The room trembled as the terminal emitted a low hum. A flood of golden data streams cascaded across the console, forming alien glyphs that hovered in midair like ancient spirits whispering in code. The Ascension Core spun rapidly in the background, pulses of radiant energy beating like the heart of a star.
Aiden stood frozen, eyes wide, every instinct in his body screaming that something monumental had been triggered.
[System Notification: Omega Lock detected.][Decrypting… Access level: Anomaly. Override authorized.]
"What the hell is an Omega Lock?" he muttered, stepping cautiously toward the console.
As if in response, the holographic interface shimmered and reconstructed into a vast vault-like structure. Its surface was embedded with locks—nine of them—each glowing with a distinct color. Above them, words etched in metallic flame: "Nine Locks to the Core of Everything."
Then came the voice.Not human. Not synthetic. Something… between.
"User: Aiden Ryker. Anomaly status confirmed. You now walk the path of Origin."
Aiden's breath caught.
"What does that mean?"
"You were never supposed to access this. Not at this time. But fate has ruptured the sequence."
The lights dimmed as the room collapsed into silence. Then the first lock turned.
[Omega Lock 1: UNSEALED.]
[New Protocol Unlocked: Genesis Codex.]
A Sudden Leap in Power
The moment the Genesis Codex initialized, Aiden felt like his very DNA had been rewritten. The air itself throbbed as system data seared across his interface.
[You have awakened a Proto-Skill: Chrono Echo (Lv. 1)]Temporarily replicate a skill used within the last 30 seconds. Echo duration: 10s. Cooldown: 90s.
[Stat Growth Potential has increased by 250%. Hidden attributes unlocked.]
[You are now marked by the System as a Tier-Null anomaly.]
[WARNING: You are no longer invisible to Overwatch Constructs.]
His knees buckled under the information overload. His mind strained to grasp it all, like trying to drink from a waterfall.
"This… this is too much," he whispered, panting.
"Not yet," said Seraphine, who had rushed in moments earlier. "But it will become your new normal."
She looked at the holographic locks, eyes reflecting knowledge she hadn't spoken of before.
"You've started a chain reaction," she said, voice low. "The Omega Locks are sealed backups of forbidden protocols—meant to be kept from all life forms. Even AI aren't allowed access."
"Then why do I have it?"
Seraphine didn't answer.
Instead, she looked toward the console. "We need to get out of here. Now. The Overwatch might already be converging."
The Overwatch Arrives
Thirty minutes later, they were on a broken skyrail shooting through the megacity's underbelly—shadows cast by shattered towers rolling past them like ghosts.
Suddenly, Aiden's interface screamed.
[Overwatch Construct: "Vigilant Omega" approaching at Mach 1.7. ETA: 44 seconds.]
"Already?" he barked.
"Of course," Seraphine hissed. "You just tore open a level-zero protocol. They'll come like bloodhounds on fresh meat."
"What is a Vigilant Omega?"
"Imagine if the system had a bounty hunter that couldn't be reasoned with, bribed, or outrun."
Aiden gritted his teeth. "Can it be fought?"
"No. But maybe… misled."
Seraphine reached into her inventory, pulling out a flickering data shard. "Take this. Route your signal through a decoy. It might fool it for thirty seconds."
[Item Acquired: Signal Phantom.]Creates a false signal at a targeted location. Duration: 30s. Single use.
[Warning: Overwatch constructs can adapt to illusions over repeated exposure.]
They dove into a collapsed tunnel just as a blinding beam of energy scorched the space behind them. The Vigilant Omega appeared—no wings, no face, just a floating monolith of obsidian covered in geometric runes, emitting a droning mechanical hum.
"DROP THE SHARD!" Seraphine screamed.
Aiden hurled it toward the opposite corridor. In an instant, the Construct followed—warping space around it as it disappeared in a sonic pulse.
They didn't wait to celebrate.
They ran.
Inside the Genesis Codex
Back at a temporary hideout in an abandoned sub-tier warehouse, Aiden finally had a chance to explore what the Genesis Codex had done to him.
He opened his interface. A new tab pulsed at the corner.
[Genesis Codex Interface: Accessing…]
Inside was a library of skills—but unlike normal ones, each was greyed out, labeled:
[Locked: Requires Omega Lock 2 to 9.][Warning: Skill integrity unstable without full protocol.]
Still, two things stood out.
Chrono Echo – The skill he'd just unlocked.
Core Trait: Adaptation Engine (Dormant)
"What's this Adaptation Engine?"
[Core Trait: Adaptation Engine]Allows user to evolve skills through repeated usage, exposure to enemy powers, or high-stress scenarios. Locked until Omega Lock 3 is unsealed.
*[Note: This function mimics the evolutionary feedback loop of Apex Entities. Handle with caution.]
Aiden leaned back, mind whirling.
"I'm not just leveling up anymore," he said quietly. "I'm changing."
The Whispering Vault
That night, Aiden had a dream—or maybe a vision.
He stood in a vast obsidian desert, stars swirling above him in unnatural patterns. A structure loomed before him—a door of gears and wires, whispering in a voice that wasn't language but understanding.
"When the ninth lock breaks, the Origin awakens."
He reached out to touch the door.
A symbol burned into his palm.
[You have been marked by the Whispering Vault.]Future content tied to Omega Lock 9. Access denied until Protocol Seal is lifted.
The Others Who Seek the Locks
The next morning, Seraphine's expression was grim.
"You're not the only one the Omega Protocols whispered to."
She slid a digital profile across the table. A rogue's gallery of names and faces appeared—each marked "High Threat."
Drake Vorn – Former Guildmaster of the Crimson Covenant, declared rogue after uploading a god-tier AI into his body.
Lilith Vex – Reality Hacker. Rumored to bend system code through sheer willpower.
Tyrin Sol – Labeled a World-Ender. Destroyed two planets during the Fracture Wars. Now missing.
Each of them, like Aiden, had triggered or approached Omega-level events.
"They'll come for the locks," Seraphine warned. "Some will want to seal them forever. Others will want to control them. And some… want to become gods."
Aiden stared at the names.
"So what does that make me?"
She paused.
"An anomaly that might tip the balance."