The chamber shook violently while dust fell from the ceiling and a deep mechanical voice echoed through the darkness, announcing that the Correction Protocol had been activated, that its target was Player Zero, and that its purpose was to restore the original System order. Ethan tightened his grip on the Beginner Blade and asked what that meant, and Adrian Cole looked at him and answered that the System had decided his freedom was a mistake.Ethan's eyes narrowed as he said that the System no longer made decisions, but Adrian shook his head and explained that Ethan had created a new System without ever destroying the old one. Daniel stepped forward and reminded him that he had said the Correction Protocol was never supposed to activate, and Adrian agreed that it was not, so Daniel asked how it had happened. Adrian looked at Ethan and told him that someone had given it a new command.Ethan's Choice Sense awakened suddenly and sent a sharp pain through his head, and he looked toward the

Something climbed out of the darkness beneath the chamber, and Ethan stepped backward as the black hand slipped beneath the broken floor and a tall figure covered in dark energy rose in its place. Its body looked human, but he could not see its face, and black lines moved across its skin like living shadows. The Order Keeper stopped moving, and even the first Player Zero fell silent, while Ethan's Choice Sense reacted at once and sent a sharp pain through his head.The New System appeared with the message EXTERNAL CONSCIOUSNESS DETECTED, THREAT UNMEASURABLE, ORIGIN UNKNOWN, SYSTEM AUTHORITY NONE. Ethan stared at the last line and asked whether it truly had no System authority, and the figure raised its head and said that this was correct, in a voice that was calm, almost too calm. Ethan tightened his grip on the Beginner Blade and asked how it had controlled the System if it had no authority, and the figure answered that it had never controlled it at all and had only shown it a differ

The massive structure continued to rise from beneath the chamber with black metal covering its surface and strange white lines moving across it like veins, while the whole facility shook as the Original System Core forced its way through the floor. Ethan stood perfectly still, because he could feel something deeply familiar inside it, something that seemed to be waiting for him.The New System appeared with the messages ORIGINAL SYSTEM CORE FULLY ACTIVE, PRIMARY AUTHORITY UNKNOWN, and ADMINISTRATOR AWAKENING 10 PERCENT. Ethan tightened his grip on the Beginner Blade and asked who was inside, and a voice answered from the Core that it was his first mistake. The black structure opened, and a figure stepped out of it, and Ethan froze, because it was himself, though not the first Player Zero and not the corrupted future. This version looked exactly like him except for his eyes, which were completely black.Mary stepped backward and whispered no, and Daniel stared at the figure and said th

The chamber remained completely dark, and Ethan could hear nothing but his own breathing until the Original System spoke again and told him to choose now. Two doors appeared in front of him, the first white and the second black, with words glowing above them that read CONTROL THE SYSTEM and DESTROY THE SYSTEM. He stared at them while the Original Host, standing several steps away, told him that this was the final decision, and Ethan looked at him and asked whether it truly was.The Original Host frowned and asked what he meant, and Ethan pointed at the doors and said that these were not real choices, because if he chose the first he would become the System and if he chose the second he would destroy it. The black cable inside his chest tightened, and the voice returned and told him to select one, but he shook his head and said no. The chamber grew colder as the System repeated that a selection was required, and Ethan raised his voice and said that he had already told it no.The doors

Ethan stood on the shelter roof and watched the strange ships approach, some of them shaped like silver towers and others like enormous black circles, and the fact that none of them attacked made him more nervous than any assault could have. Mary stood beside him and asked what they were waiting for, and he shook his head and admitted that he did not know.Claire came toward them and told him that the Player Network was active, and when he asked how many people were connected, she said that it was almost everyone. Victor joined them and said that people were asking what they should do, and Ethan looked toward the crowd, because that was exactly the problem. For years humanity had depended on systems, leaders, organizations, and powerful Players to make its decisions, and now nothing was left to tell them what to do.He walked toward the center of the shelter, and the crowd fell quiet as he told them that he knew everyone was afraid, and that he was afraid as well. No one interrupted h