*******
A storm raged outside, lightning cutting across the sky like fractured glass.
Inside a secluded stone house nestled deep within the forest—one that didn't exist on any map—the masked lady stood in front of a mirror, silently tending to her wounds. Bruises marred her face, a deep gash ran across her arm, and dried blood clung to her temple.
She hissed softly as she wrapped her arm with a strip of cloth.
The room was dim, lit by an oil lamp flickering on a wooden table beside her. Despite the pain, her expression remained blank—empty, almost robotic. But beneath the surface, her thoughts churned like a hurricane.
Harper.
That name had become an infection—spreading, resilient, impossible to kill.
She lowered her hood and pulled the edges of her long coat tighter. Her reflection in the mirror stared back, hollow-eyed. She looked less like a killer now and more like the ghost of one.
"She just won't die," she murmured, her voice a rasp.
Suddenly, a pulse.
She gasped.
The bracelet on her wrist—thin, metallic, once just an ornament—was glowing again. A deep violet, darker than any normal light, swirling like smoke trapped inside glass. It pulsed against her skin in a rhythm almost like a heartbeat.
Her breath caught.
Not again.
"What the hell are you?" she whispered, watching it intently. The bracelet vibrated faintly, then stilled.
For a moment, she felt something—a voice in her head? A flash of… something ancient? Something watching?
Then it was gone.
She staggered back and gripped the edge of the table, chest heaving.
What was this thing? Why did it always react during her worst moments? And more importantly—why did it feel like it was trying to awaken something inside her?
The masked lady stared at her reflection again—at the bracelet—at the dark veins briefly visible beneath her skin.
She didn't just want Harper dead anymore.
Now, she wanted answers.
*******CODE'S HEADQUARTERS
The main screen at CODE Headquarters glitched violently, flickering in harsh, strobe-like pulses. Red warning lights pulsed from the walls, and the sirens echoed across the dimly lit control room. Technicians scrambled to type commands into their consoles, trying to override the system's sudden and wild self-activation.
Natalie stood at the heart of the chaos, her sharp eyes narrowing as she stared at the central core.
"This isn't normal…" she muttered.
One of the technicians turned in panic. "Ma'am, the simulation's going rogue! We can't access the root functions! All input commands are being rejected!"
Another shouted, "The override has failed! It's as if the game has developed its own sentient pathing—like it's alive!"
Natalie's hands clenched into fists. Her eyes darted to the countdown on the screen—"SELF-SHUTDOWN IN 02:16."
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she muttered. "Not now."
Suddenly, the heavy, mechanical doors behind her slid open with a deafening clang, revealing the one presence that could cut through the storm of panic—the Gamekeeper. His long coat swirled behind him like a shadow given form, his boots silent against the cold metallic floor. His mask darker than ever.
Everyone in the room froze.
"Gamekeeper!" Natalie stepped forward. "The system—he's awake. It's like he's feeding off Harper's choices. This isn't just glitching. This is possession."
The Gamekeeper's expression was unreadable. "I warned you," he said quietly. "This day would come."
A technician cried out, "Sir, if we don't regain control within the next two minutes, we'll lose all control. The system will become fully autonomous. We'll have no way to interfere—not from here, not from anywhere."
Another added in a trembling voice, "You'll be stuck if you go in…"
The Gamekeeper turned his gaze to the glowing simulation portal, which was beginning to distort at the edges like a fraying fabric.
"I'm going in," he said.
"What?" Natalie turned sharply. "You said yourself—if the system shuts while you're inside, it could trap you permanently."
He didn't answer.
"Gamekeeper," she said again, voice tight, "you've always been rational. Calculated. If you do this…"
The Gamekeeper looked at her. His eyes didn't hold their usual icy coldness. There was something behind them—burden, and maybe even… resolve.
"She's in too deep," he said. "And he is waking up."
Natalie went quiet. For a moment, the tension hung in the air. Then, her lips twitched into a smile—small, sad, maybe even resigned.
"Then I'm going too."
The technicians panicked. "No! You can't both go in! The window's closing!"
Neither of them listened.
The Gamekeeper turned to Natalie. "If we fail…"
"I know," she said. "But I'm not letting you go alone."
Together, they stepped into the simulation portal. Just as the light consumed them, the final countdown ticked down: 3… 2… 1…
SHUTDOWN INITIATED. EXTERNAL CONTROL: LOST.
The control room went still.
Natalie felt her soul being sucked as she went inside. The GAMEKEEPER on the other hand didn't feel such as he was different from Natalie.
'Listen Natalie, it seems like he has not completely woken up yet. We need to wait and watch for a while'
'Sir, are you just going to let him wake up again ?'.
'No. I won't'. The GAMEKEEPER said and left.
He didn't see Natalie's expression changing.
*Even if you could stop him from waking up, I'll never allow you do that. Never*. Natalie thought to herself as a sinister smile formed on her face.
She took out a bracelet, it was similar to that of the masked lady.
'Don't worry my lord, everything is going according to plan. Soon, Harper's soul will be yours as well '.
A dark energy surged out of the bracelet and went for another direction while Natalie laughed evily and watched it leave.
The dark energy traveled on until it reached Harper's safe house. It was as if it was peeking at her. It looked at Harper's hands and surprisingly, she was wearing the same bracelet as Natalie and the masked lady.
Luna looked at Harper and suddenly asked.
'Harper, where did you get that bracelet?'
'Oh, this. It's a friendship bracelet that I and my best friend, Aliya, made. I kept it so I can remember that someone out there in the real world still need me'.
The dark energy left the safe house and went back to Natalie.
'I'll come around.....soon'. a voice whispered from the surge.