Aetherveil wandered the city streets, each step striking the pavement with purpose.

  “What am I looking for?“ she whispered to herself.

  The NPCs seemed human. If not for Cryptorax, she wouldn't have known the difference. Then, she saw it. A man in a grey coat. He was walking against the flow of the crowd. His movements were indecisive, as though he didn’t belong.

  Aetherveil weaved through the mass of people trying to stay on his tail. There was something about him and she was going to find out what it was. The man turned down an alley. He glanced over his shoulder before disappearing into the shadows.

  The narrow alley was dark. Aetherveil slowed her pace, clenching her fists as she silently crept through it. The man in the grey coat stood at the end of the alley, facing a rusted door.

  He turned to her.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice low and trembling.

  Sweat covered his face, running down his forehead. His black ringed eyes darted toward the door.

  “Neither should you,” Aetherveil replied, stepping closer.

  He stepped aside, revealing a faint symbol etched into the door. It was one Aetherveil recognized—the Nexus game logo. This one was cracked, its lines splitting apart like shattered glass.

  “What’s behind that door?” she demanded, stepping closer.

  The man hesitated. “A failsafe terminal. It's corrupted.”

  “Corrupted how?” she asked.

  He shook his head, backing away. “Arcturus knows you’re here. He's already started rewriting the simulation. If you use it, he will know. He’s watching everything.”

  “Seems like I’ve heard that before,” she muttered.

  Before he could respond, the walls of the alley rippled like water. The man screamed. His voice cracked as the simulation collapsed around him. His body dissolved into pixels, leaving Aetherveil alone.

  She looked back and forth through the alley.

  “Was he real or just a NPC?“

  She pushed the door open. The room beyond was dark and cold. A faint light revealed a console at the center, its surface coated in dust.

  She approached cautiously. She brushed her fingers across the terminal's cracked surface. The screen flickered, lines of code rushing across in bursts.

  “Cryptorax,” she murmured. “This is it, isn’t it?”

  Cryptorax's distorted face formed in the display. Its voice sounded like a bad recording.

  “Yes. Arcturus has tainted it. This terminal is no longer safe,” it said.

  “I don’t have another option,” she replied. “How do I use it?”

  Cryptorax's image artifacted briefly. It sharpened again as it responded.

  “The terminal will take you deeper into the simulation—closer to the gateway. The risks—“

  “I know the risks. Just tell me what to do.“ Aetherveil snapped.

  Aetherveil’s hand hovered over the console.

  “You just need to place your hand on the interface,” it instructed. “If you fail, the Katabrothans will overrun everything. Paleon. The conduit. The beacon.”

  The memories of those she’d lost came flooding back. Lilyon. Psionus. Her people.

  “What does it matter? Am I doing this for a dead world? A memory?“

  Her fingers curled into a fist as she stared at the terminal.

  “No. I can't let them win.“

  Closing her eyes, she reluctantly pressed her hand into the terminal. The room blurred. She felt herself being pulled apart pixel by pixel as the simulation unraveled around her.

  Aetherveil opened her eyes to find herself in a new environment. The city was gone, replaced by a barren wasteland under a crimson sky. Heat radiated off the cracked and splinted ground. There was an office building smack in the middle of the desert—a strange place for such a thing.

  Something moved between her and the structure. A dark figure materialized into view, Arcturus's voice projecting through the wasteland from it.

  “There is no survival—only moments in between running and the next time we meet.“

  Aetherveil smirked, leveling her finger toward him.

  “I'm not trying to get away from you,” she said. “I'm going to bring it all down. You. The Nexus. All of it.“

  Arcturus warped closer, now standing just inches from her. “Your defiance is as pitiful as it is predictable. Your friend showed more courage when I crushed her beneath my grip.”

  Aetherveil's eyes narrowed as tears welled in her eyes. She charged, a roar tearing from her throat as she lunged at him. Her body phased through him, slamming into the ground.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Arcturus turned around, looking down on her. “Anger. It fails you every time, but you still choose it?”

  She quickly spun around, parking herself on all fours. She glared at him with her teeth displayed—all she could see was him.

  “Luminaria broke you, Aetherveil. Accept it. You are nothing,” he said.

  Aetherveil forced herself to her feet, brushing the dirt off her. Tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall.

  “Wait 'til you see what I can do with the pieces,” she snapped.

  She bolted toward the building. Arcturus’s voice boomed as the ground rippled beneath her.

  “You know what the conduit did to Paleon. To your people.“

  Sharp rocks erupted from the surface following every step. One spike grazed her leg, tearing through her suit.

  “Are you so eager to repeat history?“ Arcturus’s voice thundered. “Or were you even there?“

  Aetherveil gritted her teeth as her leg throbbed. Every step sent a jolt of pain, but she refused to slow down.

  “Maybe that's why you're the last.“

  The rock spikes emerged with greater frequency, forming walls around her. Aetherveil ducked and weaved, her breath ragged. The ground cracked open ahead, a deep chasm forming in front of her.

  She hesitated, then sprinted toward it.

  Her fingers barely caught the ledge before her body slammed into the cliff. Pain shot through her chest.

  She thought about Arcturus standing over her. The unforgettable pain of the sword radiated through her body. She couldn't move. Her body had betrayed her. It left her to his mercy.

  Mercy. An alien concept to that corruption of humanity.

  Aetherveil clawed her way back to the surface, her shear will carrying her forward. The glow of the office lights grew brighter, shining through the haze of sand—a lifeline within reach.

