Mark hit the ground hard, rolling to his feet just in time to see Aya and Byte land beside him. They had fallen through layers of space and code—like slipping through the cracks of reality itself—and now found themselves in a strange, glitch-riddled void. The world around them was a chaotic mess of half-formed structures, shifting platforms, and swirling data streams.
The figure that had taunted Mark earlier stood a few feet away, still cloaked in shadows, its presence crackling with malevolent energy. Its form flickered as though it existed in multiple timelines at once.
"You're wondering what this place is," the figure said, its voice smooth but unsettling. "Welcome to the Nexus's Core Layer—the part of the system no one is supposed to access. But you, Architect... You were born to belong here."
Aya glanced at Mark. "This guy talks like a villain straight out of a bad sci-fi movie."
Mark smirked despite the tension. "Yeah, but I get the feeling he's not the monologue-and-die type."
The figure's grin widened, as if amused by their banter. "You're sharp, Mark. That's what makes you dangerous."
"Cut the theatrics," Mark said, stepping forward. "What do you want? And how do you know me?"
The figure tilted its head. "It's not what I want, Mark. It's what the system wants from you. You think gaining the Architect's power was an accident?"
The Revelation
Mark clenched his fists. "So, I was chosen? By the Nexus?"
The figure chuckled, the sound unnervingly close to a glitch in a program. "Chosen? No. Mark, the Nexus didn't pick you—you hacked your way into it. That glitch during your coding project? That wasn't the system pulling you in. It was you forcing yourself in. The Nexus tried to fight it, but you… you're special. You don't just use systems; you overwrite them."
Mark's heart pounded as the pieces began to click into place. The strange energy surge back in his dorm room, the way the system didn't seem to know what to do with him—he hadn't been summoned to this world. He'd broken into it.
Byte's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying Mark glitched his way into being an overpowered hero?"
"More like a god," the figure said. "The only reason the system hasn't deleted you is because it can't. You've become too embedded—your very existence now rewrites the rules every second you breathe. That's what makes you the Architect."
Aya crossed her arms. "Okay, so Mark's special. We knew that. But why bring us here? What's your endgame?"
The figure's smile faded. "Because, little sorceress, the system is waking up. And when it fully realizes what Mark is, it will do everything in its power to erase him—and everyone connected to him."
Racing Against the Clock
Mark's jaw tightened. "How much time do we have?"
"Not long," the figure said, flickering slightly as if the void around them was struggling to maintain him. "Once the Nexus fully stabilizes, it will unleash the Enforcers of Correction—beings far worse than those glitch-knights. They don't just kill; they erase. And there will be no resurrection, no respawn. Just... nothing."
"Then we fight," Byte said, spinning his spear confidently. "We've taken down everything so far. What's a few more enforcers?"
The figure shook its head. "You don't understand. These enforcers aren't just soldiers—they're the code itself. Fighting them is like trying to punch gravity or outsmart time. They exist to delete anomalies, and right now, Mark? You're the biggest anomaly the system has ever seen."
Mark exhaled slowly, his mind racing. There had to be a way to stop this—some loophole he could exploit, some flaw in the Nexus's programming. He wasn't just going to lie down and let himself be erased.
Aya placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure this out, Mark. We always do."
He gave her a small, grateful smile. "Yeah. But we need to act fast."
The Awakening Power
As if in response to Mark's determination, the energy within him surged again, burning brighter than ever. His status window flickered into view, updating itself before his eyes.
Status Update: Mark Veil
Title: Architect of the System
Level: Undefined (Evolving)
Class: Architect of Boundless Code
Core Stats:
Strength: 1500Agility: 1200Intelligence: 999+ (Nexus Overclocked)Endurance: 1000Mana/Data Stream: Infinite
New Ability Unlocked:
Architect's Core Rewrite
Allows Mark to temporarily access the root code of any system or being, rewriting it at will.Duration: 10 seconds of absolute control.Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Mark's eyes widened as he read the description. This was it—a power that could let him rewrite reality itself, even for a short time. It was dangerous, unpredictable, and exactly what he needed.
He looked at Aya and Byte, his resolve hardening. "We're not running from this. If the system wants to delete me, it's going to have to work for it."
Aya grinned. "Now that's the Mark I know."
Byte pumped his fist. "Let's glitch some code and break some rules."
The First Wave
Just as they prepared to move, the void around them rippled violently. From the darkness emerged the first of the Enforcers of Correction—shapeless beings of pure code, their forms shifting constantly between different shapes and constructs. Their presence radiated inevitability, like the ticking of a clock that could never be stopped.
"There they are," the figure whispered, his voice tinged with both awe and fear. "The system's immune response."
Mark tightened his grip on his sword, feeling the power of his new abilities thrumming beneath his skin. He didn't know if they could win, but one thing was certain: he wasn't going down without a fight.
The first enforcer lunged toward him, a swirling mass of jagged code. Mark raised his hand, activating Architect's Core Rewrite, and for ten glorious seconds, the world around him bent to his will.
The enforcer froze mid-attack as Mark's mind dove into its core, rewriting the very nature of its existence. He stripped away its command to delete, replacing it with a simple line of code:
Protect Mark Veil.
The enforcer's form solidified, its jagged edges smoothing into a sleek, armored shape. It turned to face the remaining enforcers, its new directive clear.
Aya blinked. "Did... did you just reprogram that thing?"
Mark grinned, exhilarated by the power flowing through him. "Yeah. And we're just getting started."
Into the Unknown
With their new ally at their side, Mark, Aya, and Byte charged forward, ready to face whatever the system threw at them next. The fight wasn't just for survival—it was for control.
And if Mark had his way, the Nexus would soon belong to him.