Chapter 20: System Failure

Alden's mind snapped into clarity as a surge of pure, raw power pulsed through his body.

Overclock was back.

But it wasn't the same.

His senses exploded outward. Every detail of the room sharpened to an impossible degree—he could hear the hum of the containment field, feel the vibrations in the air from the cooling systems, sense the minute shifts in Specter's breathing.

Something had changed.

The restraints groaned under the force of his return.

Overclock wasn't just back—it was breaking everything.

The glowing blue rings locking him down flickered violently, the containment field destabilizing under the strain of whatever had just rebooted inside him.

Specter took a slow step back, head tilting slightly as if analyzing him in real-time.

"That…" they murmured, voice unusually quiet. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Alden grinned. "Yeah? Well, I wasn't supposed to be here in the first place."

The restraints snapped.

The energy cuffs exploded outward in a cascade of sparks. Alden shot forward before the shards even hit the ground.

He was faster.

Faster than he had ever been before.

Specter barely had time to react before Alden was on them.

A single strike—not held back, not second-guessed—slammed into Specter's chest.

The impact ripped them off their feet, sending them flying backward into the nearest console. The entire system flickered violently, error messages spilling across the holographic screens as Specter crashed into the controls.

Alden barely had time to process it before the pain hit him back.

It wasn't a normal hit. It wasn't physical.

It was like his own body rebelled against itself.

A glitch, a misfire of power.

For a split second, he felt like he was everywhere and nowhere.

Like his body was rewriting itself mid-motion.

His vision blurred—his breath caught—

Then it snapped back into focus.

Alden gritted his teeth. Not now. Not yet.

He turned to Specter, who had already pushed themselves back to their feet, albeit slower than before.

Even now, even after everything, they weren't panicking.

They just… watched him.

Like he was something new.

"…What are you?" Specter finally asked, voice unreadable.

Alden took a slow breath. His fingers flexed. His muscles felt strange, lighter, stronger, but also unstable, like they were still figuring out what they had become.

He exhaled sharply. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Specter was silent for a moment. Then, with deliberate precision, they reached up and tapped their wrist console.

A robotic voice echoed through the facility.

"EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ENGAGED. SYSTEM LOCKDOWN INITIATED."

Alden's chest tightened. "Oh, come on—"

The entire room shifted.

Thick metal walls slammed down, sealing off every possible exit. The lights flashed red, alarms blaring at deafening volumes.

Specter adjusted their coat. "I see now."

Alden clenched his jaw. "See what?"

Specter tilted their head.

"You were never supposed to be contained."

Alden felt it before he saw it.

The energy in the room shifted.

The floor panels hissed open, revealing a new set of containment drones, larger than the ones he had fought before. Their bodies hummed with high-frequency suppression waves, designed specifically to neutralize high-level combatants.

But Alden wasn't the same person they had captured.

And that? That was their biggest mistake.

He took a slow step forward.

The drones locked onto him instantly.

Then—they attacked.

Alden moved.

Everything blurred.

His Overclock surged—but it didn't just activate.

It overwhelmed.

The world split into layered fragments of time, each frame visible at once. The drones moved, but Alden saw every trajectory before they even launched their attacks.

This wasn't just speed.

This was rewriting reality in real time.

Alden stepped forward once—

And five drones collapsed before they could even fire.

The others recalibrated instantly, adjusting their attack formations—

But Alden was already there.

He didn't stop. Didn't hesitate.

Every attack unraveled before it could land, every movement preemptively countered, every system around him falling apart at the seams.

And all the while—

Specter just watched.

Alden grabbed one of the fallen drones, using its frame as a shield as another unit fired directly at him.

The blast detonated on impact, sending shrapnel flying—

But Alden had already moved.

The entire room was collapsing.

The alarms screamed.

Specter finally let out a breath. "So this is what you really are."

Alden skidded to a stop, his breath ragged.

His fingertips buzzed, the energy in his veins too much, too erratic, too unstable.

He wasn't just faster.

He wasn't just stronger.

He was breaking everything.

His own Overclock was spiraling out of control.

Alden gritted his teeth. He had to end this now.

Specter tapped their wrist console again.

"Then let's see how far you can go."

A new door slammed open.

And standing in the doorway—waiting for him—

Was Null.

Their eyes locked onto his instantly.

Alden's stomach dropped.

Null was different now.

They weren't just watching.

They were matching.

Overclock flared in their veins.

Alden's heart pounded.

This wasn't over.

Not yet.

Null vanished—

And the real fight began.