I Got a Notification on my Laptop and Got Legendary Powers

The group found refuge in a secluded grove on the outskirts of the molten realm, where the oppressive heat gave way to the cool embrace of twilight. The crystalline shard—the first key—rested in the center of a makeshift circle they had formed, its faint glow casting eerie reflections on their faces.

Arjun knelt beside it, running a scanner from his system interface. "It's emitting low-frequency pulses, almost like a beacon. We need to figure out what it's transmitting before we bring it anywhere near a hub."

Yumi frowned. "Could it be signaling Azrael?"

Arjun's expression was grim. "That's the most likely explanation. We've taken a piece of his puzzle, and he knows it. The notification about Enforcer 02 awakening wasn't a coincidence."

Eli leaned back against a tree, his arms crossed. "Great. So now we're playing cat and mouse with Azrael's elite henchmen. Remind me again why we signed up for this?"

Yumi shot him a glare. "Because doing nothing means letting him win. If you're too tired to keep going, feel free to quit."

"Whoa, easy, captain," Eli said with a smirk, though his voice lacked its usual sharpness. "I'm in this as much as you are. Just saying, we need a plan that doesn't involve us getting steamrolled by Azrael's enforcers."

Arjun finished his analysis and stood up. "The shard isn't just a key—it's also a data repository. There's encrypted information buried inside, and it's not just system logs. This is… personal."

"Personal?" Yumi asked, tilting her head.

Arjun hesitated before answering. "It's a memory. A fragment of whoever—or whatever—the Enforcer was before Azrael turned them into his weapon."

Arjun connected the shard to his interface, projecting a swirling array of images into the air. They were fragmented and disjointed, like shattered pieces of a mirror struggling to form a cohesive reflection.

The first image was of a woman standing in a lush forest, her face obscured by shadows. She wore a long coat, her posture commanding yet melancholic. The next fragment showed her kneeling before a shimmering portal, her hands pressed against the ground as if in surrender.

Yumi studied the projection, her analytical mind racing. "She was a player," she murmured. "She wasn't always an enforcer."

Eli leaned forward, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "So Azrael isn't just creating enforcers—he's twisting players into them. Turning them into… echoes."

Arjun nodded. "It's worse than that. The shard's data suggests that these transformations aren't voluntary. Azrael finds players who've reached their breaking point, those who've lost everything, and offers them 'salvation.' But it's a lie. He erases their identities and rebuilds them as extensions of his will."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Yumi clenched her fists. "We have to stop him. Whatever it takes."

Eli looked at her, his smirk replaced by a rare sincerity. "You don't have to convince me. But stopping him means we'll have to face people like her. People who might've been just like us once."

Arjun's voice was quiet. "Then we'll need to be ready—not just to fight, but to make choices we might not like. If there's even a chance we can save them, we have to try."

Their next destination was a desolate expanse known as the Glass Wastes, where jagged, crystalline structures jutted from the ground like the bones of some ancient beast. The air was sharp and cold, the landscape bathed in an unnatural, pale light.

The group moved cautiously, their senses heightened. The closer they got to the center of the wastes, the more they felt the presence of something watching them.

Eli stopped suddenly, holding up a hand. "We're not alone."

The air shimmered, and a figure emerged from the shadows. She was tall and imposing, her coat flowing behind her like liquid darkness. Her face was partially obscured by a crystalline mask, but her glowing eyes burned with a cold intensity.

System Alert: Enforcer 02 Detected.

The enforcer's voice was low and resonant, carrying a weight that seemed to echo through the very fabric of the realm. "You carry what does not belong to you. Return it, and I may grant you mercy."

Yumi stepped forward, her stance defiant. "You were a player once. Don't you remember who you were? What Azrael did to you?"

The enforcer tilted her head, as if considering Yumi's words. But when she spoke again, her tone was devoid of emotion. "The past is irrelevant. Only the Architect's vision matters now."

Before anyone could react, the enforcer attacked.

The fight was unlike anything they'd faced before. The enforcer moved with a fluid grace that made her almost impossible to track. Her attacks were precise and devastating, each strike aimed to exploit their weaknesses.

Arjun focused on defense, using his energy shields to protect the group from her relentless assault. Yumi analyzed her movements, searching for a pattern or a vulnerability. Eli, meanwhile, relied on his agility, darting in and out of range to distract her.

But the enforcer was relentless.

"Her moves are too calculated," Yumi said through gritted teeth. "It's like she knows what we're going to do before we do it."

"She's reading us," Arjun said. "Her connection to the system gives her an edge."

Eli dodged another attack, his breaths coming in short gasps. "Then we need to break the connection. Take away her advantage."

Yumi's eyes widened as an idea formed. "The shard! If it's tied to her memories, it might also be tied to her control system. If we can use it against her…"

"Big 'if,'" Eli muttered, narrowly avoiding a sweep of the enforcer's blade.

Arjun nodded. "I'll create an opening. You two figure out the rest."

With a burst of energy, Arjun launched a blinding attack, forcing the enforcer to retreat momentarily. Yumi seized the opportunity, activating the shard and directing its energy toward the enforcer.

The reaction was immediate. The enforcer froze mid-attack, her body trembling as the shard's light enveloped her.

"Stop…" she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time.

For a brief moment, the mask cracked, revealing a glimpse of the woman beneath.

Eli stepped forward cautiously. "We can help you. You don't have to be his pawn anymore."

But the moment passed as quickly as it came. The enforcer let out a cry, her form dissolving into shards of light. The team was left standing in the silence of the Glass Wastes, the shard now glowing brighter than before.

Yumi knelt, clutching the shard. "We almost reached her."

Arjun placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get another chance. But for now, we need to keep moving."

Eli glanced at the horizon, where another storm brewed in the distance. "Yeah, because something tells me Azrael's not going to take this lying down."