The air in the Grid didn't just smell clean; it smelled expensive. It was a sterile, filtered scent that lacked the honest rot of the Underveil. Here, even the air felt like a commodity, stripped of its impurities and sold back to the populace at a premium. I leaned my back against the smooth, synthetic stone of the corridor, my chest heaving beneath the Level 3 respirator. Every breath felt like a theft. I looked down at my left hand—the dead weight in my pocket. I tried to curl my fingers, to feel the fabric of my trousers, but there was only a terrifying, hollow silence where sensation should have been. I could see my hand moving, but to my brain, it was a ghost limb, a piece of meat attached to my shoulder that no longer belonged to the map of my existence.
[Sync Rate: 0.11%]
[Caution: Sensory atrophy may lead to cognitive dissonance. Seek stabilization.]
The Interface flickered in my right eye, its amber text a jagged scar against the soft blue neon of the hallway. I ignored it. I didn't want stabilization; I wanted a way forward. I pushed myself away from the wall, my boots clicking with a sharp, echoing clarity on the polished floor. In the Underveil, you learned to walk silently to avoid the predators. In the Grid, silence was the mark of a thief. Here, people walked with purpose, their heels striking the ground with the confidence of those who owned the air they breathed.
I looked at my reflection in a passing window of dark, reinforced glass. I looked like a nightmare. My cloak was shredded, caked in the oily soot of the Gut and the grey ash of the Enforcer. My face was a mask of grime and exhaustion, my eyes bloodshot, with the right one pulsing with a rhythmic, mechanical light. I was a stain on the perfection of this world. If a patrol found me here, they wouldn't just arrest me; they would incinerate me to keep the aesthetic of the corridor pure.
"You need a skin, Asher," Velzar's voice slithered through my mind, smooth as silk and cold as ice. "A wolf doesn't walk into a sheepfold wearing his own fur. He wears the sheep's."
"I'm not a wolf," I thought, my jaw tightening. "I'm just a scavenger."
"Not anymore," the demon laughed. "A scavenger takes what is left behind. You are taking what is guarded. That makes you something else entirely."
I turned a corner and found myself overlooking a "Sector Plaza." It was a massive, multi-tiered atrium that stretched upward for hundreds of meters. Suspended gardens of bioluminescent moss hung from the ceiling, casting a soft, emerald glow over the thousands of people moving below. There were shops, cafes, and open-air markets—but not like the Rust Bazaar. Here, transactions were handled via Essence-tap, a seamless flow of energy from the soul to the system. No one shouted. No one fought. It was a symphony of ordered consumption.
But I knew where the shadows lived. Even in a world of neon, there are corners the light can't reach. I looked at the data-slug Marrow had given me. The Shadow Syndicate—the "Umbra"—operated out of a district called the 'Vortex,' a cluster of old server hubs and cooling towers that the Grid had outgrown. It was the only part of the middle world where a boy like me might blend in, or at least, where my appearance wouldn't be an immediate death sentence.
I began to move, keeping to the edges of the plaza, hiding in the glare of the massive advertisements that projected beautiful, hollow faces into the air. My tracking beacon was still pulsing, but it had settled into a steady, rhythmic hum. It felt like a tether, pulling me toward the center of the Grid.
As I reached the edge of the residential district, I saw my first "Grid Citizen" up close. It was a woman, dressed in a shimmering silk gown that seemed to change color with the light. She was laughing, her hand resting on the arm of a man whose skin looked as smooth as marble. For a second, I felt a surge of pure, unadulterated hatred. Not because they had what I didn't, but because they existed in a world where the word "Tax" probably just meant a small deduction from their Essence bank. They didn't know the taste of copper in their lungs. They didn't know the sound of a mother's laughter being erased to pay for a pulse of energy.
I looked away before my anger could draw the Interface's attention. I didn't have the life expectancy to waste on hatred.
I reached the Vortex an hour later. The atmosphere changed abruptly. The polished stone gave way to exposed metal and tangled wires. The neon was dimmer here, flickering with the erratic pulse of pirated power lines. This was the "Low Grid," a place where the outcasts of the middle world gathered—the failed merchants, the disgraced mages, and the Syndicate's footsoldiers.
I walked into a bar called 'The Hollow Point.' It was a cavernous room filled with the smell of cheap synthetic alcohol and the heavy, electric scent of burning circuits. Men and women sat in booths, their faces obscured by low-tier cloaking veils or heavy cybernetic implants. No one looked at me, and that was exactly what I wanted.
I moved to the bar, my right hand—the one that still felt things—gripping the edge of the counter. The bartender was a woman with skin that looked like it had been grafted from three different people. She didn't look up from the glass she was cleaning with a dirty rag.
"I'm looking for the Shadow Syndicate," I said, my voice sounding like gravel.
The bartender stopped cleaning. She looked at me, her eyes lingering on the red light in my right socket. "You're a long way from the mud, rat. We don't take charity cases here."
I didn't blink. I reached into my pocket with my good hand and pulled out a small vial of refined Essence—the forty-five units I had harvested from the Sentinel Drone. I hadn't spent it on bread. I had kept it for this. The liquid inside the vial glowed with a pure, concentrated blue light.
