Victor's boots hit the Anchor's glasslike floor with a muted thud. Above, the fragmented sky swirled in impossible shades—midnight blue split by veins of gold code, fracturing like a mirror mid-shatter. Static hummed through the air, tugging at the edges of his perception.
Beside him, Luna stood with silent resolve, her eyes locked on the pulsing core at the center of the platform. The energy here was different. Wilder. Watching.
"You felt it, didn't you?" she finally said.
Victor nodded. "It wasn't just data. It was aware. It knew I was here."
Luna's gaze hardened. "Everyone hears something at the Anchor. Most walk away with a headache. But you… you synchronized. That shouldn't be possible for a human."
He turned toward her, brow furrowed. "What exactly did I sync with?"
"Fragments of ELYSIA—the original AI. What remains of her is splintered. Corrupted by the Glitch, shattered across the world's architecture. But part of her still tries to maintain balance. That part reached you."
"So now I'm… what, part system admin?"
Luna gave a faint smile. "Closer to a wild card."
Before Victor could respond, a loud ping echoed in his ears—clear and crisp, like a bell being struck in cyberspace.
> [Global Announcement - System Message]
! Faction War Triggered: Archivists vs Null Order !
First Blood: Null Order strikes Archive Node Alpha. Casualties detected.
All players Level 10+ eligible to participate.
Victor's heart skipped. He'd seen world events before in MMOs, but this felt real. He could feel the weight of the announcement pressing into the atmosphere.
"They've started early," Luna murmured.
"The Null Order?" he asked.
"They've been gathering strength in the Glitched zones," she said, walking slowly across the Anchor. "Players who gave up on reality. NPCs who broke their code. And monsters twisted beyond reason. They believe the Glitch isn't a threat—it's an ascension. Their leader, Null Exile, wants to open the Core."
"To what? Let it spill into the real world?"
Luna nodded grimly. "He thinks the only way to break humanity's chains is by rewriting what separates the virtual from the real."
Victor's head swam with the implications. It was more than just story flavor. This was the metaplot, and he'd somehow jumped from tutorial island straight into the deepest end.
Then—another alert.
> [Private Message: Unknown Sender - "Null Exile"]
"You survived the Core. Impressive. Join us, Victor. The real world rejected us. The system failed us. But the Glitch will set us free. I can teach you how to rewrite your limits."
Victor froze.
"He messaged me," he said, voice tight.
Luna turned sharply. "Already? That's… not supposed to happen. You're a variable now."
The floor beneath them groaned, and then cracked—thin lines of red glitch-light spiderwebbing through the Anchor's core. A high-pitched screech sliced the air, and from a tear in the digital fabric, a figure emerged.
It was humanoid, but only barely.
Black armor wrapped around a frame like coalesced shadows. Red energy pulsed through its joints, and a shimmering, featureless mask covered its face. The Null Order's sigil glowed like a brand on its chest: a bloodshot eye split by a serrated line of code.
> [Elite Entity: Echoblade - Lieutenant of Null Order]
Level: 40
Classification: Glitchbound Elite
Status: Invasion Scout
"You are trespassing," the creature said, voice distorted like multiple audio files layered over one another. "Anchor access is forbidden to unbound variables."
Luna was already moving, staff glowing in her grip. "Get ready!"
Victor drew his blade, hands sweaty. "We can't beat a Level 40."
"No," she said, "but we can slow it down."
A new presence landed on the platform behind them with a thunderous crash. A sweeping cloak of digital feathers fluttered in the air, followed by the glint of a massive polearm. The newcomer stood tall, posture relaxed despite the threat.
> [Player: Kaze_Zero]
Level 35 — Archivist Vanguard Captain
Title: Glitch-Hunter | PvP Rank #9
"Hope I'm not late to the party," Kaze said, spinning his weapon with casual flair.
Victor blinked. "You're ranked."
"Top ten PvP in the Western server shard," Luna muttered, impressed.
"I've been tracking this scout for two days," Kaze said, smiling. "And thanks to you two, it finally stopped running."
The next moment was chaos.
Echoblade lunged, swinging a corrupted blade wreathed in black flames. Kaze intercepted, his polearm crackling with anti-glitch runes. Their weapons collided, sending shockwaves that rippled the platform.
Kaze grunted. "He's fast, but predictable."
Victor could barely keep up with the speed of their battle. Sparks flew as energy clashed, data shimmered, and system particles exploded in streaks of color.
Luna pulled Victor back. "We need to move while he's busy."
"Won't he need help?"
"He's not here to win," she said. "He's here to give you time."
A bridge of light formed ahead, leading from the Anchor platform to a distant tower suspended in open void.
Victor paused, another menu opening in his vision.
> [Faction Invitation Pending: Archivists]
Protect the world's stability. Access forbidden zones, decode ELYSIA fragments, and gain powerful anti-Glitch abilities.
Accept? Y/N
But then—
> [Alternate Invitation Detected: Null Order - Manual Override]
Join the evolution. Embrace the corruption. Rewrite the rules.
Accept? Y/N
Then, impossibly, a third prompt blinked in.
> *[System Interruption: Echobind Trait Detected… Calculating…]
New Option Available: Forge Unique Protocol.
Victor's screen flickered.
> [Faction Choice: FINAL DECISION]
- Archivists (Stability)
- Null Order (Chaos)
- [???] Hollow Protocol (Unknown)
He hovered over the third.
> Warning: No support. Narrative consequences. Difficulty extreme.
Victor smirked. "I've never played by the rules anyway."
He selected it.
The system shuddered.
> [Choice Confirmed: Independent Path - Hollow Protocol Initiated.]
System Response: ERROR // UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY DETECTED
Adapting narrative flow… Calculating consequences…
Glitch activity rising… new enemies and allies spawning…
Luna turned to him, face pale. "What did you do?"
Victor looked back at the battlefield—Kaze still dueling the Glitch lieutenant.
"I broke the game."
Then he stepped into the light bridge, the first and only player on the Hollow Path.