The third subject stood in the center of the chamber. He looked at me without fear, without anger, without hesitation. The System continued flashing across my vision.THIRD SUBJECT DETECTED.THREAT LEVEL: 20.VOID CONNECTION: 45%.SUBJECT THREE IS CALLING THE VOID.I tightened my grip on the Beginner Blade. "Stop."The third subject smiled. "I cannot.""Then I will stop you."He tilted his head. "You still think the Void is something you can fight.""I have fought it before.""No. You fought what came through it."The chamber became silent. Behind me, Claire raised her weapon, and Victor stood beside her. Noah and Elias moved closer to the Core Warden while Mary stayed beside Daniel. My twin watched the third subject carefully."You opened the door," my twin said.The third subject looked at him. "Yes.""Why?"His expression changed, and for the first time I saw sadness in his eyes. "Because I was six."Nobody spoke. He looked at me. "I did not understand what they were asking me to d

The words remained in front of me.PLAYER ZERO HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE ORIGINAL CREATOR.I stared at the message while the creature stood only a few steps away."Welcome home, Ethan."My hands tightened around the Beginner Blade. "I have never been here before."The creature smiled. "You were here when you were six."Pain shot through my head. Another memory tried to surface, but I pushed it away. I had no time to remember. The chamber was collapsing, black cracks covering the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.VOID PRISON BREACH: 73%.74%.75%.The number kept rising. I looked at the System.SEVER.Three choices remained.VOID CONNECTION.PLAYER NETWORK.ANCIENT ENTITY.The creature noticed the command, and its smile disappeared. "You cannot sever me.""Then why are you afraid?""I am not afraid.""Then let me try."The creature moved. I barely saw it. One moment it stood several steps away, and the next it was in front of me. I raised my blade, and its hand struck the weapon. The

The tower opened. A deep crack appeared across its center, spreading from the top to the bottom, and black energy poured through the opening. I could feel it before I saw what was inside. Something was coming.The Void Warriors remained on their knees. The three hundred and sixteen subjects stood frozen behind the barrier. Even the Core Warden refused to move. Then a hand appeared inside the tower. It was enormous, the fingers wrapping around the edge of the opening, and the tower shook as something pulled itself forward.My System flashed.ANCIENT VOID ENTITY DETECTED.THREAT LEVEL: UNMEASURABLE.IDENTITY: SEALED.I looked at Daniel. "Can the Original System stop it?"Daniel stared at the tower. "Not with seventeen percent Core Reserve."The System immediately updated.CORE RESERVE: 17%.ESTIMATED DEFENSE TIME: 8 MINUTES.Eight minutes. That was all we had. I looked at my twin. "We need to reach the tower." He nodded.The barrier around the subjects began shaking. Claire stepped forw

The black fortress moved without wheels, wings, or any visible engine. Its walls were covered with strange silver marks that changed whenever Ethan looked at them, and it was coming straight toward them.Ethan tightened his grip on the Beginner Blade. "Everyone stay behind me."Victor looked at the fortress. "That thing is not a building.""No," Claire said quietly. "It is hunting us."[ DANGER SENSE ACTIVATED ][ HOSTILE TARGET APPROACHING ][ THREAT LEVEL: 21 ]Ethan stared at the fortress. "System, scan it."[ SCAN FAILED ][ TARGET IS OUTSIDE CURRENT SYSTEM AUTHORITY ]His chest tightened. The fortress suddenly stopped, and then its front wall opened. There was no door; the entire wall simply separated down the middle, revealing a dark passage. Ethan saw movement inside. Hundreds of people stood behind the opening."The subjects," Noah whispered.Ethan could see them clearly now. Men, women, and children stood packed together in the darkness, their clothes torn, their faces pale.

Ethan stared at the message that had just appeared before him.[ PLAYER ZERO HAS BEEN FOUND ]The words hung on the screen for only a few seconds before fading away, and a heartbeat later the floor beneath them exploded.Ethan grabbed Claire and pulled her backward as chunks of twisted metal flew across the chamber, while Victor shoved Noah and Elias behind a broken console to shield them. Ethan's twin tried to move toward him, but a wall of black energy rose suddenly between them, cutting them off from each other."Ethan!""I'm here!"A small hand reached up through the jagged opening in the floor, followed a moment later by another, and then a child pulled himself upward and into the light. Ethan froze the instant he recognized him. It was the Third Subject.His clothes were covered in black dust, blood ran from a cut on his forehead, and though his eyes were still human, a dark mark now spread across the left side of his face."Ethan," he whispered.Ethan rushed forward, grabbed th