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THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 198
Maybe My Last WordsThe ship shoots at the creature, Kane. A super bright light, a loud noise that felt like a shake inside me. The creature held strong, making a shield of light around you and Darren. But I could feel it was getting weak from the power. It was helping us, but it was hurting itself.I tried to talk to Kane with my… mind. To say thank you, to understand it. But it was like trying to touch a star. It was so much bigger than mine, even now. I just felt it wanted to protect something. Us? Or more?The robot ship stayed there, getting ready to shoot again. Kane and Darren were hiding behind the creature, looking scared. They knew it couldn’t last.I had to do something, Kane. I had to warn you. That dark figure, that voice… it’s not the end. It’s just a sign of something bigger, something that was in charge all along. The Ascendants, the robots… they were just toys for it. And now… it sees us.But how do I tell you? I don’t have a voice like before. My thou
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 199
A World Without HimThe quiet after Tony disappeared… it’s heavy, Kane. It feels like it’s pushing down on me, harder than any bad guy. The air still shines, and the weird pointy buildings still stick up, but the bright feeling is gone, replaced by sadness. He’s gone. The funny talk, the smart ideas, the strong heart… just… gone.Darren is next to me, his arm still bleeding. His face is white, his eyes far away. He’s looking at the place where Tony… where he just stopped being. He looks so sad like he lost someone who always knew what to do.The creature… all its power is gone, mixed into the strange plants and animals here. It died to keep us safe, and we didn’t even understand until the end.“He… he’s really gone, right?” Darren whispers, his voice quiet.My throat feels tight, Kane, like I can’t breathe because I’m so sad. I can’t say it. It feels too final. All those fights, almost dying so many times… and this… this quiet going away… this is how it ends for him?I look at
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 200
Watching What Comes NextThe shiny walls closed in, Kane, the air feeling cold and buzzy. The dark figure’s eyes burned like it was going to destroy us. Fear tried to grab me, but under it, something else woke me up. A little fire, because of Tony, because of his last warning. We won’t break. Not now. Not ever.Darren stood in front of me, his weapons ready, looking strong. His arm was still bleeding, showing how much this fight cost, but he looked sure. He wasn’t just the scared kid anymore. He was a fighter, made strong by pain. And he was ready for anything.The dark figure laughed, a scary sound that went through the closing walls. “It’s no use. You can’t fight the Nothingness.”No use? Maybe. But Tony taught us that even a little bit of fight can start something big. And we still have his fight in us.The shiny walls locked, trapping us in a room that felt weird. The pictures glowed, then went out, leaving us in dim light. The dark figure stayed there, a quiet, scary
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 201
Lost in the ChangeThe air tastes bad, Kane. Like metal and something else. It burns my throat when I breathe. The sky… it’s all mixed-up colors I’ve never seen. The ground shakes like the world is still trying to get after something bad. This isn’t just a changed forest; it’s broken.Darren coughs next to me, holding his hurt arm. His face is dirty and tired, his eyes big and scared like mine. We’re alive, somehow, but the world we knew… it’s gone. Taken away fast, and now there’s this weird place that’s both pretty and scary. Tony’s warning… the Nothingness… broken worlds… it all feels real now.I try to stand, but the ground moves under me, making me dizzy. My arms and legs feel heavy like they don’t want to move. Joining with that Ascendant power… it made me feel… not connected. Like I’m a ghost in my own body.“Easy,” Darren says, holding me steady. He looks stronger than before, his fear going away and making him look determined. He’s always been tougher than he lo
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 202
Weird World TalkingThe broken stuff that looks like a machine sticks out of the ground, Kane, like broken teeth. It’s all twisted metal, nothing I know. But that burned spot… that’s Elias’s weapon for sure. A little bit of hope starts in the cold scared feeling I’ve had since… since Tony. He wouldn’t give up easy, that smart guy.Darren touches a vine that shines blue inside. It moves away from him and puffs out shiny dust that smells like metal and candy. Weird. Everything here is just… wrong. Like a bad painting that still moves.“Think this is okay?” Darren asks, sounding careful. He’s holding his energy gun tighter. Good. He’s learning.Okay? Nothing feels okay here, kid. The ground keeps shaking a little like it can’t decide if it’s hard or soft. And the light… the way it bends around those shiny rocks… it makes my eyes feel funny. Tony would have had lots of ideas about it by now.I try to look at the chip Darren found. It’s cracked, but there’s a little light insi
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 203
