novelraw Chapter 26: Cipher 2.0
Chapter 26: Cipher 2.0
I was locked in my own mind, my thoughts the only tether to reality.
Then, it appeared.
A fluffy white cloud materialized before me, impossibly soft and glowing with an otherworldly sheen.
“Sorry,” it said, its voice unnervingly calm. “I just finished severing from you. I’m still adjusting to the new environment.”
I blinked.
I thought I was dreaming, but my senses were too sharp—too present. The weight of the moment, the clarity of each breath... no, this was real.
Something was in my head.
And I was standing face-to-face with it.
“What’s going on here? Who are you?” I asked, staring at the floating cloud.
It said nothing.
“How... where did you come from?” I pressed, my voice trembling with urgency.
Then, without warning, the cloud began to shift—warping, stretching, and solidifying until it took on my form. But not quite. The figure that stood before me had my build, my features... yet his eyes burned a piercing blue. My Solid State—reflected back at me.
“My name is Cipher 2.0,” it said flatly, conjuring a glowing screen in midair.
I stepped forward, disbelief washing over me.
“Cipher 2.0? Is that supposed to be a joke?” I shouted, frustration spilling over. “Let me out of here! My friends are in danger!”
Every second that passed could mean their deaths. I could feel time slipping away.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he replied, voice cold and unwavering. “Look at this.”
A screen materialized before me,
{
> Consciousness Sync: 0.5%
> Internal Override: Active
Core Potential: 0.5% (Estimate of Unknown capacity)
o Status: Unimpressive
o Growth Curve: Stagnant.
Physical Attributes:
o Power: Novice – Level > 1
o Speed: 0.0001% Light Speed Equivalent.
o Endurance: Fragile
Extra abi1ity: Internal Atomic Manipulation
o Integration Level: 15%
}
The displayed data seemed odd to me
"What is this?" I asked, confusion mixing with my growing panic.
That’s when another screen flashed a red warning appeared:
‘At your current power level, you can’t defeat this enemy! Course of action: ...’
"Run away!? I don’t know what’s going on here, but you need to let me go back now! My friends are in danger—I don’t have time for this!" I insisted,
And then, the so-called Cipher 2.0 advanced menacingly towards me.
"Our conversation here is operating in a nanosecond of your time outside. I barely managed to create that protective coat on your skin! You have about two minutes until I turn the power off. Use that time to escape without looking back!"
"Escape? We’re on an island! And what about my friends?"
"Forget about your friends. It’s too late for them. You’ll find other companions along the way,"
I didn’t know who or what this thing was, but one thing was clear: it was heartless. I closed my eyes, focusing intently on the stimuli around my body. I redirected all my energy to my mind to force myself out of his trap. As I’d hoped, it worked!
"What are you doing?!" Cipher 2.0 demanded, trying to intervene.
But I tore myself free from the dark void, returning my consciousness to the outside world. Its voice lingered in my head, though.
"Don’t be stupid!” He barked in my mind. “The energy this enemy released has neuromuscular nerve transmission interference effects. They’re frozen, imprisoned in their own bodies! It’s too late for them!"
"Only a coward leaves his friends to die! As long as I’m alive, I won’t let fear turn me into one!"
I was resolute to what I was fighting for. The promise I once made to myself, I wasn’t going to abandon it no matter the cost.
I turned to William, calling his name repeatedly. To force him to awake back to his normal senses. A few moments later and he finally seemed to hear me,
"Take everyone and run!" I urged him
He was looking at me with a confused stare
"I can’t move!" He gasped. "What is this thing doing to us?"
"You’re the strongest man I know! Don’t let it defeat you!" I cupped his face, trying to pull him back from the edge. If even William was this terrified, I couldn’t fathom the others’ fear.
"Close your eyes and focus on the energy within you! Breathe in and out. That thing is just a man, lost in the labyrinth of his own power. Like all men, he can bleed. We’ll stop him—that’s a promise!"
He stared at me, unaffected by the monster’s power.
"William, trust me once more!” I continued, “I won’t let this thing leave the island. Take Sane, Yukio, the captain, and everyone else. Get to the boat and call the helicopter! You need to warn the General about what’s happening! We have to stop this monster before it grows stronger!"
With renewed resolve, William regained control. He punched Dmitry, snapping him back to his senses. Together, they hoisted the others onto their shoulders—the still-unconscious captain, Yukio, and Sane. Including the twins, Zack, Drake and Diego.
Only one person stayed behind: Wardak. He seemed unfazed by the monster’s influence. I didn’t matter if he was a mercenary, I knew he didn’t stand a chance against Hira 125.
I turned to him
"I know you want to help, but this thing is dangerous. We already lost one friend—we need to be smart, or we’ll all die before the real enemies arrive. Go with the others, with my powers I will try to slow him down."
“Zma dushmanan la la makhke delta di — pa fikr ke hak shoy, da insaniat zeyganda. Da zhen gunahuna." he replied in Pashto.
“My enemies are already here—etched in thought, born of mankind. Transgressions of the mind.”
I thought he was referring to Maxwell.
His silence was different from Sane’s—a man with nothing to lose, singular in purpose. His eyes carried a darkness, the gaze of someone who’d walked through fire and emerged half-alive. We all kept our distance, sensing the void he carried. This time too, I said nothing more.
Turning back, I saw only destruction. Immense power, greater than Victor’s, pulsed within Hira 125. I realized there was no safe place on the island to flee, hoping only that William and Dmitry had reached the shore.
Then Wardak punched a hole in the ground and pulled me inside with him. Hira exploded again, scouring the island’s surface clean, sending shockwaves that shook the earth like a magnitude 7 earthquake.
It was time to play my final card: find his weakness and fight until one of us fell. My hyper-cognition and healing against his colossal energy. As I gathered strength to strike, the Solid State abruptly shut off. I’d been in it for about almost 15 minutes this time—a new record, overshadowed by the realization that a lunatic in my mind controlled its activation. Without it, I wouldn’t last a second against Maxwell.
That’s when Wardak suddenly charged forward, toward Hira 125.
I thought he’d attack, but he went straight to touch Hira’s skin. And when he touched the monster’s skin, he was hurled back.
I knew then that stopping Hira was up to me. I didn’t understand why the voice in my head toggled the Solid State, but I sensed it was part of me—and it wouldn’t let me die. So I planned to force its hand, even if it meant risking my life.
Though I aimed to provoke the voice into reactivating the power, I wouldn’t do it recklessly. I sprinted around Hira, building momentum to amplify my strike. Each time the Solid State deactivated, a rebound weakened me. Pushing through the dizziness, I made a sharp turn and lunged at Hira’s neck, my hands as weapons. Before I could connect, something blurred past me, striking Hira and sending him flying hundreds of meters.
And then a voice spoke from behind. "Why are you naked?"
I turned and saw Victor.
"I told you to go back home.” He said, “I’ll be the one killing the monsters!"
One glance at him, and I could tell he’d grown even stronger—perhaps as powerful as Hira.