2026-03-31 06:54:45"Look at me, Brux!" I screamed.
The collar around my neck didn't snap my spine. Instead, the metal ring turned white-hot, emitting a light so bright it turned the Scrap Heap into a world of blinding salt.
"What is happening?" Brux yelled, shielding his eyes. "Executioner! Strike him down now!"
The blade never fell. I felt the voltage pour through my arm and into the metallic sand. A massive blue arc of electricity snaked across the ground.
"My eyes!" The executioner shrieked, dropping the cleaver.
The discharge hit the sand and expanded in a shimmering wave. Every piece of scrap metal began to hum. Then came the bang. It sounded like a star exploding at my feet.
"The droids!" A guard shouted. "My rifle! It’s dead!"
"Everything is dead!" Another yelled. "The perimeter shields are down!"
The localized EMP ripped through the sector. The guards' electronic pikes sputtered and died.
The Enforcer Droids slumped over, their red eyes fading into darkness. The constant, oppressive hum of the prison's surveillance grid simply vanished.
"Arix, what did you do?" Pip gasped, rolling off the execution stone.
"Run, Pip!" I commanded, pushing myself up. "Get to the shadows!"
"You're not coming?" The boy asked, his voice trembling.
"Not yet," I said. "I have something to find."
"Kill him!" Brux screamed, his cybernetic arm sparking and twitching. "He’s just a man! Use your blades if the guns don't work! I want his head on a spike!"
"He’s dangerous, boss!" A scavenger cried. "Did you see that light?"
"He’s a prince without a core!" Brux roared, pulling a physical dagger from his belt. "He’s a fluke! Surround him!"
I didn't run away. I ran toward a rusted cargo container buried under a pile of ship hulls. The golden screen flickered in my vision again, pulsing with urgency.
[System Note: Unauthorized Asset Detected.]
[Tag: Expired. Status: Locked.]
"Unlock it," I hissed.
[Accessing Master-Key... Bypassing Security Seal...]
The heavy electronic lock on the crate hissed. The doors swung open with a groan of tortured metal.
"Stop him!" Brux yelled. "He’s going for the supplies!"
"There’s nothing in there but trash, Brux!" A guard shouted. "That crate has been tagged as expired for ten years!"
"I don't care!" Brux reached me, his face twisted with rage. "I’ll gut you right here!"
I dived into the crate. My fingers closed around a small, cold glass vial hidden in a lead-lined corner.
"Found you," I whispered.
I stepped back out of the crate just as Brux and his men surrounded me. The big man was panting, his mechanical arm dragging uselessly.
"Give it here," Brux demanded, holding out his hand. "Whatever you found belongs to me. This is my block."
"You wouldn't know what to do with this, Brux," I said.
"Is that a stimulant?" A guard asked. "That looks like high-grade stuff. How did it get down here?"
"It’s Void-Grade," I said. "Something the Wardens forgot about. Something that shouldn't exist in a place like this."
"Give it to me or I’ll cut the boy’s throat!" Brux threatened, pointing toward Pip.
"You've already lost, Brux," I said. "You just haven't realized it yet."
"I'm going to enjoy breaking you," Brux said. He stepped forward, raising his dagger. "No more tricks. No more lights. Just me and you."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked.
"I'm going to carve the royal crest into your chest!" Brux lunged at me.
I didn't dodge. I popped the cap of the vial and downed the contents. It tasted like lightning and ozone. It hit my stomach like a falling comet.
"What did you do?" Brux stopped, his eyes widening. "You idiot! You'll overdose! That much power will burst your veins!"
I didn't answer him. My heart started beating so fast it sounded like a drumroll. The world began to slow down. I could see the individual sparks flying off Brux’s broken arm.
[Void Stimulant Integrated.]
[Processing...]
[Warning: Biological Stress at 90%.]
[Admin Command Recognized: Temporary Law Override.]
"Arix?" Pip called out. "Your eyes... they're glowing!"
I felt a surge of heat that made my skin itch. The golden light in my vision exploded. I felt like I could reach out and tear the sky apart.
"I can feel everything," I whispered. My voice sounded deeper, echoing with power.
"He’s a freak!" A scavenger yelled. "Look at his face!"
"I don't care what he is!" Brux screamed, though he was shaking. "Kill him! Now! All of you, move!"
Six men rushed me at once. They had pipes, shivs, and broken glass. They wanted to tear the Prince of Trash apart.
I looked at the ground. I felt the Master-Key pulse in my brain, connecting me to the fabric of the Abyss.
[Temporary Admin Access Granted.]
[Law Selected: Universal Gravity.]
[Status: Disabled for 10 Seconds.]
"What?" Brux blinked.
The world suddenly went silent. The weight on my shoulders vanished. The heavy chains on my wrists felt as light as feathers.
"Something is wrong," a guard said. His feet left the ground. "Hey! I'm floating!"
"Brux! Help!" Another man cried as he drifted upward, flailing his arms like a drowning man.
Brux looked down in horror. His massive body was slowly rising into the air. He tried to grab a piece of scrap metal, but it broke off, sending him spinning into the void.
"What did you do to us?" Brux screamed. "Put me down! Put me down right now!"
I remained perfectly still. My boots were the only things still touching the sand, anchored by the System. I looked up at the circle of floating men, my eyes burning with fire.
"You wanted to see a royal decree, Brux?" I asked, my voice cold. "Here it is."
I took a step forward, walking through the air as if I were on a paved road. I reached out and grabbed Brux by his thick throat, pulling him close until our noses touched.
"Ten seconds," I whispered. "That’s all I need."
[Gravity Suspension: 5 Seconds Remaining.]
