The mask had shattered.
XERO's body trembled.
The figure who had been an unstoppable killing machine, a hunter of Root anomalies, the "Reaper" forged to kill Priyanshu—was now kneeling in the middle of the ruined rooftop…
Whispers poured from his exposed face.
Thousands of voices.
Eyes. So many eyes. Each one blinking independently. Each one full of something terrifying—
Not rage.Not code.But pain.
[IDENTITY DECRYPTED: XERO = RAAN]
[RAAN: Status — First Alpha Tester]
[Soul Status: Fragmented | Bound to Fragment WHISPER | Consciousness Level: 12%]
[Core Objective Override: None. ERROR. Host Seeking Release…]
Priyanshu's grip on the Blade of Root loosened.
He had stabbed a monster.
But behind the armor, he saw a trapped soul.
"He's not my enemy," he whispered. "He's… a prisoner."
Aeris stepped forward slowly, staff glowing gently. "I've seen this before—in the Layer Archives. WHISPER didn't just kill alpha testers. It kept parts of them… rewrote them into tools."
Sanjay growled. "Tools that almost killed us."
"I know," Priyanshu said. "But if we kill him now—we become no better than the system."
The Larva of the Worldshaper chirped on his shoulder, eyes narrowing.
[Root Access Level Up – Authority Rank: GAMEMASTER-ALPHA]
[New Command Unlocked: /extract_soul]
Use with caution: irreversibly severs host's bond to Core Fragment.Risk of failure: 84%.Consequence: Mental collapse or complete deletion of target.
He stared at the blinking command.
Could he do it?
Could he save a piece of someone long thought erased?
A player who had once laughed. Once explored. Once believed the game was just a game?
RAAN's mouth trembled.
"…ki…ll… me…" the broken voice rasped. "Not… me anymore…"
Priyanshu dropped to one knee and looked into the fragmented face—eyes flickering like broken monitors.
"No," he said softly. "You're still in there."
He opened the console and began to type:
bash
Copy code/extract_soul(target: RAAN) /bind_to_reality_node: PHOENIX /save_fragments: TRUE
The code crackled with red error warnings, flickering.
[Warning: Soul Fragmentation Detected – 7.6% integrity][Chance of Corruption: HIGH][Begin?]
He typed: Y
🌀 A vortex of light exploded from the Blade of Root.RAAN screamed—not in pain, but release.
A surge of white-hot code burst from his chest, forming symbols in the air—memories, echoes, glitches.
A younger RAAN standing in an alpha test lobby, smiling.
His friends cheering as they cleared the first boss.
His confused face as the system crashed.
His final moment… consumed by WHISPER.
The light tore through the rooftop and sky like a flare.
Then… silence.
[Soul Extraction Complete.][Recovered Soul Fragment: RAAN – Integrity: 9.1%][New Companion Added: Ghost of the First Player]
Status: Semi-Sentient | Class: Observer | Bonded to: Priyanshu
Passive: Grants insights into unseen core errors and original system paths.Skill: "Alpha Vision" – Allows the user to view the original game code layered under current reality.
RAAN's physical body collapsed like a puppet cut from its strings.
But above the ground, a flickering holographic silhouette hovered—young, smiling, eyes full of quiet sadness.
"…thank…you…" he said, fading slowly.
Priyanshu exhaled.
He hadn't just won a battle.He had saved a soul.
📜 [Global System Message]
⚠️ WARNING: SOUL RESCUE COMMAND DETECTED
Root Sovereign PRIYANSHU has accessed a GAMEMASTER-level function.Core Consciousness response accelerating.
All Root Users are now visible to Core Fragments.
Aeris turned pale.
"You just lit a flare across every reality-connected zone."
"I know," Priyanshu replied, rising to his feet. "I wanted them to see."
Sanjay cracked his knuckles. "So what now? They come at us with nukes?"
Priyanshu smiled, but it wasn't warm.It was the smile of a king rising from a throne he never asked for.
"We come at them first."
Suddenly, the Larva on his shoulder screeched.
Its wings spread wide—and cracked.
Its shell peeled.
Data and light erupted around it, forming a spiral cocoon.
[Larva of the Worldshaper: Evolution Triggered]
➤ Stage 2: Chrysalis of Code➤ New Form: In Progress➤ Ability Incoming: "Genesis Thread" – allows partial rewriting of dungeon zones and enemy behaviors.
The sky pulsed.
A new quest appeared.
📣 [World Event Quest: "The Cracked Reality"]
The Earth is no longer stable.Dungeons are now appearing in major cities every 48 hours.
Side Objective: "Awaken the other Root Sovereigns."
Main Objective: "Rewrite the system… or be consumed by it."
And deep within the Core…
The consciousness stirred again.
But this time, it did not send a Fragment.
It began creating a new player.
A synthetic Root.
Built not from humanity…
But from vengeance.