CODE. (only the dead escape)

*****HARPER

THUD!

My back hit the wall as two of the masked lady's men came at me from either side. I ducked just in time, letting one crash into the other. Grabbing a broken piece of metal from the floor, I swung hard, catching one square in the jaw. He stumbled and dropped.

The second man lunged, but I spun low, using my foot to sweep him off balance. He grabbed at my shirt as he fell, but I yanked myself free and rammed my elbow into his neck.

*Chris?*

Three more were rushing down the hallway. I ran.

*Chris? What's going on? Are you there?* I tried to talk to Chris, but no answer.

The corridors were a maze—dimly lit, with strange humming from the walls like the building itself was alive. I turned a corner, heart pounding, breath short, when I saw it:

A heavy metal door with biometric locks—but already open.

Inside: bunk beds. Soft crying. Shadows shifting.

Children. Dozens of them.

I've got to help them.

I bursted in. "It's okay! I'm here to help!"

The kids stared, wide-eyed, frightened—but one brave girl stepped forward. "Are you... the lady from the letter?"

I blinked. "What letter?"

But there was no time.

Where is Sophie?

A scream erupted from behind.

I turned just in time to see a tall guard grab Sophie and bolt toward the rear exit.

"No!"

I tried to run after him, but two more guards leapt in my way. One grabbed me from behind. I elbowed him sharply and twisted free, slamming my foot into the second's chest.

"Come on!" I shouted, tossing a small transmitter from my pocket onto the ground. It flashed green.

Emergency Beacon Activated

"I need backup! Now!"

***

Far away, Uncle Mark's device buzzed—he immediately knew what it meant.

Samantha was nervous.

'I've got a signal.from her!'

'Oh thank goodness she's safe. I hope she has found our daughter '

'More than that, I hope she is safe'

'Really Mark? What about our daughter? You don't care?'

'What do you mean Samantha? Have you forgotten that Harper is also someone's daughter? She's risking her life to save our daughter '

'I know mark but is that not her job?'

'What? You're changing Samantha. You better stop thinking this way'

'Okay. I've heard you. Just go and get our daughter, please '

Mark decided not to argue with her anymore and left.

***

I was looking for an exit to get the children to safely buy couldn't find any. The masked girl will be here at any moment.

*I've figured out a lot of things Chris*

*Like what?*

*That masked lady is the mayor's daughter*

*Okay?*

*Since she's the mayor's daughter, she's also involved in project Eden with her father. Her father has been doing this for a long time now which means, my father knows all his secrets. It is highly possible that the mayor is behind my father's death*

*You're right. It was quite obvious you know*

*We can't be too sure about it but If truly he's the one, then I won't spare him*

*That's good but we gotta figure a way to get out of here*

*Yeah but how?*

One of the older boys ran forward. "There's a secret exit that way!"

" Oh, okay. I'll cover you. Take the others and go!"

"Come with us!" He shouted, scared.

"I'll follow—GO!"

As the children started moving, I fought my way back down the hall, chasing Sophie's captor. I could still hear the man's boots echoing ahead.

And then—

A low hum.

A flickering wall.

A strange wind curling around my feet like smoke.

"What—?"

The floor beneath me glowed with strange symbols— I tried to back away, but it was too late.

With a bright flash and a strange, sucking pull, the corridor vanished.

The air went cold.

Everything twisted.

When I opened my eyes...

I was no longer in the hideout.

Just darkness.

Mist. Strange trees that didn't look like trees. The sky was cracked like broken glass above me.

I staggered up, dazed, heart pounding.

My voice barely came out.

"…Where am I?"

******

INSIDE THE MASKED REALM

Chris finally spoke after a long silence, his voice softer than usual.

"Harper? Can you hear me now?"

"Chris! You scared me. Where were you?"

"Sorry. I got kicked out the moment you got pulled into this place. I just managed to reconnect. And… Harper… this isn't just some glitch. You're in another player's world. A level six player's world."

"Level six?! Chris, I'm still level one!"

A glowing screen flickered before me in the misty darkness, forming distorted letters that stabilized into a message:

REALM ACCESS GRANTED — WELCOME TO: PLAYER 'NOCTIS' REALM

A hazy image of the masked girl appeared beside the text — her cold eyes now closed, but her expression peaceful.

"That's her. The masked girl. This realm belongs to her. And…"

"…this is another test."

"What kind of twisted test is this?"

The world around me shimmered like glass, revealing a younger version of the masked girl — maybe ten years old — dancing barefoot through a wildflower field with a kind-looking old woman.

"Her name was Lyra. She used to live with her grandmother. They were poor. She applied to CODE, thinking she'd be given work. Instead… they took her."

"…And turned her into a killer.". I whispered unknowningly.

---

CODE HEADQUARTERS — MAIN SERVER ROOM

The air was thick with warning sirens and red blinking lights. Natalie, the Gamekeeper's assistant, was furiously typing on a translucent screen, her hands trembling.

"Sir! The system—it's rerouting itself. Harper's path has been hijacked. She's accessing the masked player's realm… but she's still level one! This shouldn't even be possible!"

The entire control floor was in chaos, technicians yelling over each other. Panels displayed Harper's stats, corrupted mission paths, and flashing warnings like "PLAYER PATH UNAUTHORIZED" and "SYSTEM AUTONOMY BREACH".

Then came silence.

The Gamekeeper entered the room. He had his mask on.

Everyone froze. Even the blinking alarms seemed to dim in his presence. Tall, cloaked in dark sapphire robes with glowing patterns across his sleeves, the Gamekeeper—Lord Kaelith—was quiet, his expression unreadable.

"My lord… what are your orders? Should we pull her out? Reset the mission?"

He spoke calmly. "No."

"…No?"

"Let it play out."

Natalie was surprised.

*I can't believe even in this situation, he is still supporting her. My plan with the masked girl was a complete flop*

"But she's—she's not supposed to go through this! It's rewriting the game's boundaries. You said humans were tools, so why—"

Kaelith turned slightly. His golden eyes flashed with cold fire.

"Because… the system chose her. And for the first time…"

"…I want to see why."