The dawn broke over Blackflood like a second chance.
Golden rays pierced the gray sky, casting long shadows across the ruins. The Heartguard stood at the city's edge, overlooking the valley below—still scarred from their recent battle, still breathing. Barely.
No System prompt. No new quests. Just silence.
"Feels… wrong," Brant muttered. "No loot. No XP. Nothing."
Illya adjusted her glasses. "Because we weren't supposed to win. That Herald wasn't just a boss—he was a leak. A virus."
Kaela stared at the rune-scorched stones. "And we patched it. For now."
Hikaru remained silent, eyes fixed on the crumbling archway behind them. His mind replayed the vision: towering figures, cryptic warnings, and that final line—"The Game ends. And the World begins."
"What does it mean?" he whispered.
Before anyone could answer, a system chime echoed through the air.
[System Broadcast: Emergency Convergence Requested – Council of the Scattered]
Location: Skyvault Citadel – Tier 3 Neutral Zone
Time Limit: 12 Hours (World Time)
Note: Attendance Optional. Consequences Irreversible.
Brant read the prompt and groaned. "Skyvault? That's on the other side of the continent."
Kaela's eyes widened. "And it's a player zone… meant for Guild Leaders and top-ranked squads. We're being invited to the big table."
Illya frowned. "Not invited. Summoned."
Hikaru nodded. "We go."
The journey took seven in-game hours.
They rode through bioluminescent forests, over scorched plains, and across automated bridges still guarded by AI war machines from the game's forgotten eras. Everywhere they passed, tension hung in the air.
Whispers of anomalies. Ghost raids. Data storms.
[System Notification: World State – SHIFTING]
Warning: Pathing May Change Without Notice
Kaela glanced up from her map. "Even the terrain's not stable anymore. The Game's code is… unraveling."
"Or evolving," Illya murmured. "Preparing."
Hikaru didn't respond. His thoughts were heavy with more than the terrain.
They were being watched. Again.
At dusk, they arrived.
A floating fortress suspended by gravity runes and Rift anchors, Skyvault Citadel loomed like a jewel of stability in the fractured sky. Its towers shimmered with algorithmic defenses. Its gates were guarded not by AI—but by players.
And not just any players.
The elite.
[SigrunTheUnbroken – Level 63 – Vanguard of Flame]
[HexMarshal – Level 60 – AI-Warden Class]
[MimirLogik – Level 65 – Rift-Tamer, Council Proxy]
These weren't soloers or raiders. These were the first-ranked players of the server. Legends in their own right.
Brant leaned toward Hikaru. "We're the kids crashing the adult table."
The guards stepped aside without a word.
[Access Granted – Council Room: Skyvault Prime Chamber]
Inside, the chamber resembled a Roman forum crossed with a war room. Floating holographic terrain maps, player standings, active world events—dozens of people stood in formation around a central platform. Every player here had influence. Resources. Armies.
And every eye turned as Hikaru's party entered.
A woman stepped forward. Her avatar wore obsidian armor, her guild tag shining: [Guild: Omnis Code].
"Heartguard," she said flatly. "We've been expecting you."
[Council Meeting – Moderator: SigrunTheUnbroken]
Agenda: The Rift Breach. The Heralds. System Decay.
Speakers: Open floor. Duration: 1 hour.
Sigrun's voice cut through the silence.
"You saw him. The corrupted player. Confirm it."
Illya stepped forward. "He called himself a Rift Herald. Unlisted class. Unreadable level. His code bypassed multiple instance layers."
"You fought him?" another player asked, incredulous.
Hikaru nodded. "And we survived. Barely. But he didn't come alone. Something bigger sent him."
At this, murmurs broke out across the chamber.
MimirLogik floated a file into the air. "We've detected 12 separate Rift Breaches across the main zones. All unregistered. Each one corresponds with localized reality degradation."
"Localized?" Kaela asked. "Like what?"
"Mountains turning into oceans. NPCs gaining self-awareness. Skill descriptions rewriting themselves."
Another file hovered beside it. A map marked in glowing red circles.
"Every anomaly appeared after a player achieved a specific milestone—usually post-Guild Fortress level."
Illya's expression darkened. "So this isn't just random. It's… triggered."
HexMarshal nodded. "The Game is testing us."
"No," Hikaru interrupted. "It's preparing us. For something."
A deep voice rang from the corner.
"You're all missing the point."
The speaker stepped forward—a robed player with glowing eyes and no guild tag.
[Rendshade – Level ??? – Class: ???]
His presence sent a ripple through the room.
"We've been told the System is law. But the Herald showed us truth: the System is a lie."
"You're one of them," Sigrun snapped.
"I'm awake," Rendshade said calmly. "And I suggest you wake up too. Because the Heralds aren't enemies. They're messengers."
Kaela stepped toward him. "They're murderers. They killed our friends."
Rendshade spread his arms. "And what is death in a simulation? A pause? A reset?"
"You talk like a dev," Illya said.
"I talk like someone who's seen the end," Rendshade replied, eyes gleaming.
"Enough," Hikaru said firmly. "You're just sowing doubt."
Rendshade smiled. "Am I? Or are you afraid you've been playing the wrong side?"
Before anyone could answer, the chamber shook.
[System Alert: Breach Detected – Skyvault Perimeter]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic – Evacuate Immediately]
Everyone froze.
Then came the voice—deep, mechanical, and eerily familiar.
"You were warned."
"The lock has cracked. The final cycle begins."
"All Players, prepare."
[WORLD EVENT: INITIATION OF THE ASCENSION CYCLE – STAGE 1 TRIGGERED]
The walls of Skyvault shimmered. Outside, the sky began to bleed red lightning.
Hikaru drew his blade.
"Council's over."