Monday morning hit like a slap.
Ethan Cruz sat at his desk in homeroom, blinking at a geometry worksheet that may as well have been ancient Egyptian. Every square root looked like static now. After the Shadow League? Nothing felt real.
Not after facing GrindMind.
Not after seeing weaponized systems in play.
He wasn't just a coach anymore. He was marked.
The System pulsed quietly in his head, now more of a whisper than a screen.
[GHOSTPLAY X INITIATED]
Status: Experimental AI Split-Branch
Objective: Build independent tactical evolution system
Access Level: Private Only
Encryption: Active
He knew what that meant: No sharing. No networks. No leaks. What he was doing now was outside the lines—off-grid code based on the fragments he saw in the Shadow Arena.
Ethan had one goal.
Out-think the people who built this world.
After School — The Gym
Coach Brown tossed him the clipboard mid-practice.
"You call this one."
"Flow series?" Ethan asked.
"Your call. They listen to you now."
Zaire and Jalen stood by the water cooler, sweat pouring, focused.
He activated Vision Mode.
Zaire — Trust: 89% | Morale: High | Decision Delay: 1.2s
Jalen — Trust: 91% | Morale: Focused | Zone Entry Detected
Micah — Trust: 67% | Morale: Cautious | Focus Drift: 11%
Micah.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
Drift. Again.
"Micah," Ethan said after the drill. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just tired."
"No," Ethan said. "You're hiding. From something."
Micah looked down. Then sighed.
"You know that weird play you called last game? The one where I popped out early before the ball even moved? I saw it coming... before you said it."
Ethan's heart stopped.
"You what?"
"I don't know, man," Micah said. "Sometimes I get this... like, flash. I see the space open up before it does. Like a chess move ahead. Thought I was losing my mind."
[SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY ALERT: Micah Foster
Latent Tactical Awareness Score: 72%
Pattern Recognition: Tier 1
Potential User Class: Instinct Echo]
A new window blinked open.
RECRUITABLE USER DETECTED
Would you like to initiate System Share Protocol?
Ethan paused.
This was dangerous. If he brought someone into this, and they got hurt, it was his fault.
But Micah already saw it. Already felt it.
And if what was coming was real…
He'd need a team.
[YES]
He tapped the confirmation mentally.
Micah blinked.
"What the—?"
[GHOSTPLAY LITE INSTALLED]
User: Micah Foster
Role: Instinct Echo
Access: Visual & Spatial Only (No Direct Controls)
Ethan nodded. "You're not crazy. You're built for this."
Micah exhaled slowly. "So what now?"
"Now," Ethan said, "you learn how deep this game goes."
Later That Night — Ethan's Room
They sat on the floor with laptops open, wires tangled, energy drinks half-empty.
Ethan projected system modules onto the wall using his cracked tablet.
"GhostPlay X is a sandbox build. Think of it like a ghost AI that shadows my main system, learning how I coach in real time. Eventually, it'll think like me. Maybe better."
Micah leaned forward. "But if your system gets targeted…"
"This one survives."
Micah stared at the code. "You're building a backup mind."
Ethan nodded. "Because people are already hunting the mainframe."
Then he pulled out the flash drive given to him by the crimson-suited man in the Shadow League.
THE VAULT
Files unfolded.
Usernames. IP addresses. GPS signals. Traces of System Users—across cities. Across schools.
Each name came with a tag.
Active
Dormant
Missing
One entry flashed red:
Subject: Lila Morrigan – System Class: Clutch Controller – Last Seen: Dec 4th – Status: UNRESPONSIVE
Ethan clicked deeper.
Reported Missing by Parents. School files erased. Phone dead.
Micah muttered, "They're scrubbing people."
Ethan whispered, "They're harvesting systems."
His heart pounded.
[NEW QUEST LINE UNLOCKED:
The Ghost War Begins]
OBJECTIVE 1: Build Trust Web — Recruit 3 Trusted Users
OBJECTIVE 2: Trace Lila Morrigan's Last Digital Ping
OBJECTIVE 3: Identify Ghost Leak Within School or League
REWARD: System Firewall Upgrade + GhostPlay v2**
He closed the Vault.
"We need help," Ethan said. "People we can trust. Players who aren't just talented—but aware."
Micah nodded. "I know someone."
Tuesday — Roosevelt Cafeteria
Micah pointed him out at the lunch table.
Devon Gray. Senior. Benchwarmer. Book nerd. Known for breaking down NBA tape like a college analyst. Quiet. Always watching.
Ethan approached.
"You ever feel like you understand the game more than your coaches?"
Devon glanced up. "They coach for reactions. I see intentions."
Micah and Ethan sat.
"We're building something. Off-the-record. A way to see the game before it happens. Ever wanted to write plays that coach themselves?"
Devon blinked.
"Keep talking."
That Night
[RECRUITED: Devon Gray — Role: Data Architect]
Specialty: Memory Bank Optimization + Predictive Possession Modeling
Access Level: Limited (Analytics Only)**
Ethan's circle was growing.
GhostPlay was now a system within a system.
The trio worked in secret every afternoon. Stashing logs in password-encrypted drives. Writing simulations that predicted upcoming matchups. Reading between every box score and stat sheet.
Wednesday — Practice
The system pinged mid-drill.
[INTRUSION ATTEMPT DETECTED]
Source: Local IP
Attempted Module: Player Profile Log — Micah Foster
Status: BLOCKED
ALERT: GhostLeak Confirmed
Someone is trying to trace your recruits.
Ethan froze.
Someone inside Roosevelt… was watching.
[NEW QUEST OBJECTIVE:
Identify the Leak]
Clue: The attacker is connected to a known user.
Micah stepped beside him.
"You okay?"
Ethan scanned the gym.
And saw her.
The team manager.
A junior named Alicia Moore.
Glasses. Quiet. In charge of player logs and film clips. She was staring at a cracked tablet she never let out of her sight.
The System scanned her activity.
Tracer Bounce Detected — Proxy Loop
Encryption Layer: Corporate
Origin Ping: Sentinel Athletics HQ
Ethan blinked hard.
SENTINEL.
The biggest sports data company in the region. They made player development apps. "Recruitment Optimization Software." But buried deep?
A division dedicated to System Behavior Harvesting.
Alicia was working for them.
She glanced up—and for a flicker of a second—she smirked.
Then turned away.
That Night
Ethan brought Devon and Micah into the vault.
They laid it out.
"Alicia is the leak."
"She's tracking our builds."
"She's connected to Sentinel. They want GhostPlay."
Micah frowned. "We confront her?"
"No," Ethan said. "We use her."
They hacked her ping location. Set up GhostPlay decoys. Built firewalls.
Let her think she was still tracking the real thing.
[QUEST UPDATED:
"GhostMask Protocol" Engaged — Feed Sentinel Misinformation]
Create 3 Decoy Players
Simulate False System Upgrades
Reinforce Main GhostPlay Firewall
REWARD: System Cloaking Module**
By the time Thursday came around, Alicia was feeding Sentinel trash code.
And GhostPlay?
GhostPlay was invisible.