The room was quiet again, save for the low humming of machines and the slow drip of an IV beside Dustin’s hospital bed. He stared blankly at the ceiling, his heart pounding like a war drum. The words echoed again in his head:// "System pairing with Host is successful. Full performance, host dependent. Awaiting Host full authorization."A wave of cold washed over him, and he tightened his jaw. Was this some delusion from the trauma? Or had something irreversible just happened to him?Suddenly, a soft blue interface blinked into view, right in front of his eyes—not on any device, but hovering midair like augmented reality. The letters danced before him:[Do you authorize full system access? Y/N]"What the hell is this?" he whispered.The interface remained, patient and unblinking.[Awaiting Host input…]He swallowed. His body was still in pain, but a strange heat pulsed through his veins, like adrenaline mixed with electricity. He raised a shaking finger toward the screen and whispered

The moonlight streamed through the cracks in the dilapidated building’s walls as Dustin slowly got to his feet, his body still aching from the brutal assault. The feeling of cold metal in his hands was foreign—an elegant, glinting dagger that seemed too beautiful for the destruction he now knew how to wield. But as he stood, every part of his body screamed in protest, each movement another reminder that he was far from fully healed.But the system had a different plan.[System Update: Healing process initiated.]A rush of warmth flooded through his body, soothing the raw pain that had been gnawing at him. His vision sharpened as his muscles twitched with sudden energy, a sense of power vibrating deep within. Dustin blinked, trying to process it all.What the hell just happened?He hadn’t even authorized it yet. The system was taking control, weaving its unknown magic into his flesh. Was this how his new life was going to unfold? Was it really this simple?[System: “Host status upgrade

The safehouse was buried beneath a cemetery.A thousand tombstones above. A thousand secrets below.Dustin had barely caught his breath when the reinforced door slammed shut behind them, drowning out the chaos of the city. The passage had been lined with old bones and modern sensors — a strange fusion of death and technology.He followed the mysterious one-eyed man down a narrow corridor lit by blue fluorescents embedded into the stone walls. The air smelled like iron and ozone.“What is this place?” Dustin asked, glancing behind them.“The dead zone,” the man said. “Our systems don’t work here. Neither does the Syndicate’s surveillance. It’s one of the few ghost zones left after the Blackout Wars.”“Blackout Wars?”The man didn’t slow. “You don’t remember anything before the hospital, do you?”Dustin frowned. “No. Just flashes. A woman. Fire. Blood.”The man finally stopped at a sealed door marked with a glowing insignia: two interlocked serpents eating their own tails.Ouroboros.He

Location: Northern Sky Grid – Approaching Syndicate Leviathan WarshipThe sky was bleeding.Red lights flared across the clouds as the Syndicate Leviathan, a floating fortress over seven miles long, drifted silently above the ruins of Echo City. Covered in angular plating and protected by quantum cloaking, it pulsed like a sleeping god.Inside, thousands of Syndicate operatives, AI proxies, and internal weapon systems rotated in rhythm—waiting, learning, adapting.And now, it had a visitor.A shadow broke through the cloud cover.Kael’s stolen Raven-9 dropship, silent, cloaked, gliding straight toward the Leviathan’s underbelly.Riven glanced at Dustin, who stood at the rear bay doors. He hadn’t blinked in three minutes.“You sure you’re ready for this?” she asked.“No,” Dustin said. “But I’m going anyway.”Kael's voice crackled through the cockpit. “We’ve got one window. You drop in, find Lira’s chamber, and plug into the core. Once you’re inside, I’ll trigger a system spike to delay

Location: Ruins of Bastion Delta – West ExpanseThe rain fell black.Soot and ash still lingered in the clouds, drifting like ghost-smoke over the wreckage of the Leviathan. What was once the most feared warship of the Syndicate now lay in fragments across the plains—a graveyard of fire and steel.Dustin stirred beneath the collapsed wing of a cruiser.His ribs throbbed with every breath. His vision flickered between static and shadow.Lira was unconscious beside him, pale as frost.“Lira…”He dragged himself toward her, ignoring the pain screeching through his limbs. Her skin was cold, but a faint flicker pulsed beneath the curve of her collarbone—soft gold code lines, barely visible.Alive. But different.She wasn’t just connected to the Omega Core anymore. Something had merged. Something… ancient.“Dustin, do you copy?” Kael’s voice crackled through the comm.He tapped his wrist. “Alive. Barely.”“Hold position. We’re en route with a medical evac drone.”“No drones. Too easy to tra