I hesitated before logging after the Hollow.
The sting from the glitched Flame Elk had faded, but something else hadn't: the pressure behind my ribs, that phantom ache that didn't belong. Neural echoes, the support forums called it. Residual feedback from high-impact stimuli.
In small doses, it was harmless.
But I remembered that moment too clearly. The hit. The slam. The way my breath caught even after logging out.
I wasn't afraid of the pain.
I was afraid of what it meant that I could feel it.
This isn't supposed to be real. Not yet.
I slid into the pod, heart already racing.
NEURAL LINK ESTABLISHED.WELCOME TO ASCENSION.
The moment I materialized in Elderfall, the Lexicon flared.
[Ink Sync Stabilized. Thread Memory Online.]Mirrorthread Duration Extended by 1s (Cumulative Use Bonus)
Good. That made three combat uses and counting.
Lyra was already waiting near the outskirts, half-shadowed beneath a half-broken statue of the town's founder. She looked up as I approached.
"You look like you slept through a blender."
"Thanks. You always this flattering?"
"Only when you look like death."
I smiled, but only faintly.
Maybe I do.
We picked up a quick tag hunt job—something basic. A retrieval mission to gather corrupted roots from the southern edge of Duskridge. It was a side task, no fame attached, but it gave us breathing room and an excuse to test the Mirrorthread tag in open terrain.
"You sure about this?" Lyra asked as we skirted the lower trail. "You've been off since the Hollow."
"I'm fine," I lied.
"Like, 'normal support-mage fine,' or 'the-game's-watching-me-and-I-kind-of-know-it' fine?"
I blinked. "The second one."
She paused. Then nodded. "Cool. Same page."
We reached the grove in record time.
The corrupted roots shimmered with glyphrot—old rune code left to decay into unstable anomalies. Just touching them without stabilizing tags triggered system-safe volatility.
[Corrupted Growth Detected – Warning: Inert Tag Required for Interaction]
I didn't use a standard cleanse.
Instead, I tested something new.
I activated a Mirrorthread imprint and pulled a previously cast Echo Pulse from memory. Then I layered it with a static barrier tag, creating a new tag fusion on the fly.
The result?
A clean detonation—precise and low-impact—that shattered the rot without damaging the surrounding terrain.
Lyra blinked. "You just invented a root-extraction bomb."
"I prefer 'targeted rune dispersal.'"
"Right. Totally less illegal sounding."
[Corrupted Root Sample x3 Acquired][Lexicon Trait Progress: Adaptive Learning +1%]
The Lexicon hummed again—louder this time.
We cleared the area and started heading back when my interface flickered.
Just once.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Anomaly Sync Initiated]Entity Tag: Aiden ChaseMirrorthread Use Log → Flagged for Pattern DeviationStabilizing Branch ECHO: Active
I staggered.
Just a step.
Like my legs were briefly out of sync with the rest of me.
The terrain blurred.
For half a second, I could see the code. Not the graphics. The bones underneath it. Vectors and scripts and scaffolds. Then it all snapped back.
Lyra grabbed my arm. "What was that?"
"I think…"
I shook my head. "I think I just synced too deep."
The SYSTEM wasn't just watching anymore.
It was adjusting to me.
Reacting.
We walked the rest of the way in silence. Lyra didn't press. She didn't need to. The Lexicon floated beside me, unnaturally still.
Just before town, she said, "Next time, I'm picking the quest."
"Next time?" I asked.
She smirked. "You're weird. But weird's starting to feel normal."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Anomaly Progress Continues – Player 'Aiden Chase' Sync Level: 0.034%]Monitoring Escalated – Manual Override Flag PreparedECHO Division: Watching Closely
The next thread had been pulled.
And I could feel the world starting to unravel—one glyph at a time.