Chapter 59 – The Mission That Never Ends
The alert came without sound.
No chime.
No flash.
Just a single line on my interface.
Burned in.
Permanent.
> [New Mission Received – Code: NULL0X0 – "The Mission That Never Ends"]
Sender: —
Timer: ∞
Objective: Undefined
Reward: None
Penalty: Emotional Decay / Reality Drift
Note: You already started. You just forgot.
---
I stared at it for an hour.
The system refused to explain.
Diagnostics failed.
My map glitched.
And every time I tried to close it—
> [ERROR: This mission cannot be declined. You are already within it.]
---
I blinked.
And the world… shifted.
---
Not warped.
Just tilted.
Like a painting hung just a bit wrong.
Trees leaned slightly toward me.
Shadows turned when I looked away.
And the sky whispered.
Not words.
Just… disappointment.
---
Then I saw it.
A door.
Standing in the middle of the field where the Forgotten Legion had risen.
A wooden frame.
No hinges.
No building.
Just a door.
Closed.
Waiting.
And written on it:
> "To complete the mission, open what you buried."
---
I reached out.
My hand shook.
And when I touched the knob—
the mission interface bled down my arm.
I opened it anyway.
And stepped through.
---
I was back in Mission 001.
My very first assignment.
A small village, infected with a fear-based curse.
Burned-out cabins.
A dead woman cradling a screaming child.
The smell of wet wood and scorched dreams.
But this time—
No enemies attacked.
The memory played itself.
And I had to watch.
---
Watch me walk past a man begging for help.
Watch me prioritize mission speed over mercy.
Watch me finish the assignment… but leave three survivors to die later.
The system had graded me S-rank.
But this mission?
It felt like failure.
Now, the dead man stood.
Looked me in the eye.
And said:
> "You never said my name. That's why I stayed here."
---
> [Fragment Recovered – "Unnamed"]
> Trait Acquired: "Burden Echo" – When walking through unresolved zones, Kai will begin hearing voices of the unremembered
Progress: 1 / 13
---
Thirteen.
There were thirteen missions like this.
Thirteen forgotten names.
Thirteen echoes I never honored.
And that was the mission.
Not to win.
Not to fight.
Just to remember.
---
I emerged from the memory door, breath ragged.
The field had changed.
Now, there were thirteen doors.
Each facing a different direction.
Each with a word scratched into its frame.
Not names—
Emotions.
Regret
Hesitation
Cowardice
Sacrifice
Anger
Denial
Hope
Blindness
Trust
Fear
Obedience
Mercy
You
The last one pulsed.
---
I knew what this was.
This was the legion's judgment.
Their war wasn't fought with blades or codes.
It was fought with memory.
If I wanted to stop them—
I had to finish the mission they never could.
---
> [Mission Path Updated: Walk All 13 Doors – Resolve the Forgotten Echoes]
Reward: Unknown
Warning: Each door consumes soul integrity
Current Soul Integrity: 30%
---
I stood at the center.
Every door hummed.
Waiting.
And I whispered to myself:
"One step at a time."
And walked toward the door marked Regret.
---
> [Door 1 / 13 – Opening…]