2025-04-13 16:50:00CHAPTER 9 - A Courtless Court
The light around Ethan forms a large circle, like an endless giant bracelet. He stood in a strange dimension - without heaven, without true land, but felt real. The sound of his heart echoed in all directions, as if this room was beating with him.
In front of him, his own shadow stood tall. His darker version. Cold gaze, bent smile, and a gaze that was not just judgmental, but hostile.
"Welcome to the court without time," said the figure, his voice echoed like two votes at the same time - Ethan, and ... something much older.
Ethan stepped forward. "Is this a kind of test from fragments?"
The shadow turned to the sky-which suddenly opened to display the memories of Ethan.
Pieces of time flashed: When he woke up at Division X headquarters, when he first wore Codex gloves, when Juno smiled for the first time, and ... when he almost killed someone in Trance's condition unconsciously.
"Not a test. This is a judgment," said the figure again. "The third fragment is not just a trigger for strength. He opens all the doors you have closed. Including the part of you you throw away."
Ethan gritted his teeth. "I'm not you."
"Precisely that's why you're weak."
Instantly the shadow of Ethan raised his hand. Black light exploded from his palm, forming a throbbing energy sword like veins. Without warning, he dashed attacking.
Sraak!
Ethan parried with Codex gloves - the time of the energy field formed, protecting it. But the vibration is extraordinary. Every slash not only attacks the body, but also cuts memories.
The voices of the past hit his mind.
"You are nobody, Ethan."
"If he fails, we just throw it away."
"You failed the project."
"Kill him before he betrayed us."
All whispers came from the past - from scientists who treated it like objects. From the experiment that seized his identity. From the wound that has not healed.
Ethan was pushed backwards, his knees touched the floor of the light.
The shadow of Ethan approached, slowly, looked down like a lion that kissed the blood. "You're still scared. That's why I exist."
Ethan closed his eyes.
He remembered Lucille. The gaze of trusting the girl. Dante's voice remained firm even though the world was collapsed. Juno who never left him. And ... he himself never stopped asking: "Who am I really?"
His eyes opened again.
The blue light was burning from the gloves - but now it is not just a protector. It forms a complicated pattern, turning into a short bar that vibrates gently in the air.
Codex sword.
"If I have to fight to remain me, then let's finish this."
They fight.
Slash after slash breaking air. Metal sounds and shouting energy, creating a ray explosion between them. Every collision is not just a physical duel, but a fighting life.
Ethan's shadow began to lose shape. His body trembled, his face cracked like a mirror.
But he laughed.
"You think that if you win here, everything will be finished?" he hissed.
Ethan held his breath. "At least I will remain standing as me."
One last slash hit the core of the shadow.
Braak !!
The shadow of Ethan was destroyed into thousands of fragments of light. But in the midst of the vortex, a symbol appeared - a triangular codex with three lines dividing it.
Ethan reached out and touched it.
His body was lifted. Light covers him. And everything turns dark.
---
When he opened his eyes, Ethan was back in the hallway under zone 0. His body was lying, dust flying. The vague alarm sound was heard in the distance.
Beside him, Alex Miro trembled in fear. His hand was holding a metal suitcase, but his expression was empty. He seemed to see the Angel of Death.
Lucille ran from the end of the hall, her face was filled with worries. "Ethan!"
Ethan rose slowly, his body felt lighter but denser. His gloves now have new carvings. The third fragment has been integrated.
He turned to Alex. "Do you realize what have you done?"
Alex just muttered, "He ... he talked to me. He said you would end us all ... that you are the door to disaster."
Lucille took a deep breath. "He was exposed. We must take him to quarantine."
Ethan nodded. But before they left, he looked back into the quiet hallway.
Something changed in him. Fragment is not only strength, but also a mirror. And the mirror has shown that the monster he fearing, could have grown behind his own mind.
----
The night air felt heavy when Ethan stood on the balcony of Division X. Headquarters. Neon Light City bounced on his face, leaving a fragile silhouette in the middle of a sparkling shadow. Three fragments have been fused in him, but empty even deeper. As if every piece of power carrying one part of his soul away from his old him.
"According to intelligence reports, the fourth fragment is in the ruins of Dena City," Dante said from behind, her voice was low but full of pressure.
