There was no sound or flash of light— just a sudden cold feeling at the back of my neck, followed by the taste of copper in my mouth. A sharp point went deep into my neural port, fracturing my core defense parameters completely before I could even pivot around to face the source of the unexpected attack. The pristine atmosphere of the higher council chambers vanished, replaced by the internal alarms of my failing interface as the foreign substance corrupted my core systems rapidly."You truly believed you won this sector, did you?" A clear voice hissed right beside my ear. "The council programs were a simple distraction to draw your guard down, Vaxien, and you fell for it completely like a mindless amateur who cannot fight.""Show your face, you miserable coward!" I snarled, swinging my blade. "Step out and face me directly instead of hiding in the dark like a broken script that is far too afraid to stand before a real warrior!""Why would I reveal my presence to an inferior asset w

The building split right down the middle, showing the blue sky through the floor as the bottom half began to slide away. The sudden rupture produced a deafening metallic screech that buckled the white carpet and tore the foundation completely apart under my feet. The architectural alignment vanished, throwing the entire perimeter into a steep descent as gravity fought to claim the detached sections.Through the gap, Vaxien could see Zeryth and the other rebels on the roof below, reaching their hands up to try and climb across before the opening became too wide. The lower platform was descending at an accelerating angle, pulling our only path of escape out of alignment."Vaxien, the structural anchor lines are shearing!" Zeryth yelled from the roof below, his fingers digging into the edge of a crumbling masonry wall as he tried to stabilize himself. "The distance is widening too fast! We cannot make the leap across the division!""Do not let go of the perimeter rails!" I shouted back,