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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 71
The Last AlgorithmThe moment Kane told me about the fail-safe, I felt like the ground beneath me had shifted.A hidden algorithm—one capable of undoing the Overseers’ erasures.It was the kind of revelation that clawed at the edges of my mind, demanding to be questioned, doubted, and analyzed. And yet, I couldn’t ignore the spark of something dangerously close to hope flickering inside me.“There’s no way they wouldn’t have it buried deep,” I said, my voice coming out rough, uncertain. “If they built a backdoor into their system, they’d make sure no one could ever get to it.”Kane crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. “That’s exactly what they did.”She turned the tablet she was holding toward me, her fingers swiping across lines of encrypted data. “It’s housed in their Citadel. Not just any sector—this is their nerve center. The place where every major decision, every directive, every execution order originates.”A cold weight settled in my stomach. “You’re saying we have to
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 72
The Price of a Second ChanceThe world outside was chaos. Explosions rocked the Citadel’s underground halls, shaking the floor beneath our feet. The air was thick with smoke, the metallic tang of blood, and the distant echo of gunfire. The Retrievers were coming fast, and we were running out of time.But inside this chamber, another kind of war was happening. A silent one.Kane stood at the console, her fingers moving like a phantom over the screen, her face lit by the cold glow of The Last Algorithm. Lines of code shifted in real time, cascading symbols rewriting reality itself. I had seen a lot of impossible things, but this—this was beyond impossible. It was a miracle. A curse. A loaded gun waiting for someone to pull the trigger.And I was the one standing at the barrel.“We can do this,” I said, barely hearing my own voice over the pounding in my skull. “We can bring them back.”Kane didn’t look at me. Her hands didn’t stop moving. But her voice was razor-sharp.“And what happens
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 73
A Betrayal WithinThe night air smelled like burning metal and static electricity. We were so close to the Citadel that I could see the glow of its security lights and hear the faint hum of its power grid thrumming beneath the city ruins. The plan was set. We were going to infiltrate, extract what we needed, and bring the Overseers’ entire system crumbling down from the inside.But something felt wrong.It wasn’t just the usual tension that came before a mission like this. It was deeper—like a wire pulled too tight, ready to snap.I shifted my grip on my rifle and glanced at Kane. She stood at the edge of the ruined street, scanning the area with sharp, restless eyes. Her fingers twitched near her belt, an old habit she had whenever something was off.“You feel it too?” I asked, keeping my voice low.She didn’t look at me. “Yeah.”Jax exhaled sharply behind me, adjusting the strap of his gear. “You two always get weird before missions. What’s different this time?”I didn’t have an ans
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 74
Face to Face with the OverseersMy wrists burned from the restraints as the Retrievers dragged me forward. The air in the Citadel was sterile, humming with unseen energy, like the whole place was alive and watching. The walls gleamed, impossibly smooth, stretching upward into an abyss of artificial light. There were no windows, no doors—just a void of machinery and control.They hauled me through corridor after corridor until we reached the chamber.The High Overseers were waiting.Five figures, standing in a half-circle around an Henson podium. They weren’t like the Retrievers. They weren’t armored or armed. They didn’t need to be. They radiated power, their very presence warping the space around them, as if time bent to their will.One of them stepped forward. Tall. Hollow-eyed. Dressed in the same seamless fabric as the others. No name. Just an entity.“You were never meant to exist,” he said.His voice wasn’t loud, but it rang in my skull like a command written into the code of re
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 75
The Mind CageI woke up to a perfect world.Warm sunlight streamed through the window, painting the wooden floor in gold. A light breeze stirred the curtains, carrying the scent of fresh coffee and something sweet—cinnamon, maybe.I knew this place.The small apartment. The books are stacked in the corner. The sketchpad was left open on the kitchen table, with unfinished lines waiting for the artist’s return.And then—“Tony?”My chest clenched. I turned, already knowing what I’d see.Lena stood there, a soft smile playing on her lips, her dark eyes filled with something warm, something real. She looked exactly the way I remembered—hair falling in loose waves, her favorite sweater draped over her frame, sleeves just a little too long.For a second, I forgot to breathe.“You okay?” she asked, stepping closer.I couldn’t move.Because this wasn’t real.I knew it wasn’t real.The Citadel. The Overseers. The choice they’d given me. The escape.None of that had happened here.Here, Lena ha
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 76
Breaking the SystemThe Citadel trembled beneath our feet.Kane dragged me through the smoke-filled corridor, her grip tight, unyielding. The alarms screeched, the walls flashing red, a pulsing heartbeat of the system itself trying to keep us contained.But we weren’t going to be contained.Not anymore.I wiped blood from my forehead, my mind still foggy from the simulation, from the force of the Mind Cage trying to rewrite me. It hadn’t won, but it had left its mark. I could still feel the residue of something unnatural clinging to my thoughts. Fragments of memories that weren’t mine. Lives I had never lived.Kane’s voice cut through the chaos.“Tony, we need that system override now.”I forced my legs to move faster. The Citadel’s core was close. The Last Algorithm—our only shot at breaking the Overseers’ hold on reality—was within reach.But the Citadel wasn’t going to let us take it without a fight.Security drones descended from the ceiling, sleek black machines with glowing blue
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 77
The Battle for TimeThe air rippled like a dying frequency.I hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through my bones. My vision swam as I struggled to my feet. The world around me twisted—walls folding in on themselves, staircases spiraling into infinity.The Citadel was unraveling.And at the center of it all, the Last Algorithm pulsed in my hand, radiating an energy that felt like raw, living time.Kane landed beside me in a crouch, already aiming her weapon at the shifting figures emerging from the chaos. The High Overseers.They stood above us like specters draped in shadows, their hollow eyes locked onto me.“You do not belong,” one of them intoned, their voice fracturing through the air. “You should have been erased.”I tightened my grip around the Algorithm. “Yeah, well, you should’ve done a better job.”A wave of force slammed into me before I could react. It felt like my entire existence was being pulled apart like every second of my life was being shredded and rewound at
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 78
Restoring What Was LostI pressed my palm against the Algorithm, and the world shattered.A pulse of raw energy exploded outward, a shockwave of time itself, bending and twisting everything it touched. The air cracked with impossible light, refracting like a prism that held every past, every future, every version of reality that had ever existed.I staggered back, my breath catching in my throat. The ground beneath me rippled like the surface of water.It was working.The erased were returning.All around me, ghosts solidified into flesh. People who had been wiped from existence gasped as they re-entered reality. A woman clutched her chest, eyes wild with confusion. A child sobbed, clinging to a father who hadn’t been there a second ago. A man collapsed to his knees, fingers digging into the dirt as if confirming that it was real.Kane stood beside me, her breath heavy. “Tony…” She turned, watching the world shift around us. “You actually did it.”But something was wrong.The sky flic
Latest Chapter
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
