Elliot walked through the bustling streets of Eryndel, his sharp eyes scanning for any signs of his brother. The city hummed with activity as usual, but something felt off. NPCs still carried out their scripted routines—merchants hawked their wares, guards patrolled the gates—but every so often, one would pause, head twitching unnaturally, before snapping back to its task.
His Comm Panel blinked to life with a message from Liam:
"Meet me at Ravenwood Pass. I'll explain everything there. Bring your best gear—it's bad, Elliot."
Elliot sighed, opening his inventory to assess his equipment. Most of it was outdated, relics of his last time in the game. He'd been a powerhouse back then, sitting comfortably among the top-tier players. Now, his Stats Panel looked underwhelming by modern standards:
Level: 87
Health: 12,450
Mana: 9,300
Primary Class: Shadowweaver
Secondary Class: Codebreaker
The last one wasn't a standard option. Codebreaker was a remnant of his developer days, granting him access to unique abilities tied to the game's underlying systems. Most players would have killed for that kind of edge, but it came with risks—ones he hadn't been willing to take back then.
Elliot muttered under his breath, equipping a set of mid-tier armor and his favorite weapon: The Obsidian Fang, a sleek black dagger with a glowing crimson edge.
He started toward the city gates, weaving through the crowds. The chatter of players around him was filled with the usual mix of excitement and frustration—arguments over loot, boasting about achievements, complaints about lag. But beneath it all, a new rumor was spreading like wildfire:
"The NPCs are acting weird."
"Yeah, one of the shopkeepers attacked me out of nowhere!"
"Did you see the system error message? It's all over the forums."
Elliot quickened his pace, stepping through the shimmering gates that led to the Wildlands beyond.
---
The transition from Eryndel's polished streets to the wilderness was jarring. The air seemed heavier here, the once vibrant landscape of rolling hills and forests replaced by a grim, foreboding atmosphere.
As he approached the path leading to Ravenwood Pass, a distant roar echoed through the valley. It was followed by the unmistakable clash of combat—players fighting something far beyond their skill level.
Elliot crouched low, using his Shadowmeld ability to blend into the terrain. Creeping closer, he spotted the remnants of a player group battling a creature that shouldn't exist.
The beast was massive, its form shifting between solid and translucent, as if it couldn't fully decide whether it belonged in this world. Its six glowing eyes scanned the battlefield with a predatory hunger, while its claws tore through players with impossible speed.
Elliot's Combat Analyzer activated automatically, displaying the creature's stats:
Name: ???
Level: ???
Health: ???
"Glitched entity," Elliot muttered.
The surviving players were panicked, their voices frantic over the open comms.
"This thing's invincible!"
"Where's the dev team? Why hasn't this been patched?"
"Fall back! We can't—"
The beast roared, silencing the comms as it wiped out the remaining players in one swift attack. Their avatars disintegrated into data fragments, and the creature turned its six glowing eyes toward Elliot's hiding spot.
Elliot didn't hesitate. He activated Phase Shift, teleporting out of its sightline and deeper into the canyon. His heart raced as he moved, the glitch's presence sending ripples through the game world around him.
Finally, he reached the rendezvous point—a jagged outcropping overlooking the pass. Liam was already there, pacing nervously.
"Liam," Elliot called out, stepping into view.
His brother turned, relief flooding his face. "Thank God you're here."
"What's going on?" Elliot asked, crossing his arms. "And don't give me some vague crap. I saw one of those… things. That's not just a glitch."
Liam ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "It's worse than a glitch. It's spreading. The NPCs, the environments, even player stats—everything's breaking down."
"Why?"
Liam hesitated. "Because someone's tampered with the core code. Someone with access to tools we buried years ago."
Elliot's stomach dropped. "You're saying this is connected to the old dev tools?"
Liam nodded grimly. "I think it's The Forge."
Elliot's blood ran cold. The Forge wasn't just a tool; it was a backdoor to the game's foundation, capable of rewriting reality within Arcane Junction. It was supposed to have been destroyed after the beta tests, locked away so no one could exploit it.
"If The Forge is active again," Elliot said slowly, "then this isn't just a glitch. Someone's using the game as a weapon."
"That's why I called you," Liam said, his voice desperate. "You're the only one who knows how to stop it."
Elliot stared at the distant horizon, where the shadow of the glitch loomed. He'd left this world behind, walked away from the chaos and the power. But now, it seemed like the game wasn't done with him yet.
"Fine," he said. "I'll help. But if we're going to fix this, we'll need more than just a patch."