Shattered Perception— The Entity

Ethan returned to his desk, his mind a whirl of confusion and unease. The feeling of being watched had been a subtle hum in the background, but now it seemed to have intensified, buzzing louder with each passing minute.

He glanced up from his computer, and for a fleeting moment, saw a dark silhouette standing at the far end of the room. He blinked, and it was gone, leaving behind an unsettling emptiness. The incident left him shaken, his thoughts racing with questions he couldn't answer.

Deciding he needed to address his concerns, Ethan sought out his boss, Mr. Kane. He found Kane in his office, surrounded by screens displaying various data and reports. Kane looked up with a faint smile, seemingly unaware of the turmoil brewing within Ethan.

"Mr. Kane, I need to talk to you," Ethan blurted out, his voice betraying his anxiety.

Kane gestured for him to take a seat, his expression calm yet distant. "Of course, Ethan. What's on your mind?"

Ethan hesitated, unsure of how to articulate his growing sense of surveillance and paranoia. "I... I feel like I'm constantly being watched."

Kane's smile remained, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes. "Ethan, you're an excellent employee, but I think the stress of recent projects might be getting to you. Have you considered talking to a therapist?"

Ethan's pulse quickened. "It's not that, Mr. Kane. I keep seeing these shadowy figures, and they vanish whenever I try to focus on them."

Kane's demeanor shifted slightly, his tone taking on a cryptic edge. "Reality is a fragile concept, Ethan. Sometimes, what we perceive may not align with what is real. It's important to trust in the system, trust in what's tangible."

Ethan frowned, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "But what if what's tangible doesn't make sense? What if there's more going on than meets the eye?"

Kane leaned forward, his gaze penetrating. "Some questions are better left unasked, Ethan. Trust me when I say that delving too deep can lead to unforeseen consequences." His expression softened, a rare moment of empathy breaking through his composed facade. "I'm saying that sometimes, the mind can play tricks on us. Focus on your work, Ethan. That's what's important."

~

Back at his apartment.

He tossed a photograph depicting himself standing with a group of unfamiliar people, their faces bright with laughter onto his cluttered coffee table and sank into his armchair. The date on the back was from years ago, a time he had no memory of.

Kane's words lingered. Was he losing his grip on reality, or was there truly something sinister at play? The shadows, the surveillance, the cryptic warnings—all intertwined in a tangled web of uncertainty. Ethan knew one thing for certain: the truth, whatever it may be, was something he couldn't ignore, therapist's advice or not.

The lights flickered.

A sudden interruption of light cast strange, dancing shadows across the room. The ambient hum of the city outside seemed to fade, replaced by an eerie silence that settled like a heavy blanket over everything. Ethan's eyes darted around the dimly lit room, every instinct screaming that something was terribly wrong.

Welcome > [New Player]

Status [Awakened]

[Loading Trial... Please wait]>

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>Ethan Reed <

Grade: E [Type 1]

Level: 1

Experience: 0

Main Class: Saber/Neuron

Attributes: Strenght: 3/ Agility: 2/ Durability: 4/ Luck: 0

Energy: 38/38

Energy Lvl~ 1

Health: 300/300

Lvl~ 1

Innate Ability: [Unassisgned]

Abilities: [None]

Skills > [None]

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[Quest one] > Stay alive <

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it—a bizarre, shimmering distortion in the air. It was as if reality itself was warping, bending under some unseen pressure. The distortion grew, coalescing into a humanoid shape that defied logic and reason.

The entity that emerged was nightmarish. Its eyes glowed with an unearthly light, casting an eerie glow across its distorted face. Limbs elongated and fluid, moved with an unnatural grace, its entire form seeming to ripple like liquid mercury. It exuded an aura of malevolence that chilled Ethan to his core.

As the entity fully materialized in his living room, it moved with a silent, predatory grace. Ethan's breath caught in his throat as it brandished a weapon that looked like something out of a dark future—a sleek, futuristic blade that hummed with lethal energy. The blade's edge crackled with a menacing blue light, casting eerie reflections on the walls.

There was no doubt about its intent. The entity advanced on Ethan with a single-minded purpose: to kill.

Ethan's mind raced, adrenaline flooding his system. His eyes darted around the room, searching for anything he could use to defend himself. In a swift, desperate move, he grabbed a heavy metal candlestick from the mantel and raised it defensively.

