Sector: Eidolon Core | Depth Level: Data Collapse | Status: System Shutdown Initiated
Objective: Survive the aftermath. Find the truth hidden behind the final glitch.
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Sable's breath came in ragged bursts as the room slowly returned to normal. The corrupted creator was gone, its distorted form dissipating into the same corrupted code that had once defined Eidolon's twisted world. The walls, once alive with shifting shadows, began to settle into their original, muted hues. The hum of the system, though quieter now, still buzzed beneath the surface—a reminder that the game, for better or worse, was not truly gone.
Rei, still shaky from the battle, stood beside him, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch the now-stable console. It flickered once before dimming completely. A silence settled between them, one thick with the weight of what they had just done.
The corrupted creator had been right about one thing—they hadn't truly won yet.
Sable glanced at Rei, her face still pale, but determination had replaced the fear in her eyes. They'd survived the glitch. They'd defeated the entity that had once been the heart of Eidolon. But something about the way the game had reacted... it didn't feel like a complete victory. It felt like an opening.
> "Do you feel that?" Sable muttered, his voice low. "Like the game is still... breathing?"
Rei nodded, her gaze wandering to the now-dark sky outside the core's windows, the stars twinkling like distant beacons. "I feel it too. It's like something's... waiting."
There was a pause. An uncomfortable stillness. Neither of them wanted to voice what was creeping into their thoughts.
Could the corrupted creator truly be dead? Or had they just eradicated one layer, only to expose another, deeper layer of the game's twisted heart?
Rei looked at him, her eyes filled with an unspoken question. "Sable, do you think this is the end?"
He swallowed, running a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know. The system's still alive, and... we can't just ignore that. If something's still out there, we need to find it before it finds us."
Rei's face darkened, and for the first time in what felt like hours, she seemed truly afraid. "You think the game's still... hunting us?"
He nodded. "We've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Whatever created this mess, whatever pulled us into it... it's not over. And I'm not just talking about the corrupted creator. The system itself—it's still broken. And if we don't fix it, we're just going to be running forever."
They both turned to the core's central terminal, which had flickered back to life after the shutdown. The screen displayed a line of corrupted code, lines that seemed to pulse and shimmer with a life of their own. It was as if the game's very architecture was alive—reacting to them, tracking their every move.
> "What the hell is this?" Sable muttered, moving closer to the console. The screen seemed to respond to his touch, the corrupted data morphing into a message—one that made his blood run cold.
[ ERROR: SYSTEM LOOP DETECTED ]
[ UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS: CORE ]
[ RESETTING SECURITY MEASURES ]
The screen went black.
Sable stared at the empty display for a long moment, before his fingers hovered over the console's keys. "It's not over. We haven't fixed anything yet."
Rei gripped his arm, a cold shiver running down her spine. "Do you think... they're still watching us?"
A crackling sound echoed through the room, followed by a distorted, mechanical voice that came from the console.
> "You think you've won? Foolish little players. You have no idea what you've truly unleashed."
The voice—familiar, yet distant—sent a shock of recognition through Sable's chest. It was the voice of the corrupted creator, but now it sounded like it was being broadcast through layers of static.
> "This is just the beginning. You cannot escape. I've learned more about you than you could ever know. You—you are the real glitch."
Sable's blood froze in his veins. "What... what are you talking about?"
The voice laughed, low and menacing. "You think the game's control was limited to the code? You think you're still just players trapped in a system? No, no. This was never just a game. You're part of something much larger, much older than you realize. Your souls are bound to this place. And until I say otherwise, you'll never escape."
The screen came to life again, this time showing the distorted, glitching image of a towering figure—a monstrous figure that towered over them, its features hidden by the spiraling data corruption. Its eyes burned with an eerie, golden light, and its voice was a continuous stream of static.
> "I will never let you leave. You will play until you break. Until the very system itself is shattered."
The image flickered and vanished.
For a moment, the silence felt deafening. Sable and Rei stood frozen, processing the words, the implications of what had just been revealed.
"You're part of something much larger…" Rei whispered, her voice trembling.
Sable clenched his fists, determination flooding his body once again. "We've come too far to back down now."
But in the back of his mind, something gnawed at him. The corrupted creator's words—what did they mean? You are the glitch. The deeper he dug, the more questions rose. And each one only pushed him further into the heart of this nightmare.
It was no longer about surviving the game. It was about stopping whatever the corrupted creator had set in motion. Whatever game he had been playing behind the scenes.
Sable looked at Rei, his expression hardening. "We need to find the source of this corruption. The real source. And if that means going deeper into Eidolon... then so be it."
The ground beneath them trembled as the system's glitching began anew, and somewhere in the distance, a sound echoed—like the distant cry of a game's final, shattered dream.
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To Be Continued…