Rain hit the concrete like broken promises cold, endless, and uncaring. Aiden Cross hunched his shoulders, pulling his threadbare hoodie tighter as he slipped past the flickering neon sign of Wheeler Logistics, his third warehouse job this year.He didn’t look up when a group of coworkers laughed behind him. They always laughed when he passed. Just loud enough. “Hey Cross,” one of them called, voice soaked in mockery. “Careful not to break your back today. Boxes got more spine than you.”He didn’t answer. Didn’t even flinch. He’d learned long ago attention only made things worse. Inside the warehouse, the air was thick with dust and sweat. Machines groaned like overworked beasts, and the floor trembled beneath shifting pallets. Aiden took his spot at the back, near the metal rollers, where the lights barely worked and no one cared if you collapsed.He lifted the first box. His fingers were raw from yesterday, his wrists aching. But pain was constant so familiar it no longer surprised

Aiden watched Rhea carefully. Every movement. Every blink. “Corrupted?” he asked, voice steady. “What does that mean?” Rhea lowered her badge. “Not everyone who wakes up with a system ends up human.” The rain had stopped, but the city air still clung to his skin like a second, colder skin. Rhea stepped closer, her boots splashing in a shallow puddle.“When a system links to someone, it amplifies what’s already inside them,” she said. “Pain. Anger. Desire. The system doesn’t care how you use power just that you do.” “And who decides what’s ‘corrupted’?” Aiden asked. “Sometimes,” she replied, “no one has to. You’ll know when you see one.” Her gaze sharpened. “Tell me about your activation.”Aiden hesitated. The system was still hovering quietly at the edge of his mind, the glowing panel gone but not forgotten. “I nearly died,” he said finally. “Someone tried to kill me. The system came online just before I passed out.” “And your first task?” He looked away. “Stand and walk.” She nodded,

Aiden didn’t sleep that night. He found shelter in an abandoned rooftop greenhouse. Glass panels were cracked, plants wilted into skeletal vines but it was high, dry, and quiet.The city buzzed below, oblivious to the fact that something unnatural was hunting him. He stared up at the night sky, trying to breathe, but the silence only made his thoughts louder.SYSTEM UPDATE: Status – Host Safe Temporary Adrenal Levels Returning to BaselineSafe. For now. But Rhea had fought that thing alone. He clenched his fists. How long before Harrow finds me again?[NEW TASK AVAILABLE: Adaptive Challenge – “The Choice”“The system tests more than strength. It tests your will.” Objective: Locate and engage one of the following:[Corrupted Civilian – Extraction Potential] [Underground Arms Dealer – Known System Modifier] [Medical Outpost Breach – Ongoing Hostage Scenario]Reward tier and impact will vary based on action and outcome.Aiden’s eyes widened. “…What the hell?” Three missions. Three radi

The silence in the observatory was almost reverent. The system core Rhea had just shown Aiden still glowed faintly in the center of the chamber, rotating slowly like a miniature star.Archived File Unlocked Echo Protocol: Project CrossfireAiden stared at the words. Crossfire. Another name. Another secret. “Tell me everything,” he said.Rhea took a deep breath. “Twenty years ago, before the first host ever survived a full integration, there was a covert initiative Project Echo.A gene-coded experiment. They needed a human who could act as both conduit and control center. A living bridge between human instinct and synthetic intelligence.”“And my father was that bridge,” Aiden said slowly. “He was the system,” Rhea confirmed. “They built it around him.” Aiden’s mind reeled.“Then what am I?” “An echo,” Rhea said. “The system’s first true legacy line. The last safeguard they left behind.” Aiden stepped outside, heart pounding. The night wind bit cold but it cleared his head.He thought

The first sign came at 3:17 a.m. The city of Valis went dark. No warning. No sirens. Just a silent blink then everything powered down. Skyscrapers. Hospitals. Transport rails. The entire eastern sector collapsed into shadow. Only the emergency frequencies remained.CRITICAL GLOBAL ALERT: Power Grid Alpha-1 COMPROMISEDSuspected Origin: Tier-0 Core InterferenceResponse Protocol: OPERATION DAWNFALL – Activate Watch UnitsAiden and Rhea watched it happen from the train yard, standing atop a rusted cargo container. “She did this,” Rhea said. “Vex wants you out in the open.” Aiden nodded grimly. “And I’m going to give her what she wants.” He flexed his hands.[Chrono Recall – Active Window: 4.7 secondsReal-time loop established. Mid-combat evasion and counter available. It felt strangelike time was rubber in his grip. He could feel the edge of moments now. Feel outcomes before they unfolded.“I need a field to test this,” he muttered. “You’ll get one,” Rhea said, pointing to the horizon.