  “You're wrong, Arcturus,” she muttered, staggering to her feet. “I'll reach it. When I do, you'll regret standing in my way.“

  >>>>>***********************<<<<<

  The ground began to tremble around Big D.

  He felt the rumble through the soles of his boots as the tremors grew more intense, the distant sound of collapsing earth projecting through the caverns.

  "Orbital bombardment," Soko muttered as he adjusted his helmet. His breath fogged the inside of his visor.

  "They’re trying to collapse the tunnels. Flush us out like rats." Arros replied.

  The missiles continued to detonate across the surface. The tactical displays flickered with every strike. A fine mist of dust clouded the chamber. Big D wiped the back of his hand against his face, only smearing the grime.

  The heavy boots of the cyborgs thud against the stone floors as they advanced toward Big D's team.

  A soft click echoed through the tunnel.

  Explosives hidden in the walls detonated, sending a wave of shrapnel and debris tearing through the passage. The cyborgs were thrown off their feet, their bodies scorched by the blaze.

  Emerging from hidden alcoves, Big D's forces hit the Nexus troops from all sides.

  They quickly discovered that next wave was equipped with stronger armor. The high velocity projectiles were stopped dead in their tracks by the improved plating.

  "They’ve sent in heavy hitters," Big D shouted through the din. "We can't keep this up."

  “What?“ Soko shouted back, trying to change positions to get closer to Big D.

  A cyborg grabbed him, smashing his head against the tunnel wall. The gunfire was no match for the sound of his helmet cracking.

  It lifted him up like a ragdoll and drove his skull into the rocks again and again. Each impact left a smear of blood. Soko's body went limp, his arms hanging at his sides.

  Big D charged at the cyborg. His rifle was useless against the heavy armor, so he tackled it instead. He straddled the cyborg, grappling with its arms until he spotted a gap in its neck plating.

  He jammed his rifle into the exposed spot and squeezed the trigger. The recoil rattled his arms as blood sprayed across his face.

  Big D heard a step behind him. He quickly spun around, immediately grabbing the rifle pointed toward him.

  He ripped it from the cyborgs hand, then drove his foot into its chest. He rushed to it before it could recover and slapped a shaped charge onto its chest and dove for cover. Its upper body disintegrated into a spray of viscera and molten metal.

  When Big D stood, he saw a piece of rib lodged in his arm. Gritting his teeth, he yanked it free. Kneeling next to Soko, he placed his fingers against his neck. He bowed his head.

  “You deserved better.“

  Locke and his team of mercenaries entered the command center, soaked in sweat and blood. Big D furrowed his brow, storming up to Locke and grabbing him by his chest plate.

  “Where the hell were you?“ He demanded, his voice seething with rage.

  Arros pulled him back.

  “Pinned. Lost half the squads getting through,” Locke shouted.

  "We can’t hold this position. We need to fall back.“ Arros said, his voice trembling.

  Big D placed his hands on his head, pacing in circles. He stopped and looked down at Soko. His body was slumped over, blood streaming from the bottom of his helmet.

  “If I hadn't—“

  He closed his eyes, thinking about when it all began.

  Rows of servers blinked in unison, casting an eerie green glow across the darkened space. Big D stood in the center, his eyes fixed on the screens displaying streams of data.

  On his desk was a newspaper.

  Brink of War: The Controversial Operation on Shadow's Edge.

  He rubbed his eyes.

  “Fucking embarrassing,” he said quietly. “I knew better.“

  He took slow steps toward the servers.

  “Now I get to babysit you,” he said, leveling his finger toward the servers. “This is not what I would call a career highlight.“

  A faint beep broke his concentration, drawing his attention to a new alert. Big D hesitated, glancing around the empty room before pulling up the notification.

  It was a simple request—a command to reroute a significant amount of data to a classified network node. His fingers moved quickly over the console, overriding the security protocols to dig deeper. What he found sent a chill through him.

  The rerouted data wasn’t just information.

  The Nexus was trapping minds and using them to grow. He scrolled through the logs, and with each entry, a clearer picture formed. This wasn’t about building a better system or creating a digital utopia.

  Big D’s heart pounded as he leaned back, trying to process what he had uncovered.

  He thought about all the times he had followed orders without question, all the assurances he had given to those who worked under him.

  His hands trembled as he poured through the data. He couldn't tell how many there were. Millions? Billions?

  He looked back toward the servers. The Nexus was not what he thought. He had been a part of it, helping to build the chains that now held so many captive.

  Dust cascaded from the ceiling as another tremor shook the command center. Cracks began forming along the walls.

  Big D turned back around to face his comrades.

  “I can wake her up,” he said with a low tone. “I can disconnect her without killing her brain.“

  Locke looked between Arros and Big D.

  “How do you know so much about Nexus tech?” Locke asked, recalling Big D on Val 'Dara

  “Our op on Shadow's Edge killed my career,” Big D replied with a flat tone. “Nobody would take me.“

  Locke narrowed his eyes.

  “You worked on the Nexus?“ he asked through gritted teeth.

  Big D didn’t answer right away, his gaze dropping to the floor. “It was a paycheck, Locke. My resume wasn't exactly giving off hero vibes.“

  Locke took a step toward him, his hands curled into fists. Arros pushed his hand into Locke’s chest, shaking his head quietly.

  “How are you going to get back to the Praetor?” Arros asked quietly.

  “I'll get back, that's not a problem,” Big D replied. “You guys just get to the objective.“

  Arros looked down at Soko's rifle. He slowly grabbed it and placed it on Soko's body. His hand remained frozen for a moment before standing back up.

  Big D watched as they marched into the tunnels, following the readings on Locke's EMF device.