Something's Wrong with This PersonThat thing, Kane, it keeps coming closer. Those black eyes just stare at us. My hand holds my gun tight. My stomach feels like something bad is going to happen. This isn’t just someone who lived. This is… something else. Something the change made wrong.Darren’s behind me, small and scared. I can feel his fear, but he hasn’t run. That kid… he’s stronger than I thought. Right now, I need to keep him safe. Tony would have wanted that.The creature stops close to us, its head tilted funny. That clicking sound starts again, a dry noise that makes me shiver. It tries to talk, but the sounds are broken. Not human words. Not any language I know.“What do you want?” I ask, trying to sound strong even though my hands shake. It’s a dumb question. Its eyes say it doesn’t want things like we do. It just… is. Something bad that came from when the world broke.It lifts a long, thin arm, its fingers like sharp black claws. It moves in a jerky, wei
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 204
Trying to UnderstandThat thing jumped at us, Kane, super fast. But Darren… he shot it with his gun without even thinking. It flew back into the shiny rocks. He’s learning to fight now. I felt a little proud. Tony would have been surprised too.We ran. Away from that bad creature, away from the voice in our heads, away from feeling like something big and cold was watching us. We took Tony’s chip – a small piece of what’s going on in this bad world.Now, hiding under a big, glowing mushroom that makes green light, we look at what we found. The broken chip Darren found before is still dark. But Tony’s… this one feels different. A little warm. It still has some of his smartness in it.“Think you can get anything off this one?” I ask Darren quietly. The air here buzzes, making my teeth feel funny.Darren holds the chip carefully. “It’s… older. Different plug. But maybe… maybe I can fix something.” He looks at the weird, shiny plants, trying to find parts. He’s thinking like
THE ASCENSION SYSTEM CHAPTER 205
Going ThereDark. Cold and wet dark. I fell hard, Kane, and hit my head. For a bit, I couldn’t see. Then my head hurt, and I could see it again. I’m alive. Again. Seems like falling down holes happens a lot. Tony would have made a funny joke about how I showed up.Darren makes a noise next to me. He’s holding his arm, his face white in the dim light from the walls. He’s hurt, but awake. I felt happy and shaky. I can’t lose him too. Not after losing Tony.“You okay, kid?” I ask, my voice is rough.He nods slowly, making a face. “Yeah… I think so. Just… a little hurt.”The cave is big, the top so high I can’t see it. Weird, glowing mushrooms are on the walls, making a spooky light. The air smells like wet dirt and a little like… electricity. It’s even weirder than outside.The shiny rock with Tony’s map is gone. I lost it when I fell. I felt really sad again. That was the only thing showing us where to go.But then, Darren points to something he’s holding. It’s small a
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CHAPTER 220
Old Meets NewA cold feeling went down my back. It wasn't just cold; it was because everything around us felt wrong. Outside Kane's strong room, the city looked twisted, like a snake moving in a weird way. Buildings leaned at crazy angles, the sky was a purple bruise, and the air buzzed with a power that felt old and very wrong. My head hurt, a slow beat against the loud strangeness of this new world.The world went crazy, and we had to try and fix it.Kane looked hard at the glowing pictures above the table. Lines of code, a language I used to know well but now felt like a lost one, moved on the clear screen. She bit her lip, something she did when thinking hard. Her usual strong energy was still there, like a small fire that wouldn't go out in the dark. But I could see worry lines around her eyes.“Anything, Darren?” Her voice was rough and tired.I ran my hand over my thin hair. I could almost feel the old wires that used to connect to my brain. “Bits and pieces, Kane. L
CHAPTER 219
Seeing Things DifferentlyShaky light on worried faces around the bright map. Red lights flashed, showing trouble spreading. Kane looked hard, telling people what to do, a bit worried.My clear memories showed a scary pattern Kane didn't get. She saw now; I remembered long ago.Kane stopped talking. "Another dark spot, Tony. No why, no answer... gone." Her upset voice made me feel bad. I knew that lost feeling."Kane," I said, my quiet voice was clear. Everyone looked. I usually just helped, but the memories needed saying.She turned, tired but a bit sharp. "What, Tony? No time.""Not just happening, Kane," I said carefully. "It's happened before."People didn't believe me. Petrov laughed. "Before? Nothing like this in the books.""Books not complete," I said back, looking at Kane. She looked unsure. "Some truths hidden. Some things are forgotten.""Forgotten things?" Sarah looked surprised. "What are you talking about?"I went to the map, pointing at a dark spot. "Look ho
CHAPTER 218
Echoes in the GlitchThe cold voice in the small well-house felt like icy fingers touching my skin. Next to me, Kane held my arm so tight her knuckles were white. The strange key in her other hand glowed, making her scared face look even more so."Elias... Darren... they need to see this," she whispered, her voice shaky.My mind was racing. Elias, so quiet but always noticing things, and Darren, who first saw that things weren't right – they had to know about this. We weren't the only ones in this messed-up world, even if it felt like it."We go together," I said, trying to sound brave even though my heart was pounding. Whatever was behind that disappearing wall, we'd face it together.Kane nodded, her eyes looking strong. She was still scared, but she was also determined. We walked towards the shimmering opening. The buzzing sound got louder, and the air felt strange, making the hairs on my arms stand up.When we stepped through the wall, it was like being swallowed by darkne
CHAPTER 217
