OLD-WORLD EXTRA

{If Anything Happens...}

If anything happens, I love you."

Amon's past came to light.

A wound that never healed.

He and his wife lost their second daughter in a school shooting.

And after that?

His wife withered away.

Until only their first daughter remained.

{Haydar}

The tournament had a prize.

Not just victory. Not just status.

But information.

Isadore, the head of Ebonfyre, handed it over.

The truth about his father.

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His real name wasn't Oliver.

It was Haydar.

{Need Money}

The gathering had a new development.

Mr. King had found something.

A weapon.

Something that could help control his corruption.

Cerberus Pistols.

Twin semi-auto revolvers. Three barrels. Three cylinders. Break-loading.

Eighteen shots at once.

But that wasn't the best part.

It could transform—daggers, a spear—whatever he needed.

Infinite ammo. Aether-powered.

A growth-type weapon.

The more corruption inside the wielder? The more powerful it became.

An Anchor. A place to store corruption.

But then? The Flaw.

Every shot made the Aether consumption spike.

And worse?

The weapon fed corruption back into its wielder.

Use it too much, and their body would start to rot.

A ticking clock.

But for Emir?

It was perfect.

He had always liked the spear.

Knew it was the king of melee weapons.

The only issue? Size.

But with this?

That problem was gone.

This weapon was made for him.

{True Date}

A real date? No.

A VR date.

Emir and Lyra found themselves in an amusement park.

First stop?

A 10D movie theater.

(They just kept adding numbers to it.)

Next?

A drink.

Diamond Sparkling Water.

Tasted like overpriced luxury.

Lyra commented on his suits.

He only ever wore them.

He shrugged.

"It's cashmere."

"And?"

"Looks good even when smashing a man's head in."

She laughed.

"True. But add something more."

So he threw on a coat.

Then?

A haunted house.

Emir ended up scaring the monsters inside instead.

They asked why his avatar looked so terrifying.

Lyra, meanwhile?

Sh eacted scared.

They stopped by a fortune-telling booth.

Rode a few rides.

Then?

Bored.

Time to go somewhere else.

{VR Games}

After that wild VR date, everything cranked up a notch. It turns out that all the fun was just a warm-up for what was really coming.

Cerberus—the fancy weapon Emir had snagged—was way pricier than he ever imagined.

And why? Because he was about to dive headfirst into a digital war.

Picture this: Humans across the solar system duking it out in VR.

After Armageddon, they figured:

"Hey, let's settle our beef online so we don't lose more lives."

With AI making sure every bet was honored, winners got rewards and losers got… well, not much.

But Emir?

He needed more.

So he jumped into another arena.

A different kind of bloodsport.

A VR death game.

Winner gets Valora.

Losers?

They lose everything.

Even their lives.

It all kicked off with a battle royale where Emir wasn't holding back—Arthur got taken out, no questions asked.

Then came a series of group games that were as twisted as they were brutal.

{The Forbidden Word}

The rules were simple: don't say the forbidden word. If you did, you die.

Emir?

Didn't talk at all.

Someone called him out.

"That's against the rules!"

Emir blinked.

His forbidden word?

"Rules."

He won.

{Spin the Gun.}

They spun a gun, and whoever it landed on had to shoot anyone trying to run. Emir dodged death again and emerged victorious.

{Shotgun Roulette.}It sounded insane, but yeah—shotgun roulette.

One shell. One pull.

He won.

{Battleships with a Twist.}

Not the normal kind.

This time, the ships?

Real people.

Somewhere, in some forgotten backwater country, people had agreed to this game for money.

Miss a shot?

Your opponent gets to ask a real person where they are.

Then?

Bombs.

Was it real?

Was it fake?

Did it matter?

Not to Emir.

They wanted forced morality.

They weren't going to get it.

Before every call, he asked about their families.

Pity for the children? Sure.

But the parents?

They made this choice.

