The city changed in silence.
Not all at once.
Not with explosions or alarms.
But with something far more unsettling—
Subtlety.
At first, no one noticed.
A flicker in a streetlight.
A delay in a drone's movement.
A brief distortion in a digital billboard before it corrected itself.
Neo-Eden was built on imperfection masked as perfection.
Glitches were expected.
Ignored.
Dismissed.
But this was different.
"Okay… please tell me you're seeing this."
Flare's voice cut through the dim corridor as she stared at a floating screen, her fingers frozen mid-input.
Raika didn't respond immediately.
Her attention was fixed on the open street beyond the broken structure they had taken cover in.
"…I see it."
Zora stepped forward slowly, her body still aching from the last impact.
"…what is it?"
Flare swallowed.
"…everything."
She expanded the projection.
Multiple feeds appeared at once—live surveillance streams from across Neo-Eden.
At first glance—
Everything looked pretty normal.
People walking and going about their day.
Transport lines moving.
Valkyr patrols maintaining order.
Then—
It started.
One of the civilians stopped mid-step.
A young woman dressed in a sleek transit uniform.
Her body froze.
Then—
Her arm suddenly twitched.
Once.
Twice.
Then her eyes flickered white.
Zora's breath caught.
"…no."
The woman turned slowly.
Not toward anything specific.
Just—
Wrong.
Her posture shifted.
Rigid.
Precise.
"…that's not natural," Raika said quietly.
Flare's voice dropped.
"…it gets worse."
Another feed.
Another street.
Three more civilians.
Frozen.
Then moving again—
But not like before.
Perfectly synchronized.
Walking in identical rhythm.
Turning at the same angle.
"…they're being controlled," Zora whispered.
Flare shook her head.
"…no."
A pause.
"…they're being rewritten."
Silence.
A loud crack echoed from outside.
All three of them turned.
A neon sign flickered violently—
Then bent inward—
Like it had lost its structural logic.
"…the environment too?" Raika muttered.
Flare typed rapidly.
"…the Core signal isn't just affecting people—it's rewriting physical systems."
Zora stepped forward.
Her eyes glowing faintly again.
"…it's spreading."
Flare looked at her.
"…yeah."
A pause.
"…and fast."
Suddenly—
A scream cut through the street.
All three turned sharply.
Down below—
A small group of civilians had gathered.
One of them—
A girl—
Collapsed to her knees.
"…help—!"
Her voice broke mid-sentence.
Her body convulsed—
"…it hurts—!"
Zora moved instantly.
"Wait—!" Raika called—
Too late.
Zora dropped down to the street level.
The girl's body arched unnaturally—
Her veins glowing faintly under her skin.
"…please—!"
Zora knelt beside her.
"…hey—stay with me—"
The girl grabbed her arm.
"…it's in my head—!"
Zora froze.
"…what do you hear?"
The girl's eyes widened—
Then flickered white.
"…a voice—"
Zora's chest tightened.
"…what is it saying?"
The girl's lips trembled.
"…'correcting'…"
Her grip tightened—
"…'fixing'…"
Zora's eyes darkened.
"…no."
The girl's body suddenly went still.
Completely.
Then—
She stood.
Slowly.
Her eyes now glowing faintly white.
"…SUBJECT STABILIZED."
Zora stepped back.
"…no…"
The girl turned.
Not at Zora.
But toward the street.
Then she began walking.
Perfectly aligned.
Joining the others.
Flare dropped down beside Zora.
"…yeah."
A pause.
"…that's bad."
Raika followed, scanning the surroundings.
"…we need to move."
Zora didn't move.
Her eyes locked on the group.
"…this is my fault."
Raika stepped in front of her.
"…no."
Zora looked up.
"…I triggered it."
Raika's voice didn't waver.
"…you exposed it."
A pause.
"…it was always there."
Flare crossed her arms.
"…yeah, and now it's going full 'end of the world' mode."
Zora clenched her fists.
"…they're still conscious."
Flare blinked.
"…what?"
Zora pointed slightly.
"…look closer."
Flare squinted—
Then froze.
"…wait…"
One of the civilians—
Her hand twitched.
Just slightly.
"…they're fighting it," Zora said.
Raika's expression sharpened.
"…then they're not fully overwritten."
Zora's voice dropped.
"…which means we still have time."
Flare shook her head.
"…Ummm, time for what?"
Zora stood.
"…to stop it."
A loud pulse echoed through the city.
All the lights flickered again.
This time longer.
Stronger.
Flare looked up.
"…okay, yeah, that's definitely not a good sign."
Her screen lit up again.
"…Core output just increased again."
Raika turned toward Eden Tower in the distance.
"…it's accelerating."
Zora followed her gaze.
"…then we don't have time to wait."
Flare looked between them.
"…you're thinking what I think you're thinking?"
Zora nodded.
"…we go now."
Raika exhaled slowly.
"…straight to the Core."
Flare groaned.
"…you know, for once, I'd really like a plan that doesn't involve us running directly into danger—"
Zora started walking.
"…you can stay behind."
Flare blinked.
"…wow. Rude much."
She sighed.
"…fine. But if we die, I'm blaming you. I mean it, if we die you're so not gonna rest peacefully you hear me!"
Raika moved beside them.
"…we won't."
A pause.
"…we can't."
As they moved through the streets—
The changes became more obvious.
More civilians stopping.
More eyes turning white.
More movements becoming synchronized.
Drones hovered in fixed positions.
No longer patrolling.
Just watching.
Buildings flickered—
Their structures shifting slightly—
As if reality itself was being edited.
Flare's voice lowered.
"…this isn't just a city problem anymore."
Zora didn't respond.
Because she already knew.
Far beyond Neo-Eden—
Beyond the towers—
Beyond the horizon—
The same signal pulsed outward.
Unseen.
Unstoppable.
Raika spoke quietly.
"…if this spreads…"
Flare finished the sentence.
"…there won't be anything left to save."
Zora stopped.
For just a moment.
Her eyes closed.
She could feel it.
The Core.
Stronger than ever.
Calling her.
Not forcing.
Waiting.
"…you said I have a choice," she whispered.
Raika looked at her.
"…what?"
Zora opened her eyes.
"…then I'm choosing now."
The air around her shifted slightly.
Not violently.
Not uncontrollably.
But deliberately.
Flare blinked.
"…uh… Zora?"
Zora stepped forward again.
"…I'm not letting it decide for me."
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"…I'm ending this."
Raika watched her.
Silent.
Then nodded.
"…then we finish it together."
Flare smirked faintly.
"…yeah."
She cracked her fingers.
"…let's go break a god you guys."
Ahead of them—
Eden Tower loomed.
Brighter than ever.
Alive.
Waiting.
And deep within it—
The system prepared its next phase.
Because the Rewrite had already begun.
And it wasn't stopping.