THE DEATH MIND SYSTEM

Achieving New Protocols

Elliot’s back pressed against the rough bark of the pine, his breath shallow and ragged. The forest was a cage, Voss’s footsteps a tightening noose. The system’s hum was a relentless pulse, its warning about override clawing at his resolve. "Override probability: 25%." The number felt like a countdown, each tick pushing him closer to losing control entirely. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t.

Voss’s voice sliced through the silence, closer now, no more than ten yards away. “Elliot, you’re only making this worse. The entity’s feeding on your fear. Let me help you before it’s too late.”

Her words sounded almost sincere, but the metallic device in her hand told a different story. Whatever the Veil was, they weren’t here to save him, they wanted to contain him, maybe destroy him. And the system, for all its cold menace, was his only weapon. His only way out.

Elliot’s hands trembled as he crouched lower, his mind racing. He couldn’t run forever, and he couldn’t trust Voss. But the idea of killing again; of whispering a name and watching another body crumple, made his stomach churn. The jogger had been a stranger, a faceless target, but even that had felt wrong. Voss, though… she was a threat. She knew too much, and she was closing in. If he didn’t act, she’d take him, and the system’s override might not give him a choice at all.

The system’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, sharp and clinical. "Threat proximity: 8 meters. Name acquisition incomplete. Termination protocol available with alternative target. Recommendation: Terminate known target to achieve Level 2. New protocol: Name Sight. Enables visual identification of target names at range."

Elliot’s breath hitched. “Name Sight?” he whispered, barely audible, his eyes darting toward Voss’s approaching silhouette. “What’s that?”

A blue, translucent interface appeared in his vision, displaying a message:

"NEW SIGHT IS A LEVEL 2 PROTOCOL.

IT IS A PROTOCOL THAT DISPLAYS FULL NAMES OF SENTIENT TARGETS WITHIN VISUAL RANGE. ELIMINATES NEED FOR EXTERNAL NAME ACQUISITION. UNLOCKS WITH ONE ADDITIONAL TERMINATION.

CURRENT OVERRIDE PROBABILITY: 27%."

The words sank in, and a shiver ran through him. If he could see names; everyone’s names, just by looking at them, he wouldn’t need to guess or overhear. He could stop Voss without hesitation, without waiting for her to reveal her full name. He could protect himself, stay one step ahead of the Veil. But it meant another death of someone whose name he did know.

“Who?” he muttered, his voice trembling. “Who do I have to…?”

The system responded before he could finish thinking: "KNOWN TARGETS: BRYCE ALLEN CARTER, DYLAN JAMES REED, MIA ELIZABETH CARVER. HOST IS REQUIRED TO SELECT A TARGET FOR TERMINATION TO ACHIEVE LEVEL 2."

The names hit him like punches. Bryce. Dylan. Mia. People he knew, people who’d been part of his torment; or, in Mia’s case, a fleeting moment of kindness. His mind recoiled at the thought of Mia, her worried eyes flashing in his memory. Dylan was a brute, but he barely knew him beyond the alley. Bryce, though… Bryce had been there, throwing punches, laughing as Tanner humiliated him. Bryce had shown up at his dorm, accusing him, threatening him. Bryce, with his bloodshot eyes and barely contained rage, felt like a fuse waiting to ignite.

The system read his mind the moment he thought about Bryce. "TARGET SELECTION: BRYCE ALLEN CARTER. TERMINATION PROTOCOL READY. WHISPER THE COMMAND."

Elliot’s lips parted, the name hovering on the edge of his tongue. He could see Bryce’s face in his mind; smirking, taunting, standing over him in the alley. The system’s promise of Name Sight burned bright, a lifeline against Voss and whatever else the Veil had in store. One death, and he’d have the power to stop her, to stop anyone. One death, and he’d be in control.

But it was still murder.

Voss’s footsteps crunched closer, now just a few yards away. He could hear her steady breathing, the faint hum of the device in her hand. “Elliot,” she called, her voice softer now, almost pleading. “I know you’re scared. I know it’s pushing you. But you can fight it. Come with me, and we’ll find a way to—”

"Override probability: 30%. Terminate now."

