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A Spark in the Dark
The world shook as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart. Sable's breath came in shallow gasps, the pulse in his chest now a deafening drumbeat that echoed in his ears. The Hidden Key was so close—he could almost reach it—but the darkness around them was closing in, thick and suffocating. It was a battle of willpower now.
The creature that had been chasing them, the one born from corruption, loomed in the distance, its form now a twisted, amorphous mass of shadow and fear. But Sable's focus was clear. There was only one way out: the Key.
"We don't have much time!" Zeke shouted, his voice strained. He glanced at the others. "We have to move now, or this game ends for all of us."
Ashen, usually calm and collected, was visibly shaken. He gripped his weapon tightly. "This doesn't feel like just a game anymore."
Nyra's eyes were locked on Sable. "We're not just fighting for ourselves anymore. We're fighting to keep everyone else safe. Don't lose sight of that."
Sable didn't need to hear any more. He was already running, his sword raised high as he charged toward the Hidden Key, his footsteps heavy in the vibrating world.
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The Descent
With each step they took toward the Key, the world around them became less and less real. The glitch was becoming more aggressive, the data fractures spreading like a virus, making the environment look as though it was falling apart. Buildings warped and twisted, the ground cracked open, and the sky above flickered with corrupted code.
The creature was following them, its eyes now visible in the shadows, glowing like burning embers. It was chasing them, but it was also trying to corrupt the very game they were in. It wanted to tear apart the world, and it was only a matter of time before it reached them.
Sable's pulse grew louder in his chest, a rhythmic beat that seemed to sync with the very heartbeat of the game. He could feel it now—a deep connection between himself and the core of Eidolon. He wasn't just a player anymore. He was a part of the system.
The Key was within reach, its glow brighter than the sun. Sable felt a surge of energy, a momentary clarity. The pulse, the glitch—it was all connected.
But just as his fingers brushed the light of the Key, the world around him shattered.
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The Choice
Sable's vision blurred. The reality of the game, the corruption, everything that had been happening—it all crashed down at once. He was falling, plummeting into a black void. The data fractures were pulling him in, distorting everything he saw, making it impossible to distinguish between the game and his mind.
He wasn't sure how long he had been falling. It could have been seconds, or hours. Time didn't make sense here.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the chaos.
"Sable…"
It was Leah's voice. Her voice was distant, fading in and out like a broken radio. "Don't let it take you… Don't let it take her…"
Her words were a puzzle, a warning, but before Sable could process them, he was suddenly back on solid ground.
He stood in a new place, one that didn't belong to Eidolon. The world around him was eerily familiar—too familiar.
He was in his room.
But something was wrong.
His hands were shaking. The walls were covered in old posters, the same ones from his childhood. And the desk—he saw a laptop sitting there, open, with Eidolon on the screen.
He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be in the game, with his friends, fighting the glitch.
But as Sable walked toward the laptop, the screen flickered. And when it came back to life, it showed something horrifying.
The players' avatars—his friends—were all frozen in place, their faces twisted in terror. There was a message on the screen.
> "The game is over. You can't escape."
Sable's heart raced. He turned around, and there, standing in the doorway, was the creature—the embodiment of corruption.
"You cannot leave," it whispered, its voice thick with malice. "You are part of the game now. And you will never escape."
---
The Truth Revealed
Sable's head spun. The creature's words were true. He hadn't just been playing a game. He had been chosen. Eidolon wasn't just a virtual world—it was something more. And now, trapped between the game's code and his real life, he realized the awful truth.
The glitch wasn't a mistake. It was a test.
And the players who died? They weren't just players—they were part of the system, too. The virus had corrupted everything, erasing the lines between reality and the game.
Sable stepped back, his mind racing. He had to fight—he had to find a way back to the game, back to his friends. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized—there was no clear way out.
"Leah, help me!" he shouted, his voice filled with desperation.
But the screen went dark, and the creature's form shifted again, this time climbing out of the computer, pulling the world around him deeper into corruption.
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A Glitch in the System
Sable wasn't in his room anymore. The walls around him twisted and melted, the familiar place now a nightmare. His vision blurred, and for a second, he couldn't tell where the game ended and reality began.
The creature was right behind him, its form melding with the surroundings, its eyes glowing with hunger.
But Sable didn't stop. He knew what he had to do. The Hidden Key was no longer just a tool—it was the key to his survival. He had to get back to the core of Eidolon—and this time, he wouldn't let the glitch win.
But as he ran, he realized something even more terrifying.
The glitch wasn't just a part of the game. It had already started to invade his world.
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End of Chapter 10
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