Other survivors? Thirty? The survivors moved carefully through the deserted avenue, nobody spoke.Pip’s disappearance lingered over them like a storm cloud.Ethan walked at the front, his senses alert and Claire stayed beside him while Sky scanned the rooftops with drawn knives.Professor Lorne continued studying the holographic map, occasionally muttering calculations under his breath.Suddenly a very bright white light erupted in the middle of the road and everybody stopped.“What now?” Trace muttered.The light intensified until it became impossible to look at directly then some figures appeared.Some collapsed to their knees while others immediately raised weapons.Several of them looked around in confusion.The newcomers wore different clothes with a different armor.A few wore military uniforms unlike anything Ethan had ever seen. Their ages varied from teenagers to people in their forties.The fear on their faces, however, was exactly the same. The system chimed.NEW PLAYE

The Hunter moved.It crossed the distance between itself and Ethan in the blink of an eye."Ethan!" Claire screamed.Clang! Ethan barely raised his reinforced blades in time.The impact blasted him backward through the glass front of an abandoned bank.Windows shattered around him and dust filled the air as he rolled twice before crashing into a marble pillar.Pain shot through both his arms and his blades vibrated violently."So fast” he muttered.Outside, the Hunter slowly stepped through the broken entrance.Its single white eye never left him, it wasn't looking at anyone else only him.The system chimed.> PRIORITY TARGET CONFIRMED.> PLAYER: ETHAN.> TERMINATION AUTHORIZED.A chill ran through every survivor."It... it ignored all of us," Bim whispered.Sky didn't wait, he sprinted straight toward the bank. "ETHAN!"A black blur dropped in front of him, it was the Hunter.It had crossed twenty meters without anyone seeing it move. Sky instinctively slashed it with both knives.Th

Glass rained from skyscrapers as screams screamed from every direction.The Hunters advanced together, their synchronized footsteps echoing through the empty streets.No one spoke. Ethan tightened his grip around the black memory core.It pulsed once then again. Suddenly, it projected a beam of blue light into the air.A woman's voice echoed from it."If you're seeing this..." "then I'm already dead."The Hunters stopped and then Professor Lorne's eyes widened. "It's recording something."The image sharpened. A woman wearing the same black coat as the former Master appeared before them.Unlike a hologram, she looked real with blood all over her clothes and face. "My name doesn't matter anymore, and I was one of the System Architects."There was pin drop Silence, somehow everyone had assumed the system just came to be, it didn’t cross anyone’s mind about how it was created.Every survivor stared. "We built the System."Sky blinked. "What?"She continued. "It wasn't created as a game t

The door shook again. BOOM.The sound traveled through the entire chamber, dust fell from the ceiling.Everyone stepped back except Ethan. He stood frozen, staring at the crack spreading down the center of the black door."Pip!" Sky's voice broke through the tension. "Can you hear me?"Silence then a faint response. "Sky..."Sky's face changed instantly. “It's him."He moved toward the door and Ethan grabbed his arm. "Wait."Sky pulled against him."That's the real Pip!""I know.""Then let me go!""Sky."Ethan's voice became firm. "Listen to me."Sky stopped and Ethan stared at the door.Another voice came from behind them, it was Marcus."Something is always wrong with this game."Everyone turned and Marcus stood casually among the Hunters, his arms were crossed and his expression almost bored.Claire glared at him. "What did you do to Pip?"Marcus smiled. "Nothing.""You're lying.""Probably."Claire's hands glowed faintly and Marcus laughed."Relax, healer." "You'll need that ener

Outside the Heart, chaos erupted. The chamber had become a battlefield. Hunters poured from every tunnel, their glowing eyes fixed on the survivors.“Hold the line!” Professor Lorne shouted.Trace slammed her axe into the first Hunter that reached them, sending it crashing into the wall.Fenn planted his shield into the ground.“Behind me!”Claire knelt in the center of their formation.Her hands rested on Ethan’s unconscious body.His breathing was becoming weaker.“Come on…” she whispered. “Come back.”Sky stood in front of them, his daggers dripping with black blood.“No one touches him.”Another wave charged. Lani fired a bolt of energy that exploded against the front line, throwing two Hunters backward.Paz and Ash fought side by side, covering the left flank while Lyra and Rami protected the right.Bim glanced at the endless enemies.“They just keep coming!”Professor Lorne looked toward the massive doorway.“They’re buying time.”“For what?”He didn’t answer. Because he already