Maeson stood on the cold stone floor of the infinite library. Her heavy boots made no sound against the polished surface. High above her head, thousands of clear glass books floated in the quiet air. The books glowed with a faint gold light that lit up the endless room. Rows of tall dark shelves stretched out into the distance as far as her eyes could see. Her young brother held onto her sleeve with a tight grip, staring at the magical flying volumes with wide eyes.Ava adjusted her bare hands, her iron gloves gone, while Kael stood close with his metal bar ready. Her mother stepped up beside Maeson, holding her hand tight. They were all safe from the dissolving airship, but a fresh sense of mystery filled the quiet space. The air smelled like old paper and dried ink. No wind blew through the vast hall, yet the floating pages turned by themselves with soft rustling sounds.At the far end of the long corridor, the hooded figure held the glowing book. The face under the dark cloth remai

The unified voice echoed through the quiet streets of the small town. Every single person stood frozen on the paved roads with their eyes turned pure white. A cold chill ran down the spine of Maeson as the terrifying words hung in the air. The warning spoke of a system update that promised to erase all living life in three short seconds. Her young brother scrambled back against her coat, his small body shaking with intense fear. Her mother pulled the child close to her chest, while Kael and Ava raised their hands to defend the group."Three," the white-eyed citizens spoke as one body.Maeson did not waste a single second of precious time. She knew that running away on foot would not save them from a global erasure program. She called upon her deep blue magic, drawing every drop of cosmic energy from her soul. A bright sphere of pure blue light expanded from her palms, wrapping around her mother, her brother, Kael, and Ava. She pushed her willpower to the absolute limit, building a den

Maeson froze on the sliding rock as the voice echoed through the cold air. The tall figure in glowing white armor stood above the furnace, holding the golden bow tight. The giant arrow of pure light pointed straight at her chest. Maeson looked past the bright glare of the arrow into the helmet of the warrior. The face behind the clear visor belonged to her lost father. The man who vanished when she was just a small child stood alive in this dark place."Father?" Maeson called out, her voice trembling with raw human shock.The white armor hummed with deep power, casting a warm glow over the purple fire below. Her mother gasped beside her, tears welling up in her weary eyes as she recognized her long husband. Ava and Kael held onto the rocky edge with sore fingers, watching the sudden arrival of the new warrior with tense breath. The tall man did not lower the golden bow. His sharp eyes remained fixed on the glowing red heart floating inside the small glass box beneath them."Do not mov

Maeson stopped cold in the bright white corridor. Her bare feet pressed against the cold tile floor. She stared into the glass tank on her right. Floating in the clear green liquid was the small body of her young brother. His small hands rested flat against the thick glass cover. His eyes opened slow in the bubbling water, looking right at her face. They were not fake digital memories. He was real, made of real flesh and bone, trapped inside a glass tube.In the next tank, Ava floated with her eyes wide open, her fingers pressing against the clear wall. Beside her sat Kael, looking out from his own green cell with a silent expression of shock. They were all real human beings, kept alive in this high-tech lab facility. The fake worlds and dark matrix games were just programs fed into their minds through the thick head wires.A sharp wave of pure joy hit the chest of Maeson. Her family was not a set of fake codes. They existed in the physical world. Her human love for them was based on

The dark night sky split open with a loud, tearing sound that echoed through the quiet forest. Giant sharp shards of the sky fell toward the earth like breaking glass. The real stars vanished into a dark void above the pine trees. From the open tear in space, a massive eye blinked once in the shadows. A voice boomed down from the void, sounding just like her lost mother. The voice declared that simulation 108 had failed and ordered a total memory wipe for Subject 84.Maeson stood frozen on the dirt path near the rushing river. She looked at the giant eye above, then down at the real Cassian Reign standing before her. The man held his small lantern tight, his face pale with deep fear. Kael and Ava backed away toward the wooden bridge, pulling her young brother behind their shoulders. The world was falling apart once again, but this time, the truth sat right before her eyes."Cassian!" Maeson called out over the sound of crashing sky shards. "What is happening to us?"Cassian Reign step