2026-01-25 13:46:36Two weeks had passed since the sky closed. Jiangnan City was a mess of construction cranes and broken glass. But for Xin, the hardest part wasn't the rubble—it was the quiet.
He sat on the edge of a rooftop, looking at his hands. Without the armor, he looked like a normal kid again. But the silver mark on his chest felt like a cold stone. It hadn't glowed since the fight.
"If you stare at your palm any harder, you’ll grow a third eye," a voice teased.
Mei climbed onto the roof, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. She handed one to Xin.
"Any word from the 'Voice'?" she asked, sitting down.
"Nothing," Xin said, slurping the salty broth. "It’s like the Engine went into a coma. I tried to lift a brick yesterday and almost pulled a muscle. I think I’m back to Level 0."
"Better than being a Level 10 statue," Mei said. She pointed toward the center of the city.
The Spire was still there. It didn't belong to the Elementals anymore. The Resistance had turned it into a research base. It looked like a giant needle made of glass, reflecting the sunset.
"Captain Han wants to see you," Mei said, her voice turning serious. "Some of the people you saved... they aren't acting right."
Xin frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They’re seeing things, Xin. Shadows. They say they hear the General’s laughter in their sleep. Han thinks a bit of Earth-6 stayed behind inside their minds."
Xin felt a chill. He remembered the General’s words about the Engine being a parasite. Was it happening to the others too?
Suddenly, the silver mark on Xin’s chest gave a sharp, painful pulse. It wasn't blue or red. It was a dark, oily purple.
"Warning," the voice whispered, but it sounded cracked and distant. "The Rift didn't just close. It leaked. Enemy Class: Mind-Stalker detected nearby."
Before Xin could react, the rooftop around them began to melt—not into lava, but into a foggy nightmare. The city sounds vanished. Mei was still sitting next to him, but her face was gone, replaced by a smooth, blank surface.
"Xin..." the blank-faced Mei said, but the voice belonged to the General. "Do you really think a hero gets a happy ending?"
Xin scrambled back, dropping his noodles. "This isn't real. This is a trick!"
[Trial 1: The Mirror of Guilt.]
[Objective: Do not lose your identity.]
The roof turned into the scaffolding from the first day. Xin looked down and saw Old Chen falling. Then he saw his parents. Then he saw the thousands of people he had "saved" screaming that it was all his fault.
"You brought us here," the voices whispered. "You kept the Engine. You are the monster."
Xin closed his eyes, his head throbbing. This wasn't a fight he could win with a punch. This was a test of his mind.
"I didn't choose the meteor," Xin yelled into the fog. "But I chose to save them! The power doesn't make me the monster—my choices make me who I am!"
He grabbed the silver mark on his chest and squeezed. He didn't ask for power. He asked for truth.
The purple fog shattered like glass. Xin was back on the roof. Mei was staring at him, her face normal, looking worried.
"Xin! You were screaming!" she cried, holding his shoulders.
Xin panted, sweat dripping off his chin. The mark on his chest was glowing a steady, calm white now.
[Trial 1 Complete.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Mental Shield.]
[Upgrade Path: The Guardian’s Mind (Level 11).]
"It’s not over, Mei," Xin said, standing up. His eyes were sharper than before. "The Elementals didn't just want our world. They wanted to break our heads. We need to go to the Spire. Now."
