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The night sky hung low over Noxbridge, dense with clouds that threatened to crack open at any moment. Rain misted the city in a haze, neon lights painting the sidewalks in fractured color. Auron walked in silence, his hoodie soaked, his thoughts louder than the storm above.
He couldn't shake the figure's words.
"You're already on the path to your own destruction."
So what if I am? he thought, gripping the metal card now embedded with a strange red symbol—it pulsed faintly, syncing with his heartbeat.
He ducked into an alleyway behind a row of shuttered cyber cafés. His breath fogged in the air as he pressed the card to the digital lockbox on his wrist. A mechanical voice buzzed in his ear.
> "Codex Protocol initializing... Biometric Signature recognized: Auron Vale. Authorization: Obsidian Tier."
Auron blinked. "Obsidian? Wasn't I Bronze just yesterday?"
His interface flickered alive, more advanced than before. Lines of black code danced in his vision.
> Codex Order: Fragment 2 unlocked. Mission Update: Survive the Night. Enemies Inbound: Class-Δ Reapers. Status: Hunted.
"Perfect," Auron muttered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
A mechanical growl echoed from above. Auron spun, eyes narrowing as a shadow dropped from a rooftop.
Tall. Spined. Its arms ended in jagged blades that pulsed with red energy.
> [Class-Δ Reaper] Detected. Eliminate or Evade.
"You just keep sending more freaks, don't you?" Auron scoffed, fists glowing with that unstable black energy. He crouched low, body primed. "Alright, let's dance."
The Reaper screeched and lunged. Auron dodged low and struck with a vicious uppercut, energy flaring as his fist collided with its jaw. The impact shattered the side of the creature's face, but it didn't stop—it spun mid-air, landing with perfect balance.
"Alright. Round two."
The Reaper's claws slashed, missing Auron's head by inches. He rolled back and threw a bolt of pure energy—it exploded against the creature's chest. Smoke and metal flew. Auron charged forward, yelling, "I don't have time to babysit alien lawnmowers!"
The Reaper struck out, and Auron caught the blade in his bare hand—black lightning erupted from his palm, cracking up his arm. Pain shot through him like a bullet.
> WARNING: Energy Overload – Vital Channels Damaged.
"Shut up, system," Auron hissed, holding on. His other hand formed into a blade of shadow. He plunged it into the Reaper's core with a snarl.
The Reaper let out a metallic scream before collapsing into molten debris.
Auron staggered, breathing heavy. His interface blinked.
> Enemy Eliminated. Fractured Memory Core Absorbed. New Skill Acquired: [Black Pulse – Lv. 1]
Then—silence.
Until a soft clap echoed down the alley.
He turned.
A girl leaned against the brick wall, chewing gum. Black coat. Silver eyes. A glowing emblem on her wrist: Codex Order. Obsidian Class.
"Took you long enough," she said, pushing off the wall. "I was wondering if you were gonna die like the last rookie."
Auron wiped blood from his cheek. "Who the hell are you?"
She tossed something at him—a badge. It landed at his feet. On it, the Codex Order symbol pulsed.
"Name's Kiera. And congratulations, Auron Vale. You just made enough noise to put yourself on the Codex's radar."
She smiled like the devil.
"Welcome to the game."