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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 161
Unseen and ForgottenI stepped onto the street, the weight of the city pressing down on me like a silent storm. The air was thick with exhaust and movement, the constant churn of people living their lives, rushing forward with purpose. I wasn’t sure what I expected. Panic? Recognition? Something?But as I moved through the crowd, something strange happened.A woman glanced at me and frowned as if I were out of place, a glitch in her perception. A man turned his head halfway, his gaze skimming past me as though I wasn’t worth noticing. A child pointed at me—wide-eyed, curious—before his mother gently pulled his hand down and walked faster, whispering something under her breath.By the time I reached the other side of the street, no one even looked my way.I stopped. Turned.No one remembered me.My chest tightened. “No. No, no, no.”I spun on my heel, backtracking, weaving through the same people I had just passed. They should have recognized me. Even if I had been just another face, s
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 162
A Tear in the FabricThe world felt stretched too thin, like an old sheet about to tear.I could feel it in the air, in the way the buildings flickered at the edges of my vision, shifting slightly, subtly, as if they couldn't decide what they were supposed to be. The sky darkened for half a second, then brightened again, like reality itself was hesitating.And at the center of it all—me.I exhaled slowly, watching the air ripple outward from my breath like I was disturbing something unseen. Something fragile. The sensation had been growing stronger for days now, creeping in at the edges of my consciousness. Every step I took felt like I was walking across a frozen lake, knowing that at any moment, the ice might crack beneath me.“Tony.”I turned. Kane stood there, arms crossed, her gaze sharp but unreadable. Elias was beside her, his usual controlled expression betraying a hint of unease.They had that look again. Like I was a puzzle piece that didn’t fit anymore.Kane's voice was ste
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 163
The Overseer’s ChoiceThe world split apart.Not in the way the fractures had before—this wasn’t the violent unraveling of reality, not the sudden stutter of time skipping like a broken record. This was different. It was quiet. Cold.One moment, I was standing with Kane and Elias, their worried faces locked onto mine. The next, everything was gone. The street. The city. The world.I floated in an endless void, neither light nor darkness surrounding me, just an absence of everything.And then—A voice.Low. Ancient. Everywhere.“You stand at the threshold.”The words settled into my bones, not spoken aloud but imprinted directly into my mind.I turned, though there was no ground beneath me, no direction to move in. Yet, something shifted, and suddenly I wasn’t alone.A figure stood before me. Or maybe it had always been there, waiting for me to notice.It wasn’t a person. Not exactly. It shifted between shapes, flickering between versions of itself, never settling. One moment, it was a
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 164
The Last ReminderDarren stood at the city’s broken edge, the wind pulling at his jacket, carrying the scent of smoke and dust. The skyline was fractured, buildings leaning as if caught in their final moments of collapse. This city had seen better days—had been torn apart and stitched back together so many times that it barely resembled what it once was.And Darren had changed with it.I watched him from a distance, measuring the shift in his stance and his expression. The Darren I knew had always carried the weight of something—duty, regret, expectation. But the man standing there now wasn’t weighed down.He looked… lighter. Not in a way that made him weak. Just free.Kane stood beside me, arms crossed, her sharp eyes studying him the same way I was. “He’s different,” she muttered, and I could tell it unsettled her.Yeah. I felt it too.Darren turned, finally catching sight of us. His gaze met mine, and for a split second, I expected the usual tension—the stiffness in his shoulders,
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 165
The Disappearing SunThe sunset.And then it never came back.I stood at the edge of the ruined city, staring at the horizon. The sky had darkened, but it hadn’t gone completely black. Instead, an eerie twilight lingered, stretching the shadows long and thin. It was like the world had forgotten how to move forward, stuck in the moment between day and night.A cold wind rushed through the streets, whistling between broken buildings, making them groan as if the city itself was holding its breath.“This isn’t normal.” Kane’s voice cut through the silence.I turned to see her standing a few feet away, arms crossed, eyes sharp as she scanned the sky. Elias was next to her, his usual composure cracking at the edges. He wasn’t the type to panic, but I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers twitched like he was holding back from reaching for a cigarette he didn’t have.“It’s him,” Elias muttered.I exhaled sharply. “You think I did this?”He met my gaze, and for once, there was
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 166
Breaking PointI was unraveling.I felt it in the way my body flickered, my hands twisting in and out of focus like I was caught between layers of existence. The cold wind slid through me, and for a brief second, I wasn’t sure if I was standing on solid ground or floating above it.The sky above still refused to change. The horizon held onto its dying light, frozen between night and day as if reality itself was hesitating—waiting for me to decide what I was going to become.Elias was watching me. So was Kane.I could feel their eyes, their tension, their hesitation.“Tony,” Elias said, his voice steady but careful. “You need to stop.”Stop?The word almost made me laugh.I turned to him, and he flinched.That was new.Elias never flinched.The flickering was getting worse. My hands weren’t just blurring; they were stretching, unraveling at the edges before snapping back into place. It didn’t hurt, but it felt wrong. Like my body wasn’t sure what shape to take anymore.Kane took a step
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 167
The Last GoodbyeI stood outside Darren’s door, staring at the grain of the wood like it held the answers to all my unspoken questions. The hallway smelled of old books and antiseptic, an odd combination of wisdom and decay. My fingers curled into a fist, but I didn't knock. Not yet.This wasn't like the other battles I’d fought. This wasn’t a confrontation where I could overpower the enemy, nor a negotiation where I could twist the terms in my favor. This was final. And I hated that word more than anything.Taking a breath, I let my hand fall against the door, the sound barely audible."Come in," a rough voice called from inside.I pushed the door open.Darren sat in a worn-out chair by the window, the soft glow of the late afternoon sun casting long shadows over his frail frame. The man I had once seen as an unmovable force now looked... small. His skin hung loose over sharp bones, his eyes sunken yet still piercing, still aware. The room smelled of age like time itself had settled
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 168
The Reset KeyThe fractures ran deep. They cut through space and time, jagged wounds in the fabric of reality, shifting and groaning like something alive. I could feel them pulsing under my skin, a slow unraveling of everything I had fought for.And I was the only thing holding it all together.The Shift swirled around me, vast and unrelenting, pressing against my mind with a quiet hum. I could barely feel the ground beneath my feet anymore, the weight of my own body growing lighter, like I was already slipping away.Behind me, Kane’s breathing was uneven. Sharp. She knew.She always knew."Tony," she whispered. "Tell me there’s another way."I clenched my fists. My whole life, I had been fighting, finding cracks in the system, pushing past the limits others thought were unbreakable. But this time…"There isn’t," I said.Kane took a step closer, her boots scraping against the cracked ground. "Then we find one."I turned to face her, and the look in her eyes nearly broke me.There was
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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
