TARGET: MARY COLE.I stared at the System message. For a moment, I could not understand what I was seeing. Then the meaning hit me. The Voidborn had changed its target. It was no longer heading for the Blackridge Core. It was coming for my mother."Why?" Claire asked.I looked at Mary. She had gone completely still."Mom?"Mary did not answer.Victor stepped toward the console. "How far?"The System responded: VOIDBORN DISTANCE: 0.7 KM. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL: 11 MINUTES.Victor's expression hardened. "We need to move."I turned to Mary. "What does it want from you?""I don't know.""You do."Her eyes met mine. There was fear in them, but there was something else too. Guilt."You know something," I said.Mary lowered her head. "I know why it remembers me.""Then tell me."She took a slow breath. "When you were six, the scientists wanted to use you to open a connection with the Voidborn."Claire looked shocked. "A connection?"Mary nodded. "They believed Subject Zero could communicate with

The floor split open, and a deep roar came from beneath us. The entire chamber shook as pieces of concrete fell into the darkness below.Mary grabbed my arm. "Ethan, we have to leave."I could not move. Something was climbing out. I could hear metal breaking beneath the floor, then came a slow, heavy movement that sounded nothing like a Shadow Eater.The Voidborn stepped backward, and that frightened me more than anything else. It had never shown fear before."What is down there?" I asked.The Voidborn did not answer. The System appeared: BLACKRIDGE CORE BREACH CONFIRMED. UNKNOWN ENTITY RISING. LEVEL: UNDEFINED. THREAT CLASS: UNKNOWN. WARNING: PLAYER ZERO MUST NOT ALLOW ENTITY TO REACH THE SURFACE.Victor looked at me. "What does the System mean by must not?""I do not know."A huge hand suddenly came through the opening. It was not covered in black mist like the Voidborn. Its skin looked pale and hard, almost like stone, and the fingers grabbed the edge of the broken floor. Then anot

I ran through the underground tunnel with Claire and Victor behind me. The words of the Voidborn remained in my mind. BY THE TIME YOU REACH THEM, THEY WILL ALREADY BELONG TO ME. I refused to believe it.The System showed the remaining Player signatures across Blackridge: PLAYER SIGNATURES: 19. Then another disappeared. Eighteen.Claire saw it too. "We are losing them.""I know."Victor increased his speed. "How far to the surface?""Four hundred meters."A violent explosion shook the tunnel, and dust fell around us. The System updated: VOIDBORN DISTANCE TO PLAYER NETWORK: 2.9 KM."It's moving fast," Victor said.I opened the map. The remaining Players were scattered across the city. Some were inside buildings, some were moving toward the Safe Zone, and others were completely still. Then I noticed something. The Voidborn was not attacking every Player. It was heading toward one particular signature.PLAYER IDENTIFICATION: UNKNOWN. LEVEL: 7. DISTANCE: 2.3 KM.I pointed at the screen. "T

The symbol over my heart burned hotter, and I dropped to one knee. "Ethan!" Mary rushed toward me, but Claire caught her arm. "Wait." "Let me go!" "If you touch him, you might make it worse." I pressed my palm against my chest. Something was moving inside me. It felt like a second heartbeat. Slow. Heavy. Powerful. The System appeared: FOREIGN VOID ENERGY: ACTIVE. CORE STABILITY: 48%. UNKNOWN ENERGY RESPONSE DETECTED. PLAYER ZERO CONDITION: UNSTABLE. I tried to breathe. "System, lock it." COMMAND UNAVAILABLE. "Then control it." COMMAND UNAVAILABLE. The pain increased, and a strange sound escaped my throat. The Voidborn stepped closer. YES. Its voice was almost calm. LET IT AWAKEN. I looked at it. "You want this." I WANT WHAT BELONGS TO US. "You are not getting it." The black symbol suddenly spread across my chest, and energy burst from my body. Everyone was thrown backward. The walls cracked, windows shattered, and cars outside were lifted from the ground and thrown ac

The moment I stepped into the underground passage, the sound of the battle behind me became distant. I stopped and looked back. Claire, Victor, Noah, and Elias stood several meters away, and beyond them, the red emergency lights flashed across the walls. The Core Warden was still fighting the creatures that had reached the Blackridge Core.Mary was there too. She stood beside the Warden, watching me. I wanted to go back to her, but the System had already made its condition clear: SECONDARY CHAMBER: 1.2 KM. ACCESS CONDITION: PLAYER ZERO MUST ENTER ALONE.I looked at Mary. "Stay with the others."She shook her head. "Ethan...""I have to do this."Her eyes filled with worry, but she did not argue. "Then come back.""I will."I turned before I could change my mind. The passage ahead was dark, and I started running, my footsteps echoing through the narrow tunnel as the distance slowly dropped. One point one kilometers.The walls looked different from the rest of the facility. They were ol