System: Sins of the Dead

We stepped through the burnt archway into Layer 5…

And the world changed.

It looked like a grand auction house, but wrong.

The walls were stitched with contracts—millions of them.

The chandeliers dripped molten gold.

And the air reeked of sulfur, perfume, and desperation.

At the center of the hall, atop a massive stone platform—

A man waited.

His back was turned.

But I already knew.

Before he spoke.

Before he moved.

> He looked exactly like me.

---

> [WELCOME TO LAYER 5 – THE HALL OF BARGAINS]

System Subdomain: Sin Economy Nexus

Core Rule: Every gain comes at a moral cost

Path Status: Diverging

Caution: Entities here offer power for pieces of self.

---

Harper and Adrian froze beside me.

Adrian whispered, "Is that—?"

"Me," I finished. "Or something pretending to be."

The figure turned slowly.

He wore a perfect black suit.

Gold cufflinks.

His hair was slicked back.

And his smile?

Exactly mine.

But the eyes were hollow.

Too wide.

Too bright.

Like they'd seen everything I tried to forget.

---

"Welcome, Kai," he said warmly.

Voice calm.

Friendly.

Deadly.

"I've been watching your descent. It's… entertaining."

He stepped down from the platform, clapping once.

All around us, others appeared.

Buyers.

Sellers.

Specters of sin and shame, wrapped in flesh suits and old skin.

Each of them holding contracts.

---

> [NEW ENTITY IDENTIFIED: "THE MIRRORED DEVIL"]

Alias: "Smile"

Tier: Unknown

Function: Host of the Sin Market

Behavior: Transactional. Never lies. Never gives anything for free.

Origin: [REDACTED – SEED MATCH DETECTED]

Danger Level: ??? (Path Alteration Threat)

---

He spread his arms. "You've done well, Kai. So I'll make you an offer."

"Not interested."

He chuckled.

"You haven't even heard the price."

---

He raised a hand, and a contract floated toward me.

Gold ink. Black paper. Burning faintly.

At the top:

> OFFER: COMPLETE SYSTEM CONTROL ACCESS

Includes: – Path Override Key

– Ability Creation License

– Sin Immunity (Temporary)

– Resurrection Token x1

Beneath that, the cost:

> PRICE: One Name. One Memory. One Bond.

---

I stared at the contract.

Then at Harper.

Then at Adrian.

He was asking me to give something up to gain control over the very system that enslaved me.

---

"You think I'd make that trade?"

He didn't blink.

"You already have. Many times. You just didn't have the paperwork back then."

He snapped.

And dozens of old contracts floated down from the ceiling.

Each one with my signature.

Each one tied to a moment.

---

> "You walked away when Emily needed you."

"You chose silence instead of confrontation."

"You ignored Harper's warning back in Layer 2."

"You gave up your guilt to survive."

---

"Those were survival," I said coldly.

Smile tilted his head.

"No. Those were bargains. The only question is whether you'll keep paying… or collecting."

---

The System buzzed faintly.

> [MORAL DECISION PENDING – CONTRACT OF POWER]

Decline: Path stabilizes, favor drops

Accept: Path fragments, favor rises, sin unlocks

> Warning: Harper and Adrian's memory integrity may be affected by your choice.

---

I took a breath.

And then… I tore the contract in half.

---

The entire hall shuddered.

Smile didn't flinch.

He just looked… intrigued.

"Well," he said, "that was unexpected."

The shadows behind him shifted.

Whispers rose.

One voice—sharp, serpentine:

> "He's not ready yet."

Another—familiar.

Feminine.

> "Let him try. Let him remember who planted us."

---

Smile turned to me again.

"One more gift then, before you go."

He tossed something.

I caught it.

A silver key.

Cool. Heavy.

Etched with a single word:

> "ROOT."

---

> [ITEM ACQUIRED: ROOT KEY – UNLOCKS SYSTEM MEMORY BRANCHES]

Warning: Using this may initiate system collapse or rebirth.

You are not authorized. But you are… remembered.

---

I looked up.

Smile was gone.

The buyers and sellers gone.

Only the burning chandelier remained.

And a door—black and red—opened slowly before us.

---

> "Where does that go?" Adrian asked.

Harper looked pale. "To the heart."

I nodded.

And we stepped through.

---

[TRANSITIONING TO LAYER 6 – THE SINKING SANCTUARY]

> "Where the system remembers what you forgot."