I stood in the center of the massive black chamber. The walls weren't made of metal. They were made of millions of tiny, squirming lines of code.It felt like standing inside a giant, living computer. The air was thick with a heavy hum that made my teeth ache. This place was a cathedral built for things that only understood data."Why are we just standing here?" Jaxen barked. He looked around, his face pale with fear. "Vaxien, do something! Break a hole in this thing so we can get out!""Shut up, Jaxen!" I snapped. I didn't turn around. "You saw what they did to the moon. You're just a file they haven't opened yet.""He’s right," Eva whispered. She reached toward a wall. The code on the surface reached out like a magnet. "This isn't a ship. It’s raw, unfiltered information. It’s breathing, Vaxien.""Static," a voice boomed from the floor. "We worship the Static. We worship the beautiful error.""Are you talking about me?" I asked. I stepped toward the center."You are the perfect Glit

I slammed into the control panel as the floor tilted. Sparks showered over my head and stung my skin. Outside the window, the world was nothing but a wall of orange fire."Zeryth, look at your monitors!" I yelled at the screen. "You're heading straight for our main thrusters!""I know," Zeryth said. His face was calm on the flickering screen. "That's the point, Vaxien.""You're going to ram us?" Jaxen screamed. He was clinging to a bolted-down chair like his life depended on it. "You're going to finish the job? You're going to kill us all right now?""No," Zeryth replied. "I'm going to fix your trajectory. You're falling at the wrong angle. If you hit the thick air like this, you'll just turn into a shooting star. There won't be enough left of you to fill a bucket.""But you'll hit the thrusters!" I shouted. I wiped sweat out of my eyes. "The impact will destroy the Lead Ship! You'll be right in the middle of the explosion!""It's the only way to kick the satellite back into a glide,

"Stop pushing me!" Jaxen yelled. He tripped over a massive root and fell face-first into the dirt. "This place is a death trap. Look at the trees! They’re watching us!""Get up, Jaxen," I said. I didn't look back. I could feel my skin itching. The digital dust was still falling off my arms. "We don't have time for your whining.""He’s right though," Eva whispered. She was right behind me, her hand gripping my shoulder. "Everything feels heavy here. Vaxien, look at those stones ahead. Is that a building?"Through the thick vines, a massive stone structure rose from the ground. It looked like the earth itself had grown into walls. "Is that a temple?" Eva asked."It’s not a temple," Nyxra’s voice hummed in my head. "It’s a forge. The scans are off the charts. It’s the Origin Forge.""A forge?" I asked out loud. "Like for swords?""For life, Vaxien," Nyxra said. "It’s the source code of the planet.""I'm not going in there," Jaxen said, scrambling up. He wiped mud off his flight suit.

"Get up," my mother said. She kicked my ribs. "You look pathetic, Vaxien.""I can't," I gasped. I tried to move, but my arms were like jelly. Everything was gone. No skills, no strength. I was just a regular nineteen-year-old kid in the dirt."See?" She laughed. She looked at Eva and Jaxen. "This is your hero. He's a zero.""Vaxien, get up!" Eva screamed. "I'm trying!" I yelled. I hit the floor again. "I have nothing left!""Of course you don't," my mother said. She walked toward Jaxen. "Now for the cleanup. I can't have trash in my garden.""Wait!" Jaxen shrieked. He fell to his knees. "Don't kill me! I didn't want to come here! Vaxien forced us!""Jaxen, you coward!" Eva barked. "No!" Jaxen cried. He looked at my mother. "I'll be your slave. Just don't delete me. My legs are turning into mist! It hurts!""It’s supposed to hurt," my mother said. White light swirled around her fingers. "You are a bug, Jaxen. I am the Sovereign. I am clicking 'delete'.""Stop it!" I roared. I crawled

"Where am I?" I yelled. My voice hit nothing. No walls, no trees. Just the dark."You're in the lobby, Vaxien," a voice said. It sounded like a girl, but it was flat, like a robot."Let me out!" I shouted. I tried to move, but I didn't have legs. I didn't have arms. I was just a point of light."We are running a diagnostic," the voice said. "Please stay still. You have corrupted too much data.""I don't care about your data!" I roared. "My friends are still down there! Eva is still there!""Eva is a non-essential asset," the voice replied. "She will be reset to her base state once the update is complete.""No!" I screamed. I felt a surge of heat. It was the World Tree. Even here, in the dark, I could feel its roots. "I'm not letting you touch her!""You cannot stop the update," the voice said. "The User is starting a new session."Suddenly, the dark cracked open. I wasn't in the dark anymore. I was hovering high above the Origin Jungle. Everything looked small. The trees looked like t