Location: Deep Vault Terminal, Esthara
Kael stood in front of the dev console.
The words "Override Privileges Granted" flickered across the screen.
He had access now.
Not just to information.
To commands.
Lines of forgotten code scrolled across the ancient interface: permissions, subroutines, control flags—all written by the original System architects. Most of it was locked under layers of deprecated protocols and AI warnings.
But one entry caught his eye.
> Project: ORIGIN_STRING_001
Status: Dormant
Purpose: World Genesis Engine Prototype
Last Accessed: 97.4 Years Ago
---
Elena leaned forward.
Elena:
"What is that? A simulation?"
Kael:
"No. It's more than that."
He traced the lines with his eyes.
Kael (thinking):
This isn't just a reset button. It's the DNA of reality—the base algorithm that defines the logic of the game-world. If I access this...
Mira folded her arms.
Mira:
"So what? We rewrite everything? Delete the bad code and start fresh?"
Kael:
"We could. But I don't know what price that would carry."
---
Flashback Fragment (Kael's memory):
He remembered a moment from his early days as a player. A system update glitched his save file. He lost everything—gear, skills, even memories of some companions he'd formed in-game.
The System had offered a reset.
He took it.
And something in him had never recovered.
---
Greg stepped forward.
Greg:
"Can it fix the corruption?"
Kael:
"Yes… but only if we reach the core logic string before Vyral does."
Yoru (quietly):
"And if he gets there first?"
Kael (grim):
"Then he'll turn the world into an executable virus."
---
System Interruption – ALERT
Suddenly, the console pulsed red.
> Warning: External Access Detected.
Source: CODEBOUND #7 – VYRAL
Attempting Hijack of Origin Strings...
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He activated the console's firewall—a ring of golden light forming a protective dome around the dev terminal.
---
Emergency Decision Tree Activated
The console gave him two options:
A: Lockdown Origin Access for 24 Hours (Prevent Hijack, but lose the chance to overwrite reality)
B: Begin Partial Transfer of Origin Strings (Risk Viral Infiltration, but gain 42% control now)
Mira:
"You've got seconds, Kael."
Kael (thinking fast):
If I wait, we might lose it forever. If I act, I might let Vyral infect the roots...
He looked at Elena, then at the team—trust forged in battles, blood, and sacrifice.
Kael:
"I'm not waiting. We seize it."
Choice Made: B – Begin Partial Transfer
---
Origin Download Initiated – Progress: 12%
The room began to shake.
Walls twisted. Reality flickered.
Vyral's voice echoed again, but louder now. Closer.
> "You don't understand what you touch, Kael. The strings are not yours to pull."
Kael:
"They are now."
---
Sudden Boss Encounter – Corrupted Data Sentinel
The floor burst open—fragments of stone and code shards exploded as a four-armed creature emerged. Its body was made of debug symbols, red error cubes, and rotating glyphs that bled static.
Boss Name: SENTINEL-ZER0 [Corrupted Origin Guardian]
Level: ???
Greg:
"That's not in any database!"
Kael:
"No. It's from the lines they hid."
---
Kael's Battle Strategy
Kael analyzed the Sentinel's movement. Its pattern was cyclical—each attack followed a predictable motion tied to the Origin transfer cycle.
> Every 8 seconds, it refreshes. That's the window.
Kael:
"Elena, cover the console. Greg, keep it grounded. Yoru, strike only after my second parry."
Mira:
"What about me?"
Kael (locking eyes with her):
"You're my shield. If it targets Elena, stop it. No matter what."
The fight erupted.
Kael dashed forward, baiting the Sentinel's upper arm to swing downward. He parried once—then again—counting silently in his head.
"Eight... seven... six…"
Yoru blinked behind the Sentinel, delivering a slash that tore through the creature's left side—exposing a glowing thread of blue code.
System Hint: CORE EXPOSED
Kael leapt, sword charged with energy.
He plunged it into the weak point—
And everything froze.
---
Origin Progress: 100% Secured – Partial Control Granted
The Sentinel disintegrated into lines of silver code, which absorbed into the terminal.
System Alert: You have unlocked:
> Command Access: [Reality Patch Editor]
Permissions include:
Zone Rewrite
Weather and Environment Control
Player Stat Modifiers
Spawn Regulation
Temporal Sync Override (Locked)
---
Kael (breathing hard):
"I can rewrite the laws of this world... to an extent."
Yoru (awestruck):
"You're becoming something else."
Mira:
"No. He already has."
---
Final Lines:
Kael placed his hand over the console, the silver code wrapping around his arm like a gauntlet.
He looked toward the horizon—toward the capital where the true core resided.
Kael:
"This is just the beginning."
> Now, I don't just fight to survive.
I fight to redesign destiny.
---