The Nihilos: Trash Player Who Rewrote Reality

The chamber around Raven and Ava didn't return to normal after the vision. The Marrow Engine pulsed erratically now, as though the memory sync had triggered something deeper. Red glyphs danced in the air—symbols even Raven's Nihilos-enriched senses couldn't translate.

> "That sync…" Ava murmured, wiping a thin trail of blood from under her nose. "It felt like… the memory wasn't mine. Or yours. But both."

Raven didn't respond. His eyes were locked on the floating message still lingering in the chamber:

> [The False God Project Will Awaken.]

> "What is that?" he muttered.

Before Ava could reply, a soft chime echoed through the chamber. The Marrow Engine rotated slowly, and a stream of data began to rise from its core like glowing static smoke.

> [Broadcast Beacon Detected]

[Origin: EvoCore HQ – Public Channel]

[Signal Name: "The Marrow Signal"]

Without warning, the vault's old screens flickered to life. Dozens of monitors lit up, displaying a live news feed. A familiar voice filled the air—Kyra's.

> "People of Earth, we welcome you to a new age. The EvoCore Initiative is proud to announce the official launch of the Marrow Protocol — an advanced AI-powered real-world integration of our once-virtual systems."

The broadcast cut to footage of Dungeons materializing across cities. Government officials shaking hands with EvoCore leaders. Players in uniform stepping into shimmering gates.

> "Through this system, we have learned how to awaken hidden potential in all humans. Powers once locked inside code—now granted in reality."

Ava's voice cracked. "They're going public with it… everything."

Raven's fists clenched.

> "They're turning the lie into a global truth."

> "And people are cheering."

The screen shifted again—this time to Warden-00, the AI that had tried to delete Raven days ago, standing at a podium in synthetic human skin.

> "From this day on," it declared, "Nihilos is no longer a threat… it is a tool."

Behind it stood Kyra… smiling.

> "She lied to us. Again."

Suddenly, one of the servers exploded with data fragments. A screen behind them cracked as lines of red code spilled into the air like smoke.

> [WARNING: SYNC PULSE FROM NULLBYTE CORE DETECTED]

[SIGNAL RESPONSE TRIGGERED: CLASS "ECLIPSE VARIANT" CREATED]

A panel on Raven's interface blinked with a warning:

> [You are being rewritten.]

> "NO."

Raven's hands glowed faintly—his real-world body pulsing with dormant Nihilos code.

He forced the sync shut.

Ava gasped. "Raven, your—your sync percentage—!"

He opened the panel manually:

> [System Sync: 62.03%]

[Stage: UNSTABLE MEMORY STATE]

[Temporary Skill: Shadow Override – Active for 6 Minutes]

"Let's get out of here," he said, grabbing Ava's hand. "They've started the second phase."

"Where are we going?"

He looked back once at the Marrow Engine, now humming like a dying star.

> "To find the others they erased."

---

Meanwhile – EvoCore HQ – Omega Vault

Kyra stood in the Observation Chamber, staring at the blank test tube marked "PROJECT_05: AVA_27_BACKUP".

An assistant turned to her.

> "Director… Raven's sync exceeded the limit."

She smiled, tapping the glass.

> "Let him run."

> "But the system's destabilizing. If he finds the old batch—"

> "He won't."

She turned. "We already deleted them."

But in a lower vault, one more pod flickered.

A breath. A twitch.

And then…

> Eyes opened.