The trees grew denser the farther I ventured northwest, the light filtering through the leaves turning green and hazy. My mini-map still blinked faintly with the compass overlay, its pulse slow but steady—guiding me toward something the system didn't want named.
At 67 fatigue, I should've turned back. But that flicker in the interface... the Anchor Pulse—it had felt personal. And dangerous.
After another ten minutes of cautious movement, the signal grew louder—like static inside my skull. I stopped by a mossy boulder, leaned against it, and let the echo in.
[Legacy Protocol Detected: User KaiMoren | Unverified Node]
Then—nothing. Silence.
I opened my mouth, unsure who I was addressing. "If you're watching... say something."
The system didn't respond. But the air thickened. The trees stopped swaying.
Then a voice—not audio, but words pulsed straight into my consciousness.
:: You shouldn't be here this early. ::
I spun, but there was no one around. Not even a shadow. My HUD blurred for half a second before stabilizing. I focused on the direction the pulse had come from and spoke again.
"Who are you?"
:: You accessed an Echo. You weren't supposed to. That instance is fragmented. Dangerous. ::
The system was talking to me. Or something inside it was.
I steadied my breathing. "I don't care if it's dangerous. You reached out. I answered. Now talk."
A pause. Then:
:: Most players ignore anomalies. You engaged. That... qualifies you. ::
:: Legacy Recognition Request: Pending... ::
:: Verified. Welcome, KaiMoren. ::
The forest around me shifted. Not literally—but perceptually. It was like a second reality slid across the first one—semi-transparent overlays, faint geometric lines, glitching textures. My eyes stung.
New UI window:
[Legacy Access Granted: Thread #041-Repeater]
Status: Dormant | Type: Memory Sync Thread | Host: Unknown
Suddenly I wasn't alone.
A figure stepped through a translucent fissure in space—fully armored in black exo-plates, face hidden beneath a mirrored helmet. They didn't draw a weapon. Just stood silently.
I raised my spear—out of instinct.
"You're not part of the tutorial, are you?"
The voice from earlier now had a body.
:: You have a decision to make, KaiMoren. This game is not a game. The Loop is not stable. And you are now within its logic boundary. ::
:: If you wish to proceed—submit. If not—log out. While you still can. ::
A system prompt appeared.
[Accept Legacy Sync: Y/N]
I didn't move.
The figure tilted its head. "Choose."
I took a breath, and clicked Yes.
The world fell away.
Light fractured like shattered glass. Code bled into color. Trees twisted into wireframes. For a moment, I was floating—disconnected from the system's physics.
Then everything snapped back.
Except it wasn't the same.
The forest was gone. I stood in a massive atrium—white marble, metallic veins running through the ground, hovering screens blinking in languages I couldn't understand. Statues lined the halls: warriors, beasts, gods—all unfinished. Sculptures carved from fragmented code.
In front of me floated the armored figure.
:: Welcome to the Archive. ::
"What is this place?"
:: A reflection of a world that was reset. You are standing in a memory thread—one of many left behind when the Protocol failed to finalize the purge. You were not meant to find this. ::
I swallowed. "But I did."
:: And now you are part of it. The Loop watches. So do we. ::
Before I could ask anything else, the figure dissolved into particles. A screen lit up behind them.
[Quest Updated: Legacy Thread Activated - New Directive Available]
Objective: Interface with Memory Beacon Node-AX3
Reward: ???
A timer ticked silently in the corner. The clock was running.