2025-03-02 13:00:36Finding Kane
The deeper I dug, the more the world tried to erase her.Dr. Valeria Kane didn’t just disappear—she was removed.No digital footprint. No public records. No one even remembered working with her. It was like chasing a ghost whose name had been swallowed by time itself.But ghosts leave traces, no matter how hard you try to bury them.After a week of dead ends, encrypted messages, and a few too many close calls, I found the crack in the system. An old, defunct biotech forum buried in the dark web, its posts scrubbed of anything useful—except one.A cryptic reply to a decade-old thread. A set of coordinates. A time.And a warning."Don’t come unless you’re ready to lose everything."That was how I ended up here.A nameless safe house buried beneath an abandoned subway station, the air thick with dust and paranoia. The walls were lined with rusted servers, their lights blinking like dy
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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 19
The Overseers’ True PurposeThe first thing I lost was my mother’s voice.I didn’t realize it at the time. The memories were still there—the image of her laughing, the warmth of her embrace. But when I tried to recall the sound of her voice, it was gone. Like a tape that had been erased.Then came the missing streets. The ones I swore existed, where I used to walk home from school. Places I knew, yet when I returned, they weren’t there. No one else remembered them.And now—I didn’t know my brother’s name.Because I had a brother. I knew that much.But when I tried to picture him, I saw only a silhouette.A hollow space where he used to be.And with every use of this power—every moment I defied them—more pieces of my past slipped away.I sat in the dimly lit hideout, gripping the edges of the rickety metal table as if that alone could anchor me to something real. Kane paced before me, her face
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 20
A New Enemy AppearsThe first sign of danger was the silence.Kane had been talking—her voice sharp, urgent, rattling off equations and theories as she tried to piece together a way to keep me from vanishing completely. But suddenly, she stopped.The air turned wrong. Thick. Heavy.My skin prickled.Then—"Target identified."The voice wasn’t human. It came from everywhere and nowhere, distorted and fragmented like a corrupted file trying to play itself.I spun around, instincts flaring.A figure stood at the far end of the hideout.Tall. Masked. A black bodysuit covered every inch of their form, lines of glowing circuitry pulsing along their limbs. The air around them shimmered, distorting like heatwaves on asphalt.A notification flashed in my vision.[Caution: Opponent is using a perfected version of the system.]Perfected.That meant whatever was inside m
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 21
The Unstable PowerThe world wasn’t supposed to bend like this.I reached out, my fingers hovering inches above the glass of water on the table. I concentrated, feeling that strange, pulling sensation deep in my chest. The air around my hand hummed, electric, like the universe itself was holding its breath.For a moment, nothing happened.Then the glass flickered—vanished—reappeared a foot to the right, teetering on the edge."Not bad," I muttered.The next second, the entire table snapped out of existence.I gasped, my balance tipping forward as the space where it once stood was now empty air. I stumbled, barely catching myself before hitting the floor. My stomach churned. The chair beside me flickered, as if it couldn't decide whether it existed or not, before vanishing completely.I forced a slow breath through my teeth."Okay, that wasn’t supposed to happen."A slow clap echoed behind me.I turned, already bracing for the unimpressed stare. Kane stood in the doorway, arms crossed,
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 22
The Overseers’ InfluenceThe city had never felt this quiet before.Even with the usual buzz of people moving, talking, and traffic humming in the background, something felt off. Like the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.Dr. Valeria Kane and I walked side by side down the crowded street, though I wasn’t sure where we were heading. She hadn’t said a word since we left my apartment, just kept moving like she had a destination in mind. Her face was unreadable, her jaw tight.The silence stretched between us until I finally snapped."Are you gonna tell me where we're going, or do I just follow you around like a lost puppy?"Kane didn’t slow down. "Watch."I frowned. "Watch what?"Then I saw it.A man walking ahead of us stopped mid-step. Not a slow pause, not hesitation—he just froze. One foot in the air, eyes open, lips slightly parted.Time didn’t slow down. The world didn’t glitch. He just stopped.A woman walked past him without noticing. A group o
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 23
Learning the LimitsThe alley was quiet, except for the faint hum of the city beyond it. Streetlights flickered in and out, casting long, shifting shadows on the cracked pavement. The air smelled of damp concrete and old metal, a stark contrast to the weight pressing down on my chest.Kane stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching me like I was a puzzle she was half-interested in solving."Try again," she said.I exhaled slowly. My hands trembled at my sides.I focused on the crushed soda can near my feet. The world seemed to shrink around it. The dull silver of the aluminum. The faded red logo. The jagged dent along one side.Change.The thought whispered through me, pulsing like something alive.For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the can twitched. Metal bent, straightening itself out with a slow, unnatural smoothness. The dent disappeared. The logo sharpened. And just like that, the can sat there, untouched, as if it had never been crushed at all.I sucked in a breath.Kane t
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 24
The Cost of PowerThe air crackled around me, like static before a storm. My breath hitched as I stepped forward, boots scuffing against the fractured ground. The world here wasn’t stable—edges of buildings flickered, textures stretched and distorted, like a broken screen trying to hold itself together.And then I saw them.The Glitches.They weren’t just part of the world’s corruption. They were the corruption—figures wrapped in shifting pixels, their bodies stuttering between forms. One moment, they resembled people, but then—snap—their limbs warped, faces split into several versions of themselves, each one talking in overlapping voices. A chorus of broken echoes."Please—help—who—""Fix me—no, no, don’t—please—""Not supposed to be—here—can’t—leave—"Their words folded over each other, some pleading, some just... noise. But the worst part was their eyes—if you could call them that. Empty sockets, filled with fragments of a thousand possible selves.A chill crept down my spine.Thes
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 25
Marked for DeathThe moment Kane confirmed it, a cold weight settled in my gut."The Overseers know about you," she said, her voice low, controlled. "They’ll send someone."I didn't flinch, but my fingers curled into fists at my sides. The Overseers were more than just a problem—they were the executioners of the unseen world, a force that erased threats before they could grow into real problems. And now, I was on their list.I forced out a breath, trying to keep my pulse steady. "How long do we have?"Kane shook her head. "If they’ve marked you, they’ve already moved. The only question is—who did they send?"A chime in my ear made my stomach drop. My system had triggered an emergency alert: LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL INITIATED.My jaw clenched. "They just closed the net," I muttered.Kane’s expression darkened. "What do you mean?"I swiped my interface open with a flick of my fingers. The digital overlay flashed red warnings across my vision. Your network access has been restricted. Facial obf
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 26
Zero’s WarningThe air thickens with a presence I don’t recognize. A shift. A distortion. And then—he’s just there.Zero.A man, a shadow, a force of precision. He doesn’t move like a person; he moves like an inevitability. His sleek black suit fits like a second skin, his silver hair an eerie contrast to the darkness swallowing him. But it’s his eyes that pin me down—empty, unfeeling. Like they’ve already seen everything I’m about to do.I barely register the shift in my muscles before my body is already reacting—ducking, pivoting, lunging. Instinct. Training. Survival.My fist flies toward his ribs. It doesn’t connect.Zero doesn’t dodge. He simply isn’t there anymore. Like he moved before I even thought to strike.A crack of pain explodes in my ribs before my brain catches up to the fact that he hit me first. My body twists against my will, my back slamming into the concrete wall behind me. The impact rattles my skull, but I force my vision to stay clear. I can’t afford a second of
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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
