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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 114
The Fractured MindDarren's glowing white eyes bore into me, cold and unyielding. He wasn’t just gone—he was hollow, a vessel for the Overseers’ will. And yet, somewhere beneath that terrifying emptiness, I knew he was still there. He had to be.I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe past the ache in my ribs. My mind raced. I needed a way in. A way to reach him.Then Kane’s voice crackled through the comms, rushed but determined. “Tony, listen. Their control—it isn’t perfect.”My pulse spiked. “What?”“It’s layered,” she said quickly. “Think of it like an onion. They’ve built it up over time—buried him under directives, protocols, conditioning. If I can break through enough of it—if I can strip those layers away—”“Then we get Darren back.”“Exactly.”A flicker of hope surged through me, cutting through the fear.“But Tony,” she hesitated. “I need time.”Time.Something I didn’t have.Because Darren—no, Zero—was already moving again.A blur of motion. A strike too fast to bloc
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 115
The System’s Collapse BeginsMy knuckles crashed against Darren’s face, the impact sending a sharp crack through the air. His head snapped to the side, and for a fraction of a second, I saw it—the flicker.The mask—**the cold, empty, merciless expression of Zero—**fractured.Beneath it, just for an instant, Darren’s real face broke through.His eyes widened in shock, confusion flashing through them. His breath hitched like a drowning man suddenly remembering how to breathe.“Darren,” I gasped, stepping forward. “Come back to me, man. I know you’re in there.”His fingers twitched at his sides. His lips parted like he wanted to say something.And then—A sound ripped through the Nexus, low and inhuman, a metallic shriek that sent static tearing across my comms.Kane’s voice broke through, alarmed. “Tony! They’re activating a failsafe!”I didn’t have time to react before Darren’s body jerked violently, his limbs locking up, back arching unnaturally. His expression twisted in pain as his
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 116
The Desperate GambleDarkness swallowed me whole.I wasn’t falling, wasn’t floating—just suspended in an abyss that stretched forever. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, the only sound anchoring me to the fact that I was still alive. Barely.Then I saw him.Darren.He was a ghostly outline, flickering, breaking apart at the edges. His body twitched violently, like a puppet with its strings tangled, his eyes shifting between blank white and their natural deep blue. He wasn’t gone yet.But he was slipping.I had seconds to act.A deep, primal part of me screamed to run—to escape before the Nexus collapsed completely. But I couldn’t. If I left now, Darren would be lost forever.No.Not happening.I forced myself forward, pushing against the nothingness between us. My chest burned. Every step felt like wading through thick, suffocating static. But I pressed on, closing the distance between us."Darren!" I shouted. My voice barely carried in the void. "You have to fight!"His head jerked up,
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 117
Darren’s ReawakeningBlinding white light swallowed everything. For a moment, I didn’t exist. There was no air, no ground, no thought—just silence.Then, like a dam breaking, reality snapped back.I gasped, hitting the ground hard. Pain flared through my ribs as I rolled onto my hands and knees, struggling to breathe. My body felt like it had been shredded and stitched back together in an instant.Static hissed in my ears. The Nexus was failing.I forced my eyes open.And there he was.Darren stood at the center of the storm, his entire body flickering between Zero and himself. Glitches rippled across his skin like cracks in reality, but his eyes—his real eyes—were locked onto me.He was back.For real this time.A slow smirk tugged at his lips. “You look like hell, Tony.”I let out a breathless laugh. “Yeah, well... it’s been a day.”But before I could say anything else, the world shuddered violently.A metallic scream tore through the Nexus, shaking everything down to the code itsel
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 118
The Last StandEverything was falling apart.The Nexus was in freefall, collapsing in on itself as data storms ripped through the air, tearing apart what was left of the corrupted world.Darren and I hit the ground hard, rolling through the chaos as the very foundation of reality fractured beneath us.I pushed myself up, coughing, my arms shaking from exhaustion. Every muscle screamed in protest, but I didn’t have time to feel it. Not now.Darren groaned beside me, rubbing his head. “Okay… that sucked.”I let out a breathless laugh. “Could’ve been worse.”A deafening roar shook the ground.I spoke too soon.The last of the Overseers had manifested, their digital forms shifting into something monstrous. Massive creatures, constructed from raw code and desperation, blocked the only path to the Core.I felt the heat of Darren’s glare before I even looked at him. “They really don’t know when to quit.”“No,” I muttered, my fingers tightening into fists. “They don’t.”Kane’s voice crackled
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 119
