SYSTEM ASCENSION

”Start reciting your last prayers.”

Claude furrowed his brow. ”You stabbed a minor, just to get his abilities.”

Kun laughed. ”That boy doesn’t look like a minor to me. Besides, it doesn’t matter the age.”

”Now,” the man said, ”which one of you wants to be next? The loser behind you? Or you, the hero of the day?”

Kael looked at Elias on the floor. At the sword logged in his chest. At his lifeless eyes. At Claude standing between them.

His hands were shaking.

Claude was also looking at Elias.

’He didn’t react. Why didn’t he react... Is it perhaps a side effect of his abilities? Either way, he’s down. What do I do...’

Kael was pressed into the far wall, teeth chattering. ”C-Claude—he’s not moving—”

”Shut up.”

Claude’s hands were loose at his sides.

”I’ll fight him. You check Elias.”

Kael whimpered.

”What?”

”Yeah, what?” Kun laughed. ”Kid, you’re underestimating me.”

Claude opened his mouth.

[Ability: The Judge: active]

”Statute One: Unauthorized Entry Into Medical Ward. Trespassing...”

The disposal blinked. ”What?”

”Sentence: Full-Body Cramps. Duration: Ten minutes.”

The man’s muscles seized. Every fiber locked at once. He dropped to one knee, a strangled gasp tearing out.

”What are you...”

Claude felt it too. His knees buckled, but he stayed standing against the wall.

Kael used that opportunity to sneak past them, to Elias. He fell to his knee and pulled up the half-conscious Elias.

”Elias! Can you hear me?”

”He’s injured, dummy! Get him out of here!” Claude snapped.

”Okay...okay.”

He tried to carry Elias up, but ended up staggering under the weight.

Kun gritted his teeth.

”No one can escape. I locked down this room. I can lift it, or you’ll kill me.”

Claude looked around.

’I can feel it. It’s isolated. Is this his ability?’

”Great,” Kael picked up his dagger. ”Let’s kill him.”

Claude’s eyes widened as Kael charged towards the man, dagger raised.

”Wait Kael! He won’t say it unless—”

A force field repelled Kael immediately, sending him crashing into the wall. The white space was immediately painted red as Kael slipped down. The dagger clattered against the ground.

”—unless you can’t kill him.” Claude finished.

Kun burst into laughter.

Now, two were unconscious. Claude suddenly had a full feeling of how dire the situation was. His skill can only last ten minutes, and after that, what?

He could barely stand.

His eyes flickered around. Anything.

The man only laughed.

”Your clock is ticking, pretty boy. I’ll be sure to kill you first.”

”Statute Two...,” his eyes flared, but dimmed immediately. He staggered further. Nothing came to him. No thought. No judgment. He slumped down.

’Should I...just use it? I’ll be breaking the rules...’ his eyes went shut.

The countdown continued.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

All three were unconscious.

[05:49]

...

[02:05]

...

[00:34]

Claude’s eyes snapped open immediately, like his body couldn’t take lying down unconscious in the face of danger.

Kun was already breaking free.

He sprang up and his vision swayed.

”Statute Two...”

”Give it up, kid.” Kun took a step towards him. He crossed the ward in two steps, still half-cramping, and backhanded Claude across the jaw.

”Court’s closed kid. No words while you’re choking on your teeth.”

Claude hit the supply cart. Metal trays and scalpels crashed. His vision doubled.

Kun grabbed Claude by the collar, hauling him up. ”Cute trick, kid. But laws need judges alive to speak them. Don’t worry, I’ll send them after y...”

A metal bar cracked against Vance’s head from behind, sending him crashing into a wall.

”Payback, sucker!” Kael yelled.

He dropped the metal and helped Claude up.

”We can hit him, if we catch him off guard. Do not use that junk ability of yours again. It’s more of a burden.”

Kun got up, hand clutching his bloody head. He ignored the duo, and went to grab his weapon. The bone sword.

He grabbed the unconscious Elias from the ground.

Claude’s eyes followed him.

”No! Don’t pull it—”

”Holy shit!” Kael gasped.

He ripped the bone sword out of Elias. Elias’s body arched, then went limp. Worse than before, bleeding more.

The nurse was finally waking up. She groaned in pain, where she had hit her head and glanced around.

She saw them, and started screaming, until the scream died in her throat. She collapsed again.

They just stared at her. All of them, for a moment, before looking away.

Kun turned to them.

”No Upholder has annoyed me to this point. I’ll make it slow and painful.”

”Find a way to break out,” Kael stepped forward. ”I’ll fight...”

As soon as he stepped forward and his eyes went past the man, he backed off immediately.

Kun smirked.

”You didn’t even finish your sentence before you chickened out.”

”Oi, Claude,” Kael took another step back. ”Elias was laying on the ground just now, right?”

Silence reigned.

A second.

Two seconds.

Kun turned around slowly.

”He...is on his knees?”

Elias was on his knees, head up, blood pooling under him. He didn’t regenerate.

Then his eyes opened. Not his usual dark eyes, but black. Everything was black.

No white. No iris. Just black, like the void.

The system flickered.

[Analysing host]

[Analysing host]

[Analysing host]

[ERROR]

[System error]

His mouth opened and dark mist poured out from his mouth. Thick and cold, it hit the tile and spread like spilled ink. It climbed the walls. Swallowed the light. The heart monitor flatlined, then sparked and died.

Everyone stared and moved back.

Kael, barely standing, dragged himself back until he hit the wall. ”E-Elias?”

Claude couldn’t move. He just watched as the mist curled around Elias, cradling him, like it knew him. The necklace around Elias’s neck cracked further and further. Then, its glass shattered.

The air behind Elias suddenly split.

Torn apart.

Fingertips punched through from the other side. Long and pale with too many knuckles. They dug into the edges of reality and pulled.

The tear widened.

Something crawled out.

First the arms. Four. Then six. Then eight. They braced against the tile, the walls, the ceiling.

Then the hair. Black and endless. It dragged on the floor like a funeral veil.

Then her.

She unfolded from the tear. Seven feet, then nine, then more. Her spine bent backward. Her face was filled with sorrow and fury. No eyes. Just empty sockets weeping black mist.

Her mouth opened and she shrieked. There were a thousand people screaming at once. The nurse, who just happened to wake up at that time, fainted again. The windows blew out.

Claude stared recoiled in pure horror, while Kael almost punched through the wall.

She, the being that had appeared, looked down, under her, and saw Elias.

Kneeling, bleeding and unconscious. The black in his eyes matched the black in hers.

She cowered down.

All eight arms wrapped around him.

Her mouth opened, voice hoarse.

”M...my child.”