The sun had just begun to rise over Granis City, painting the skyline with hues of orange and purple. But Kael didn't notice. His thoughts were elsewhere—still buried in the vault, still spinning with what he had seen, what he had unlocked.
A-Class Operator.
It sounded powerful. It was powerful. But it also meant something else now.
He was on the radar.
"System," Kael said as he walked through the quiet streets toward the east sector, hoodie pulled low and eyes alert. "Give me a list of available upgrades."
[Processing...]
[Upgrade Paths Unlocked: Chrono Combat, Shadow Infiltration, Adaptive AI Companion]
[Current Points: 3,200 Credits]
He stared at the options, tempted by all three. But before he could decide, a message popped up.
[Encrypted Transmission Incoming...]
He tapped it open.
Sender: Unknown
Message: "You've made noise, Kael Riven. The Order knows. RUN."
The message disappeared before he could trace it.
He stopped.
Across the street, a delivery drone hovered oddly still in the air. A couple of pedestrians walked by—but one of them, a man in a dark suit with mirrored glasses, slowed his steps and turned in Kael's direction.
Their eyes met.
Kael moved.
---
He darted into a nearby alley, vaulting over a trash bin and kicking open a maintenance door. Sirens blared in the distance, but none for him—yet. His System warned him again:
[Tracking Signal Detected]
[Pursuers: 2]
The agent followed fast, moving like someone trained by the elite. Kael's Chrono Edge activated automatically.
[Time Slow: Engaged (15s)]
Everything around him slowed. Kael slipped behind a crate, grabbing a broken pipe, and spun just as the agent appeared in the doorway.
One strike to the jaw.
The man stumbled, dazed—long enough for Kael to bolt up the fire escape and onto the rooftops.
[Time Normalizing… 3... 2... 1...]
As time snapped back, Kael leapt between buildings, adrenaline pumping.
"Why now?" he muttered. "I only just ranked up."
[Threat Level: High. Origin Fragments are actively monitored by the Order.]
He skidded to a halt behind a ventilation unit and took a breath.
He needed help.
---
Back in the Underground District, Rin stared at the wall-sized map of Granis City. Her systems were already picking up increased Order movement—checkpoints, drones, street surveillance in areas usually left alone.
Kael's icon blinked red on her screen.
"You couldn't keep your head down, could you?" she muttered, grabbing her gear. "Guess we're doing this."
---
Kael reached a rooftop hideout used by freelancers—an old garage converted into a tech den. Inside was Derin, a young hacker with pink dreadlocks and AR goggles.
"You look like you just pissed off a private army," she said as Kael slammed the door behind him.
"More like a global shadow government," he panted. "I need a system scramble. Now."
She raised an eyebrow but started typing. "You get the Origin Core?"
He nodded. "And it's already causing problems."
She whistled. "You're either the dumbest guy alive… or the luckiest."
"Maybe both."
---
Meanwhile, in a high-rise tower overlooking Granis City, a man in a white suit watched Kael's location fade from the grid. His office was dark, lit only by the glow of multiple floating screens.
"Subject 09 has activated the fragment," he said into a comm.
A voice replied, distorted but calm. "Proceed with Extraction Protocol 1. He must not bond with the others."
"And if he resists?"
"Then eliminate him."
The man turned to look at the city through tinted glass. "Understood."
---
Back in the garage, Derin handed Kael a small device. "This'll block most tracking signals for a few hours. Won't fool the high-level ones though."
Kael took it. "Thanks."
She hesitated, then asked, "Kael… why are you really doing this? You could've laid low. Sold the fragment. Disappeared."
He looked at her, eyes tired but focused. "Because people like us—we don't get to disappear. Not until we rewrite the rules."
Derin nodded slowly. "Then don't die."
"I'll try."
---
As he left the garage, the city seemed different. He wasn't just another lost soul anymore.
He was a threat. A glitch in the system.
And he planned to grow that glitch into a full-blown revolution.