Pieces of a Lost WorldThe blue mark on Gareth’s arm disappeared, but we were all still scared, Kane. It felt like a cold weight in our stomachs. The strange things happening weren't just whispers anymore; they were shouting at us.I watched Darren. He’d been quiet since the motel, always looking worried, like he was fighting something inside his head. His broken memories seemed to bother him a lot. Now, when Gareth told us what happened, Darren looked far away, like he could see something we couldn’t.“Did it… feel like anything you’ve felt before, Darren?” I asked. Maybe his weird remembering could help us understand this.He blinked and looked back at us slowly. He shook his head, looking confused. “No… not really. But… there’s something… a feeling…” He stopped, rubbing his head.“Like what?” you asked softly, but your eyes were looking right at him.Darren waited, looking around. “Like… a lost rule. Something… broken.”A lost rule? Something broken? That sounded strange an
CHAPTER 216
Echoes of the Past, Seeds of OblivionMy head hurt bad, like something was trying to get inside. Pictures flashed in my mind – faces I didn't know well, cold white rooms, and a scary feeling of losing something important. This remembering… it felt wrong, like they were forcing it. I sat on the bed, my hands shaking. Each memory that came back was like a punch, not a friendly hello. A cold voice giving orders… a big empty feeling inside… the taste of fear. Who was I supposed to be? The me that wanted to keep you safe, Kane, felt weak, like a dream that could disappear.My stomach turned as a strong memory hit me: a bright room, straps holding me down, and a light shining in my eyes. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out in the memory. Had they done this to me before? I felt sure – this wasn't helping me remember; it was taking me back."Darren," Sarah said, her voice not kind like before. She looked worried. "This is hard. Try to stay calm."Calm? How could I be calm when
CHAPTER 215
Putting the Pieces TogetherSeeing Ben’s empty, blue eyes were stuck in my head. Martha, Elias’s kind Martha, moved like a puppet with those strange figures… it was a real nightmare. The ground still shook, and the twisted trees looked like monster hands reaching for the sky. We had to get away, but seeing our lost friends made us freeze, a scary warning of what could happen to us.“We can’t fight them here!” I shouted over the weird noises of the changing world. “We need to go back, get ourselves together!”Tony, looking pale but determined, nodded. “He’s right. They’re too strong for us here.” He pulled Elias, who was just standing there, looking at Martha. “Elias, come on!”We ran back to the part of the woods that still looked normal. The blue light went away behind us, like a bad eye closing. The air here was still, the trees looked like they always did, but we all felt really scared.Back in the mess hall, it was very quiet and sad. Elias sat with his head down, crying.
CHAPTER 214
Seeing What's Not RealThe memory of the starry ceiling stayed with me, making me feel cold and scared. Our world, the ground, the sky – was it all a lie? It made my head spin.Elias looked at me looking at the metal thing. “You didn’t sleep, Kane.” He knew.I shook my head. How could I explain seeing something that wasn’t possible?Darren looked serious. “Did anything… happen with that thing last night?” He looked at the metal thing carefully.I waited a moment, then nodded slowly. “The ceiling… it changed. For a second. I saw… stars. Not our stars.”The room got quiet. Everyone looked worried. The strange things before were bad, but this was unbelievable.Tony looked confused. “Stars? Kane, are you sure you’re okay? Maybe it was a dream.”“It felt real, Tony,” I said, my voice shaking a little. “Too real. The metal thing… it did something when I was near it.”It was scary to think about. If what we thought was real could change so easily, what else wasn’t true? Our memories
CHAPTER 213
The Enemy's MarkSleep was just seeing glowing eyes and hearing a voice in my head: You are the key. Morning showed tired faces.I walked around, giving tea and saying quiet things. My mind was trying to put the strange things together. The doll, tools, tree… there was a line connecting them. The Old Man looked at the cold fireplace. “The birds, girl,” he said quietly. “They don’t sing right. Like the song is wrong. And some songs… I never heard them before.”It was a small thing, but Hemlock knew the woods well, so it felt important. Another piece.The woman was giving out food and told me something else. “The water, Kane. When I went to get water, it looked shiny. Like oil, but with rainbow colors. Then it was gone.”Rainbow shine. Glowing tree. Light from the ground. Colors that weren’t normal.A pattern was starting: small changes to what was real, weird things mixed in with what we knew. Not just things disappearing; things were changing.Michael, still quiet, pointed at
CHAPTER 212
Strange WhispersThe old woman's face was wet with tears in the flickering light. Her hands shook as she held a mug. "The doll, Kane," she whispered, her voice weak. "Porcelain eyes... they looked right at you. Then... gone. Michael said it blinked."I leaned closer, the table hard under my arms. Outside, the wind howled. The woman, usually strong, was scared. Her fear made me feel cold."And then?" I asked.She swallowed hard. "It just disappeared. Like it was never there. Michael..." I looked at the big mechanic, his eyes empty. He saw a tree with blue leaves that turned to dust fast."Anyone else?" The Old Man nodded slowly, his face full of lines. "My wrench. Right here. I looked away to fix the fire... poof. Gone. Found it in the waters later, dry."A shiver went down my back. Quick pictures, seeing things together, stuff vanishing... it felt like what was real was breaking. We thought it was just stress, but it happened too much, and it was too weird.Yesterday, I saw
