RISE OF THE FALLEN HEIR

CHAPTER 8: POWER AND CONSEQUENCE

The silence after Omega’s last words was deafening.

You are not the first host.

The phrase echoed in me, like the whisper of a ghost that refused to die.

I sat motionless, not the first host. “Then who was?”

Omega didn’t respond. Only the faint hum of circuits.

[System recalibrating neural synchronization 98%.]

I pressed my palms against the table, trying to steady myself. Ivy had mentioned Project Ascend, that the Omega System wasn’t random that someone wanted me to have it. If there were others before me, what happened to them? Did they burn out? Did they die?

[System notice: cognitive instability detected.]

“Instability?” But deep down, fear coiled through me like a living thing. The thought of someone else, another host walking the same path, haunted by the same voice, twisted my stomach.

Before I could say more, Omega’s tone sharpened.

[Incoming alert. Threat proximity: 400 meters.]

 [Multiple signatures approaching. Armed.]

My head snapped toward the window. Outside, was a black SUVs sliding to a stop down the street.

“Damien,” I hissed. “He must’ve found me.”

[Host’s safety at risk. Releasing emergency protocol.]

A pulse of heat surged through my veins. My vision distorted every motion, every sound, slowed until time itself seemed to hesitate.

[Ability unlocked: Predictive Combat Analysis Level 1.]

Images flickered across my sight, ghostlike projections of possible movements, trajectories of bullets, the arcs of fists not yet thrown. My body reacted before thought could catch up.

The door exploded inward.

Three men in tactical gear stormed in, rifles raised.

I moved on instinct sidestepping, disarming the first man before his finger even twitched on the trigger. The next swung his rifle toward my head I ducked, twisted, slammed his own weapon into his ribs. The third fired, but Omega’s projections flashed red lines across my vision; I ducked and rolled, the bullet tearing through the chair where I’d been seconds before.

“Damn it!” I shouted, driving my knee into the last man’s jaw. He dropped with a heavy thud.

The room fell silent again. My breath came in ragged bursts.

[Threats neutralized. Combat proficiency: 47%. Efficiency improvement recommended.]

I leaned against the wall, trembling. My hands steady during the fight now shook uncontrollably. My head buzzed, heat searing through my temples.

[Warning: neural activity exceeding safe threshold.]

 [System usage exceeds human limit. Consequence: neural degradation imminent.]

“What does that mean?” I gasped, pressing a hand to my forehead. “You’re frying my brain, Omega?”

[Correction: Host synchronization increasing. Physical limits may adapt.]

“Or may not,” I muttered through gritted teeth. The walls flickered like static. For a second, I saw something impossible: another face reflected in the dark window not mine. A man’s outline, hollow eyes staring back at me.

You shouldn’t have accepted it…

The whisper wasn’t Omega’s. It was… older. Distant. Fading.

I stumbled backward. “Who are you?”

No answer. Only silence.

[Host vitals dropping.]

 [Initiating emergency shutdown…]

The world tilted, then went black.

When I woke, everything smelled of antiseptic and soft linen. The sterile glow of fluorescent lights pressed against my eyes.

A hospital. My heart skipped a beat. How long have I been here? I tried to move, but my arm ached. There was an IV attached to me, and machines beeped quietly beside the bed. My clothes were replaced by standard hospital wear.

[System rebooting.]

 [Host consciousness restored.]

“Omega?” I whispered.

[Present.]

“Where am I?”

[Safe zone temporarily acquired. Medical intervention occurred via anonymous source.]

Anonymous source? That didn’t sound reassuring. “Who helped me?”

Before Omega could reply, the door opened.

A woman walked inside, she carried a notebook, a press badge hanging from her coat. Her eyes sharp and inquisitive scanned me like a puzzle she’d been dying to solve.

“Eli Grant,” she said calmly, shutting the door behind her. “Or should I say Ethan Cross?”

The name struck me like a lightning bolt. My body tensed, fingers twitching toward the IV as if it were a weapon.

“How do you—”

She raised her hand. “Relax. I’m not here to expose you yet. “Evelyn Grant. Journalist. I’ve been following your story for weeks.”

Omega’s tone turned cold.

[Unknown entity detected. Probability of threat: 62%. Recommend caution.]

My eyes flicked toward the window, too high to escape. My muscles are still weak.

“Who told you that name?” I asked “No one, I found it.” 

She held up a photo of me, in the alley the night Omega first activated. The image was grainy but unmistakable. “You disappeared after that night. No records, no trace. Then suddenly, a man with your build and skills appears under the name Eli Grant, making digital ripples in places you shouldn’t even know exist.”

My mind raced. If she knew this much she could destroy everything.

“What do you want from me?” 

 “The truth. Who are you really working for?”

Before I could answer, Omega’s voice interrupted, sharper than ever.

[Host identity at 60% risk.]

Evelyn frowned. “Did you just hear—”

The lights flickered. My vision glitched static crawling at the edges. Omega’s interface flooded my sight with crimson warnings.

[Host compromised. External trace detected.]

 [Multiple signals inbound.]

The heart monitor beside me began to spike. I tore the IV from my arm, the sudden rush of blood waking my nerves.

“What’s happening?” Evelyn demanded.

I didn’t answer. I grabbed her hand. “We have to move. Now!”

[Protect identity integrity.]

 [Eliminate trace or flee — decision required.]

Sirens wailed outside. Evelyn’s eyes widened as she realized what was coming. “They found you, didn’t they?”

I nodded once.

[Final warning: Host identity at 80% risk.]

And as Omega’s system flared red across my vision, I made my choice the one that would change everything.

Omega’s interface flashed in my eyes [Engage Protocol: Erase All Evidence Including Witness].

I froze. Evelyn’s terrified gaze met mine.

 And

for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I was still the one in control.