The moment Lin Chen accepted the Atlantis AI core integration, the entire base trembled—like a sleeping colossus roused from a century of slumber.
System Prompt [Salvator]Mainframe access confirmed. Host synchronization successful. Mission branch: [Genesis Gate Trial] Initiated.Purpose: Determine eligibility for Salvator System Level 2 Permissions.Warning: Trial is non-linear, cognitive-lethal. Mental safeguards will be reduced.
Lin Chen's mind buzzed. He barely had time to process the prompt before the platform beneath his feet lit up with a swirling vortex of code and light.
Athena's voice—now merged seamlessly with Salvator—whispered in his mind:"To become something greater, you must face the parts of yourself that you've always feared."
The world around him shattered.
—
[Trial Space: Genesis Gate]
It was as if reality had been digitized, abstracted, and rewritten.
Lin Chen opened his eyes to find himself standing on a stone path stretching through a void of shifting stars. He was no longer wearing his tactical armor; instead, he wore a plain, dark robe, reminiscent of a monk or penitent. Around him, translucent geometric figures pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
He wasn't alone.
A figure stood at the other end of the path—tall, cloaked in silver, with no discernible face. Its voice was his own, yet deeper, colder.
"You've grown arrogant, Lin Chen," the figure said. "You think willpower alone will save you."
"Who are you?" Lin Chen demanded.
The figure pulled back its hood.
It was him.
Or rather—the idealized, emotionless, tactical version of him. A Lin Chen stripped of empathy, forged only by logic and pain. Eyes like broken mirrors stared back at him.
"I am what you would become… if you cut everything else away."
—
Genesis Gate Trial Phase I: Identity ConfrontationObjective: Survive the confrontation with your Rational Self. Time Limit: 10 minutes.Failure Consequence: Personality overwrite, systemic corruption, or cognitive death.
The Rational Self attacked instantly.
Faster than any opponent Lin Chen had faced, this version of himself anticipated every move, countered every feint. It knew his thoughts. It didn't hesitate. There was no morality in it—only cold success.
Sword and fist clashed in this abstract space, each blow ringing with psychic impact. Pain wasn't physical here; it was intimate—every strike unraveling a part of Lin Chen's emotional defenses.
"Empathy is weakness," his Rational Self growled, slamming him back. "You refused to end Li Chu because of it. You endangered the mission. The system. Yourself."
"I protected her," Lin Chen spat back, rising.
"You hesitated," his double replied. "That's why Erebus still breathes."
The path beneath them cracked. Lin Chen's form flickered—his memories flashing before him in split-second bursts: his mother's dying eyes, his betrayal at the academy, the look on Li Chu's face before she collapsed.
He clutched his head.
This wasn't a fight of fists anymore. This was war over what part of him would lead his evolution.
"I won't let go of who I am," he growled, standing tall despite the internal pressure that threatened to crush him.
The Rational Self drew its blade again.
"Then prove your balance."
—
Genesis Gate Trial Phase II: Willpower Test — Echo Chamber Initiated.System suppressing core emotions. Compensatory modules offline.
Suddenly, the stars turned into mirrors.
Dozens of floating reflections of Lin Chen surrounded him—each representing a failure. Each speaking at once.
"You weren't fast enough.""You never saved her.""You're no different from Erebus.""You enjoy the power.""You'll lose her again."
He fell to his knees.
The system screamed warnings. Personality fracturing. Identity splitting. The Rational Self moved in for the final blow.
But at the last second—
Li Chu's voice.
Not from outside.
From within.
"I trusted you," she whispered. "Even when I didn't remember who I was, I trusted you."
And suddenly—
The Rational Self hesitated.
Just long enough.
Lin Chen surged up with a roar, grabbed the incoming blade—and snapped it in half.
His emotions returned like a tsunami. Pain. Fury. Love. Sorrow. Hope.
The mirrored stars around him shattered into light.
Genesis Gate Final Phase: InheritanceOutcome: Core Balance Achieved — Emotion and Logic Integrated.System Permissions Upgraded to Salvator LV.2Unlocked: Tactical Combat Forecasting, Partial System Autonomy, Passive Resistance Module.Reward: Willpower Core — [Indomitable Spark] Installed.
Athena's voice echoed like starlight.
"Congratulations, Lin Chen. You are no longer a subject. You are now a contender."
—
When Lin Chen awoke, he was kneeling on the Atlantis platform, breathing heavily.
But something was different.
His presence—denser. Sharper. The air around him pulsed with a calm pressure. His mind moved with clarity he had never experienced before. For the first time, the system's notifications weren't overwhelming—they were part of him.
Salvator System LV.2 Engaged.Next Priority Mission: Retrieve Final Memory Fragments.Objective: Initiate Descent Protocol — Terminal Confrontation With Erebus Primary Node.
He stood, cracking his knuckles.
And behind him, a low gasp.
Li Chu.
She was awake.
Their eyes met—hers confused but aware, his full of both rage and quiet resolve.
"It's time," he said softly.
"To end it."