Chapter 19: Sister's Sickness Worsens
Location: Sector 12 Medical Complex, Restricted Care Unit
The silence of the room was louder than war.
A thin veil of sterile light poured from the ceiling, casting pale shadows across the frail figure lying on the hospital bed. Machines beeped in slow, steady rhythm—a cruel reminder that time was running out.
Ryo stood at the door, frozen.He hadn't seen her like this before.
"Aya…"
Her skin was almost translucent now, veins lit faintly with the eerie shimmer of corrupted mana. Her chest rose and fell in shallow rhythm, connected to life support that barely kept her tethered to this world.
Dr. Helix, the chief specialist, stepped forward with a tablet in hand. His brow was furrowed, jaw tight.
"She doesn't have long."
The Collapse
"What do you mean she doesn't have long?" Ryo snapped. "She was stable two weeks ago!"
Helix's fingers swiped across holo-screens. Images of her mana flow displayed like flickering circuitry, chaotic and broken.
"She was stable, yes. Until it reactivated."
"It?"
"The latent data… the signature from the Shadow Protocol you carried inside you before full sync. It imprinted on her. She's not just infected, Ryo. She's synchronized. But her body isn't like yours—it can't adapt."
Ryo's heart slammed against his chest.
"So you're telling me I… I did this?"
"Unintentionally. But yes."
The Cure That Doesn't Exist
Ryo gritted his teeth. "Then give me the cure. You're the best we have."
Helix looked away. "There is no cure."
"Liar."
"The only way to stabilize her now is with a Core Override—a complete rewrite of her data structure using a stable Protocol Core. But they don't exist anymore."
Ryo's fingers clenched into fists.
"They do."
Helix blinked. "What?"
"I found one. In the lower sectors. It's unstable but intact."
"Then it's suicide. You know what a Core Override requires—it'll burn the core and the user. It's a one-way trip."
Ryo looked at his sister.
Her eyelashes trembled. She was dreaming. Or maybe… fighting to stay.
"Then I guess I better get stronger. Fast."
Memories of Before
Ryo sat by her bedside after the doctor left. He remembered when they were kids—when Aya had protected him from bullies, when she cooked burnt noodles and called them "gourmet," when she'd taken extra shifts just so he could train.
She was always his anchor.
Now she was slipping.
"I promised you I'd make it. That I'd rise so you could live freely."
His voice cracked. The mask slipped.
"You can't die, Aya. Not before I save you."
A soft beep echoed from her vitals.She stirred.
Just faintly. Her lips moved.
"Ryo… stay… safe…"
His eyes stung with tears he hadn't let fall in years.
"I will. I swear."
A New Protocol Goal
Back in the alley outside the complex, Ryo activated his HUD.
[System Goal Updated: Override Core Protocol Located – Alpha-D9 Dungeon][Estimated Threat Level: S-Rank+][Side Objective Added: Save Aya – Override Activation Required in 14 Days]
Iri appeared beside him, leaning on the rusted rail.
"You found something?"
"The override I need."
"Alpha-D9? You're crazy. That dungeon's locked behind a six-layer encryption wall. It's a system anomaly zone. Protocol users die just getting near it."
"Then we break the wall. Or die trying."
She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded.
"Guess I'm coming too. Wouldn't want to miss the fireworks."
"Thanks," Ryo said quietly. "Really."
"Don't thank me yet. You're dragging us into hell."
The Clock Ticks
Later that night, back in the hideout, Ryo stood over a terminal. A countdown had started, bold and crimson:
13 Days, 21 Hours, 47 Minutes.
Every second that passed was one he could never get back.
Every second was a step closer to losing everything.
He turned to the wall behind him—where the map of Sector dungeons, Guild zones, and Protocol fragments glowed in neon threads.
His fingers moved swiftly.
"No more distractions," he muttered. "From now on, I move in shadows—to save her. No one gets in my way."
And for the first time…Ryo set a kill list.
End of Chapter 19