Chapter 10: The Arena Where Time Stopped
The journey to the Old Training Arena took longer than the system predicted.
Zayn Arif and Max walked through cracked roads and shifting terrain. The game's geometry was broken here—what once may have been smooth fields or training walls were now twisted, incomplete. Parts of the map floated in mid-air, like memories loaded halfway and abandoned. Trees glitched sideways, and shadows moved even when the sun stood still.
Zayn was quiet for most of the walk.
His thoughts weren't on the terrain, or the strange physics of the place. They were on Nova. And the way she had looked at him before giving up the fragment.
She wasn't angry.
She was tired.
Tired of waiting, tired of being stuck between code and memory.
Max finally broke the silence.
"She was part of the first group."
Zayn glanced at him.
"First group?"
Max nodded. "Before you. Before me. The first human sync trials into the Free Fire closed system. A dozen volunteers. Or test subjects. Depends on who you ask."
"And they all got stuck?"
"Most of them faded. Some fought to stay real. Nova... she adapted better than anyone."
Zayn nodded slowly. "So that fragment. It was from her past."
"Yeah."
They came to the edge of a canyon. The Training Arena waited below.
It wasn't like the rest of the map. No cover spots. No decorative buildings. Just a wide, flat plain surrounded by low walls. In the center, a series of floating platforms hovered, flickering between present and absent.
Above, a giant scoreboard rotated slowly. It was broken, but one number still glowed.
99.
[Zone Reached: Old Training Arena – Sector 4]
[Memory Fragment Detected – Deep Layer Locked]
[Warning: Combat Zone – Respawn Disabled Temporarily]
Max looked around warily.
"I don't like this place."
Zayn took a breath. "Let's get it done."
They climbed down into the arena.
The moment Zayn's boots touched the ground, he felt it.
A strange weight in the air.
As if the system was watching.
[Watcher Process Suspended – Internal System Challenge Active]
A new voice spoke—not mechanical like the system, not layered like the Watcher.
This one was younger.
Human.
"I remember this place."
The voice echoed across the arena.
Zayn turned.
A figure stood on the far side of the platform.
He looked no older than Zayn himself. Wore a gray training outfit, faded and cracked from years of simulated use. His hair was messy, his skin pale, and his eyes—his eyes were blank. Not lifeless, just… paused.
[Entity Detected: Echo\_Alpha-03 "Tariq"]
[Status: Locked Memory Host – Requires Defeat or Sync Link]
[Memory Fragment Integrity: 87%]
Zayn raised a hand.
"I'm not here to fight."
The Echo didn't respond.
Max shifted uneasily. "He's not real anymore. He's a memory loop. You can't reason with him."
Zayn frowned.
"But he *was* real. Once."
Tariq stepped forward, raising a basic training rifle.
[Challenge Initiated: Arena Duel – One on One Protocol Activated]
[All External Interference Restricted Until Duel Completes]
Max was pushed back by an invisible wall.
"Zayn—he's pulling you into a simulation zone. You're on your own."
Zayn's interface glowed red. His weapons were stripped away. Only a standard rifle and basic armor were loaded.
Just like the training days.
[Objective: Survive and Sync – 1:1 Memory Duel]
[Hint: Understanding the Echo May Weaken Resistance]
Tariq moved first.
His shots were tight, precise. Not wild like the AI bots from the normal game, and not frantic like most new players. These were drills. Repetitions. He had muscle memory.
Zayn ducked behind a metal crate and returned fire.
They exchanged bursts for several seconds, circling.
Each time Zayn scored a hit, a line of text appeared in his vision.
[Memory Echo: "I'm going to make it out. I promised them."]
[Fragment Loading: 17%]
The words hit him harder than the bullets.
He didn't know Tariq, but he could feel the desperation in those lines. This wasn't someone who volunteered for fun. It was someone who had something—or someone—to return to.
Zayn spoke aloud between shots.
"What did you promise? Who were you trying to protect?"
The Echo faltered for a moment.
[Memory Echo: "My sister. She's waiting for me. They said this would help us both."]
[Fragment Loading: 41%]
Zayn stopped shooting.
He stepped out from cover, slowly.
"I don't want to erase you. I want to carry your memory forward."
Tariq's gun wavered.
He lowered it—just a bit.
But the system wasn't kind.
[Fragment Instability Detected – Forced Duel Protocol Reinitializing]
A sudden wave of code struck the arena.
Tariq cried out, grabbing his head.
His eyes flickered—blue, then red.
[Warning: Echo is destabilizing – Choose: Sync OR Terminate]
Zayn didn't hesitate.
He dropped his rifle and ran forward.
"Let me remember you. Let me *be* the one who gets out."
He reached the Echo and placed his hand on Tariq's chest.
[Initiating Sync – Transfer in Progress]
[Memory Fragment Acquired: "Promise Unkept"]
[System Progression: 19%]
The arena dissolved around him.
Zayn collapsed to his knees.
Breathing hard.
Max was at his side in moments.
"You're insane," he said.
Zayn looked up, eyes wet.
"He wanted someone to remember."
Max helped him up.
"The others won't be that easy."
"I know."
But Zayn had something new now.
A reason beyond escape.
A promise made for someone else.
[Quest Updated: Memory Hunt – 5 Fragments Remaining]
[New Objective: Locate Survivor\_Thread "AshenRook" – Last Seen in Abandoned Port Sector]
As they climbed out of the arena, Zayn turned to look back.
Tariq's figure was gone.
But something lingered in the air.
A promise, still echoing.
And Zayn would carry it forward.