Ethan turned slowly. "The city of Dena? But wasn't the area drowned twenty years ago?"
Lucille entered the balcony, carrying a data tablet. "Sinking, yes. But not lost. In the satellite report, we capture energy signals similar to the codex fragments pattern. The source is detected 120 meters below the water level."
"And are you sure it's not a trap?" Ethan looked at him sharply.
Lucille returned his gaze. "No. But we have no other choice. The fourth fragment has the most unstable synchronization pattern. If taken by the wrong party."
"The world will collapse before the fifth fragment is found," interrupted Dante coldly.
Ethan nodded slowly. His mind still played events in zone 0. About his shadow, about the voices from the past that he could not leave. But time does not take sides with those who are uncertain.
"I will go tonight," he finally.
---
The Stealth Division X submarine slides below sea level like ghosts. Lucille sat in the navigator chair, focus on the three -dimensional map. Ethan beside him, wearing a protective armor that is adjusted to deep sea pressure. On his back, Codex gloves integrates with a new module, the results of the analysis of the third fragment.
"The heart of the city of Dena used to be a spatial-time engineering experiment," Lucille explained while typing. "If the fourth fragment is there, we may not only face unstable terrain ... but also the distortion of reality."
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Codex of the Forgotten CHAPTER 10 - NULLOS, LIFE FRAGMENT
CHAPTER 10 - NULLOS, LIFE FRAGMENTEthan looked at the small screen on his wrist. The focused fragment sensor moves - signs that they are getting closer. Suddenly the submarine shook violently. KRRAAAK! Alarm lit red. "There is an anomaly wave!" shouted Lucille. "The energy field changes - we are sucked in local gravity!"Ethan jumped from the chair. "Activate the Emergency System! We must come out now!"Within seconds, the cabin is filled with the sound of thumps and distortion. Their bodies are attracted as if swallowed by a whirlpool. The world reversed. And when Ethan opened his eyes. He stood on the streets of the city of Dena. Orange sky, tall buildings rot, vehicles froze in the air like a statue of time. Lucille's face was pale beside him, her body staggered. "This is ... not the present," he murmured. "We were withdrawn to the past of this city, before sinking."Ethan felt the pulse of fragments getting stronger. He raised his hand - Codex's hand shined unnaturally.
Codex of the Forgotten CHAPTER 1 - whisper in the middle of the city
CHAPTER 1 - whisper in the middle of the cityThe rain flushed the city in silence, like a blanket of fog that fell slowly from the gray sky. The streets were quiet, only the sound of water drops bouncing from the roofs of old concrete and street lights that flicked slowly in the middle of the night. Ethan stood under the bus stop that had begun to rust, his jacket was wet half dry, his eyes stared blankly at the road that seemed never to end. After work at night has become a routine. But tonight feels different. The cold air pierced his bones sharper, and there was something in the air that made the hair stand on his hair. He slipped his hand into his pocket, squeezing something that felt warm-a small-shaped small-shaped stone he found this afternoon between the warehouse debris where he used to deliver the goods. At that time, he just fad touched him. But since then, his ears often hear whispers. Not the voice of people, more like echoes that resonate from far and foreign places
Codex of the Forgotten Chapter 2 - Unpaired place
Codex of the ForgottenChapter 2 - Unpaired place"We were once on the same side," Dante answered flatly. "But the guard is too weak in facing the darkness that is now rising again."Lucille looked at Ethan. "And that's why we need him."Ethan shook his head quickly. "I don't know anything about war, codex, or this dark world. I can't even understand the strange dreams that have emerged since I touched this stone!""Dream?" Dante asked quickly. "What do you see?"Ethan took a deep breath, then answered slowly. "A tower ... very high, floating on the lake of fire. There are sounds ... like thousands of people pray and cry."Lucille and Dante looked at each other. "It's not a dream," Lucille whispered. "That's Codex's memory. You're looking at the forgotten historical fragments.""And the tower," added Dante, "is the fourth gate. If it is open, then this world will run out."Ethan was silent. A run out of a world? He just saved enough to pay for a rented house next month, and now he is
Codex of the Forgotten Chapter 3 - three paths and one option
Chapter 3 - three paths and one optionLucille stepped into the middle of the room, followed by Ethan and Dante. From the floor, a circle of light appears-a circle of training surrounded by protective symbols. And for the first time in his life, Ethan stepped into a world that he could no longer leave. Not as a courier. But as a key. The light in the training circle feels different. Not only light - but warm, heavy, and felt dug into Ethan's chest. The symbols on the floor throbbing like the pulse, moving following his steps. Lucille stood on the right side, her hair was tied high and her robe changed - simpler, more like a teacher than a mysterious guard. In his left hand, he held a stick from a faint black stone. Dante, still leaning against the outer wall, crosses your arms. He did not enter the circle, but his gaze was sharp, paying attention to every movement of Ethan. "You know why Codex chose you?" Lucille asked. Ethan shook his head. "Because Codex cannot be falsified
Codex of the Forgotten Chapter 4.
