Chapter 41: Eyes of the Overseer
The room fell into a silence so sharp, Ryo could hear the hum of his own blood in his ears. Dust floated lazily through the air as the ancient terminal blinked to life, lines of unreadable data streaming across its cracked surface. Behind him, the others held their breath, eyes wide, their weapons still drawn but forgotten in the moment.
And then… the Overseer spoke.
"Shadow Protocol anomaly detected. Origin ID: RYO_KAZEN_001. Classification: Non-Authorized User. Status: Observe."
The voice was mechanical, yet chillingly human. It reverberated through the control room like a whisper wrapped in steel, laced with a calm indifference that made Ryo's skin crawl.
"Did it… just say my name?" Ryo whispered, stepping back instinctively. His heart thudded as cold sweat slid down his neck.
"Yes," murmured Yua, her blade still crackling with static energy. "And it just marked you."
The terminal shifted, forming a shifting hologram in the air—three red orbs, rotating slowly like watching eyes. Data strings wove between them, creating a symbol that branded itself into Ryo's mind. He didn't know how, but deep down, he understood what it was: a mark of surveillance, and judgment.
The Overseer had taken notice.
Suddenly, an alert blared across the room—red sirens pulsing. "Observer Deployment Initiated," the system echoed. "Response Unit ETA: 180 seconds."
"Move!" shouted Taro, pulling Ryo from his frozen state. "We can't stay here! Observer Units aren't scouts—they're executioners!"
The group bolted, racing through the dim corridors of the derelict facility. Behind them, the sound of shifting metal echoed—like giant limbs unfolding. The shadows danced unnaturally along the walls as energy pulsed from deeper within the underground structure.
"What is this place?!" Ryo shouted over his shoulder.
"It's not just a dungeon," Yua said, leading the way with swift, precise steps. "This was a Protocol Vault. A control node for the old world. Most of them are buried or destroyed—no one survives contact with an Overseer."
"But we just made contact," Ryo said.
"Exactly."
They skidded into a maintenance tunnel, the narrow space forcing them into a tight line. Kaito slammed the hatch shut behind them and welded it with a burst of kinetic fire. The moment it sealed, the ground trembled.
A deep, mechanical roar vibrated through the structure.
"Observer Unit: 'Sentinel-Zero' deployed," came the echoing announcement from the system. "Initiating Hostile Purge."
Yua turned to Ryo, her face grim. "You've triggered something far bigger than us. We need to get back topside and warn the Guild Council."
"No," Ryo said, panting. "Not until we get what we came for."
Everyone froze.
"Are you insane?" Taro hissed. "We're being hunted by a goddamn Observer! You want to stay?"
Ryo's eyes burned with resolve. "If I run now, I'll never stop running. Whatever this Overseer is—it's tied to the Protocol. I need answers."
There was a pause. Then Yua nodded.
"You've got three minutes. After that, we drag you out."
They turned back, finding a bypass tunnel that looped around the Observer's path. The facility was alive now—hallways lit up, automated defenses whispered to life, scanning. Every breath felt like it could be their last.
Ryo moved toward the central chamber again. The holograms had changed, now showing cascading strings of code—one in particular catching his eye.
A data stream labeled "Black Node: Memory Fragment – Class S."
He placed his hand on it instinctively.
Images exploded into his mind—flashes of another life, another him. A child screaming in a lab. An adult Ryo… no, someone like him… hooked to machines, screaming as the Shadow Protocol was burned into their spine.
The Overseer's voice returned, quieter this time.
"Fragment unlocked. You are not the first. You will not be the last."
The holograms shifted again—and suddenly, Ryo saw it. A map. A network of locations buried beneath cities, forests, oceans. Each one glowing with the same eerie red. Protocol Vaults. Hundreds of them.
"This… this is global," he whispered. "This isn't just about me. This is…"
"The world," Yua finished, stepping beside him. "And the war we've been blindly walking into."
Then the wall to their left exploded.
Through the smoke stepped the Observer.
Ten feet tall, its body was forged from obsidian and glowing wires. Its face had no mouth, just a single red eye spinning like a camera lens. Its voice was silent—its presence, suffocating.
"Hostile Anomaly: RYO_KAZEN_001. Prepare for elimination."
The floor cracked beneath it as it charged.
Yua screamed, unleashing a bolt of energy that bounced harmlessly off its armor. Taro fired a grenade round—it exploded with force but did nothing to slow the Observer's advance. Ryo barely raised his arms before the thing was on him, grabbing his throat and lifting him into the air.
"Hostile status: Terminate."
And then—something inside Ryo snapped.
The Protocol surged.
His vision turned black and violet as tendrils of code lashed out from his body. The Overseer reeled, a digital screech echoing through the chamber. Ryo dropped to the floor, shadows coiling around his arms like living armor.
"Not today," he growled, his voice distorted by raw power.
He raised his hand—and for the first time, commanded the Protocol.
The ground responded.
A wall of shadow burst upward, slamming into the Observer with enough force to crater steel. It staggered, sparks flying as its systems screamed in resistance.
Yua stared, stunned. "Ryo… what did you just do?"
"I think…" he said, his voice shaking, "I just made the Overseer blink."
But the Observer wasn't done.
It rose again, slower this time, sparks trailing from its cracked chassis.
Behind them, alarms flared.
"Containment breach," said the system. "Overseer unable to stabilize Protocol anomaly. Retreat protocol initiated."
The Observer's red eye dimmed.
And then—it vanished.
Gone in a blink of static, as if reality had glitched around it.
The room fell quiet once more.
Ryo dropped to his knees, panting. "We're… alive?"
"No," Yua said. "We're marked. Watched. The Overseer's seen you. That means the rest of them will too."
"What now?" Ryo asked.
She looked at him, serious and terrified.
"Now? Now we stop hiding. The real war has begun."