The entity paused, its glowing eyes fixing on him with an almost curious intensity, as if assessing his worth as an opponent. Then, with a fluid, terrifying speed, it lunged.

Ethan swung the candlestick wildly, the metal clanging against the entity's weapon. Sparks flew, and the room filled with the chaotic sounds of their struggle. The entity's movements were unnervingly fluid, its elongated limbs allowing it to strike from impossible angles. Ethan's heart pounded in his ears as he fought desperately, each clash sending shudders through his body.

In the midst of the battle, the entity spoke. Its voice was a distorted, haunting whisper that seemed to echo from the depths of his own mind. "You are… a shadow… of your true self… a puppet… of their design…"

The words struck Ethan like a physical blow, the truth of his manipulated identity mingling with the fear of the immediate threat. He knew he had to end this confrontation, or it would be his last.

With a final, desperate effort, Ethan spotted the hidden panel in the wall, the defensive system he somehow figured. Sprinting at full speed while using every ounce of his strength and will to fend off the relentless attacks, he maneuvered closer. Just as the entity raised its blade for a killing blow, Ethan reached the panel and slammed his hand down on the activation button.

A surge of energy exploded from the walls, enveloping the entity in a pulsating field of light. The entity convulsed, its form glitching and distorting further as it was caught in the defensive system's grasp. With a final, guttural scream, it dissolved into a cascade of digital fragments, dissipating into the air.

Ethan collapsed to the floor, panting and bleeding, the room spinning around him. The silence returned, even more oppressive than before. He looked up at his neural interface, now flickering back to life with a chilling message:

[You are not who you think you are. Trust no one.]

[Trial one] Completed!

[XP point] 23000

[Assigned Ability] > Neuron

[All basic stats]> Strght +2/ Agility +2/ Durability +2

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Impressive achievement. You've defeated an entity, marking your first victory against such a foe.

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The adversary had a significant advantage, possessing [+13 strength] above yours. Your accomplishment earns [+23000 XP]

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[Trial two] > Stay Alive

Gazing out at the sprawling cyberpunk cityscape through his shattered window, Ethan's resolve hardened. He might not know who he truly was, but he would find out. And he would uncover the sinister forces behind this twisted game of some sort. The quest for his real identity had only just begun.

Wait... what! Trial two?

He sensed movement behind him.

Another entity.

This one was quicker, more ferocious, and in a heartbeat, it bridged the gap, delivering a crushing blow to Ethan's face that propelled him across the room, crashing through several compartments. As he was flung through the air, a web of interconnected neon threads wrapped around him, softening his fall and absorbing the deadly force. Ethan hit the ground hard but remained unscathed, shielded by the faintly glowing neon network encasing his body.

He should have been killed but here he was. Still breathing.

His vision blurred, then shifted. For a split second, he saw the world as cascading streams of code, every object and surface reduced to lines of shimmering data. The entity, too, was part of this digital tapestry, its movements slowed as if caught in a brief temporal glitch.

Ethan's senses snapped back to reality just in time to see the entity lunging at him again. It moved with terrifying speed, but now Ethan could anticipate its attacks, if only by a hair. He dodged and weaved, narrowly evading fatal blows. Each strike that connected sent him sprawling, the raw power of the entity evident in the way it tossed him across the room like a ragdoll.

Bruised and bleeding, Ethan found himself cornered. The entity loomed over him, its glowing eyes narrowing as it prepared for the final strike. Time seemed to stretch, every second a lifetime. Just as it was about to pounce, a deafening bang like a gunshot resounded through the room.

A bullet tore through the air, piercing the entity's head with pinpoint precision. The entity froze, its form glitching violently, then collapsed into a cascade of digital fragments. Ethan shielded his eyes from the burst of light and data, the entity disintegrating before him.

Ethan looked up, heart pounding. Through the shattered window, he saw a silhouette in the moonlight. The figure stepped forward, revealing a tall, enigmatic woman with a sleek, high-tech rifle slung over her shoulder. She lowered the weapon, her eyes scanning the room before settling on Ethan.

"You're not safe here," she said, her voice calm but urgent. "We need to move. Now."

Ethan, still reeling from the confrontation, nodded and stumbled to his feet. Whoever this woman was, she had just saved his life. And in this moment of chaos and confusion, she was the only ally he had.