2025-03-17 01:57:12
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
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
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 79
The Ultimate ConsequenceThe world wasn’t done breaking.I could feel it—beneath my skin, in the marrow of my bones, in the very fabric of existence. The Algorithm had obeyed my will, but it had taken something from me in return. I was an anomaly, a piece of a puzzle that no longer fit in the reality I had shaped.My hands flickered.Not with light. Not with energy.With absence.I sucked in a breath. The air felt thinner like I wasn’t entirely here anymore.“Tony?” Kane’s voice was sharp, urgent. She had seen it.I turned to her. My chest ached—not just from exhaustion but from knowing. I had rewritten reality and forged a new timeline from the shattered remains of the old. But in doing so, I had severed my own connection to it.I was slipping away.Kane reached for me, but her fingers passed right through my wrist.“No.” Her voice was quiet at first, but then it broke open. “No, no, you are not doing this. We just won, Tony. We won.”I tried to smile, but even that felt distant. “Ye
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 80
A New Beginning… or the End?The world was whole again.But it was not mine.I stood at the edge of the street, the neon glow of the city casting long shadows against the pavement. It looked the same—the buildings, the skyline, the people moving through the night as though nothing had changed.But everything had changed.The air felt too clean as if reality itself had been scrubbed of its fractures and imperfections. The timeline had been rewritten, every erased soul restored, every broken path mended. I should have felt victorious.Instead, I felt erased.I clenched my fists, my breath steady but hollow. No one looked at me. No one hesitated, no one paused. The people I had fought for, bled for, died for—they walked past me as though I was just another nameless figure in the crowd.Was I?Had I undone myself in the process of saving them?The weight of that realization settled deep in my chest, pressing against my ribs like a vice. I had chosen this—I had rewritten the design and bro
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 81
A Familiar GhostThe fractured district was a graveyard of forgotten streets, bathed in the eerie glow of flickering neon signs. Buildings stood half-consumed by the distortions in reality, their structures bending at impossible angles. Cracks shimmered in the air like fractured glass, warping the space around them. It was the kind of place no sane person wandered into—not unless they were looking for something. Or someone.I was looking for Zero.My boots crunched against loose gravel as I moved, every muscle coiled with tension. The last time we fought, he nearly killed me. I’d studied his movements, memorized the patterns, trained for this rematch. But something in my gut told me this fight would be different.A shadow peeled away from the ruins ahead, moving with an eerie precision.Zero.He emerged from the darkness in his signature black attire, his face concealed behind that smooth, expressionless mask. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, but I wasn’t fooled. He was calcula
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 82
Echoes of the PastI didn’t move for what felt like an eternity. The empty street stretched before me like an endless chasm, but my mind was no longer tethered to reality. It had fractured, floating in some distant memory I couldn’t seem to grasp. The past. The past was here, in fragments, all of it swirling around me like smoke.Elias.The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. Elias was dead. Gone. But now, I’d seen his face. Heard his voice. He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. Yet everything I knew about Zero, the assassin who hunted me, told me that I was wrong.“No.” My voice was barely a whisper as I muttered it under my breath. My hands were shaking, but I didn’t care. “It can’t be him.”Kane’s hand landed on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts. Her grip was firm, grounding me, but my body felt distant. Like I was floating, and everything else was below me, too far away to reach.“Tony.” Her voice sliced through the fog in my head. “You’re losing yourself. You need to stop—”I sna
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 83
Breaking the AssassinThe trap was set.I stood in the dimly lit storage room of an abandoned complex, my pulse a steady thrum in my ears. The walls were lined with rusted pipes and flickering bulbs, the air thick with dust and the metallic bite of something old and forgotten. It wasn’t much, but it was perfect.Zero would come. He always did.Kane watched from the upper level, crouched behind a railing with her rifle slung over her shoulder. She wasn’t here to kill him—just to make sure I didn’t get myself killed."You sure about this?" Her voice crackled through the comm in my ear.I flexed my fingers, shaking out the tension. "Not even a little."Her sigh was sharp. "That's what worries me."Footsteps.A slow, measured cadence. Not rushed, not hesitant. Purposeful.Zero.I stepped away from the center of the room, just enough to let the shadows swallow part of me. The single overhead light buzzed, its dim glow casting long, jagged shadows.Then he emerged.Zero moved like a phantom
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 84
The Overseers’ LieThe screen flickered, casting an eerie blue glow over the dimly lit room. Dust swirled in the stagnant air, settling over cracked keyboards and forgotten equipment. The hum of the terminal was the only sound, save for the faint clicking of Kane’s fingers flying over the keys.I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the metal desk, my pulse steady but tight. My gut told me we were about to uncover something we couldn’t unsee. Kane was silent, her usual cocky smirk absent. That alone sent a shiver down my spine.We had spent hours breaking through the Overseers’ encryption. Whoever buried this data did not want it found."Almost there," Kane muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Come on, you bastards. Show me your dirty little secrets."The screen flashed, and suddenly, a folder materialized.PROJECT: ZEROThe weight of it settled in my chest like lead.Kane’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. “Tony…”I didn’t let her finish. “Open it.”She hesitated for only a second before
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
