Alina's body was weightless, suspended in an abyss of endless darkness. The black chain wrapped around her like a vice, pulsing with raw energy that seeped into her veins.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. She willed herself to move, to summon her strength, but the system's power kept her locked in place.
Then, the darkness shifted.
A throne room materialized around her, forged from polished obsidian and bathed in the eerie glow of blue fire. The air hummed with a sinister energy. At the far end, Ethan sat upon a throne carved from black stone, one leg draped over the armrest, his gaze locked onto her.
The crown on his head shimmered, its silver edges laced with intricate glyphs—administrator privileges. He had rewritten the very code of the game, reshaping it to his will.
She clenched her fists. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ethan smirked, tilting his head. "Making us gods, Alina."
"By trapping a million people in a death game?" Her voice dripped with fury. "That's not godhood. That's insanity."
Ethan rose from his throne, descending the steps with slow, deliberate movements. His presence filled the room, his eyes burning with an intensity she hadn't seen in years. "I created this world, Alina. And now, I'm perfecting it. No more limits. No more logging out. Only survival. Only power."
He stopped inches from her, his fingers trailing along the chains binding her. "You were always the strongest here. But even you need to understand… this is no longer just a game."
Alina met his gaze, defiant. "I will stop you."
His lips curled into something resembling amusement. "Then do it."
With a flick of his wrist, the chains snapped.
Alina hit the ground, barely catching herself before rolling into a crouch. The moment her restraints vanished, she surged forward, summoning Eclipse in a flash of silver light.
She swung for his throat.
Ethan vanished.
A pulse of energy erupted behind her. She spun—too late.
A hand wrapped around her wrist.
Ethan stood behind her, his grip unshakable. His strength had changed—no, transcended. He wasn't just another player anymore. He had become something more.
"Still predictable," he murmured.
She snarled, twisting free. Magic flared from her palm, a burst of blue fire racing toward him.
Ethan merely raised his hand. The flames froze mid-air, held in place as if time itself had stopped.
Alina's blood ran cold.
He wasn't just rewriting the game. He was rewriting reality.
Ethan smirked at her realization. "I could kill you right now, you know."
"Then do it."
His smirk faltered. "That's the thing, Alina." His fingers brushed a loose strand of her hair. "I don't want to kill you."
Alina's heart hammered in her chest. This wasn't just control. This was possession.
"You're insane," she whispered.
Ethan exhaled, his voice quiet, almost mournful. "I loved you once."
She stiffened. Once.
Before she could react, the throne room shattered around her.
The world dissolved into fragments of code, pixelating into nothingness.
And then—she was falling.
Wind roared past her ears as she plummeted through endless sky, her body weightless.
Below, a war-torn battlefield stretched across the horizon, flames and magic clashing as players fought desperately for survival.
Above, the sky twisted into a storm of shadows, and Ethan's voice whispered through the wind.
"Run, my Queen. Survive if you can."
Alina hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt. Pain shot through her body, but she forced herself up. Around her, hundreds of players stared in shock.
Dante pushed through the crowd, eyes wide. "Queen, what happened?!"
Alina wiped blood from her lip, fire igniting in her eyes.
"We're at war."