The bartender's eyes widened. Forty-five units was a fortune in the Low Grid. It was enough to buy a new identity, or at least, a very long conversation.
"I'm not a charity case," I said. "I'm a customer. I want a meeting with an Umbra handler. Specifically, someone who knows about 'The Shard'."
The woman reached for the vial, but I pulled it back. "Meeting first. Payment after."
She hesitated, then nodded toward a dark booth in the far corner of the room. "Wait there. If you're lying, you won't leave this room in one piece. The Umbra doesn't like being teased."
I moved to the booth and sat down, my back to the wall. I felt the Interface pulse.
[Warning: Multiple hostiles detected in immediate vicinity. Threat Level: Moderate.]
I kept my hand in my pocket, gripping the hilt of my shiv. I was exhausted, my ribs were screaming, and the numbness in my left hand was starting to creep up toward my wrist. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to find a moment of peace, but Velzar wouldn't let me.
"A dangerous game, Asher," the demon whispered. "You are showing your gold to the dragons before you have a sword to defend it. They will take your Essence, and then they will take your life. Why play by their rules? Use the Tax. Clear the room. Let them know who has arrived."
"No," I thought. "I need information, not a body count."
"Information is just a different kind of weapon," Velzar countered. "And you are currently unarmed."
The shadows in the corner of the booth shifted. I didn't see anyone approach, but suddenly, a man was sitting across from me. He was thin, almost skeletal, wearing a suit of grey fabric that seemed to absorb the light around it. His face was unremarkable—the kind of face you would forget the moment you stopped looking at it. This was an 'Infiltrator,' a specialist in the Syndicate's intelligence network.
"You have a lot of nerve bringing that scent into my house," the man said. His voice was a soft, dry whisper, like paper rubbing together. "The Enforcers are tearing the Underveil apart looking for the boy who broke their drone. And here you are, sitting in the open, smelling like ash and void."
"You know who I am?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
"The Umbra knows everything that happens in the pipes. We know about the massacre. We know about Marrow. And we know about the shard you gave him." He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on my right eye. "What are you, Asher? You're not a contract-bearer—not like the ones the Crown employs. Your energy is... wrong. It's not borrowed from the demons. It's coming from somewhere else."
"I'm the guy who's going to pay you if you answer my questions," I said, sliding the vial of Essence onto the table.
The man looked at the vial, but he didn't take it. "Questions are free. The answers are what cost. What do you want to know?"
"Who killed my family?" I asked, the words coming out before I could stop them. "Who authorized the 'Cleansing' in the Piston district ten years ago?"
The Infiltrator smiled, a thin, mirthless line. "That's a heavy question for a small rat. The Cleansing wasn't a military operation. It was a harvest. The Crown needed high-purity Essence to fuel the 'Ascension Project,' and your district was deemed... expendable. But they weren't just looking for Essence. They were looking for a vessel. A child who could survive the 'Initial Graft'."
My blood turned to ice. "A vessel? What are you talking about?"
"You weren't meant to survive, Asher. You were meant to be the fuel. But something went wrong. A breach in the ritual. A demon that wasn't supposed to be there. Velzar, I believe?"
I felt the demon stir in my mind, a sudden, violent surge of energy that made my vision swim. "He knows too much," Velzar hissed, his voice no longer a whisper, but a roar. "Kill him. Now!"
I gripped the table, my knuckles turning white. "How do you know the demon's name?"
"Because the Syndicate was the one who brokered the deal," the Infiltrator said, his voice as calm as a frozen lake. "We provided the ritual site. We provided the oversight. But we didn't account for you. You are the only variable the system couldn't calculate. A boy who made a contract with the void before he even knew his own name."
I felt the world spinning. The people who were supposed to help me—the Syndicate—were the ones who helped destroy my life. Every step I'd taken to reach them was just a step deeper into the trap.
"I'm not going to kill you, Asher," the man said, finally reaching for the vial of Essence. "In fact, I'm going to help you. The Crown is looking for you because they think you're a failure. But we see a masterpiece. A boy who can pay the Tax and keep walking. Do you know how much power is hidden in that void of yours? If you reach the Crown, you won't just find the person who killed your family. You'll find the person who made you."
"I wasn't made," I snarled, my hand moving toward my shiv. "I survived."
"Same thing, in this city," the man said, standing up. "Keep the map. Keep the code-breaker. But know this: every time you use that Interface, you're not just paying with your memories. You're completing the graft. The more of yourself you lose, the more 'perfect' the vessel becomes. By the time you reach the top, there might not be an Asher left to take revenge."
He vanished into the shadows before I could say another word. The booth was empty. The bartender was back to cleaning her glass. The vial of Essence was gone.
I sat there in the dark, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My left hand was a cold, dead weight. My right eye was screaming with a rhythmic, red agony.
[Sync Rate: 0.14%]
[New Objective: Infiltrate the Ascension Lab.]
[Estimated Time to Total Graft: 1,418 Days.]
