Monday – Two Days After Regionals
The emails came first.
Then the untraceable calls.
Then the box.
Delivered to Roosevelt High's front office in a sleek, silver case—no address, no name.
Just a holographic seal that read: "Ascend."
Coach Brown summoned Ethan to the office, the box resting on the desk like a live grenade.
"You know anything about this?"
"No," Ethan lied.
He touched the seal.
The box clicked open.
Inside: A headset—polished chrome, razor-thin. A single flash drive.
And a card.
"You've proven yourself.
You've breached the system.
Now step into the arena that makes the rules."
– Ascension League Control Unit
That Night — Ethan's Room
Micah, Devon, and Zaire sat silently as Ethan plugged in the flash drive.
A login screen flickered.
WELCOME TO ASCENSION LEAGUE
Access Level: Candidate
Overview:
Top 16 system-enhanced youth coaches and players globally
Invitation-only
No age restriction
Operated independently of all athletic associations
Overseen by Sentinel and affiliates
Rewards:
Unlimited system upgrades
Legal immunity from regional violations
Direct mentorship from Tier 0 AI architects
"True Ascension" — access to the Synapse Core
Devon leaned forward.
"Synapse Core? That's not just high-tier software. That's Sentinel's origin AI."
Micah added, "They're not just recruiting. They're selecting rulers. People to control what basketball becomes."
Zaire muttered, "So what, they turning hoops into cyber chess?"
"No," Ethan said. "They're turning it into dominion."
The system pinged:
[DO YOU ACCEPT YOUR CANDIDACY?]
[Y] [N]
Ethan didn't click anything.
Not yet.
Because attached to the interface was something else.
LIVE FOOTAGE: Ascension League Match 1 — Cairo Division
Two teams.
One player collapsed at halfcourt—eyes rolled back, twitching. A medic rushed in.
Micah flinched. "What the hell—?"
Devon muted the video. "They're overriding human limits. Pushing the systems into the brain's cortex."
Zaire looked away. "This ain't basketball anymore."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"But I need to see it. I need to understand what they're building."
Tuesday — Roosevelt Practice
Coach Brown pulled Ethan aside.
"You're wanted at the district office."
Ethan kept his face calm.
"You getting pressure?"
"They think you're involved in something... off-record. Sentinel's been talking to league officials. They want to know where your plays come from."
Ethan looked him in the eyes.
"They come from vision. That illegal?"
Coach Brown sighed.
"No. But it's becoming dangerous."
He handed Ethan a folded note.
"They won't stop, Ethan.
But maybe it's time you stop hiding."
– Coach
That Night — The Choice
GhostPlay's interface was silent.
Almost hesitant.
Like it knew this was the crossroads.
Ethan activated System Mirror Mode—a function to analyze consequences before action.
[Mirror Mode Scenario: Accept Ascension League Invite]
Projected Outcomes:
– Exposure to Tier 0 Systems
– Compromise of GhostPlay code integrity (87%)
– Chance to dismantle Ascension League from inside (18%)
– Risk of identity corruption: HIGH
[Mirror Mode Scenario: Decline Invite]
– Avoidance of Sentinel influence
– Limited access to opponent tech
– Escalated targeting by Ascension operatives (94%)
– GhostPlay survival: Medium
Devon's voice rang in the headset.
"We can ghost your profile. Accept the invite with a false ID. Let you infiltrate without losing GhostPlay."
Micah nodded. "Go in. Gather info. Pull the plug from inside."
Zaire added, "And if they catch you?"
Ethan didn't answer.
He clicked [Y].
ACCEPTED. Welcome to Ascension League.
Codename: "Architect X."
Ghost Identity Secured.
Wednesday — Digital Drop Point
Ethan slipped on the headset.
It wrapped around his temples, whisper-light, and the world melted.
A digital colosseum unfolded.
16 avatars.
Some real.
Some not.
He recognized three instantly.
Nova — Sentinel Proxy from Cathedral Charter
Lila Morrigan — The girl from the Vault. She was alive
"KojiX" — An unknown name, but something about his movement screamed true system-born
"WELCOME, ARCHITECTS OF THE FUTURE."
A digital voice filled the void.
"You are the chosen few. The ones whose minds can rewrite how the world competes.
You will be tested. Digitally. Physically. Morally.
The winner of the Ascension League becomes more than a coach.
They become the Standard."
Lila's avatar turned and stared directly at Ethan.
Her voice pinged through a private channel.
"If you're really Cruz… don't trust any of them. They're watching your mind through the system's thoughts. They know you're not clean."
"But I'm here too. And I'm not theirs anymore."
Ethan sent one message back.
"Let's blow it all up."
Later That Night — GhostPlay Core
Back in reality, Ethan sat in front of the flickering GhostPlay dashboard.
Micah, Devon, and Zaire surrounded him.
"You're really in?" Devon asked.
Ethan nodded. "And Lila's alive. She's inside. But she's fighting."
Micah exhaled. "So what's next?"
Ethan tapped on a blank template.
"Next, we build a virus. Something that can ride GhostPlay into Ascension, spread across their servers, and tear the whole damn thing down."
Devon's jaw dropped. "That's digital suicide."
"Only if we lose."
[NEW QUESTLINE UNLOCKED: ASCENSION WAR]
Phase 1: Infiltrate
Phase 2: Trace Sentinel Root Code
Phase 3: Infect with GhostStorm
Objective: End Ascension League from within
Risk: Total system collapse
Reward: Rewrite the rules of basketball. Permanently.