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The Deep Blue Secret
The battle for the mind was won, but the war was just getting started.Xin stood on the deck of a small, rusty boat. The city of Jiangnan was far behind them, a jagged line on the horizon. Ahead of them was the endless, dark blue of the ocean."Are you sure about this?" Mei asked. She was busy fixing a bulky diving suit made of metal scraps and alien wires. "The ocean is deep, Xin. And since the meteors fell, the fish haven't exactly been friendly."Xin looked at his chest. The silver mark was pulsing with a soft blue light, pointing like a compass toward the bottom of the sea."Host," the Engine’s voice hummed. "The Star-Steel is below. It is a piece of the original meteor that fell into the trench. You need it to harden your armor for the Level 20 evolution.""I'm sure," Xin said. He looked at the suit Mei had built. "And I’m glad you’re the one who built this. I’d hate to spring a leak a mile down.""Don't worry," Mei grinned, tightening a bolt with her wrench. "It’s 90% wat
Into the Nightmare Zone
Xin and Mei didn't wait. They jumped onto the flying bike and roared toward the center of the city. The giant glass Spire stood tall against the dark sky, but it didn't look like a beacon of hope anymore. It looked like a tomb.When they landed at the base, Captain Han was waiting. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Around him, dozens of soldiers were sitting on the ground, staring at nothing. Their eyes were wide open, but they weren't "there.""They won’t wake up," Han said, his voice cracking. "It started with the civilians we rescued from the fortress. Then it spread to my guards. They just... stop talking. Then they start screaming in their sleep."Xin walked up to a young soldier. He used his new Pulse Sense. In his mind’s eye, he didn't see blood or bones. He saw a thick, oily purple mist wrapped around the man’s brain."It’s a Mind-Stalker," Xin said. "A parasite from Earth-6. It feeds on fear. If we don't pull it out, their minds will dry up and die.""How do we
The Price of Peace
Two weeks had passed since the sky closed. Jiangnan City was a mess of construction cranes and broken glass. But for Xin, the hardest part wasn't the rubble—it was the quiet.He sat on the edge of a rooftop, looking at his hands. Without the armor, he looked like a normal kid again. But the silver mark on his chest felt like a cold stone. It hadn't glowed since the fight."If you stare at your palm any harder, you’ll grow a third eye," a voice teased.Mei climbed onto the roof, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. She handed one to Xin."Any word from the 'Voice'?" she asked, sitting down."Nothing," Xin said, slurping the salty broth. "It’s like the Engine went into a coma. I tried to lift a brick yesterday and almost pulled a muscle. I think I’m back to Level 0.""Better than being a Level 10 statue," Mei said. She pointed toward the center of the city.The Spire was still there. It didn't belong to the Elementals anymore. The Resistance had turned it into a research base
The Hero's Final Stand
The General laughed, a sound like grinding metal. He was pinned to the ceiling by the gravity field, but he still acted like he had won."Time is up, Xin," the General sneered. "The portal is closing. You have sixty seconds. Do you save your planet, or do you save those few tiny souls?"Xin’s hand hovered over the big blue button. Inside his helmet, red lights flashed."Warning," the Engine’s voice said. "Closing the Spire now saves Earth. But 4,200 people are still trapped inside the alien ship. If you close it, they stay in Earth-6 forever.""Xin! Don't listen!" Mei’s voice crackled in his ear. "If you don't shut it down, the whole alien army will come through! You can't fight an entire world!"Xin looked out the window. High in the clouds, the giant golden ship hung like a hungry monster. He thought about the people inside. They weren't soldiers. They were just regular people—moms, dads, and kids. People just like him."I’m not choosing," Xin whispered."What?" the General
Falling Up
Falling is usually a terrifying thing. But falling upward into a violet sky while the city screams beneath you is a whole different kind of nightmare.Xin soared through the air, surrounded by floating cars, chunks of asphalt, and screaming office chairs. The gravity of Earth-1 was losing the tug-of-war with the Earth-6 spire."Host," the voice in his head hummed. "Approach velocity is too high. You will hit the spire at 200 miles per hour. This will result in a very flat Window Cleaner.""Not today!" Xin gritted his teeth.He didn't use his blade. He looked down—or up—at the thousands of people being sucked into the sky. He saw a school bus hovering dangerously close to a swirling vortex of energy."I have to fix the gravity first!" Xin roared.He pulled his knees to his chest and focused every bit of his Level 5 power into his gauntlet. The silver mark on his chest burned so bright it shone through his shirt.[Initiating Kinetic Discharge...]Xin slammed his glowing fist int
The Red Spark
The dust from the cave-in hung heavy in the air. Xin’s lungs burned, but the sight in front of him made his blood turn to ice.The Elemental was massive, its body made of jagged obsidian and flowing lava. It held Old Chen off the ground with one hand. Chen, the man who had taught Xin how to tie a safety knot and shared his lunch every day for three years, looked like a broken doll."Put him down," Xin said. His voice wasn't shaking anymore. It was flat and cold."Come and take him, little Spark," the Elemental hissed. Its grip tightened. Chen let out a strangled groan."Warning," the voice in Xin’s head rang out. "Emotional distress detected. Host energy is turning volatile. If you attack now, the Engine will enter 'Overdrive.' You will gain power, but you may lose your mind."I don't care, Xin thought. Save him."Xin... don't..." Chen wheezed, his eyes bulging. "Just... run...""I'm done running, Chen," Xin said.Xin didn't wait for a plan. He didn't wait for Mei or the Capt
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