"Please!" Brux choked out. "I'll do anything! Just don't let me fall!"
"You should have thought of that before you touched the boy," I said.
The System timer began to count down in my vision, flashing red.
[4...]
[3...]
[2...]
"Wait! No!" Brux shrieked.
"Hold on tight, Brux," I said, a dark smile forming on my face. "It's a long way back to the ground."
[Law Restored: Gravity—Active.]
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Chapter 41: Ghost Protocol
I frantically opened the quarantine log, my bloody fingers flying across the cracked keyboard. The shards of broken glass bit deep into my left palm with every keystroke, but I didn't slow down. I kept pressing the input keys, forcing the terminal to accept the command lines. My left hand was slick with blood, leaving thick, greasy smears across the plastic casing and the functional buttons.I didn't care about the cuts or the grease. I just needed the buried folder to open before the core loop timed out. "Come on," I muttered, slamming the heel of my palm against the frame. "Open up for me."The terminal gave a loud beep that rattled the loose wiring beneath the board. The golden border of the standard system interface began to warp and bend, the color bleeding out from the edges of the display.It shifted from the bright corporate gold to a deep blue. The new light filled the small room, reflecting off the shattered fragments of the screen and casting long, pale shadows across Pip’
Chapter 40: Alone in the Dark
I slid down the front of the main terminal box and sat heavily on the floor. The metal grating was freezing against my legs, the chill cutting straight through my torn uniform trousers. Damian’s footsteps had completely faded down the corridor, and Lyra’s departure had left the room entirely hollow. The quietness inside the control room felt like a heavy weight pressing against my ears, thick and suffocating. There was no sound left in the world except the mechanical air pushing through the overhead vents."Get up," I muttered to myself. My legs didn't move and I looked down at my right arm. It was blackened and raw from the wrist to the shoulder, and the synthetic fabric of my tactical jacket had melted directly into the scorched skin. I didn't feel the sharp pain anymore; my nerves were fried. I just felt a deep ache that went straight to my bones.[System: Warning. Core Stability at 14%. Physical Overload Detected.]A flash of green light split my vision right down the middle, m
Chapter 39: The Fallout
The fresh air kept rushing through the overhead vents, blowing the last of the smoke out into the night. It felt clean in my mouth, but the room was freezing. The atmosphere felt colder than death. I let go of the yellow manual lever and stood there, my left hand numb and my right arm hanging loose like an old piece of wood. "Pip," Lyra said.She dropped heavily back onto her knees next to Pip, her boots sliding against a loose bolt on the floor plate. She didn't look at the console or the green text. She just pulled off her thick, dirty gloves with her teeth and threw them down on the metal deck."Lyra," I called out, but she didn't answer me. She pressed two fingers against the side of Pip’s neck, right where the gray scar tissue had settled over his veins. She held them there for five seconds. Then she moved her fingers to his wrist, pressing down hard on the small bone."Is he back?" Damian asked. He stepped away from the door frame, his rifle barrel lowering toward the floor. H
Chapter 38: The Ultimate Choice
The red countdown timer on the central console dropped past twenty seconds. The numbers glared against the dusty glass, casting a dull light over the metal panels. On the lower section of the screen, the main map of the Fantasy Wing was flashing with row after row of yellow warnings."Arix, don't do it!" Lyra screamed. She was still on her knees on the cold floor, her fingers dug deep into the coarse fabric of Pip’s jacket sleeve. She looked up at me, her face pale under the grime and grease. "Save Pip! We can find another way for the air! We can go back down and break the valves manually! We have time!""We don't have time, Lyra," I said. My left hand remained locked around the yellow steel handle of the manual override lever. The metal felt cold and greasy against my palm."Listen to her, Arix!" Lyra cried, her voice cracking as she shook Pip’s shoulder. Pip’s legs twitched against the floor grating, his boots making a light scratching noise. "He's just a boy. Look at him! We can f
Chapter 37: The Soul-Virus
Pip seized violently, his boots slamming against the hard metal floor grating. His hands locked into tight claws, and his eyes rolled back until only the whites were showing. Underneath his skin, along the side of his neck, a glowing black code began to spread outward from the entry wound, crawling along his veins like ink."Pip!" Lyra screamed. She didn't hesitate.She raised her staff with both hands, pointing the iron tip directly at the assassin’s helmet. A sharp bolt of blue force shot out from the crystal, striking the matte-black visor. The armor cracked, and the stealth soldier fell backward against the server rack, dropping his weapon as he hit the deck. He didn't move again. "Is he down?" Damian shouted, spinning around from the door frame with his rifle raised. "What happened?""He stabbed Pip," Lyra said. She dropped her staff and fell down next to the boy. "He stabbed him in the neck!"I rushed to Pip, my boots dragging against the loose bolts on the floor. My right arm
Chapter 36: The Inner Sanctum
The heavy blast door to the control room groaned under the force of the blast and flew completely off its hinges, slamming onto the floor inside the room with a loud clatter. The metal plate skidded five feet across the polished floor before stopping. I stumbled through the thick smoke, my left shoulder hitting the warped frame as I forced my legs to keep moving."Get in," I said. My throat felt like sand, and my right arm dragged behind me like a useless piece of log. "Pip, Lyra, get inside now. Don't look back."Lyra came through right behind me, her boots scraping against the loose bolts on the floor. She was holding her staff with both hands, using it to prop herself up. Her skin looked gray under the dust, and her lips were cracked and bleeding from the pressure drop."I'm in," Pip wheezed. He fell down onto his knees right past the threshold, coughing hard. He had his equipment bag clutched against his ribs. "The air in here is old, it's not running. It feels like I'm breathin
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