Chapter 59 — A Question of Loyalty

  room was silent.

  All eyes were on SK the Reaper.

  She stood tall in the center of Frostbyte's chamber, white armor gleaming under cold overhead lights.

  After a brief pause, she began.

  SK's Story

  "At the time before the Great Collapse," SK said calmly, "I was just an ordinary player. Maybe above average… nothing more."

  Her voice remained steady.

  "I climbed the ranks quickly in SkyRealm. Eventually, I earned the title The Reaper. Some guilds even called me a local legend."

  A few officers exchanged glances.

  "Even though SkyRealm was massive, I managed to make a name for myself in my region. Then Syncorp announced the billion-dollar tournament."

  She gave a faint, humorless smile.

  "To be honest… I wasn't interested. I played because I enjoyed it. I didn't need the money."

  Her eyes darkened slightly.

  "But one day… when I logged in…"

  Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.

  "Everything turned white."

  Silence filled the room.

  "I was transported into the game."

  "And I couldn't log out."

  After the Disaster Code struck, SkyRealm stopped being a game.

  "It wasn't just graphics anymore. It wasn't just quests. It was real."

  "For the first time… I was afraid."

  She didn't look at anyone as she spoke.

  "I locked myself in a corner. I hoped it was a nightmare. That I would wake up."

  A small pause.

  "But I couldn't hide forever."

  Her jaw tightened.

  "Then disaster struck again."

  A mid-level boss spawned in the center of town.

  "Most players there were beginners," she continued. "Low level. They didn't even know how to fight properly."

  "I was scared too."

  Her eyes flickered slightly, remembering.

  "But then… a player rushed forward."

  "He carried twin blades. He roared and attacked the boss while everyone else escaped."

  "I stood there and asked myself… why would he risk his life? This isn't a game anymore."

  Someone in the room shifted slightly.

  "Then another player answered."

  Her gaze sharpened.

  'Because if we don't… who will?'

  "I turned and saw a fully armored warrior carrying a sword. He walked past me and said—"

  'If you can help evacuate the civilians, that would be good.'

  "He leaped into battle."

  SK continued calmly.

  "I helped the injured. Moved players out of danger."

  Then—

  "There was a massive explosion."

  "When the dust cleared, the boss was dead."

  "The two warriors stood there talking… laughing… like it was just another day."

  A faint pause.

  "But the boss wasn't fully dead."

  "One of its tails twitched."

  "It lunged."

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "They didn't notice."

  "My body moved on its own."

  Her voice grew quieter.

  "I grabbed a spear and threw it."

  'Hey! Watch out!'

  "The spear pierced the tail."

  "The two of them were stunned."

  She looked forward.

  "They walked toward me."

  'Was that you?'

  "I nodded."

  Then—

  "He asked me if I wanted to join the Empire."

  "The Empire?" she had asked back then.

  'We journey across SkyRealm,' he told me. 'We bring order to the new world.'

  "We could use someone like you."

  She hesitated slightly, remembering.

  "He said my name."

  'SK, right?'

  "Yes," she replied softly. "That's when I started traveling with them."

  "And eventually… I joined the Empire."

  She looked directly at Frostbyte.

  "That's all, Commander."

  Frostbyte leaned back slowly.

  "Ah… Captain Crocxer," he said. "One of my finest officers."

  "He always had high expectations for you."

  "You wouldn't want to disappoint him… would you?"

  "Of course not, sir," SK answered immediately. "Never."

  "And yes," Frostbyte added smoothly, "he's on a mission. That's why he isn't here."

  A pause.

  "So tell me, SK. You are loyal to the Empire Code, correct? We trained you. We forged you into who you are."

  "Yes, Commander," she replied firmly. "I owe the Empire everything."

  Frostbyte's eyes sharpened.

  "Your time in the Void is still… fascinating."

  "You discovered a veteran player."

  "You captured a Resistance soldier."

  "And not just any soldier."

  "The Starlink Sniper."

  The chamber was silent.

  Not the calm kind.

  The dangerous kind.

  Rows of Imperial officers stood along the walls — CrimsonWarden, Led_Dz, Korrosion, C4ss — all under Commander Frostbyte's authority. The air was cold, heavy with scrutiny.

  Commander Frostbyte sat at the head of the long obsidian table, fingers loosely folded.

  "You've told us how you joined the Empire," he said calmly. "An inspiring story."

  A faint pause.

  "Now let's discuss something current."

  Led_Dz stepped forward.

  The doors opened.

  Two Imperial soldiers dragged someone inside.

  Metal chains scraped against the floor.

  They threw the prisoner forward.

  She hit the ground hard.

  Ryze.

  The Starlink Sniper.

  Bruised. Blood at the edge of her lip. Arms restrained behind her back.

  But her posture?

  Unbroken.

  She lifted her chin slightly.

  And looked forward.

  Not at SK.

  Not at anyone.

  Just forward.

  The room grew quieter.

