Chapter 161: Shadows That Stick
The ruins vibrated, letting out the dark energy that had been inside for so long. The altar was cracked at the middle and dark smoke rose up from it, resembling smoke at a funeral. The difficulty was not ended just yet.
Ren felt much heavier to Natasha than before, not because of his weight but because of the frail life he now had. His skin was pale, his cheeks emptied out and the faint Mark on his ear was throbbing weakly as if it might stop at any second.
"It's over and you are fine," she said.
She stared at the ground and her lips started to part. "My friend, you actually came!" His voice began to crack and it was as dry as dust.
She moved his hair away from his forehead and nodded. "Of course. I promised you I would take you back to your island."
Ira and Eldric went to work behind the group, using magic to clean and heal the polluted air. Dren kept walking around the broken altar, always on guard.
Alison remained near, his sword in hand but he was always on guard. We have to get active. "The structure is not solid and I think something bigger is ahead of us than Herald."
Dren agreed in a low voice. "The fight was really controlled and did not have the intensity I expected. Just as it was intended to hold us back a little."
Natasha looked at him with narrowed eyes. They are using a strategy to stall the process.
Ren was given to Ira by Elora and Ira conjured a light barrier to hold him in flight. So she turned and made her way to the altar remains. Strange patterns were etched into the floor and the circles within circles glowed dimly, while arcane writing flowed in a language that she didn't know… but somehow understood anyway.
She felt her heart beating faster.
"Runes like these," she said, "are the only thing left of the Lost Code."
Ira stiffened. Questions focusing on "The Lost Code" I didn't think that could really happen.
"I assure you, Eldric corrected, not a myth." It was the first language that the game's developers wrote the game code in. Said to influence and determine reality in our world.
"And other people are helping by reinterpreting it," said Natasha.
Alison came over and frowning, too. Any manipulation to the structure of the world in the game might account for why it's suddenly unstable. The glitches. The story skips ahead several times.
She also stated, "It's not limited to corruption." "It's reprogramming. There is an inside source who is taking over the system.
A pause stretched on between them.
And then tremors.
The fallen building groaned as a beast does before it dies and a doorway behind the altar was suddenly exposed.
Ancient screens on the wall lit up with flickering static and showing broken images of players playing the game. Some screamed. Some fought. In a few cases, the people just disappeared right in the middle of a frame.
Ren regained consciousness because of Ira's weak barrier. "They keep erasing people from the internet."
Everyone turned.
"What did you mean?" Natasha came near and whispered delicately.
His eyes were expressionless, but he spoke with great clarity. "The Herald states that once the source is overwritten, the old code will disappear. Members, relatives and close acquaintances are all gone. Forever."
Alison grumbled and swore quietly. If Natasha is related to that code…
She completed the statement. In that case, I have to be removed.
Still, there was something much scarier than that.
What worried her… was how much the code reminded her of her own work. Not as if she was threatening me, but as if she was a part of me.
All of a sudden, a red and flashing alert appeared in her eyes.
[System Override Detected]
[Mark Sync: 84%]
[Warning: Imminent Integration]
She gave a shocked gasp and placed her fingers on her temple. Her vision became hazy, then it got clearer again, with ancient symbols showing up on the ground, her teammates and the air around her. Lines appeared to her now, with code flowing inside everything like streams of strength.
She looked around and just whispered, "I can see it." I can tell what the system looks like from the inside.
Dren stared. Did you get access to the Administrator Sight?
Shaking her head, she answered, "No." This is not the same thing as that. I did not break it open. It is becoming one with me.
Alison got closer and looked at Bess with clear worry on his face. After that, we try to figure out what caused the problem. We search for what caused the original version to be rewritten.
Ira nodded. Call a halt to it. Just before the world ends."
Her hands trembled into fists. The Origin Node is where we need to go.
Everyone froze.
"Are you really being serious?" Eldric said in a tense tone, "Do you remember anything?"
"It's an old myth," replied Dren. "The location of it is unknown to everyone. And even if we could it's completely cut off from all the network connections."
"I no longer think so," Natasha said, calling up the map on her device. There was a flash and a new place appeared. Beneath the world map, rather than being shown on it.
Places on a map she'd never even thought to visit. Coordinates are included in the game or maps, but not in any walkthroughs.
"It's drawing my attention," she said in a soft voice. Or, if I don't go today… I could give up whatever foothold we still hold.
He put his hand on top of hers. Then we walk side by side.
There was a low growl heard from the hallway behind them all of a sudden.
Too late.
A group of these people appeared, each looking different from before, their avatars damaged, eyes looking red. They hissed and brandished their tools which were covered in virus-blood. The Herald controlled access to information. They were assigned to these tasks.
Natasha addressed the members of her team. "Let me have three minutes."
Dren answered with a simple, "Done," and ran back to attack the group of monsters.
Ira fired a powerful stream of barrier light which repelled the corrupted away. Eldric locked down their system with a firewall and Alison made sure to watch Natasha's vulnerable sides.
She knelt down, quickly navigating her menu and started editing the floor code. Through her body, the Mark's power was felt and there were signs of forbidden magic oozing from her hands.
"Give the command 'Initiate Origin Link'."
The ruins were shining brightly.
The enemies shouted terror.
Natasha went missing not long after.
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