The Death of The OverseersThe world was coming apart at the seams.The Nexus had collapsed, but The Overseers had not vanished. They had changed, taking on monstrous forms within the raw, unraveling remains of the system. Twisted, shapeless entities, flickering in and out of reality, towering over us. They loomed, their presence warping the air, stretching it like melted glass.A deep, resonating hum filled the space around me, vibrating inside my skull like a swarm of wasps. It was not sound—not in the way a human ear should perceive it—but a pulse of raw authority, a pressure that threatened to crush me from the inside out.I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists to keep my mind from unraveling.Darren stood beside me, his breath unsteady but his stance firm. His body was still battered from the battle before, but he would not yield. Neither would I.Kane’s voice crackled through the remains of our comms, strained and urgent. “Tony, Darren—you need to listen. The Core is still here,
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 120
The New DawnI gasped.Air rushed into my lungs, sharp and cold. My body jerked like I had been yanked from the depths of an endless ocean. For a few agonizing seconds, I couldn’t tell if I was really here or still trapped in some digital nightmare. My senses fought to catch up—vision blurring, head pounding, skin tingling with the aftershock of something far beyond human comprehension.Then the world tilted.Colors and shapes swirled, shifting from fragmented data to something more tangible—more real. The cold bite of solid ground beneath me. The distant hum of dead monitors. The stale air of a place long abandoned.I was awake.I lay on my back, eyes fixed on the cracked ceiling of what looked like an old server bunker. The dim red glow of emergency lights flickered around me, casting jagged shadows across the rusted terminals lining the walls. Dust hung in the air, thick and undisturbed—except for the space where I had collapsed.The Nexus was gone.The Overseers were gone.And Dar
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 121
A Choice Against FateDarren kneels before me, his breathing ragged, his body trembling like a broken marionette. His eyes—once sharp, once full of fire—are now hollowed out, consumed by the system’s will. But beneath the layers of forced obedience, I see it. A flicker. A desperate, silent plea buried beneath all that control.Kane’s voice rings in my ear, urgent. "Tony, you know what has to be done."I don’t answer her. My fingers tighten around the hilt of my blade, the cold metal pressing against my palm. The Overseers stand above us, their faceless forms watching, waiting. They expect me to finish this. They want me to snuff out whatever is left of Darren and prove my loyalty.I lift my sword, but my hands shake."Do it," Darren whispers, his voice barely audible. "End this before I—before I can’t fight it anymore."I can feel the struggle inside him, the war between who he was and what they’re trying to make him become. I see his pain, his shame, the way his body stiffens as if b
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CHAPTER 220
Old Meets NewA cold feeling went down my back. It wasn't just cold; it was because everything around us felt wrong. Outside Kane's strong room, the city looked twisted, like a snake moving in a weird way. Buildings leaned at crazy angles, the sky was a purple bruise, and the air buzzed with a power that felt old and very wrong. My head hurt, a slow beat against the loud strangeness of this new world.The world went crazy, and we had to try and fix it.Kane looked hard at the glowing pictures above the table. Lines of code, a language I used to know well but now felt like a lost one, moved on the clear screen. She bit her lip, something she did when thinking hard. Her usual strong energy was still there, like a small fire that wouldn't go out in the dark. But I could see worry lines around her eyes.“Anything, Darren?” Her voice was rough and tired.I ran my hand over my thin hair. I could almost feel the old wires that used to connect to my brain. “Bits and pieces, Kane. L
CHAPTER 219
Seeing Things DifferentlyShaky light on worried faces around the bright map. Red lights flashed, showing trouble spreading. Kane looked hard, telling people what to do, a bit worried.My clear memories showed a scary pattern Kane didn't get. She saw now; I remembered long ago.Kane stopped talking. "Another dark spot, Tony. No why, no answer... gone." Her upset voice made me feel bad. I knew that lost feeling."Kane," I said, my quiet voice was clear. Everyone looked. I usually just helped, but the memories needed saying.She turned, tired but a bit sharp. "What, Tony? No time.""Not just happening, Kane," I said carefully. "It's happened before."People didn't believe me. Petrov laughed. "Before? Nothing like this in the books.""Books not complete," I said back, looking at Kane. She looked unsure. "Some truths hidden. Some things are forgotten.""Forgotten things?" Sarah looked surprised. "What are you talking about?"I went to the map, pointing at a dark spot. "Look ho
CHAPTER 218
Echoes in the GlitchThe cold voice in the small well-house felt like icy fingers touching my skin. Next to me, Kane held my arm so tight her knuckles were white. The strange key in her other hand glowed, making her scared face look even more so."Elias... Darren... they need to see this," she whispered, her voice shaky.My mind was racing. Elias, so quiet but always noticing things, and Darren, who first saw that things weren't right – they had to know about this. We weren't the only ones in this messed-up world, even if it felt like it."We go together," I said, trying to sound brave even though my heart was pounding. Whatever was behind that disappearing wall, we'd face it together.Kane nodded, her eyes looking strong. She was still scared, but she was also determined. We walked towards the shimmering opening. The buzzing sound got louder, and the air felt strange, making the hairs on my arms stand up.When we stepped through the wall, it was like being swallowed by darkne
CHAPTER 217
