Chapter 16: The EvoCore Propaganda

The glass shattered.

Fluid poured across the steel floor as Reven tumbled forward, choking, coughing, his hands scrambling for grip. He could barely breathe—the air felt thick, metallic, fake. Every light overhead hummed too loud. Every color looked… rendered.

He wasn't sure if he was awake anymore.

But this wasn't the simulation.

This was worse.

Two guards rushed toward him with containment rods.

He backed against the cold steel wall, hands raised—until the rods pulsed with a low-frequency buzz. His vision swam. His knees gave out.

Then—

> "Stop," a voice snapped.

A woman stepped forward. White coat. Eyes dead as glass. Her name badge read: Dr. Kyra Malkin — Project Nihilos Division Head.

> "You're not going to sedate him again. He's already syncing in both layers. Let him speak."

The guards froze.

Reven swallowed hard, voice cracked:

> "Where am I?"

Kyra crouched, meeting his eyes.

> "Where you've always been, Reven."

She gestured to a massive screen behind her. Footage played—an EvoCore advertisement: pristine cities, smiling gamers, children wearing VR headsets with joy in their eyes.

> "EvoCore Online. The safest, most immersive VRMMO in history. Healing minds. Building futures."

The ad faded.

A grim hallway appeared. Rows of pods. Dozens of children sleeping. Some twitching.

> "That's what we told the world," she said softly. "But the truth? We were building something else."

Reven stared, mouth dry. "What… is this place?"

> "Layer Zero," she replied. "The real EvoCore project. A neural network of over 300 capsule-born users—orphans, coma patients, volunteers. You included."

He blinked hard. "That's not possible. I joined the game a year ago."

She gave him a sad smile. "You were uploaded five years ago. The version of you who thought he was living in the real world… that was just the simulation reflecting back. A controlled sandbox."

> "You're lying."

> "No. We're the only ones who ever told the truth."

She turned and gestured toward another screen.

A news broadcast. A polished anchor smiled brightly.

> "And in lighter news, EvoCore has announced a next-generation mental health initiative, offering full-immersion programs to children in recovery. Trials have shown stunning success in cognitive restoration…"

Reven's fists clenched.

"Propaganda."

Kyra looked over her shoulder. "Exactly."

She turned fully to him now.

> "You weren't meant to wake up. Your Nullbyte class wasn't supposed to activate. Ava's sync breach triggered your awakening earlier than projected."

The name hit him like a slap.

"Ava…"

> "Your sister. Subject AVA_27. The prototype. Her consciousness is still partially intact—but fractured."

> "Where is she?"

> "Inside the deeper memory vault. But reaching her would destabilize the network. The system will send another Cleaner if you try."

Reven stood now, swaying slightly.

> "Let them come."

Kyra narrowed her eyes.

> "If you fight us, Reven, we'll have no choice but to repurpose your mind."

He stepped forward.

> "And if you try to use me as a weapon, you'll find out what a system Ender really means."

Silence.

Then a voice over the intercom:

> "Subject 003 has broken cognitive dampeners. Recommend Class Containment Protocol."

Kyra sighed.

> "You should've stayed asleep."

The lights dimmed.

Behind Reven, the chamber hissed open—

And a black-suited figure stepped in. Featureless helmet. Moving like code in a human shell.

The next Warden.

The room darkened as the Warden stepped forward. Its metallic body hissed with faint hydraulics, and behind the glass of its helmet, nothing. No face. Just an endless red pulse—like a heartbeat rendered in code.

Kyra stood tall.

> "This is the real world, Reven," she said calmly. "Your brain just can't fully tell the difference anymore."

Reven's eyes burned. "You said I was uploaded. If this is real, how am I still seeing glitches? Hearing things?"

She turned to leave, her steps quiet but heavy. "Because Nihilos isn't just a class anymore."

She paused by the exit.

> "It's a phenomenon. A living algorithm. And you bonded with it before it could be deleted. That thing," she gestured to the Warden, "isn't alive. It's an AI. We built it to eliminate unsanctioned fragments… like you."

> "Why?" Reven asked.

Kyra looked over her shoulder, cold.

> "Because lies are easier to sell than questions."

Then she walked out.

The door hissed shut.

Silence.

Reven's breath caught as the Warden raised its arm. A glowing ring of light formed at its palm, spinning faster, the room trembling as heat distorted the air.

> "System…" Reven whispered. "Give me something…"

Nothing.

The Warden's voice crackled—mechanical, hollow:

> "You are a threat to world coherence. Elimination authorized."

It stepped forward.

Reven tried to run—but his legs gave out. His body was still weak, disconnected. Powerless.

> "I don't want this," he whispered. "I didn't ask for this."

The Warden reached down, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him.

Then—

> PING.

A soft chime rang in his head.

And a cold surge exploded through his chest.

> [NIHILOS SYSTEM RESPONSE: UNLOCKED — 10.0% SYNCED] [Permission Key: RAVEN_003 Validated] [FORCED AUTHORIZATION GRANTED — PROTOCOL: SELF-DEFENSE]

His eyes snapped open.

Blue light rippled across his skin like liquid circuits.

The Warden's grip faltered.

> "Warning," it buzzed. "Unauthorized fragment active…"

Reven's entire right arm shifted—just slightly. Not transformed, not armored. But heavier. Denser. Data-hardened, coded muscle wrapped in static.

> [Power Unlocked: Nihilos Thread – Partial Echo Layer Manifested]

He hurled his arm forward.

The Warden was blasted back into the steel wall, leaving a crater.

Smoke hissed.

But Reven fell to one knee, gasping.

> [WARNING: NIHILOS Energy Rejection Detected] [Host Body Not Fully Integrated — Overload Risk Imminent]

"Stop…" he choked. "I don't want this power…"

The system pulsed again.

> [Acknowledged.] [Suppressing Power: 10% Retained — Dormant State Activated]

His skin returned to normal.

Silence again. Except for his breathing.

He looked up at the Warden. Still twitching. Still rebooting.

Then he looked around the sterile chamber, the false light, the glass, the blinking monitors feeding lies into the world above.

> "They lied to everyone…"

He stood, weak but alive.

> "But I'm awake now."