The darkness moved with purpose.
Not rushing.
Not roaring.
Watching.
Aiden felt it in his bones—the pressure he'd felt back on the lower floors, the same cold certainty that something was measuring him.
Five sets of eyes opened in the shadows.
Not red.
Not frantic.
Calm.
The silver-haired woman whispered, "Those aren't failed ones…"
Figures stepped into the dim light.
Humans.
Whole.
Armor clean. Weapons maintained.
Their rank tags glowed faintly.
C-4
C-6
C-7
C-8
C-10
Aiden's stomach tightened.
High C-ranks.
All provisionals.
All survivors.
And none of them looked surprised to see a dead Brute.
The one in front—tall, broad-shouldered—tilted his head.
"So," he said calmly, "you're the anomaly."
Aiden straightened. Pain screamed—but he stayed upright.
"Depends who's asking."
The man smiled thinly. "Name's Varek. We've been watching you."
The silver-haired woman stiffened. "Watching?"
Varek nodded. "The way you move. The way the monsters hesitate."
His gaze flicked to Aiden's chest.
"That mark. That's not System-issued."
Aiden didn't deny it.
Varek continued, "Sector Black has one rule—adapt or die."
He gestured to the dead Brute.
"You just taught it something valuable."
Aiden's jaw tightened. "You could've helped."
Varek shrugged. "We wanted to see if you were worth helping."
The System flickered.
[WARNING: MULTIPLE HOSTILE INTENTS DETECTED]
Aiden felt it too.
These weren't allies.
They were predators.
The silver-haired woman rose slowly, flames flickering weakly around her hands. "You want the kill credit?"
Varek laughed softly. "Credit? No."
He took a step forward.
"We want control."
The others spread out, circling.
Aiden shifted his stance—subtle, defensive.
"Control of what?" he asked.
Varek's eyes gleamed.
"Sector Black."
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"So you're running the prison."
"Someone has to," Varek said. "And anomalies like you?"
He smiled wider.
"They're either assets… or threats."
The System chimed, sharp.
[NOTICE: USER BEING EVALUATED BY NON-SYSTEM FACTION]
Aiden's muscles tensed.
He glanced at the injured C-9, then at the exhausted woman beside him.
Five against two-and-a-half.
Bad odds.
Varek stopped three meters away.
"Kneel," he said calmly. "Swear obedience. We'll protect you."
Aiden laughed.
Actually laughed.
"You watched me fight a Ranker," he said. "You watched me get marked by a Warden."
He lifted his chin.
"And you think I kneel?"
The mark on his chest pulsed.
The air vibrated.
Varek's smile faded.
"…So be it."
The five moved at once.
Aiden stepped forward.
"Stay behind me," he told the woman quietly.
She hesitated.
Then obeyed.
The System whispered, almost curious:
[COMBAT SCENARIO: UNAUTHORIZED FACTION]
[OUTCOME PREDICTION: UNSTABLE]
Aiden's grin turned sharp.
"Good."
The first attacker lunged—
—and the mark burned.