Fractured Core

Under Aiden's, heavy step the cube under him, shifted it moved a smaller cube that made him dropped down.

"What!"

His body shuddered as pain shot through his legs. Every instinct in his body screamed to escape. He didn't have time to figure out what just happened, as the snake like creature lunged down into the hole. Being stopped by the small hole.

The creature's fangs snapped shut just inches from him, and he recoiled, his body jerking backward instinctively.

On the other side, all the people fighting back the creature's. Some were in panic from the sheer amount, then there are other terrified from the creature themselves, many it's their first time fighting back.

"Hold the line! If that thing gets past us, it'll tear through the newcomers like paper!"

"Easier said than done! These things don't even bleed properly!"

A nearby explosion rocks the area as the creature attacks.

"Damn it! Focus your energy on its head disable its movement before it phases again!"

In the midst of the fight, Mira saw Aiden before being forced to retreat, then glanced back to find him still alive and sprinting away

"He's faster than I thought. But he's reckless. The creature's playing with him."

"Kid! You can't outrun it! You'll just make it angrier!" One fighter who also saw shouted.

Mira gaze lingered on Aiden, as he saw he shifted the cube to fall into a hole away narrowly evading the creature.

'That guy's shifting the environment… and he's not even a Exodite! How is that possible?' She thought.

Mira didn't know anyone who was capable of this without any kind of energy inside them.. She knew alot about the world and exodite. Still there isn't a person on the world being a exodite without energy.

She bit her lips in thought.Does he have energy I can't sense?

She poked the guy next to her. "Riven check this guy out again, he's like a exodite without having energy."

"What… that shouldn't be possible. I can't feel anything from him…does he have something on him cloaking his energy."

"I don't know but we need a new spacelock…if this guy manages to survive maybe…" Mira muttered under her breath.

Inside the cube, inside it felt that it was shrinking, suffocating around Aiden. Time slowed as the decision loomed, each second a chisel carving away at his certainty. How to escape. Maybe this where I'm suppose to die here or I'm already is because I'm hearing voices.

"What is this voice? Am I losing my mind? No… if I don't move, I'm done for!"

'Touch the wall forward, then move up.'

When he thought there no where else to go or should give up, he heard the voice echoing again, he instantly decided to believe it, so he pushed foward again the small cubes from the giant cube shifted to another part of the giant cube.

When he arrived uptop about, to sprit away. A sudden pain vibrated through his body, at that moment he was hit on his side sending him skidding away. Flipped, skidded across the ground.

'Am I about finally die.' He thought.

Tightly clenching his fist, he struggled in pain, to get up his side was burning his vision wss becoming burly. He wondered. Do he desvered to die? Cause why would this happen? He felt unsure.

At that moment before everything went dark, the snake like creature approached.

Mira and Riven, who was watching Aiden just shook there head, there didn't really felt anything for his death, because there are constant around them.

Mainly Mira she knew that she could help. Is it worth it. There is something about helping him if, he didn't help her or others. Was a injustice what she just did to beginners? Or Was it life going when you have no value nor to use it?

…

A while Later, on the ground surroundings by dark lightning despite the pulsing neon lights. His eyes fluttered open, a searing brightness flooded his sight, forcing him to squint against the light.

"…so bright…"

His memories came flooded into, jolting him upright."Still alive?"

He glanced around, seeing nothing but emptiness…a void as hollow as the one within him. He had no problem dying after the attack, as he knew no one will really miss him or having anything to pass on.

Ultimately the real question was. Why did I survive? What's the point, if there's nothing worth for me on the other side?

In fact, Aiden had only Maya and Kurt around him, to keep him happy. He chuckled softly it wasn't enough as years passing by and nothing is being changed despite trying. So be felt conflicted that he shouldn't have been spared or stay alive to keep going.

"Well, Well…it's been a long time."

Aiden head jerked upright, twisting sharply as his eyes darted through the shadows. His breath quickened as a figure emerged from the darkness, a glowing green light pulsing in their hand like a heartbeat. His legs wobbled, he clutched his knees to his chest..

The figure standing ten feet tall, their body draped in a long, flowing black and green caped robe that moves like liquid shadow in the air. The robe's deep green accents catch the faint light, blending seamlessly with the darker tones. Streaks of glowing golden veins coursing through it like blood.