Chapter 4. Ethan frowned, his eyes moved between three paths. "Choose, Ethan," said Lucille. "But you know one thing - Codex will test your choice. There is no way back."Ethan closed his eyes for a moment. His breathing slowly, he recalled everything - his mother, night when he almost died in the city hallway, whispering fragments that live in his chest. He did not want to just be strong. He wants to understand ... control ... and change. "I chose the blue path," he said firmly. Lucille smiled faintly. "Wise."Instantly, the blue symbol brought brightly and penetrated Ethan's body like a fog. He gasped, his body trembled violently. Suddenly everything felt heavy and light at the same time. The voices of the surroundings were heard clearer-the wind, the vibration of the ground, even Lucille's calm heartbeat. "Welcome to the second world, Ethan," murmured Dante. "From now on, you not only read the world ... The world also starts reading back to you."---The first training session
Codex of the Forgotten CHAPTER 5 - FIRST CRACK
CHAPTER 5 - FIRST CRACK---Ethan followed, his steps were careful. Around it, the aisle lights blink. The walls are full of graffiti - a part of an inverted eye symbol, a typical sign of obscura. Suddenly, the sound of a small laugh echoed. Children? No. Not ordinary human laughter. Sounds like a distorted engine echo. Dante pulled his weapon, a short blade of a blue rune. "They know we come."From the darkness, three robbing figures emerged. But unlike the shadow in exercise, their bodies are real, layered with mild armor with radiant veins under the skin. One of them - a woman with short silver hair and black eyes like a baseless hole - forward. "Welcome, Codex heir," he said in a double echoing voice. "We've been waiting for you."Ethan strengthened the blue seal in his hand, ready to fight. But the woman raised her hand. "Not tonight's fight. Not yet. We just want to introduce ourselves."Dante emphasized his position. "Who are you?"The woman smiled a little. "My name is Ar
Codex of the Forgotten chapter 6:
chapter 6:"His fragments begin to form their own awareness. If it is not immediately stabilized, he can collapse from the inside."Dante appeared. "We must lock the fragment temporarily. Energy isolation."Lucille shook her head. "Late. The fragment is fused. Isolation will only accelerate damage."The three of them looked at each other. There is no really safe option. "I'll talk to him," Lucille finally said. "Before the fragment spoke more."---In the underground training room, Ethan stood in the middle of the simulation field, his eyes focused on the holographic target. He attacked endlessly, diverting his mind from the whispers. But .... The sound is still there. "Why are you fighting?""Because I'm still a human!" Ethan shouted. Suddenly, the simulation exploded from the inside. Not in accordance with the program. Dante and Lucille who watched from the outside immediately sounded the alarm. Ethan fell on his knees in the middle of a damaged terrain. The red light from its
Codex of the Forgotten Chapter 7 - Ghost of the Highest Orbit
Chapter 7 - Ghost of the Highest OrbitBefore Ethan had asked, the whole room began to vibrate. From the back wall, a half -machine human figure appeared - red, his right arm was replaced by a plasma rotating weapon. He spoke in an unknown language. But Ethan understood it. "You ... not chosen.""You're not just chosen," he repeated. After that the fight broke out. Fragment guard attacks at lightning speed. Lucille held a shot with an energy protector, while Ethan avoided and tried to use resonance to lock the opponent. "He's part of the old system!" exclaimed Lucille. "It can only be stopped if the fragment is subject to you!"Ethan closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, he spoke to the second fragment. 'If you can hear .... I'm not your enemy. I'm not a sealing. I ... new hope guard. 'The fragment sighed, then blended in the blue and green pulse in his hand. Ethan opened his eyes. The light on his body was burning, and in one movement he threw the resonance wave at th
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 10 - NULLOS, LIFE FRAGMENT
CHAPTER 10 - NULLOS, LIFE FRAGMENTEthan looked at the small screen on his wrist. The focused fragment sensor moves - signs that they are getting closer. Suddenly the submarine shook violently. KRRAAAK! Alarm lit red. "There is an anomaly wave!" shouted Lucille. "The energy field changes - we are sucked in local gravity!"Ethan jumped from the chair. "Activate the Emergency System! We must come out now!"Within seconds, the cabin is filled with the sound of thumps and distortion. Their bodies are attracted as if swallowed by a whirlpool. The world reversed. And when Ethan opened his eyes. He stood on the streets of the city of Dena. Orange sky, tall buildings rot, vehicles froze in the air like a statue of time. Lucille's face was pale beside him, her body staggered. "This is ... not the present," he murmured. "We were withdrawn to the past of this city, before sinking."Ethan felt the pulse of fragments getting stronger. He raised his hand - Codex's hand shined unnaturally.
