I stood in the ruined arena, dust still settling around us. The guardian's code shards glittered on the ground like broken glass. My head throbbed. Stability sat at nine. Nine. One wrong move and I'd zero out again.
Lyra wiped blood from her lip. She looked at me. "We can't stay here. The System just gave us a breather. Next trial won't be so kind."
Kira helped Elara stand. "Aren, your face is pale. You need to log out. Check your body. That last Overwrite looked bad."
I shook my head. "Can't. Collectors are waiting outside my door. If I log out now, they take everything. Implant included."
Elara touched my arm. Her hand felt cold. "Then we find a safe pocket. Rest there. You're no use to us broken."
Lyra nodded. "She's right. There's a hidden rest node two floors up. Guild-only. I can get us in. No enforcers. No bounties. Just time to breathe."
I looked at the waypoint still glowing. First Trial rewards sat in my inventory. New skill: Echo Theft. Steal emotion or memory. Once per day. High cost. I didn't touch it yet. Not ready.
"Fine," I said. "Lead the way. But we move fast."
We climbed out of the pit. Vines snapped under our boots. The ruins felt alive. Walls breathed. Fungi pulsed faster now. Like they knew we were hurt.
Lyra took point. She moved smooth. Confident. We followed a narrow path between fallen towers. Wind howled through gaps. I kept my sword ready. Every shadow looked like an enforcer.
Kira whispered to Elara. "You okay? After that guardian… it wore your face too."
Elara nodded slow. "I've seen worse. In the loops. But seeing myself scream… that was new."
I stayed quiet. My own distorted face still burned in my mind. The guardian had used my voice. Failure. Anomaly. Contain. Erase.
We reached a cracked wall. Lyra pressed her palm to a hidden panel. Blue light scanned her. A door slid open. Silent. Smooth.
"Guild safe room," she said. "No one else has access. Not even the System tracks it well."
We stepped inside. The space was small. Dim lights. A few benches. A healing station in the corner. Soft hum of old code. No windows. No threats.
I dropped onto a bench. Legs heavy. Head spinning. Stability ticked to eight. Hallucinations flickered at the edges. Dead faces. Whispered names.
Kira walked to the healing station. "Let me scan you. Real bleed check."
She ran her staff over me. Green light washed across my chest. Neck. Arms. She frowned.
"Scars are spreading," she said. "Neck wound from the crypt. Shoulder from the enforcer. New one on your forearm. From the guardian stomp. They're not fading."
I touched the fresh mark. Hot. Real. "Great. My body's turning into a map of bad decisions."
Lyra leaned against the wall. Arms crossed. "You pushed too hard. That last Overwrite almost killed you."
"I know," I said. "But it worked. Guardian's down. We're alive."
"For now," she replied.
Elara sat beside me. Quiet. "Aren… thank you. Again. For not leaving me."
I looked at her. "You'd do the same."
She smiled small. Sad. "I would. But I'm code. You're flesh. The cost isn't equal."
I didn't answer. The room felt too quiet. Too safe. Like a trap waiting to spring.
Then the implant buzzed. Hard. Real-world pull. Debt alert. Red. Urgent.
I opened the overlay. Saw the message from the clinic.
"Final notice. Implant sync failing. Payment overdue. Log out and settle in thirty minutes or permanent shutdown initiated."
My stomach dropped.
Kira saw my face. "What is it?"
"Debt collectors," I said. "They're not waiting anymore. They're cutting the implant. If I don't pay now… I lose everything. Brain included."
Lyra straightened. "How much?"
"Last transfer wasn't enough. Need another hundred credits. Minimum."
Elara stood. "Then we farm. Fast. There's a low-risk node nearby. Quick mobs. Good payout."
Lyra shook her head. "No. Not with his Stability at eight. One death and he loses more than credits."
I stood anyway. Legs shaky. "I don't have a choice. Thirty minutes real-time. That's one good run here. Maybe two."
Kira blocked the door. "You're not thinking straight. Rest first. We'll cover you."
I pushed past her. Gentle. But firm. "Cover me in the run. We go now. Or I'm done."
Lyra sighed. "Fine. But short run. In and out. No heroics."
We left the safe room. Back into the ruins. The air felt heavier. Like the System knew I was desperate.
We hit a small spawn zone. Mutated vines. Low-level drones. Easy kills.
I swung. Fast. Precise. Rollback once to dodge a bad hit. Stability dropped to seven.
Kira healed. Steady. "Watch your left!"
I spun. Slashed. Credits ticked up. Slow. Too slow.
Lyra carved through three drones. Blue swords flashing. "Faster. We need more."
Elara threw her dagger. Hit clean. "Twenty credits. Keep going."
I pushed. Harder. Overwrite on a vine cluster. Changed Lethal Thorns to Harmless Vines. They withered. Dropped bonus loot.
But the System fought back. Red flash. Override Contested. Stability minus two. Five now.
Hallucinations hit. Full force.
I saw my mom. Standing in the corner. Smiling. Then screaming. Face melting into code.
I froze.
Lyra grabbed my shoulder. "Aren! Snap out!"
I blinked. She was there. Real. Not melting.
"Sorry," I muttered.
Kira's voice cracked. "Your health bar's glitching. Real bleed's spiking. We stop now."
"No," I said. "Almost there. Eighty credits."
One more pack. Drones swarmed. I charged.
Slashed. Dodged. Rollback. Stability four.
Last drone dropped. Credits hit one hundred twelve.
Transfer initiated. Real-time.
I opened the overlay. Sent the payment. Watched the debt drop to zero. Again.
Relief hit. Hard.
Then pain.
Real pain.
Chest burned. Like fire inside.
I dropped to my knees. Gasping.
Kira ran over. "What's happening?"
Implant warning flashed.
"Sync overload. Neural feedback critical. Log out immediately."
I tried. Nothing. Button grayed out.
Lyra knelt beside me. "Talk to me. What do you see?"
"Fire," I said. "In my chest. Real. Not game."
Elara's eyes widened. "The bleed's reversed. Game injuries… pushing back into reality."
I clutched my shirt. Felt heat through fabric. Real heat.
Then the private message flashed again.
Unknown sender.
"Debt paid. Good. Now the real cost begins. Phase One escalation. No more safe pockets. No more rest. Survive the chorus or lose them all."
Attached was a live feed.
My apartment.
Door wide open.
Collectors gone.
But something else stood there.
Black code. Human shape. Red visor.
Watching my empty chair.
Waiting for me to log out.
And the feed ended with one line.
"Tick tock, anomaly. Your body won't wait forever."