Ascension: Shadow Protocol

Chapter 16: A Glimpse into the Void

Location: Protocol Rift – Between Dimensions

Ryo's body still trembled.

Not from fear.

From what he saw.

From what he felt in that broken version of reality.

As Iri treated the minor wounds across his arm and neck, Ryo stared ahead—silent. Distant.

"You were out for three minutes," Iri muttered again, this time almost to herself. "But your vitals spiked like you were in a full-on life-or-death battle."

"I wasn't fighting a monster," Ryo said, voice low. "I was fighting... something deeper."

Iri paused, eyeing him. "The glitch?"

Ryo shook his head. "No. The Void."

The First Glimpse

It started as a static pulse in the back of his mind—like a corrupted memory file slowly unspooling.

Then: a flash.

He was pulled out of the dungeon—not physically, but mentally.

He stood at the edge of something endless.

A black ocean of writhing data and ancient shadows.

Figures—tall, thin, faceless—floated in the distance.Their voices came as overlapping frequencies in a forgotten language, yet Ryo understood them all.

They spoke his name.

"Ryo Kazen... Protocol Bearer... Heir of the Forgotten String..."

Suddenly, a massive eye opened in the sky—an iris of code and swirling galaxies.

"Who are you?" Ryo had asked.The answer came in pure silence.

Not words.Not emotions.Just knowledge.

"You are the Gate."

Reality Crashes Back

"Ryo?" Iri snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Snap out of it. Are you seeing things again?"

He blinked rapidly. "It wasn't just a hallucination. The Protocol is connected to something far bigger than I imagined."

He clenched his fist. "It's not just data. It's… a living system. And it's watching me."

"A sentient Protocol?" Iri asked, now intrigued. "Like an AI?"

"No. Worse. Like a god that outlived its body but not its code."

Her face paled slightly. "Then we're in deeper than we thought."

System Echoes

Later, while resting near the safe zone of the dungeon's exit point, Ryo opened his status window.

[Shadow Protocol – Core Status: Damaged][Void Recognition: GRANTED (Fragmented)][Passive Skill Unlocked: Void Sight – Tier: Unknown]Allows brief visual access to entities existing beyond physical realms. May trigger mental instability.

[New Title Acquired: "The Glimpsed"]You have seen that which should not be seen. Your path is no longer yours alone.

He read it twice.

"I'm being marked," Ryo muttered. "Every step forward connects me more to that place."

"What if it's a trap?" Iri asked.

"Then I'll turn it into a weapon."

Void Bleed

That night, Ryo tried to sleep. He couldn't.

Every time he closed his eyes, the Void bled into his vision.

Black code like vines wrapped around his dreams. Whispers told him to let go. To stop resisting.

One voice stood out.

"Come deeper. We are waiting."

He sat up, panting, clutching his head. A dull ringing echoed in his ears—like a terminal still open in the background of his consciousness.

[Void Link Increasing: 2% → 4%]

"I'm not ready," he whispered. "Not yet."

But the Void had no concern for his readiness.

The One Who Watches

Ryo stepped outside the temporary base. Iri was asleep.

There, standing in the forest clearing just beyond the dungeon's exit point, was a figure in a black cloak.

Motionless. Faceless.

But real.

Not a vision.

"You're the one who's been watching me," Ryo said, his voice cold.

The figure didn't respond. Just tilted its head slightly.

Ryo stepped forward, shadows coiling at his feet like obedient hounds.

"If you're part of the Protocol—show me what you want."

The figure raised a hand.

A glowing sigil appeared in the air: a fragment of code shaped like a key.

"Unlock the door," it said, in a voice that sounded like thousands speaking in sync.

"Which door?" Ryo asked.

"The one within."

And just like that, the figure vanished.

No sound. No flash. Just gone.

End of Chapter 16