CHAPTER 9 - A Courtless Court
CHAPTER 9 - A Courtless CourtThe light around Ethan forms a large circle, like an endless giant bracelet. He stood in a strange dimension - without heaven, without true land, but felt real. The sound of his heart echoed in all directions, as if this room was beating with him. In front of him, his own shadow stood tall. His darker version. Cold gaze, bent smile, and a gaze that was not just judgmental, but hostile. "Welcome to the court without time," said the figure, his voice echoed like two votes at the same time - Ethan, and ... something much older. Ethan stepped forward. "Is this a kind of test from fragments?"The shadow turned to the sky-which suddenly opened to display the memories of Ethan. Pieces of time flashed: When he woke up at Division X headquarters, when he first wore Codex gloves, when Juno smiled for the first time, and ... when he almost killed someone in Trance's condition unconsciously. "Not a test. This is a judgment," said the figure again. "The third fr
chapter 8 :
chapter 8 :Lucille exclaimed, "Ethan, we have to go! Something closer from the surface!"The figure nodded slowly. "When we run out. You will know more when the third fragment is found. But remember ... not all fractions want the world to be put together again."He stretched out his hand, and a transparent fragment appeared in the air - sparkling like a prism. Ethan touched it, and for a fraction of a second, he saw:Fire. Ruins. Thousands of people prostrate to the robed figure sitting on the throne of Codex. That face, his own face. And the sound echoed in his mind: "Are you going to choose to repeat the same curse?"The flash of light exploded from the fragment, and in an instant the three of them crashed back to Leviathan. The strange space disappeared. The sea is calm again. ---A few hours later, in the Observation Room of Division X, Ethan sat in silence. His hands trembled. The new fragment has been integrated with gloves, now throbbing deeper, as if rooted into his ski
Chapter 7 - Ghost of the Highest Orbit
Chapter 7 - Ghost of the Highest OrbitBefore Ethan had asked, the whole room began to vibrate. From the back wall, a half -machine human figure appeared - red, his right arm was replaced by a plasma rotating weapon. He spoke in an unknown language. But Ethan understood it. "You ... not chosen.""You're not just chosen," he repeated. After that the fight broke out. Fragment guard attacks at lightning speed. Lucille held a shot with an energy protector, while Ethan avoided and tried to use resonance to lock the opponent. "He's part of the old system!" exclaimed Lucille. "It can only be stopped if the fragment is subject to you!"Ethan closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, he spoke to the second fragment. 'If you can hear .... I'm not your enemy. I'm not a sealing. I ... new hope guard. 'The fragment sighed, then blended in the blue and green pulse in his hand. Ethan opened his eyes. The light on his body was burning, and in one movement he threw the resonance wave at th
chapter 6:
chapter 6:"His fragments begin to form their own awareness. If it is not immediately stabilized, he can collapse from the inside."Dante appeared. "We must lock the fragment temporarily. Energy isolation."Lucille shook her head. "Late. The fragment is fused. Isolation will only accelerate damage."The three of them looked at each other. There is no really safe option. "I'll talk to him," Lucille finally said. "Before the fragment spoke more."---In the underground training room, Ethan stood in the middle of the simulation field, his eyes focused on the holographic target. He attacked endlessly, diverting his mind from the whispers. But .... The sound is still there. "Why are you fighting?""Because I'm still a human!" Ethan shouted. Suddenly, the simulation exploded from the inside. Not in accordance with the program. Dante and Lucille who watched from the outside immediately sounded the alarm. Ethan fell on his knees in the middle of a damaged terrain. The red light from its
