Glitchborn

The first construct lunged.

Its body jittered between solid and fragmented, flickering like a corrupted file struggling to load. Eli barely had time to react before its clawed hand slashed through the air, distorting space as it moved.

Mara ducked and rolled, pulling a sleek, modified pulse blade from her belt. The weapon thrummed to life, its edge crackling with raw energy as she slashed at the nearest attacker. The construct shrieked as its body split apart, disintegrating into jagged, floating pixels.

Bishop pulled his scatter pistol, unloading two rapid shots into another construct’s head. The bullets phased through, barely slowing it down.

"Shit!" Bishop cursed. "They’re not fully here!"

The broker laughed from his throne of cables. "That’s the trick, isn’t it? These things don’t follow your rules. They’re ghosts of the Under_Net. Specters of the ones who came before."

Eli dodged a wild strike, the world around him shifting with every impact.

Reality glitched.

For a split second, he saw something else—a memory? A past life? A dimly lit lab, flickering monitors displaying his name. Voices shouting. You have to get out of here, Eli! They know!

His head throbbed.

Mara’s voice snapped him back. "Eli, MOVE!"

A construct phased through the air like liquid shadow, reaching for him. Instinct took over.

Eli raised his hand—and the air around him shuddered.

The construct froze mid-attack, its form convulsing, glitching violently.

The broker’s grin vanished. "Oh. Ohhh."

Bishop turned, wide-eyed. "What the hell was that?"

Eli stumbled back, his breath ragged. "I— I don’t know."

The remaining constructs hesitated, jittering like unstable code. Something about Eli’s presence was interfering with them.

The broker sat back, amusement creeping into his voice. "Well now. That’s interesting."

The cathedral walls started shifting again, lines of neon data stretching and warping.

"You don’t need me to tell you the truth, Eli," the broker said. "You already know it. You’re connected to them. To Echo Prime. And it looks like you still have… access."

Eli’s stomach twisted.

The broker’s grin returned. "Which means, my dear lost soul, you’re more dangerous than you think."

A deep, mechanical voice rumbled through the Under_Net.

"ACCESS GRANTED."

The air fractured.

And reality collapsed.