Chapter 16: The One Who Knows Me

The containment tank hissed open, releasing a flood of thick blue mist. The figure inside stepped forward, the glowing liquid dripping from its body, pooling at its feet.

Alden's breath caught in his throat.

Whoever—whatever—this was, they weren't like the failed subjects.

They didn't glitch. They didn't flicker or phase uncontrollably.

They were stable.

And that terrified Alden more than anything.

The figure slowly lifted their head, their cold, piercing eyes locking onto him.

Alden's stomach twisted.

Because those eyes weren't hollow or broken.

They were sharp. Intelligent. Aware.

"…Alden Cross."

The voice was quiet. Measured. Too calm.

Alden tensed instinctively.

Iris and Felix stood beside him, equally wary.

Felix clenched his fists. "Okay. Not a fan of this already."

Iris exhaled slowly. "It knows his name. That's bad, right? That's really bad."

Alden's mind raced.

How? How did this thing know who he was?

He had never seen it before. Never felt its presence.

Yet, standing there, he couldn't shake the feeling that this thing—whoever they were—was familiar.

The figure took a step forward.

And Alden instinctively stepped back.

Their movements were too smooth. Too natural. Not like the failed subjects, who had moved with broken, fragmented motions.

This was something different.

Something perfected.

Specter's voice came through the intercom.

"Meet Project Null."

Alden's breath hitched.

Null.

That wasn't a name.

That was a designation.

The figure finally stopped a few feet away from them, tilting their head slightly. Their expression was unreadable, emotionless.

"You've gotten stronger," Null observed.

Alden's pulse spiked.

"Stronger?" he repeated, disbelief creeping into his voice. "You know me?"

Null blinked slowly. "Of course I do."

Iris shot Alden a sharp look. "You've met this thing before?"

Alden's fingers twitched. "No. I don't think I have."

Felix frowned. "Then why does it sound like you guys had lunch last week?"

Null took another step forward. "We were created from the same process. The same data. You and I, Alden… we are the same."

Alden froze.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

No.

That wasn't possible.

Null's expression didn't change.

"You are Overclock's success. I am its failure."

The words sent a cold chill through Alden's spine.

His mind raced, trying to piece everything together.

This wasn't just a random experiment.

Null was like him. Null was Overclock.

Or at least, they were supposed to be.

Iris took a slow step forward, her golden eyes sharp. "You're saying Alden was… a replacement?"

Null nodded.

"A refined model."

Felix let out a low whistle. "Oh, man. I knew Alden was special, but I didn't think he was a version 2.0."

Alden couldn't move.

This explained everything.

Why Specter knew so much about him.

Why the facility was testing him like this.

Why the cyborgs had taken him instead of destroying him.

They weren't just experimenting on him.

They were finishing something.

Null exhaled softly. "I was not meant to survive."

Their voice was detached, like they were discussing the weather.

Alden clenched his fists. "Then why are you still here?"

Null's eyes darkened.

"…Because I refused to break."

Before Alden could react, Null moved.

No warning. No blur of motion.

Just instantaneous speed.

A split second later—Alden was airborne.

Null's palm had struck his chest with pinpoint precision, sending him flying backward.

Alden barely had time to react before he crashed into the far wall, coughing violently.

Iris teleported behind Null, her daggers already drawn—

But Null had already moved.

Iris's blade slashed empty air.

Then Null appeared behind her.

Before Iris could teleport away, Null grabbed her wrist—

And then Iris's teleportation flickered violently.

Iris's eyes widened. "Wait—what?"

A split second later, her body glitched unnaturally.

Null let go, watching her stagger back.

"…Your power is incomplete," Null said flatly.

Felix didn't hesitate. He charged.

"Okay, buddy, I don't know what your deal is, but if you touch my friends again, I'm throwing you through a—"

Felix's Titan's Might flared, his fist swung at full power—

Null caught it.

A heavy shockwave erupted from the impact.

Felix's eyes widened. "No—way—"

Null twisted Felix's arm, lifting him off the ground with ease before hurling him across the chamber.

Felix crashed into the wall, coughing. "Okay. Ow."

Alden forced himself back up, gasping.

This was bad.

Null wasn't just fast.

They weren't just strong.

They were precise.

They had countered Iris instantly.

They had overpowered Felix in one move.

And the worst part? They weren't even trying.

Specter's voice returned, satisfied.

"Now, Alden. Let's see how you fare against your own reflection."

Null's gaze shifted back to him.

Their cold, expressionless eyes met his.

And then—they moved.

Alden barely had time to react before Null's fist crashed into his gut.

Pain exploded through his body.

Alden's Overclock flared violently, trying to counter—but Null's was already faster.

The world blurred—Alden was airborne again.

Then—darkness.