CHAPTER 5 - FIRST CRACK
CHAPTER 5 - FIRST CRACK---Ethan followed, his steps were careful. Around it, the aisle lights blink. The walls are full of graffiti - a part of an inverted eye symbol, a typical sign of obscura. Suddenly, the sound of a small laugh echoed. Children? No. Not ordinary human laughter. Sounds like a distorted engine echo. Dante pulled his weapon, a short blade of a blue rune. "They know we come."From the darkness, three robbing figures emerged. But unlike the shadow in exercise, their bodies are real, layered with mild armor with radiant veins under the skin. One of them - a woman with short silver hair and black eyes like a baseless hole - forward. "Welcome, Codex heir," he said in a double echoing voice. "We've been waiting for you."Ethan strengthened the blue seal in his hand, ready to fight. But the woman raised her hand. "Not tonight's fight. Not yet. We just want to introduce ourselves."Dante emphasized his position. "Who are you?"The woman smiled a little. "My name is Ar
Chapter 4.
Chapter 4. Ethan frowned, his eyes moved between three paths. "Choose, Ethan," said Lucille. "But you know one thing - Codex will test your choice. There is no way back."Ethan closed his eyes for a moment. His breathing slowly, he recalled everything - his mother, night when he almost died in the city hallway, whispering fragments that live in his chest. He did not want to just be strong. He wants to understand ... control ... and change. "I chose the blue path," he said firmly. Lucille smiled faintly. "Wise."Instantly, the blue symbol brought brightly and penetrated Ethan's body like a fog. He gasped, his body trembled violently. Suddenly everything felt heavy and light at the same time. The voices of the surroundings were heard clearer-the wind, the vibration of the ground, even Lucille's calm heartbeat. "Welcome to the second world, Ethan," murmured Dante. "From now on, you not only read the world ... The world also starts reading back to you."---The first training session
Chapter 3 - three paths and one option
Chapter 3 - three paths and one optionLucille stepped into the middle of the room, followed by Ethan and Dante. From the floor, a circle of light appears-a circle of training surrounded by protective symbols. And for the first time in his life, Ethan stepped into a world that he could no longer leave. Not as a courier. But as a key. The light in the training circle feels different. Not only light - but warm, heavy, and felt dug into Ethan's chest. The symbols on the floor throbbing like the pulse, moving following his steps. Lucille stood on the right side, her hair was tied high and her robe changed - simpler, more like a teacher than a mysterious guard. In his left hand, he held a stick from a faint black stone. Dante, still leaning against the outer wall, crosses your arms. He did not enter the circle, but his gaze was sharp, paying attention to every movement of Ethan. "You know why Codex chose you?" Lucille asked. Ethan shook his head. "Because Codex cannot be falsified
Chapter 2 - Unpaired place
Codex of the ForgottenChapter 2 - Unpaired place"We were once on the same side," Dante answered flatly. "But the guard is too weak in facing the darkness that is now rising again."Lucille looked at Ethan. "And that's why we need him."Ethan shook his head quickly. "I don't know anything about war, codex, or this dark world. I can't even understand the strange dreams that have emerged since I touched this stone!""Dream?" Dante asked quickly. "What do you see?"Ethan took a deep breath, then answered slowly. "A tower ... very high, floating on the lake of fire. There are sounds ... like thousands of people pray and cry."Lucille and Dante looked at each other. "It's not a dream," Lucille whispered. "That's Codex's memory. You're looking at the forgotten historical fragments.""And the tower," added Dante, "is the fourth gate. If it is open, then this world will run out."Ethan was silent. A run out of a world? He just saved enough to pay for a rented house next month, and now he is
