The ground split open beneath Ethan's feet. He jumped backward and pulled Mary with him as a deep crack tore across the street, sending pieces of broken concrete flying into the air. The survivors around them screamed and scattered in every direction.Ethan looked up. The massive shadow above the clouds was moving, and for several seconds nobody understood what they were seeing. Then something enormous pushed through the dark clouds, and Ethan's body went cold. This was not a monster like the Shadow Eaters. This thing was far larger. Only part of its body was visible, but Ethan could make out what looked like a huge black hand pressing against the clouds, a hand larger than several buildings put together.Victor slowly lowered his weapon. "We need to leave."Ethan looked at him. "What is that?"Victor didn't answer right away. His face had gone pale. "I don't know."Claire stepped closer to Ethan. "You said the System warned you about an unknown entity."Ethan nodded, and the blue scr

Ethan ran through the burning street with Mary beside him as the timer continued counting down. 00:38:56. Three kilometers separated them from the Safe Zone, but the distance meant nothing compared to what stood behind them.The Seeker's avatar was following, and Ethan couldn't hear its footsteps, which frightened him more than anything else that night. A creature that powerful should have made the ground shake with every step, yet it moved through the city almost silently.Claire ran beside Ethan. "Do you still feel it?"He glanced behind him. "No."Victor looked at him. "That is worse."Ethan understood what he meant. If his Danger Sense couldn't detect the creature, then the Seeker was either moving beyond its range or deliberately hiding from it, and neither possibility offered any comfort.They reached an intersection where three roads stretched ahead of them. The main road was filled with Shadow Eaters, the road on the left was blocked by overturned buses, and the road on the ri

Ethan could not breathe. The voice beneath the Safe Zone had called him by his name. Not Player Zero. Not Subject Zero. Ethan. Then it had called him something even more impossible: my son.His eyes remained fixed on the cracked ground."Dad?" The word came out barely louder than a whisper.Mary stepped toward him. "Ethan," she began, but he turned to her before she could say more."You knew," he said. "You knew he was alive?"Mary's face tightened with pain. "I don't know if he is alive.""Then who is speaking?""I don't know."Ethan shook his head. "No more lies."The ground shook again, and several guards fell as cracks spread across the floor of the Safe Zone. People screamed and rushed away from the center. Victor grabbed Ethan's shoulder and told him they needed to move, but Ethan pushed his hand away."I need to know," he said."Knowing will not keep you alive," Victor warned."Neither will running forever."A deep vibration passed beneath them, and then the voice returned. "Et

Ethan stood completely still, three pairs of glowing eyes watching him from the darkness. He could hear the low breathing of the creatures surrounding them, but his attention remained fixed on the System screen, where three choices blinked before him: Access Original Core. Reject Original Core. Destroy Original Core. One decision, and yet Ethan had never felt less certain about what to do. "Dad," he called toward the dead screen, but there was no answer. "Dad!" Only static filled the chamber. Mary stepped beside him. "Ethan, we need to leave." He looked at her. "You heard him. The original System was created to protect humanity." "I heard him." "And the Seeker wants me to stay away from it." "Yes." Ethan looked back at the darkness. "That means the core matters." Victor raised his weapon. "Or it means the Seeker knows you are being manipulated." Ethan frowned. "You think the System is manipulating me?" "I think we do not know enough to trust either side." Claire slowly stoo

"Because the first Voidborn has already landed in Blackridge."Daniel's words remained in my mind as the command center lights flickered above us. For several seconds, nobody moved. Then the entire facility shook.A deep impact rolled through the walls. Dust fell from the ceiling, and somewhere beyond the command center, metal screamed as if something enormous had crashed into the building.Mary grabbed my arm. "Ethan.""I heard it."Another impact followed, this one closer, and the System appeared before my eyes: WORLD THREAT DETECTED. VOIDBORN PRESENCE CONFIRMED. LOCATION: BLACKRIDGE CITY. DISTANCE: 3.8 KM.My stomach tightened. Three point eight kilometers. It was already inside the city.Victor stepped toward the command console. "Can you locate it?""I can try." I placed my hand against the console, and the screen came alive. For the first time, the original Blackridge network spread across the room, hundreds of lines connecting buildings, roads, shelters, power stations, and und