Pieces of a Lost WorldThe blue mark on Gareth’s arm disappeared, but we were all still scared, Kane. It felt like a cold weight in our stomachs. The strange things happening weren't just whispers anymore; they were shouting at us.I watched Darren. He’d been quiet since the motel, always looking worried, like he was fighting something inside his head. His broken memories seemed to bother him a lot. Now, when Gareth told us what happened, Darren looked far away, like he could see something we couldn’t.“Did it… feel like anything you’ve felt before, Darren?” I asked. Maybe his weird remembering could help us understand this.He blinked and looked back at us slowly. He shook his head, looking confused. “No… not really. But… there’s something… a feeling…” He stopped, rubbing his head.“Like what?” you asked softly, but your eyes were looking right at him.Darren waited, looking around. “Like… a lost rule. Something… broken.”A lost rule? Something broken? That sounded strange an
CHAPTER 216
Echoes of the Past, Seeds of OblivionMy head hurt bad, like something was trying to get inside. Pictures flashed in my mind – faces I didn't know well, cold white rooms, and a scary feeling of losing something important. This remembering… it felt wrong, like they were forcing it. I sat on the bed, my hands shaking. Each memory that came back was like a punch, not a friendly hello. A cold voice giving orders… a big empty feeling inside… the taste of fear. Who was I supposed to be? The me that wanted to keep you safe, Kane, felt weak, like a dream that could disappear.My stomach turned as a strong memory hit me: a bright room, straps holding me down, and a light shining in my eyes. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out in the memory. Had they done this to me before? I felt sure – this wasn't helping me remember; it was taking me back."Darren," Sarah said, her voice not kind like before. She looked worried. "This is hard. Try to stay calm."Calm? How could I be calm when
CHAPTER 215
Putting the Pieces TogetherSeeing Ben’s empty, blue eyes were stuck in my head. Martha, Elias’s kind Martha, moved like a puppet with those strange figures… it was a real nightmare. The ground still shook, and the twisted trees looked like monster hands reaching for the sky. We had to get away, but seeing our lost friends made us freeze, a scary warning of what could happen to us.“We can’t fight them here!” I shouted over the weird noises of the changing world. “We need to go back, get ourselves together!”Tony, looking pale but determined, nodded. “He’s right. They’re too strong for us here.” He pulled Elias, who was just standing there, looking at Martha. “Elias, come on!”We ran back to the part of the woods that still looked normal. The blue light went away behind us, like a bad eye closing. The air here was still, the trees looked like they always did, but we all felt really scared.Back in the mess hall, it was very quiet and sad. Elias sat with his head down, crying.
CHAPTER 214
Seeing What's Not RealThe memory of the starry ceiling stayed with me, making me feel cold and scared. Our world, the ground, the sky – was it all a lie? It made my head spin.Elias looked at me looking at the metal thing. “You didn’t sleep, Kane.” He knew.I shook my head. How could I explain seeing something that wasn’t possible?Darren looked serious. “Did anything… happen with that thing last night?” He looked at the metal thing carefully.I waited a moment, then nodded slowly. “The ceiling… it changed. For a second. I saw… stars. Not our stars.”The room got quiet. Everyone looked worried. The strange things before were bad, but this was unbelievable.Tony looked confused. “Stars? Kane, are you sure you’re okay? Maybe it was a dream.”“It felt real, Tony,” I said, my voice shaking a little. “Too real. The metal thing… it did something when I was near it.”It was scary to think about. If what we thought was real could change so easily, what else wasn’t true? Our memories
CHAPTER 213
The Enemy's MarkSleep was just seeing glowing eyes and hearing a voice in my head: You are the key. Morning showed tired faces.I walked around, giving tea and saying quiet things. My mind was trying to put the strange things together. The doll, tools, tree… there was a line connecting them. The Old Man looked at the cold fireplace. “The birds, girl,” he said quietly. “They don’t sing right. Like the song is wrong. And some songs… I never heard them before.”It was a small thing, but Hemlock knew the woods well, so it felt important. Another piece.The woman was giving out food and told me something else. “The water, Kane. When I went to get water, it looked shiny. Like oil, but with rainbow colors. Then it was gone.”Rainbow shine. Glowing tree. Light from the ground. Colors that weren’t normal.A pattern was starting: small changes to what was real, weird things mixed in with what we knew. Not just things disappearing; things were changing.Michael, still quiet, pointed at
CHAPTER 212
Strange WhispersThe old woman's face was wet with tears in the flickering light. Her hands shook as she held a mug. "The doll, Kane," she whispered, her voice weak. "Porcelain eyes... they looked right at you. Then... gone. Michael said it blinked."I leaned closer, the table hard under my arms. Outside, the wind howled. The woman, usually strong, was scared. Her fear made me feel cold."And then?" I asked.She swallowed hard. "It just disappeared. Like it was never there. Michael..." I looked at the big mechanic, his eyes empty. He saw a tree with blue leaves that turned to dust fast."Anyone else?" The Old Man nodded slowly, his face full of lines. "My wrench. Right here. I looked away to fix the fire... poof. Gone. Found it in the waters later, dry."A shiver went down my back. Quick pictures, seeing things together, stuff vanishing... it felt like what was real was breaking. We thought it was just stress, but it happened too much, and it was too weird.Yesterday, I saw
