The quiet hum of Velmont was anything but soothing. Giovanni slumped onto a cracked bench in a shadowed corner of Sector 9, his heart pounding from the escape. His mind buzzed with questions about Darius, the artifact, and—most of all—his own actions.
The System chimed, its tone calm yet almost condescending:
[MISSION COMPLETE: THREE CONTACTS ESTABLISHED.]
[REWARD UNLOCKED: SYSTEM INTERFACE EXPANSION.]
A bright notification flared before his eyes, illuminating the night like a sudden flash of lightning.
[UPGRADE ENABLED: ADVANCED DUPLICATION.]
[NEW TAB: INFLUENCE TRACKER.]
[COSMIC AWARENESS TAB ACTIVATED.]
Giovanni exhaled sharply, watching as the interface transformed. New tabs appeared, their faintly glowing text pulsing with energy. His gaze drifted to the Corruption Meter, now edged with a faint, ominous red glow.
"Great," he muttered. "More toys to play with, more warnings to ignore."
The System responded:
[USER COMMENTARY: IRRELEVANT. FOCUS RECOMMENDED.]
"Criticism noted," Giovanni said dryly, pulling himself together.
Exploring the Interface
Curiosity overtook his exhaustion as Giovanni accessed the new tabs.
Influence Tracker:
A list of his contacts appeared, complete with their Trust Levels:Haro: 30% (Tentative)Renna: 40% (Cooperative)Darius Vale: 25% (Opportunistic)A side panel highlighted potential ways to improve trust, such as fulfilling requests or leveraging shared goals.
Cosmic Awareness Tab:
Faint glyphs shimmered against a black void, shifting and pulsing in patterns Giovanni didn't recognize.A single message flickered faintly:
[THE RINGS ARE NOT TOOLS. THEY ARE THREADS. FOLLOW THEM CAREFULLY, OR BE CONSUMED.]
Advanced Duplication:
A description of the new feature appeared:
**[DUPLICATION CAPABILITIES UPGRADED:Duplicates now possess semi-autonomous decision-making.Duration increased to 60 minutes.Customization expanded: Adjust physical traits within preset parameters.]**
Giovanni's mind raced. The semi-autonomy alone could change everything—if it worked.
For a brief moment, Giovanni allowed himself to reflect. The events of the past days had upended his already precarious life.
The Confederation was tightening its grip on Velmont, but the city's undercurrent of rebellion surged stronger than ever. The Stellar Flare Event was no longer a distant mystery—it was everywhere, whispered in markets, reported in fragmented news feeds, and, apparently, embedded in the very fabric of the Rings.
And then there was his family.
Kaori's sharp eyes haunted his thoughts. He hadn't visited her since the Sector 12 job, and guilt gnawed at him. She'd always been too perceptive, too understanding. If she ever guessed what he was involved in… Giovanni shook the thought away.
He couldn't afford distractions—not now.
Somewhere in Velmont, a sleek Confederation drone hovered silently above a plaza, its sensors scanning for anomalies. Inside the operations center, Investigator Caleb Rhea leaned back in his chair, studying the data feed.
The theft from Lab 17 hadn't gone unnoticed. Patterns were forming—small ripples in the economy, whispers of counterfeit Rings, and now, the missing artifact.
Caleb's superiors had been clear: this anomaly had to be contained. But Caleb was less interested in orders and more intrigued by the mind behind the chaos.
"Run a deeper scan," he said to his assistant. "Focus on new Ring energy signatures. Whoever they are, they're slipping—but not for long."
The assistant hesitated. "What about Project Helix? Dr. Tamel's data suggests—"
"Leave Helix to the scientists," Caleb interrupted. "This is about Velmont. And I don't need Helix to catch a ghost."
Back in his cramped apartment, Giovanni activated the Advanced Duplication feature, eager to test its limits.
A shimmering figure materialized before him—a taller version of himself, with sharp cheekbones and an unkempt beard. Its eyes scanned the room, assessing its surroundings with eerie precision.
"Take this," Giovanni said, handing the duplicate a screwdriver. "Fix the damn sink."
The duplicate moved mechanically, its actions efficient but slightly off. As it worked, Giovanni couldn't help but feel a pang of unease. The way it tilted its head, the precise movements—it was too… calculated.
When the task was done, the duplicate turned to Giovanni, its expression neutral.
"Anything else?" it asked, its voice almost identical to his own.
Giovanni shook his head, dismissing it. The duplicate dissolved into particles, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
[WARNING: CORRUPTION LEVEL AT 20%. SIDE EFFECTS IMMINENT.]
The System's notification jolted him. "Side effects?" he muttered. "What side effects?"
The mirror across the room caught his eye. For a moment, his reflection seemed to move independently, a faint smirk curling its lips before vanishing.
Giovanni froze, his breath catching. "I'm just tired," he whispered.
The System remained silent.
Later that night, as Giovanni stared at the ceiling, a vision overtook him.
The world around him dissolved into a swirling void, the faint glyphs from the Cosmic Awareness Tab glowing brighter. Shapes and figures moved within the darkness—massive, incomprehensible entities whose presence pressed against his mind like a crushing weight.
The Architect's voice echoed faintly:
"You've taken your first steps. But the threads you follow will not lead you where you think. Beware the cost of ambition, Giovanni. Beware... yourself."
The vision faded, leaving Giovanni drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
The System chimed softly:
[USER NOTE: REMAIN FOCUSED. GREATER TESTS AWAIT.]