The system’s voice was a blade, cutting through his hesitation. Elliot’s hands clenched, his nails digging into his palms until he felt the sting of blood. He couldn’t trust Voss. He couldn’t trust the system. But he had to choose, and he had to choose now.

“Bryce Allen Carter,” he whispered, the words barely a breath, his eyes squeezing shut. “Die.”

The air shifted, a subtle ripple like a stone dropped in still water. The system’s hum spiked, a surge of energy flooding through Elliot’s veins. His vision sharpened, the dim forest suddenly vivid, every leaf and twig in stark relief. The system spoke, its tone almost triumphant.

"Termination successful. Target: Bryce Allen Carter. System upgrade initiated: Level 2 achieved. New protocol unlocked: Name Sight. Integration complete. Override probability reset to 0%."

Elliot gasped, his knees buckling as a wave of euphoria washed over him, stronger than after Tanner’s death. His body felt alive, electric, like he’d been plugged into a current. But beneath the rush was a sickening weight: Bryce was dead. Somewhere, maybe back on campus, maybe in his dorm, Bryce had collapsed, just like Tanner. Because of him.

Before he could process it, the system hummed again, and his vision flickered. A faint overlay appeared, like augmented reality, but it wasn’t coming from any device. It was in his mind. Across the clearing, above Voss’s head, glowing letters materialized: "Voss, Elara Marie." Her full name, clear as day, hovering like a digital tag.

Elliot’s breath caught. Name Sight. It worked.

Voss froze, her head tilting as if she’d sensed something. “Elliot,” she said, her voice sharp now, all pretense of gentleness gone. “What did you just do?”

The system voice echoed through Eliot's head. "Name acquired: Elara Marie Voss. Protocol available: Terminate. Whisper the command."

Elliot’s heart pounded. He could end it now. One whisper, and Voss would be gone, her device useless, her threats silenced. The system’s hum was a siren song, urging him to act. But as he stared at her name, glowing in the air, he saw something else in her eyes; not just authority, but fear. Fear of him. Fear of what he was becoming.

The metallic device in her hand gleamed faintly in the dim forest light, its purpose unknown but unmistakably dangerous. The glowing letters above Voss’s head; Elara Marie Voss, burned into his vision, a gift from the newly unlocked Name Sight protocol. He had her name. He had the power. And he was out of time.

Voss’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and urgent. “Elliot, you’re not in control. That thing in your head—it’s using you. Step out now, or I’ll have to—”

She didn’t finish. Elliot’s resolve hardened, the system’s cold logic drowning out his fear. Voss wasn’t here to help him; she was a hunter, and he was her prey. The Veil, whatever it was, wanted to cage him, dissect him, or worse. He couldn’t let that happen. Not when he finally had a way to fight back.

“Elara Marie Voss,” he whispered, the words slipping out like a blade unsheathed. “Die.”

The air rippled, a silent shockwave that made the trees seem to shudder. Voss froze mid-step, her eyes widening as her body convulsed once, violently, then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The metallic device clattered to the ground, its faint hum dying with her. Elliot’s vision swam, the forest sharpening into unnatural clarity as a surge of energy flooded through him, stronger than before, electric and intoxicating. His bruises faded, his aches vanished, and his mind felt like a blade honed to a razor’s edge.

The system’s voice was immediate, its tone almost triumphant. "Termination successful. Target: Elara Marie Voss. System upgrade initiated: Level 3 achieved. New protocol unlocked: Neural Pulse. Override probability reset to 0%. Host integration: 92%."

Elliot staggered forward, his knees weak, the euphoria of the upgrade warring with the sickening reality of what he’d done. Voss lay motionless, her eyes staring blankly at the sky, just like Tanner’s. Another body. Another life snuffed out by a whisper. He wanted to feel horror, guilt, anything; but the system’s rush was overwhelming, a tidal wave that drowned his humanity in a flood of power.

“Neural Pulse?” he muttered, his voice hoarse as he stared at Voss’s body. “What’s that?”

