Ascension: Shadow Protocol

Chapter 7: The First Assimilation

Location: Suna Research Dome – Sector 11 Ruins

Concrete cracked under Ryo's boots as he stepped into the long-abandoned facility. Ivy had reclaimed the halls, tech panels glitched with age, and something about the air—it felt wrong.

The Shadow Protocol pulsed faintly beneath his skin.A whisper in his ear, not of words, but intent:

Assimilate. Adapt. Ascend.

The deeper he went, the more the world corrupted around him.

Flashback – Echo Vision Triggered

As his fingers brushed an old ID panel, static lanced through his skull.

A girl. Crying.A name tag: "Dr. Ayaka Kazen."A voice shouting: "He's not stable—pull the plug—"Screams. Then silence.

He snapped back.

"Ayaka…?"His mother?

The name sent a spike through his heart—but the pain was short-lived.

The system had other plans.

Shadow Protocol Alert

New Function Detected: [Echo Assimilation]Description: Absorb remnants of corrupted code and biological memory to evolve Protocol.Current Host Sync: 51%

Deeper into the Dome

The corridors grew darker. More... alive.

Veins of corrupted metal crawled across the walls, pulsing faintly.

A growl echoed through the vents. Not human. Not entirely beast.

Ryo reached for the dagger Vex had given him—an old carbon blade embedded with nano-fiber.

Then a sudden crash.

And from the shadows crawled a twisted humanoid — flesh fused with machine, one eye glowing red, jaw unhinged and leaking data mist.

Name: Failed Subject-38Class: Mutated Protocol HostStatus: Aggressive

Combat Initiated

Ryo activated [Shadow Merge].

He phased through the monster's lunge, reappearing behind it and slashing at the exposed data port at the base of its neck.

The monster shrieked.

But it wasn't down.

It spun, claws catching Ryo's shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the floor.

Pain seared—but something inside him clicked.

[Shadow Protocol: Emergency Evolution Triggered]New Skill Unlocked: [Data Drain – Lv. 1]Description: Absorb enemy Protocol fragments to restore health and gain skill XP.

Eyes burning with black flame, Ryo drove his dagger into Subject-38's core.

A rush of raw code flowed into him.

His wound stitched itself. His heartbeat slowed.

And as the creature let out a final wail, it crumbled into fragments of broken data.

Shadow Protocol Update

[Data Drain – Lv. 2]

10% Health Recovery Boost

Target Memory Fragment Retrieved: "Subject-38: Resistance Logs"

Core Code Absorbed

Memory Fragment Accessed

"They said we were experiments. But we were more. Weapons. Sleeper agents. And there was… a boy. RK-09. He didn't scream like the others. He absorbed it. Like a void."

Ryo's breath caught.

"RK-09… that's me."

Moments Later – Inner Chamber

A glowing pod stood untouched in the center of the room.

On the screen: "PROJECT OBSIDIAN: UNIT INACTIVE — READY FOR ASSIMILATION."

The voice of the Protocol whispered again.

Unlock. Bond. Evolve.

Ryo hesitated.

Then stepped forward and placed his hand against the glass.

The pod hissed, opened—

—and a surge of black data swarmed into his arm, flooding his body.

[Assimilation Complete]

Core Bonus: +20% Protocol EfficiencyNew Ability Unlocked: [Shadow Clone – Lv. 1]Create a duplicate formed from data and shadow. Lasts 6 seconds.Cooldown: 2 minutes.

Final Log Detected

"To the one who inherits this: if you're reading this… it means the Protocol chose you. You are the future weapon. The world will not understand you. It will try to destroy you. But you are not meant to serve it. You are meant to reshape it."

—Dr. Ayaka Kazen

Tears welled in Ryo's eyes.

He whispered, "Mom…?"

But there was no response.

Only the hum of the dome.

Only the weight of what he had become.

Shadow Protocol Notice

"You have taken your first step toward Ascension."Next Destination: Sector 7 — The Protocol Black Market.Mission Unlocked: [Track the Other Survivors]

As he walked out of the ruined dome, black wind swirling at his heels, Ryo Kazen wasn't just a hunter anymore.

He was becoming a legend in the making.

"I will find out everything… and if this power wants war——I'll give it one."

End of Chapter 7