AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
The moment we pried the trapdoor open, the air turned colder. Not physically, but... code deep. The System shimmered to life, pulsing like a heartbeat as everyone froze.
"SYSTEM ALERT: CODED THREAD RECOGNIZED. New objective fragment unlocked – 'Mirror of Intention.' CLUE: To find what was broken, you must remember who broke it."System said.
"Cryptic as always." Jaxon muttered, peering into the dark. "Is it trying to help or just screw with us?"
"Both." Selene said, eyes narrowed. "The System's sentient, but it's scared."
Scared. So was I. Suddenly, the world tilted. My knees buckled. The trapdoor. The stabilizer. The pressure of the blood moon. Something triggered it. A rush of memories surged behind my eyes. The glow of my old laptop in a quiet Earth room. I was having a flashback of my past.
The game's start screen. Black letters on white. 'Choose your path.' A username blinking: Xavi3r_Blk .Click. Load. And then a pain.