I opened my eyes.
The Core Fragment pulsed inches from my hand, tempting, humming.
Power.
Survival.
Control.
But I shook my head.
"No," I said quietly.
The Watcher's expression — what little of it I could read — darkened.
"You are making a mistake," he said.
"Maybe," I said. "But if I start choosing survival over saving what's left...
then I'm no better than the glitches."
The Core Fragment trembled once — and then shattered into digital dust, dissolving into the wind.
The Watcher's cloak flared outward like smoke.
"So be it," he whispered.
The city groaned again.
A fissure tore through the sky, black and endless.
The Watcher turned his back on me.
"The Nexus Core is dying.
If you wish to reach it,
follow the collapsing pathways.
But know this—"
He glanced over his shoulder, his corrupted face cold.
"The system will not protect you anymore."
Without another word, he dissolved into static, vanishing into the broken skyline.
I stood there for a moment, breathing hard.
Alone again.
But somehow... lighter.
> [Decision Registered: CORE REJECTED.]
[Path Unlocked: "Patchbearer's True Route."]
> [New Objective: Stabilize Nexus Core (Risk: Critical).]
The world around me seemed darker now — heavier.
But at least it was real.
Real pain.
Real choices.
And maybe — just maybe — a real future.
A new icon blinked on my minimap: a twisting path of broken bridges leading toward the Nexus Core.
I tightened my grip on my patch tool — a simple, flickering device on my wrist that looked far too small for the task ahead.
"Alright," I muttered. "Let's finish this."
I sprinted across the rooftops, the skyline collapsing behind me.
Platforms blinked in and out of existence.
Error codes screamed across the sky.
The end was coming.
And I was running straight into it.