Beneath the robe, glimpses of layered straps of clothing. Their face is obscured by a mesmerizing mask made of galaxy-colored light, shimmering with hues of deep indigo, vibrant violet, and specks of starlight.

This celestial glow hides their eyes, giving an otherworldly and ethereal presence, as if they are both here and beyond.

Hovering beside their shoulder is a small, crystal-clear drone. It's spherical form emits soft white lights that pulse rhythmically, casting gentle halos of illumination. Surrounding the drone, streams of energy flow effortlessly in a circular motion, like wisps of light dancing in the air.

"Woah Calm down. I won't hurt you The Serpentine Wraith gone." The figure voice sounded mix gender, but mostly robotic.

Aiden's mouth fell open as if to speak, but no words came. He snapped it shut, his gaze fixed on the figure before him. Discovering another shocking thing. He told himself this is another creature that going to attack him.

Yet. What is this thing? A machine? A monster? But... it feels calm…too calm. Why does it feel like it's watching me, judging me? Still he felt a knot in his chest wouldn't loosen.

'This person looks like a robot but the temperament from then feels gentle.' Aiden thought.

"It's been a while since someone crossed over by error." The figure spoke. "I welcome you into the Phantom Dimension."

'They're really another monster.' Aiden startled crawling back to get up.

The figure extended their hand slowly. "I'm Ezekar. The Montor of this first zone. What's your name?"

Aiden's eyes flickered upward, he didn't know what's happening but he felt compelled to answer. "I'm Aiden."

"Aiden do you know where you are?"

Aiden shook his head.

"You stand in the liminal cradle between realities, mortal a place unbound by time, yet tethered to all that exists. This is the Phantom Dimension, where judgment and chaos entwine, and where the unworthy are consumed. You are neither here nor there, Aiden, but on the threshold of becoming. A place of trial... or undoing." Ezekar's voice echoes through the Phantom Dimension, deep and metallic, resonating with an unnatural calmness.

Aiden hands covered his face. "What am I doing here? Why me?" He said.

"You are here because you sought more than the life you've known. This is the answer to your restlessness, though you may curse it before the end…It has a power far more greater than your and in return you get some…for that you have to become a Exodite."

Aiden began bitting his nails and shivering. "I don't want to become a exodite!" He shouted.

"Sorry…if you can't become a exodite you can't leave…There is something within you that the System recognizes, a thread of its essence intertwined with your being. You do not see it yet, but the Phantom Dimension does." Ezekar spoke.

He knew the error are usually specials. It calls to them, as a seed calls to the soil. Whether those grow or wither depends entirely on the choices Aiden makes here. Will this one be willing or not?

"What... then I should have died, because I'll die if I stay here anyway."

"That why I said become a exodite you can earn and do anything, money, glory, power, happiness…worth"

Aiden eyes flickered open briefly. "Worth…" He muttered. He really had tp think deep for this, because as he thought before what there to go back hom for. He leanred all he had, he didn't even make any improvements to leave the city.

Maybe this is what I have been looking for? I have had the same thing going for year's. For now I have something.

"Alright…I become a Exodite." Aiden said.

"Good, but first there a test..to see if your really can do what's need to be a exodite."

"As a Ghost you can enter other zones…each zone is more difficult than the last…This is the lowest test for beginners."

"If this is first test…if you be easy right." Aiden mutterd.

Ezekar hearing Aiden's answered. "We will see." He hand rose his finger snapping it.

Snap!

Everything around Aiden disappeared, when his eyes opened to see around him was all the people he saw before fighting the creature's this time they were they focused on something else.

"Welcome, beginners, Today, you will do the trial of judgment."

Aiden saw that Ezekar was on a pillar infront talking out loud his voice reached far and wide.

Snap!

Again with a snap of his finger a old bridge appeared, it looked glitch some parts of it are missing.

"It's a bridge. What kind of test is this!"

A person spoke out loud, in relief at that moment, everyone saw creatures appeared on the other side of the bridge. Instantly a the beginners snapped toward the person who spoke to them, he jinxed the trial.

"The goal is very simple." Ezekar floated near the bridge."You will be using your understanding of yourself to fix this bridge."