ground, gasping.
The Administrator spoke:
**"Prime.
Violation recorded."**
The Observer Prime didn't move.
**"The anomaly must live."**
Jason stared at her, stunned.
"…You… protected me?"
The Administrator spoke again.
**"Interference noted.
Protocol escalated."**
He turned.
The rift behind him widened further—
And something MUCH larger moved inside.
The Administrator's final words chilled Jason to the bone:
**"The next wave begins."**
He stepped back into the rift.
The Sentinels followed.
The tear sealed.
The forest was silent.
Jason breathed out shakily.
"…Prime… what did you do?"
The Observer Prime finally turned to him.
Her expression unreadable.
**"I bought you time."**
Jason swallowed.
"…Time for what?"
Her answer chilled him.
**"To run."**
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