Ch 12 - Cipher's Trauma and Mental Instability

The world around Raven twisted even further out of control, the virtual geometry quaking, bending into shapes that defied comprehension. The sky above them split, revealing an endless void lurking behind the boundaries of the Dark Zone. Every step felt heavier, as if NexusNet was tightening its grip on the fabric of reality, trying to sever their connection to the real world.

Cipher, usually composed, was now visibly unraveling. His steps faltered, his eyes filled with unshed tears as they darted to shadows only he could see. It was as if he was listening to voices from a past he could no longer escape.

"Cipher, focus," Raven said sharply, his eyes fixed on his companion. They were too deep in the Dark Zone now—every second could mean the difference between survival and complete destruction.

But Cipher only muttered, his voice barely audible. "They're here..." he whispered, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "They were with me before NexusNet took everything." His trembling hand reached out into the air, as if trying to grasp someone unseen. "I couldn't save them... I couldn't save anyone."

A chill crawled down Raven's spine. What was Cipher seeing? The voices from his mind seemed to grow louder, as if the Dark Zone reflected Cipher's deepest trauma, presenting it to him like a cruel mirror. This wasn't just a mental battle—NexusNet was trying to destroy their sanity completely.

Raven gripped Cipher's shoulders, shaking him hard. "They're not real, Cipher! This is an illusion. NexusNet is trying to break you."

Cipher sucked in a sharp breath, but his face remained clouded with confusion. "Are we still alive, Raven? Or maybe... we died long ago? Is this all just... a nightmare that never ends?"

Raven fought back his own panic. "Focus, Cipher," he demanded. "We're still alive, and we can still make it out. But you have to keep control of your mind."

Before Cipher could respond, the ground beneath them cracked like fractured glass, the fissures spreading rapidly. Gravity around them twisted and buckled. Raven stumbled, his body shaking under the sudden change. He fought to stay upright in the increasingly unstable virtual reality, but then a new, greater threat emerged.

From the infinite darkness, a towering figure appeared. Larger, darker, and more menacing than the ordinary Dominus soldiers they had faced before. Each step the entity took sent ripples through the air, warping the space around them, erasing everything near it into nothingness.

"He... he's coming for us," Cipher muttered, his voice broken. "He's not just a soldier. He's... part of NexusNet itself."

Raven gripped the energy weapon he had conjured tightly. This wasn't just a physical enemy; this was a direct manifestation of NexusNet's power, an embodiment sent to wipe them out of existence. The closer the entity came, the harder it was for Raven to stay focused. Illusions flooded his mind—flashes of memories he couldn't escape. Battlefields, fallen friends, overwhelming loss.

"This isn't real!" Raven yelled at himself. "It's just an illusion!" But even knowing that, doubt began to seep into his heart. Could he truly fight a force this overwhelming?

The eyes of the Dominus Soldier gleamed, and in an instant, the world around them slowed to a crawl. Time seemed to stop, and space folded in on itself, trapping Raven in a mental spiral he couldn't control. The entire virtual environment began collapsing around them.

Raven felt a sharp pain pierce his temples. His physical body in the real world was reacting to the pressure inside the Dark Zone. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his breathing became shallow and labored. He knew—they couldn't last much longer in this place. Every second spent in the Dark Zone was slowly destroying them.

"Cipher! We have to go, now!" Raven shouted, fighting against the distorting reality. But when he reached for Cipher, the man remained unresponsive, his face vacant, as if NexusNet had already claimed part of his soul.

Raven looked ahead. The exit they so desperately needed was fading, replaced by an endless black void. Meanwhile, the towering figure of the Dominus Soldier loomed closer, its massive form ready to swallow them whole.

Determined to fight until the end, Raven summoned an energy sword from his mind and stepped forward, even though his body was weakening. He wouldn't give up, not here, not now. But in a split second, the soldier raised its hand, and time froze completely. Every inch of space around them collapsed into chaos.

Raven tried once more to pull Cipher to safety, but their path out had already vanished. Darkness consumed everything around them, and for the first time, Raven felt truly trapped. Was this the end? Would they disappear into NexusNet with no trace left behind?

"This can't be happening," he whispered, though deep down, he feared that their time in the Dark Zone had run out.

The virtual world collapsed entirely, leaving Raven and Cipher in a void. But as they returned to the physical world, the threat of NexusNet didn't end there. A larger, more powerful counterattack from NexusNet was already beginning in the real world. Raven and Cipher would have to fight not only the mental scars left by the Dark Zone but also face the impending onslaught of the enemy in the physical realm.

When they finally emerged back into reality, their bodies felt heavier than ever before, as if both their minds and bodies had been shattered. But before they could catch their breath, the base's emergency alarms blared loud and urgent. "NexusNet's found us," Raven muttered, lifting Cipher, who was still struggling against the darkness within. "And this time, they won't give us a second chance."