  "So," Led_Dz said evenly, "SK the Reaper."

  He stepped aside.

  "What is your connection to this Resistance soldier?"

  Every officer watched her.

  Frostbyte didn't blink.

  "This is not a complicated question," he added smoothly. "Yes… or no."

  A faint tension tightened in the room.

  SK's fingers twitched once at her side.

  She did not look at Ryze.

  Not even once.

  "I have no connection to her," she said calmly.

  Ryze didn't react.

  Didn't flinch.

  Didn't deny it.

  Led_Dz tilted his head.

  "No connection?" he repeated.

  "None," SK replied.

  Silence.

  Then Frostbyte leaned forward slightly.

  "You understand the weight of your answer, correct?"

  His voice softened.

  "If you deny knowing her…"

  He gestured lightly toward Ryze.

  "…then she is nothing more than a captured Resistance asset."

  A small pause.

  "And assets have no value once exhausted."

  One of the officers spoke plainly.

  "If SK confirms no connection, we execute the sniper immediately."

  The words landed like steel.

  Ryze's expression didn't change.

  But her breathing slowed.

  She understood.

  If SK denied her…

  She would die here.

  On the spot.

  No trial.

  No delay.

  A test.

  Not just of loyalty.

  Of character.

  Frostbyte's gaze remained fixed on SK.

  "So, Reaper."

  His voice was almost gentle.

  "Is she no one to you?"

  The room waited.

  SK's heart pounded once.

  Twice.

  Blaze's words echoed faintly in her mind.

  You care.

  She forced the thought away.

  "I…"

  Her voice almost faltered.

  She steadied it.

  "I do not know her beyond the Void incident."

  Ryze finally looked up.

  Not at Frostbyte.

  At SK.

  Just for a second.

  Their eyes met.

  No accusation.

  No anger.

  Just understanding.

  If this is how it ends.

  Frostbyte studied them carefully.

  Then—

  The building shook violently.

  BOOM.

  The floor cracked.

  Lights flickered.

  "What was that?!" CrimsonWarden snapped.

  Another explosion echoed through the corridor.

  Dust rained from the ceiling.

  Led_Dz pressed his comm device.

  "Report!"

  Static.

  Then—

  "Commander! The Void Portal is destabilizing!"

  Frostbyte stood immediately.

  "How?"

  "Sir — the portal reopened! It's expanding!"

  Another voice cut through the channel.

  "Void entities are emerging! Multiple signatures!"

  A third explosion ripped through the lower sector.

  The chamber doors trembled.

  Outside, alarms began blaring.

  Imperial soldiers rushed past the corridor windows.

  Gunfire erupted.

  Magic flared.

  Screams echoed faintly from deeper within the facility.

  CrimsonWarden turned sharply.

  "Sir — if the portal continues expanding, it could breach the outer city barrier!"

  Frostbyte's expression darkened.

  "…Call reinforcements from the Northern District."

  "Yes, Commander!"

  "Deploy all available units."

  The ground shook again.

  Stronger this time.

  In the chaos, the guards restraining Ryze lost their footing for half a second.

  Just enough.

  Ryze shifted slightly — testing her restraints.

  Frostbyte noticed.

  "Secure the prisoner," he ordered coldly.

  Two guards tightened their grip immediately.

  Then—

  A deeper tremor rolled through the building.

  Not an explosion.

  Something else.

  Something heavier.

  Something arriving.

  Led_Dz swallowed.

  "…Commander."

  "Yes."

  "There's a larger energy spike."

  Frostbyte's jaw tightened.

  "How large?"

  A pause.

  "…Beyond classification."

  Silence fell again.

  Even through the chaos.

  Even through the alarms.

  Something from the Void wasn't just leaking through.

  It was pushing through.

  Back inside the chamber, Frostbyte's eyes returned to SK.

  "You're not dismissed," he said calmly.

  "Not yet."

  He gestured toward Ryze.

  "Take her to Level Seven containment."

  The guards moved.

  Ryze did not resist.

  As she was dragged toward the exit, she passed by SK.

  For a brief second—

  Their shoulders nearly touched.

  Ryze spoke quietly.

  So quiet only SK could hear.

  "Good choice."

  No sarcasm.

  No bitterness.

  Just calm acceptance.

  Then she was gone.

  The doors slammed shut.

  The chamber trembled again.

  Frostbyte turned toward the holo-display activating along the far wall.

  A distorted image of the portal appeared.

  Black lightning tearing across golden Imperial code.

  Something massive shifting behind the rupture.

  "…Interesting timing," Vortex's voice echoed faintly through a secure channel.

  Frostbyte's expression remained cold.

  "Yes."

  He glanced once more at SK.

  "You will assist in defending the capital."

  A pause.

  "And Reaper…"

  His eyes sharpened.

  "We'll continue this conversation later."

  Outside—

  Void creatures poured into the streets.

  Imperial soldiers clashed against them in waves of steel and magic.

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