Back Into the Depths
Sable's breath was ragged as he staggered forward, his pulse still hammering in his ears. His hands were slick with sweat, and his grip on his sword tightened as the labyrinth around him continued to shift. Zeke's words echoed in his mind, each syllable more haunting than the last.
"The glitch is a filter."
What did it mean? A test? A filter for what?
Sable felt the weight of the question pressing on him like a physical force. But there was no time to linger on the mystery; the walls were still closing in on him, the dark energy growing stronger with every passing second. If he was going to survive this, he needed answers.
---
The Price of Victory
He pushed forward, the sense of dread gnawing at him. Every step felt like it took him further away from reality and deeper into a place that was not supposed to exist. The air was thick with static, the hum of corrupted data vibrating beneath his feet.
Suddenly, a flash of light blazed across the labyrinth, a crackling pulse of energy that burned through the darkness. Sable instinctively raised his sword, eyes scanning the shifting shadows.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something—someone—moving towards him. A figure, cloaked in shadows, their face hidden in the darkness.
The figure stopped a few feet away from him, their presence commanding the space. Sable's grip on his sword tightened, his body tense, but the figure made no move to attack.
"You shouldn't be here." The voice was cold, almost like a whisper, but there was a strength behind it that sent a chill through Sable's spine.
"Who are you?" Sable demanded, his voice shaky but defiant.
The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, they stepped closer, revealing a face half-shrouded in the flickering light. It was a face Sable recognized all too well.
"I told you, Sable, this is no longer just a game." The figure's eyes gleamed with the same eerie, unnatural light that Zeke had shown. "The glitch has a purpose. It's watching us."
"Watching?" Sable's throat felt dry, his heart hammering in his chest. "Who are you?"
The figure raised a hand, and the shadows around them seemed to bend in response, warping the air itself. Sable instinctively stepped back, but there was nowhere to run.
"I'm nothing but a part of this world now," the figure said, their voice colder than ice. "Like Zeke, like all of us, I'm trapped here. But unlike him, I know the truth. The game—Eidolon—was never meant to be completed. It was designed to break us, to test whether we can survive the final glitch. You're not just fighting for your life. You're fighting for your soul."
Sable's mind reeled. A soul? Was this some kind of twisted joke?
Before he could respond, the figure stepped back, their form flickering like a corrupted file.
"Find the core, Sable. If you want to stop this, you'll need to find it. But know this: the game will never let you leave. Not unless you're strong enough."
And just like that, the figure was gone, swallowed by the glitching labyrinth.
---
The Core
Sable stood in the silence, his sword still raised. He didn't know what to believe anymore. The core? What did it mean? Could there really be a way to end this madness?
The glitch was spreading faster now, the very air around him trembling with the corrupt data. He could feel it pressing against his mind, warping his thoughts.
He had to keep going. He had to keep moving.
Sable forced his legs into action, pushing through the maze that was becoming even more unstable with each passing second. The walls warped and twisted as though the world itself was decaying, falling apart at the seams.
But then, as he rounded a corner, he saw it—the core. It wasn't what he expected, though.
The core wasn't some glowing object or a shiny artifact. No, it was a black sphere, floating in mid-air, pulsating with the same corrupt energy that had been seeping through the labyrinth. It looked wrong—out of place in this world. Sable could feel the weight of it, an oppressive force that seemed to weigh down on his very soul.
Without thinking, he stepped toward it, his sword still clutched tightly in his hand. The moment he got close, a voice echoed in his mind.
"You shouldn't be here."
Sable froze, his eyes narrowing. He had heard that voice before.
"Leah?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
The sphere flickered, and Leah's distorted image appeared within the core, her face twisted by the same unnatural light that had corrupted Zeke.
"Sable, listen to me." Leah's voice was strained, full of desperation. "The glitch—it's consuming everything. The core… it's the heart of it all. If you destroy it, everything ends. But it will come at a price. There's no way to escape it."
Sable's mind raced. The core was the source of the glitch, the thing that was corrupting the game, his friends, and even his reality. But Leah's warning made his stomach churn.
What price? What sacrifice would he have to make to stop it?
"Leah!" Sable shouted, his heart pounding in his chest. "Tell me what I need to do. I can't lose you!"
But the image of Leah began to fade, her voice growing distant. "You already have, Sable."
And with that, the image disappeared entirely, leaving only the pulsating black sphere in front of him.
---
The Choice
Sable's hand hovered over the core, the weight of the decision bearing down on him. He could feel it—the power of the core, the corruption, the pull of the glitch. He could destroy it. He could end it all.
But at what cost?
Sable had no time to dwell on it. He knew what he had to do.
With a final, steadying breath, he brought his sword down.
---
End of Chapter 12