The Decision

Fade sat quietly within the dusty walls of his house. Everything seemed familiar, yet nothing felt the same. The wooden floor still creaked with age, the faded photographs still hung on the walls… but the faces in those frames now felt like strangers. This house, once a haven, had turned into a tomb of memories.

What was once safety had become stillness—an eerie silence that no longer offered comfort. Fade sat by the window, staring at the gray sky outside. "This house won't give me answers," he thought. "If I stay here, I'll only fight with the rotten walls of the past."

He stood up slowly and climbed the stairs. He gazed at his room one last time. The mirror, the books, the bed—each item once held value, but now they were mere relics. He pulled out the disk and held it before him.

[Activate Resonance Key?]

[Yes / No]

He didn't even glance at the screen. He simply tightened his grip. As if sensing his intent, the device activated. Pixel fragments swirled around him. There was no fear this time—only resolve.

Leaving the house behind wasn't just leaving a structure. It was closing a chapter. The burning question still roared inside him: "Where did my family go?" It was the fire pushing him forward.

When he opened his eyes, he stood at the entrance of an underground facility. The air smelled of metal and decay. Wires hung from the ceilings, and flickering neon lights pulsed in a broken rhythm. Though it looked abandoned, something told him this place was very much alive.

It was a place for those who had escaped the system—or more accurately, those who chose to remain outside of it. Fade could feel that this was more than a hideout. It was a spiritual crucible.

As he stepped inside, shadows solidified under the shimmer of flickering screens. Three familiar figures: Kaela Verin, Darin Kole, and Mirael Syn.

Kaela was the first to notice him. Her gray eyes lit up. "So, you made your decision."

Fade's voice was steady. "If there are answers here, I've come to find them."

Darin gave a faint smile. "You didn't open up easily. That's good. This world doesn't offer comfort."

Mirael, ever silent, said nothing—but her gaze spoke volumes. Her eyes seemed to see both Fade's past and future.

"What is this place?" Fade asked, scanning his surroundings.

Kaela approached a monitor and stood beside it. "This was once a discarded control facility, abandoned by the system. We re-coded it. Now, we make our own rules."

On the screens, names, levels, coordinates, and signal data scrolled rapidly. Fade narrowed his eyes, studying them. "Did you track me too?"

Kaela shook her head. "No. Your data… is locked. Not invisible, but not system-bound either. We received a signal—time-stamped. But what drew you here wasn't that. It was resonance."

Fade pulled out the crystal from his pocket. The moment it touched his palm, he felt a hum of energy ripple through his fingers. It pulsed with a reddish glow. "Will this lead me to my family?"

Kaela blinked slowly. "I don't know. But I do know this: it only resonated with you."

Darin added, "Everyone leaves traces in this world. If your family is alive, they've left theirs. And we… we know how to read those."

Fade's eyes sharpened. "Then let's follow them. I'll think about who they are later. If there's a clue—even if it's with an enemy—I'll face it."

For the first time, Mirael spoke. Her voice was low, almost echoing. "Then the Book of Shadows shall open. And your story will continue with a new line."

Fade stepped forward. And then another step. There would be no turning back now. But this time, he wouldn't walk alone.

The meaning of loneliness had changed. Darkness was no longer just an enemy—it had become a companion.

And Fade's footsteps echoed everything the system tried to silence.

Fade felt the rhythmic pulse of the crystal in his pocket. Nothing had changed—yet. The system remained silent. But he knew—this crystal would pave the way for events that could change everything. Its time had simply not yet come.