Price Of Peace
666 Words
Two weeks had passed since the sky closed. Jiangnan City was a mess of construction cranes and broken glass. But for Xin, the hardest part wasn't the rubble—it was the quiet.
He sat on the edge of a rooftop, looking at his hands. Without the armor, he looked like a normal kid again. But the silver mark on his chest felt like a cold stone. It hadn't glowed since the fight.
"If you stare at your palm any harder, you’ll grow a third eye," a voice teased.
Mei climbed onto the roof, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. She handed one to Xin.
"Any word from the 'Voice'?" she asked, sitting down.
"Nothing," Xin said, slurping the salty broth. "It’s like the Engine went into a coma. I tried to lift a brick yesterday and almost pulled a muscle. I think I’m back to Level 0."
"Better than being a Level 10 statue," Mei said. She pointed toward the center of the city.
The Spire was still there. It didn't belong to the Elementals anymore. The Resistance had turned it into a research base. It looked like a giant needle made of glass, reflecting the sunset.
"Captain Han wants to see you," Mei said, her voice turning serious. "Some of the people you saved... they aren't acting right."
Xin frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They’re seeing things, Xin. Shadows. They say they hear the General’s laughter in their sleep. Han thinks a bit of Earth-6 stayed behind inside their minds."
Xin felt a chill. He remembered the General’s words about the Engine being a parasite. Was it happening to the others too?
Suddenly, the silver mark on Xin’s chest gave a sharp, painful pulse. It wasn't blue or red. It was a dark, oily purple.
"Warning," the voice whispered, but it sounded cracked and distant. "The Rift didn't just close. It leaked. Enemy Class: Mind-Stalker detected nearby."
Before Xin could react, the rooftop around them began to melt—not into lava, but into a foggy nightmare. The city sounds vanished. Mei was still sitting next to him, but her face was gone, replaced by a smooth, blank surface.
"Xin..." the blank-faced Mei said, but the voice belonged to the General. "Do you really think a hero gets a happy ending?"
Xin scrambled back, dropping his noodles. "This isn't real. This is a trick!"
[Trial 1: The Mirror of Guilt.]
[Objective: Do not lose your identity.]
The roof turned into the scaffolding from the first day. Xin looked down and saw Old Chen falling. Then he saw his parents. Then he saw the thousands of people he had "saved" screaming that it was all his fault.
"You brought us here," the voices whispered. "You kept the Engine. You are the monster."
Xin closed his eyes, his head throbbing. This wasn't a fight he could win with a punch. This was a test of his mind.
"I didn't choose the meteor," Xin yelled into the fog. "But I chose to save them! The power doesn't make me the monster—my choices make me who I am!"
He grabbed the silver mark on his chest and squeezed. He didn't ask for power. He asked for truth.
The purple fog shattered like glass. Xin was back on the roof. Mei was staring at him, her face normal, looking worried.
"Xin! You were screaming!" she cried, holding his shoulders.
Xin panted, sweat dripping off his chin. The mark on his chest was glowing a steady, calm white now.
[Trial 1 Complete.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Mental Shield.]
[Upgrade Path: The Guardian’s Mind (Level 11).]
"It’s not over, Mei," Xin said, standing up. His eyes were sharper than before. "The Elementals didn't just want our world. They wanted to break our heads. We need to go to the Spire. Now."
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