Maeson felt the floor drop into empty space. The cool wind screamed past her ears as she plunged through the open clouds. Above her, the iron bars sealed her family inside the collapsing sky city. The bright floating towers burst into orange fireballs, sending heavy steel plates and burning glass raining down into the blue sky."Mother! Father!" Maeson shouted, her raw voice swallowed by the roaring wind.Her heart slammed against her ribs with frantic speed. She twisted her body in midair, spreading her arms to catch the rushing air. Below her, the earth looked like a distant green carpet bordered by sharp black rocks and a dark ocean. She had no magic sword, no protective dome, and no energy shield to break her fall. She was just a human being falling from the sky.She looked up through the dark smoke. A large piece of the shattered platform was falling twenty feet above her head. Resting on the center of that floating steel plate was the masked man in his coat of solid scales. He h

The hot liquid burned against Maeson's palms. The green barrier formed a tight sphere of raw light around her, cutting off the voices of her family. Through the glowing wall, she saw her mother weeping, her father slamming his bare fists against the barrier, and Kael and Ava throwing their weight against the energy field. Their mouths moved in frantic shouts, but no sound passed through the dense energy shell.Deep inside her chest, the cold voice spoke again, declaring that the host body was fully synchronized and the portal was opening. The green lines under her skin glowed with intense power, crawling up her neck to her jaw.Maeson gritted her teeth against the searing heat. She looked down into the clear basin beneath her hands. Far below the stone spire, the giant iron gate swung wide open in the dark depths of the earth. Millions of glowing green eyes stared up through the deep shaft, waiting for the command to flood the surface world."No," Maeson whispered through her clenched

The giant hands held the heavy leather book high above the void. The title, engraved in dull iron letters, glowed like dying embers in the dark space. Maeson stood at the center of the golden sphere, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her mother held the infant child tight against her chest, while her father stepped in front of them with his fists clenched. Kael and Ava planted their boots on the edge of the light, their eyes fixed on the sky.A massive digital screen dropped from the open pages of the book. Long rows of numbers and anonymous username tags flickered across the black glass. Below the screen, a red digital timer began counting down fast from thirty seconds."Welcome to the live auction," the cold voice boomed from the clouds, echoing like iron doors slamming in a hollow hall. "Subject 84, her core family, and the author's child are now on the block. Highest bidder wins full ownership of their physical minds and narrative fates."Maeson looked at the screen as the num

Maeson spun around from the arched window, her boots gripping the dusty wooden floor. Her father and Kael moved forward together, placing themselves between her mother and the dark corner of the library. Ava raised her fists, her sharp eyes scanning the tall stacks of leather books and old maps.A figure stepped out from behind a heavy wooden bookcase. The soft light of the dim candles showed a woman wearing a simple brown linen dress. She had silver hair tied in a loose braid over her shoulder, and her warm brown eyes held a quiet sadness. She carried no weapons, only a small brass key tucked into her belt."Stand down, please," the silver-haired woman said in a soft, calm voice. "I am not your enemy. My name is Clara.""Who are you?" Maeson asked, keeping her distance while checking the room for hidden guards. "Why are you inside this locked tower?"Clara offered a gentle, sad smile. "I was the archivist for the Vault before the system locked the doors. I have lived inside these qui

Maeson stared down at her clear hands. The skin and the fabric of her coat faded fast. Her boots looked like faint outlines against the wooden planks of the bridge. Beside her, her father gasped as his heavy arms turned into transparent mist. Her mother clutched the sleeping baby, whose tiny legs were dissolving into warm light."Maeson!" her mother cried out, her raw voice trembling. "I cannot feel my fingers!"Her father reached to grab his wife, but his hand passed right through her shoulder like cool air. "Stay close!" he barked, his jaw tight with fear.Ava looked down at her legs. Her jeans and boots were fading away. "What kind of cruel trick is this?" Ava demanded, her teeth grit hard.Kael raised his mechanical arm. The sleek steel surface flickered wild, its power lines dimming down. "The local reality server is dropping our data stream," Kael reported in a strained tone. "We are losing our physical weight because the system marked our file as unpaid content."A loud chime r