The Omnipotent System

NovaCorp Tower – Adams' Office

The skyline of NovaCity stretched endlessly beyond the massive glass windows of Adams' office. Neon billboards flickered, the hum of hovercars filling the air outside. But inside, it was silent. Just the soft glow of holographic screens, the occasional beep of notifications, and the quiet, rhythmic tapping of Adams' fingers against his desk.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes locked on the floating display in front of him. The replay of the fight played out in sharp, high-definition clarity—Jack's black lightning tearing through the battlefield, Elamenor's wild, unrelenting assault, Arianna's precise spellwork.

And then there was Kieran.

Adams' fingers stopped tapping. He tilted his head slightly, watching the way Kieran moved in the game. The hesitation, the sheer frustration in his expression when he realized the gap between him and the top five. But underneath it, that flicker of excitement. That hunger.

A slow grin spread across Adams' face.

"Interesting," he muttered.

With a flick of his wrist, the screen shifted, showing the world rankings. Jack. Arianna. Elamenor. Jameson. Erren. Kieran.

"Not bad," Adams mused, running a hand through his silver-streaked hair. "This batch is shaping up nicely."

But this was just the beginning.

He turned his chair slightly, gazing at another screen—the real project. A plan that had been simmering in his mind for a while now. Magic. In the real world. Through the game.

At level 100, the players would experience it firsthand. Their strength, their skills, their power—crossing from virtual to reality. No gimmicks. No limitations. True evolution.

But that was later. For now…

Adams exhaled and stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, let's kill some time."

With a single thought, the room shifted. Panels in the walls slid open, revealing rows of sleek, unfinished tech. Floating drones. Augmented weaponry. A half-built AI combat unit.

He cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. The air thrummed with energy as screens activated, tools hummed to life, and robotic arms extended with precision.

If he was going to wait, he might as well build.

--

The neon lights of City shimmered in the rain, the reflections dancing on the sleek, wet pavement. Hovercams buzzed through the streets, capturing every angle, every expression, every reaction. A crowd had gathered outside one of the biggest gaming lounges in the city—Elysium VR—where players were spilling out, still riding the adrenaline rush from their latest sessions.

Reporters moved in quickly. Microphones were shoved forward, holo-screens flashing as the top gaming networks scrambled to get the hottest takes on Eclipse Online.

A young woman with sleek silver hair and a bright blue jacket held her mic up, eyes sharp with excitement. "Mira Kessler, GNN Gaming News—so, tell us! You just finished playing Eclipse Online! How was it?!"

A breathless player, still in his gaming gear, ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair. "Holy crap, it was insane! The combat feels... too real. Like, I was in there throwing punches, dodging, feeling the weight of every attack!"

The camera panned to another group—friends still hyped from their session.

"Dude, the bosses? Straight-up nightmares. I swear, that last one was built to break people."

"Yeah, but it's fair, y'know? Like, it's not just some broken AI cheating. If you lose, it's because you messed up. And the PvP? Wild. I ran into someone named Elamenor today—bro, I don't even wanna talk about it."

The reporter perked up. "Elamenor? One of the top-ranked players?"

The guy just sighed. "Yeah. Man fights like he enjoys pain. We barely touched him."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Further down the street, another reporter was interviewing a duo—one of them, a young woman with purple streaks in her hair, the other, a serious-looking guy still checking his ranking on his phone.

"So, would you recommend Eclipse Online to others?"

The girl scoffed. "Hell yeah. Best game ever. The way it pulls you in? It's like an addiction, but, like, the good kind."

The guy next to her finally looked up. "Recommend? No question. But…" He hesitated, his fingers tightening around his phone. "There's something off about it."

The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Off?"

He frowned, thinking. "It's just a feeling. Like… it's too advanced. Too perfect. It doesn't feel like just a game anymore."

A beat of silence. The rain continued to fall, neon colors bleeding into the streets.

Then, from the corner of the broadcast, a notification flickered on a nearby holo-screen.

[World Rankings Updated]

New names. New positions. The city held its breath.

And somewhere, in the high-rise towers overlooking it all, Adams watched with a smirk.

--

The rain had slowed to a drizzle, mist rising from the streets as neon lights reflected off the wet pavement. Kieran walked through the crowd, hands in his jacket pockets, a bag of takeout in one hand. The city was alive with the usual noise—hovercars humming overhead, digital billboards flashing ads, the murmur of people moving from place to place.

But Kieran wasn't paying attention to any of that.

His sharp eyes flicked to a massive holo-screen mounted on the side of a building.

[World Rankings Updated]

His name was there. But what caught his attention were the others.

Jack. Arianna. Elamenor. Jameson. Erren.

And then, at the bottom of the list—him.

Kieran exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around the plastic bag.

This is only the beginning.

He knew that better than anyone. Eclipse Online was never just a game. He had lived through what came next. The descent of the real world into chaos. The way the lines between virtual and reality blurred until they didn't exist at all.

But even he was uncertain now.

There were new names. New threats.

ChaosGod.

And that squad he had fought alongside today—Jack's black lightning, Elamenor's monstrous strength, Arianna's ruthless precision. They weren't supposed to be here. Not in this version of events.

Kieran let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Tch. Looks like I'm not the only one rewriting the script."

His reflection in a storefront window caught his eye. His own expression—calm, unreadable.

But inside?

Inside, he was calculating.

New elements. New players. A new future.

He turned away from the screen, disappearing into the crowd. The city moved on, oblivious to what was coming.

But Kieran knew better.

And for the first time in a long time—he wasn't sure how the story would end.