The silence that followed the countdown wasn't peaceful.
It was oppressive—so thick it pressed against Eran's eardrums, louder than any scream.
He stood alone in what remained of the transit hub. Shattered glass crunched under his boots, the once-bustling terminal now reduced to hollow echoes and flickering shadows. Outside, the sky pulsed red, glitching like broken pixels—like the world had been paused and someone forgot to hit play.
Then the voice returned.
> [Codex Zero: Initialization Complete.]
[Synchronization: 100% — Subject Eran Veyl confirmed.]
A cold ripple ran down his spine.
From the corners of his eyes, lines of data began flowing—not overlays or simple UI interfaces, but living code. It reacted to his gaze, adjusted to his breathing. It wasn't mechanical. It felt… aware.
He swallowed hard.
> "Why me?"
His voice barely rose above a whisper. Not even the wind answered him.
> [Designation: Observer.]
[Access Level: Absolute.]
[Welcome, Observer Zero.]
Then the world twitched.
It wasn't imagination.
The floor beneath his feet glitched momentarily—fracturing into jagged fragments like corrupted data, then snapping back into place. Holographic ads above flickered between languages, faces, then collapsed into static. Reality had hiccupped. And he was the only one still standing.
A prompt blinked into existence before him.
> [Do you wish to begin Protocol: Awakening?]
[Y/N]
Eran's hand hovered.
Every instinct told him that saying "yes" meant crossing a line he could never uncross. Whatever normal had been—this wasn't it anymore.
But what was left to return to?
The city was gone. Its people… either dead or forgetting who they once were. And somehow, in the middle of it all, he remembered everything.
> "Do it," he said, teeth clenched.
> [Protocol Initiated.]
[Codex Zero Skill Tree unlocked.]
[New Ability Acquired: Data Phasing (Lv.1)]
Phase partially out of reality. Temporary invulnerability. Cooldown: 60 seconds.
His breath caught.
He had barely finished reading when a high-pitched screech tore through the building.
Something charged in through the shattered entrance—a twisted hybrid of flesh and machine. Its limbs moved at erratic angles, like its bones were reprogrammed wrong. One eye flickered red. Its jaw split open, jagged metal scraping over rotten skin.
Eran froze.
Not from fear, but focus.
His muscles tightened, but he didn't run. He didn't have to.
Time… bent.
> [Codex Zero Engaged: Time Window Activated (3 seconds)]
In that heartbeat of stillness, he moved. Not fast. Not violently. Just—correctly.
The beast lunged. Claws tore the air where he had stood. But Eran didn't dodge.
He phased.
His body rippled, half-vanishing. The creature passed through him—its mass unable to connect. The moment stretched like rubber, then snapped back as time resumed.
The monster crashed into a pillar behind him, disoriented.
> [Skill XP Gained: +34]
Eran turned slowly, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
> "That… wasn't adrenaline."
The Codex wasn't granting him strength.
It was rewriting the rules around him.
And he was the only one who could see it.
To be continued...