Could've left. Could've made something.

They didn't.

So why should he care?

If he believed they were trapped, then how could he believe he could escape his own fate?

Real people, real consequences, all for cash and bragging rights.

And, of course, he won.

At the end of the tournament, the announcer asked:

"How did you know you'd beat him?"

Emir just shrugged.

"Simple. They have family waiting for them at home."

{Field Trip To Death}

The front lines.

An actual warzone.

Emir and his class stepped onto the battlefield, where a simple sign greeted them:

[What follows is front-line combat. You are not expected to survive.]

Drones screamed overhead, hitting Mach speeds, exploding in bursts of chaos.

The students were here to learn.

Most of them would just die.

{Heaven's Chosen}

Emir followed Arthur.

Watched him.

Waited.

Until Arthur found it.

The place from the novel.

The place where he was supposed to be blessed.

Emir knocked him out cold.

{Cursed Encounter}

Fortune?

Not today.

Arthur's lucky encounter turned cursed.

{All Your Loot Are Belong to Us}

Emir stole it.

An Aether Core.

The thing that would've boosted Arthur to match his classmates.

Now?

It was Emir's.

{Joining the Charge}

With his newfound strength, Emir charged into the war alongside soldiers, professors, and students.

And here?

The war's rules were laid bare.

{Sacrifice}

The Fourth Major Disaster.

Professors were supposed to die here.

But Emir?

He had other plans.

"Run..."

"I'll hold them back until reinforcements arrive."

Ragnar understood.

He took the students and the others.

And Emir?

He stayed behind.

{Admiration}

The rumors spread.

The students whispered.

"Our professor fought an army alone."

It was a lie.

{A False Truth}

It wasn't just him.

The family was there.

The mechs.

The weapons.

This wasn't just a last stand.

It was war.

{Kerosene}

Azazel tore through the constructs.

A massacre.

A slaughter.

The battlefield burned.

{The Meaning of Fear}

When the reinforcements finally arrived…

Emir was waiting.

Sitting.

On a mountain of corpses.

{Prince}

Back at the Academy, his students flinched at the flashing cameras.

Emir explained that he simply lifted his head.

Now?

He was the talk of the Academy.

The sector.

Did he care?

Not really.

But he could use it.

He spread his name.

Legally changed it.

Emir Haydar.

Companies came for his combat data, recorded by his augmented suit.

Hyperion wanted it.

Offered 1,000 Valora.

Emir asked for more.

They wanted to buy.

He had the upper hand.

And he had planned for this—mentioning his suit's brand before the fight.

He smiled.

Took the money.

Bought houses.

Right before the monster tide.

{The Hunt Begins}

His fame grew too much.

The UEF wanted dirt on him.

They investigated his people.

His family.

But no one talked.

Some clowned on the investigators.

Others?

Didn't take it seriously at all.

Meanwhile, Emir's life continued as usual.

Teaching.

Competitions.

Then one morning—

He woke up.

Patted Lyra's head.

Bid her good morning.

5:10 AM.

Sat in lotus position.

5:20 AM.

And so on.

Until noon.

The interview.

Emir saw the chance.

Used the rumors.

Used the stage.

And before the Elites could censor him—

He spoke.

Chapter: Heed My Words

"A tide. An unending wave."

"They'll blanket the sky and the sun… its dusk will rise from the west."

"Heads will roll, and none of us will be able to escape."

"Eventually, they'll arrive at your doorstep. But for now? We'll keep them in check."

"The general public won't know. But you—my fellow hunters—should."

"They'll come after me for saying this, but I still did it… for your own good."

"Because you, the one listening, could join us in becoming something more… or leave with the rest."

"And this is my message for those leaving."

"Your families…"

"Escape the north. Escape any other sector. Come here."

"The Academy will protect you."

"The whole world will soon see my evidence."

"Heed my words before it's too late."

"The Tyrants…"

"They're coming."