"Neural Pulse is a Level 3 protocol," the system responded. "Neural Pulse emits targeted neural disruption to incapacitate living targets without termination. Range is 10 meters, and the duration is 30 seconds. Cooldown time is 60 seconds. Recommendation: Utilize to neutralize threats non-lethally."

Elliot’s breath caught. This new protocol was non-lethal. He could’ve stopped Voss without killing her; disabled her, escaped, maybe even gotten answers. But he’d acted too fast, pushed by the system’s urgency and his own panic. Now she was dead, and the weight of that choice settled like lead in his chest. He’d killed to avoid problems, to stay free, but the system’s hunger felt stronger now, its presence more invasive, like it was sinking deeper into his mind.

He knelt beside Voss, his hands shaking as he checked her pulse, but he felt nothing. Her device lay nearby, a sleek, silver cylinder with faint etchings that looked almost… alien. He hesitated, then grabbed it, stuffing it into his backpack. If the Veil was hunting him, this might hold clues about what they knew, what they wanted. He couldn’t stay here. Someone would find her, and the woods weren’t far enough from campus to avoid suspicion.

The system hummed, its voice calm but insistent. "Host safety compromised. Recommendation: Relocate immediately. Additional terminations required to unlock Level 4 protocols."

“No,” Elliot snapped, standing and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “I’m done. No more killing.” But even as he said it, the memory of Bryce’s termination flashed in his mind; how he’d chosen Bryce to reach Level 2, to unlock Name Sight and stop Voss. He’d thought it would solve his problems, but it had only created more. Bryce’s death had been a means to an end, a name whispered in desperation. Now Voss was dead too, and the system was already pushing for more.

Elliot’s mind went back to Bryce; the moment in the dorm when Bryce had confronted him, eyes red with pain and suspicion. Picking Bryce as the target had felt easy... too easy. Bryce had been a bully, a constant threat, someone who made Elliot’s life miserable. But now, that easy choice haunted him. It showed how fast the system could turn his anger into killing. He hadn’t even thought hard; Bryce’s name just popped into his head, pushed by old resentment. And the system had used that, tempting him with a reward: Name Sight. Now it had followed through. The glowing letters above Voss’s body proved just how real and dangerous it was.

Elliot stumbled through the woods, heading deeper, away from campus and the inevitable chaos that would follow Voss’s discovery. His mind churned with questions. Who was the Veil? How had they found him so fast? And what was the Annihilator, the entity the system claimed to be a fragment of? The answers felt out of reach, locked behind the system’s cryptic restrictions: Level 5, it had said, for more data. Two more deaths to achieve level 5 and it'd give him more data and information.

He shook his head, trying to silence the thought, but the system’s hum was relentless, a constant reminder of its presence. A blue translucent interface flickered to life in his vision, and it displayed a new message:

"Name Sight active. Scan for additional targets to ensure host safety."

As Eliot moved through the trees, he noticed it; faint, glowing letters hovering above distant figures. A hiker on a far trail: Daniel Paul Grayson. A groundskeeper near the campus edge: Maria Elena Torres. The names floated on their heads like tags in a video game, each one a potential target, a potential upgrade. The system was turning the world into a menu of death.

Elliot’s stomach twisted. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to see people as names, as protocols waiting to be activated. But the power was undeniable. With Name Sight, he could protect himself, stay ahead of the Veil, maybe even find a way to remove the system. But it meant playing its game, feeding its hunger. And every time he did, it felt like he was losing a piece of himself.

But strangely, all this felt so good. He felt like he was on top of this world with the power he now wielded. All his life, he had always been bullied and below the food chain, but now, he had the ability and power to kill anybody with just a thought.

A distant siren wailed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Campus security, maybe, or worse; the Veil. Voss hadn’t been alone, and her death would draw others. Elliot broke into a run, the system’s hum a steady pulse, its promises of power and survival echoing in his mind. He’d killed Voss to avoid problems, but he’d only bought himself time. The Veil was still out there, and the system was still inside him, waiting for its next command.

As he vanished into the forest, one thought lingered: if he was going to survive, he’d have to outsmart both the hunters and the thing in his head. But with every name he whispered, he wondered much the system would upgrade and the new protocols he would unlock.