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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 85
The Rescue MissionThe rain hammered against the rooftop, soaking through my jacket, but I barely felt it. My focus was locked on the street below, where neon lights flickered against wet pavement, their reflections distorted in puddles that had collected in the cracks of the broken city. The smell of ozone and damp asphalt clung to the air.Beside me, Kane adjusted her earpiece, eyes narrowed. “He’ll come through here,” she whispered. “You ready for this?”I exhaled, steadying my pulse. “I have to be.”We had been tracking Zero for weeks, watching his movements, analyzing his patterns. He was a ghost, slipping through the cracks of the city like he belonged to the shadows. But tonight, we had him cornered. He just didn’t know it yet.Kane’s voice was low but firm. “We only get one shot. If he gets away, we might never find him again.”I nodded, but the weight of what we were about to do pressed against my ribs. I had fought Zero before, but this wasn’t just another battle. This wasn’
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 86
Rewriting a Rewritten MindZero was strapped to the chair, his arms pinned, legs bound, head slumped forward like a marionette with its strings cut. The underground hideout smelled of damp concrete and rust, the flickering overhead lights casting restless shadows against the walls. The hum of old servers filled the air, a constant, droning reminder of the risks we were taking.He hadn’t moved since we brought him in. Hadn’t made a sound.Kane stood at the console, scrolling through lines of encrypted data, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Are you sure about this?”“No.” I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling. “But it’s the only chance we’ve got.”Zero—Elias—was still in there. I had seen it. Felt it.But The Overseers had buried him under layers of rewritten code, neural implants forcing him to be something he wasn’t. If I could just break through that—if I could trigger something real—I could bring him back.Or I could kill him.I shoved that thought away.Kane hesitated, fingers
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 87
The Man Beneath the MaskElias was in there. I had seen it—the flicker of recognition, the way his voice cracked when he said my name. But now he was silent, his body limp in the restraints, his breath shallow.The moment felt fragile, like if I moved too fast, the illusion of hope would shatter.Kane stood behind me, arms crossed, jaw tight. “He’s not stable.”“I know,” I muttered.She hesitated before adding, “Tony… if this doesn’t work, he could end up a hollow shell.”I turned to her, my hands clenching. “And if we do nothing? He stays their puppet forever?”Kane exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “I’m saying we might have already lost him.”I looked back at Elias—no, at Zero. His face was still slack, expression unreadable. But I knew better. The storm was inside. I just had to reach him before he drowned in it.I pulled up a chair and sat, leaning forward so we were eye level. “Elias,” I said, my voice low, steady. “You know me. You know who you are.”For a moment, nothing.Then
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 88
The Final TriggerElias lay motionless, his breath shallow, his face slack. He looked almost peaceful, but I knew better. His mind was at war, caught between the fractured pieces of his past and the programming that had stolen him from me.I sat beside him, fingers digging into the armrest of my chair. Every instinct screamed at me to keep talking, to keep pushing him toward the truth. But words alone weren’t enough anymore.He needed something stronger.Kane stood nearby, arms crossed, watching with the kind of wary concern that meant she was already calculating worst-case scenarios. “If you force too much at once,” she warned, “his mind might shut down completely.”I swallowed hard, my pulse a steady drum against my ribs. “Or it might bring him back.”She exhaled sharply but didn’t argue. She knew as well as I did—we were past the point of caution.I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small holo-drive. It was nothing special to look at—just another piece of tech, another encr
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 89
Elias RebornElias stirred before his eyes even opened, his body shifting restlessly, muscles twitching like a man waking from a nightmare he couldn’t shake. I sat beside him, watching, waiting. His breath came slow and unsteady, uneven—like he was struggling to pull himself back from somewhere deep, somewhere dark.When his eyelids finally fluttered open, I saw nothing but confusion.His gaze darted around the dimly lit hideout, his chest rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths. For a moment, he just stared, as if his brain couldn’t process where he was. His fingers clenched into the thin blanket covering him, his grip white-knuckled.Then his eyes landed on me.And something inside him broke.Elias sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body going rigid. His lips parted, but no words came out, just a sound—low, hoarse, like a man drowning in memories.I leaned forward. “Elias?”He flinched.I watched his throat bob as he swallowed hard, his body language shifting—tension coilin
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 90
The Nexus RevealedElias sat across from me, his hands clasped so tightly his knuckles turned white. The dim light from the single overhead bulb cast deep shadows across his face, making the weight in his eyes even heavier. He had barely spoken since his last revelation, and now, as I pressed for more, I could see the hesitation tightening his muscles.Kane leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching him carefully. She didn’t rush him. Neither did I. Whatever he was about to say, it wasn’t just dangerous—it was something he wasn’t sure he should share at all.When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet but firm. “The Overseers don’t just control people.” He exhaled slowly. “They control reality.”A chill ran through me. “What do you mean?”Elias lifted his gaze, and I saw the truth burning in his eyes. “There’s a place,” he said. “A facility unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s called The Nexus.” His fingers twitched. “And it’s where they rewrite the world.”The words sat heavy i
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 91
The City GlitchesThe world was unraveling around me.I could feel it—no, I could see it. Streets that once made sense twisted into impossible loops, stretching and folding in ways the human mind wasn’t built to process. Skyscrapers elongated like shadows at sunset, their edges flickering, their windows rippling as though made of liquid.And all of it was my fault.I was pushing my system powers further than I ever had, forcing the city to reveal its secrets, to show me where The Nexus was hidden. But reality wasn’t meant to be manipulated like this. The deeper I searched, the more the world bent under the pressure.Kane stood beside me, jaw clenched, eyes scanning the chaos. "Tony," she said, her voice dangerously low, "you’re breaking the fabric of reality.""I know," I muttered, sweat dripping down my temple. My brain pulsed with information, streams of data flickering behind my eyes. I could feel the city’s structure shifting, layers peeling back like pages in a book.But the more
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 92
The Erasers ArriveThey moved like whispers of death, flickering in and out of existence, their forms shifting like broken code trying to stabilize. The Erasers weren’t human. They weren’t even alive. They were pure deletion, a failsafe against anything—or anyone—who threatened the Overseers' control.And right now, they were here for me.A cold pulse of nothingness swept toward me as one lunged. I barely twisted in time, rolling out of its reach. The air where I had been standing collapsed, vanishing without a sound. No explosion. No debris. Just… gone.I didn’t get a chance to breathe. The second Eraser was already moving, and this one was faster.Elias intercepted it first. He moved with precision, slamming his fist into its shifting form. A pulse of system energy rippled through the thing, distorting it for a fraction of a second—but it didn’t stop. It twisted its blank, featureless head toward him, its form rewriting mid-motion.Then it struck back.Elias dodged, but not fast eno
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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