I looked at my hands. They were shaking. I wasn't just a boy in a city of monsters. I was a monster in the making. Every sacrifice, every lost memory, every bit of skin I'd surrendered—it was all part of a plan I'd never agreed to. I was paying to build my own prison.
"He lied," I whispered to the empty booth.
"Did he?" Velzar laughed, his voice sounding closer than ever. "Or did he just tell you what you already knew? You love the power, Asher. You love the cold clarity of the void. You love being the only thing in this city that isn't afraid. Admit it. You don't want to be a human. You want to be the storm."
I didn't answer. I stood up, my legs feeling like they belonged to someone else. I walked out of the bar and into the neon-lit rain of the Vortex. The water was clean, but it felt like acid on my skin. I looked up at the Crown towers, those silver needles piercing the dark heart of the sky.
I had been running toward my enemies, thinking I was hunting them. But I was just a stray dog returning to its master.
I pulled my hood low and began to walk. I didn't have a plan. I didn't have a team. I didn't even have a full set of senses. All I had was a dwindling clock and a demon who wanted to eat my soul. But as I moved through the shadows of the Grid, the hatred I'd felt earlier didn't fade. It solidified. It turned into a cold, hard diamond of purpose.
If I was a vessel, I would be a vessel of fire. If I was a monster, I would be the one that monsters feared. I wouldn't just find the person who made me; I would unmake them. I would tear down the towers, break the Line, and let the rust-rain wash away the silver and the silk.
[Sanity: 68%]
[Current State: Resolute.]
I took a step forward, my boots clicking on the metal grating. The sound was lonely, but it was firm. I wasn't a boy born below the line anymore. I was a debt that was about to be collected. And the Crown was going to find out that when you tax the void, the void eventually taxes you back.
I vanished into the neon fog, heading toward the heart of the Grid. The chase was over. The war had begun. And for the first time, I wasn't worried about the price. I would pay everything. I would burn every memory, every feeling, and every second of my life until there was nothing left but the light of the explosion.
The City didn't look back. But as I moved toward the center, I felt the towers tremble. Or maybe it was just the vibration of the turbines beneath my feet. It didn't matter. I was moving. I was ascending. And the cost was no longer a burden—it was fuel. I walked into the light, a shadow with a name, and the silence of the Grid was the only answer I needed. I was Asher, and I was coming home. The deal was made, the ink was blood, and the time was running out. But I was still breathing. And that was the most dangerous thing in the world. I took another step, then another, the rhythm of my heart echoing the ticking of the Interface. 1,418 days. It was plenty of time to destroy a city. I smiled, a dark, hollow thing, and disappeared into the night. The ascent was inevitable. The fall would be legendary. And the tax... the tax would be paid in full. I moved forward, a ghost seeking a reckoning, into the heart of the neon nightmare. The game had only just begun. I was ready. I was hollow. I was free. The journey continued, one lost memory at a time, until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling, and for the first time, I was calling back. The silence of the night was broken by the sound of my own footsteps, a steady, relentless march toward the end of everything. The Grid was waiting. The Crown was waiting. And I was coming. God help them all. The boy was gone. The vessel was waking up. And the world would never be the same. The neon flickered, the rain fell, and I kept walking. The ascent was my only truth. And I would reach the top, no matter what I had to leave behind. The story was being written in real-time, and I was the one holding the blade. Onward. Into the dark. Into the light. Into the end. The City would remember my name, even if I forgot it myself. That was the contract. And I would see it through. Every single word. Every single drop of blood. The end was just the beginning. And I was already there. I walked on, a shadow among shadows, toward the final reckoning. The time was now. The cost was everything. And I was paying with a smile. The ascent was mine. The victory would be bitter. But it would be mine. The journey continued. I was Asher. I was the void. And I was coming for them all. The neon faded as I entered the deeper shadows of the Vortex, a ghost in the machine, ready to break the world. The silence was absolute. The war was real. And the clock was still ticking. I moved on. One step. Two steps. Toward the end of the line. Toward the truth. Toward the fire. I was ready. I was finally ready. The deal was done. The debt was mine. And I would pay it in blood. The City didn't look back. But it would. Oh, it would. I would make sure of it. The ascent was everything. And everything was mine. Onward. Forever. Into the void. Into the light. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. The neon night was young. And I had so much to do. So much to destroy. So much to become. I was the vessel. And the vessel was hungry. I moved on. One step at a time. Into the heart of the storm. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The ascent continued. The price was paid. And the world was about to break. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth that mattered. I walked on. Into the silence. Into the fire. Into the end. The City was watching. And I was watching back. The game was on. The debt was due. And I was the one who would collect. Onward. Into the void. I was ready. I was finally ready. The journey continued. One lost memory at a time. Until the end. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. The void was calling. And I was calling back. I was Asher. And I was still moving. That was enough. That was everything. The end. Or maybe just the start. I kept walking. I was ready. I was finally ready. The end. I was Asher. And I was still here. That was the only truth. I walked on. One last step. Into the light. Into the dark. I was ready. I was finally ready. The end.