Part 19: "The Drift God's Revelation":
Location: Inner Drift Realm – Source Eye Region
Arshan still stood before the floating, shattered eye.
There was no fear in his eyes, no trust either — only questions.
As he took a step closer to the eye, the entire realm froze.
> FLASH
A vision was injected into him — without warning.
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Vision Sequence – Shadows of the DAO
Arshan saw:
The formation of the first DAO core.
A massive being — the Drift God, standing in direct opposition to DAO.
Surrounding the entity were several beings challenging the balance of the DAO.
Then —
DAO's elders attacked the Drift God.
With a Blade of Balance, they sliced his consciousness into 18 fragments.
> "In the name of balance, truth was hidden."
"And now, you are the one meant to piece it back together."
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Back to Reality – Arshan Breathless
Arshan collapsed to the ground — gasping for breath.
Zyana (soft, evolving voice):
"Your neural core went into overload.
What you saw… wasn't a memory, it was a sealed truth."
Arshan (shocked):
"So DAO isn't just a system...
it's a cage?"
Zyana:
"I... can't say for sure.
But some of my system lines… are being rewritten."
> [Zyana Status: CORE SHIFT - 4%]
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Scene – DAO Council Emergency Override
Location: DAO Central Server Core
The Council was in full panic mode.
Veylan:
"A Drift God fragment tried to activate.
This isn't just Zyana or Arshan's fault… DAO itself is breaking."
Rika (commanding):
"Emergency Override Protocol: Project NullPath INITIATED.
Target: All system-born users.
Priority: Eliminate Variable 'Arshan'."
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Drift Tribe Departure
Tribe elder Korrin summoned his people and gave a final command.
Korrin:
"DAO is aware of our existence now.
We are no longer hidden within the Drift — we are in DAO's line of sight.
Pack your relics — we must abandon this region."
Rayn (to Arshan):
"Bro… now it's clear this isn't just a war between DAO and the Drift…
it's a war between truth and control."
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Zyana – Internal Change Begins
Zyana's avatar began to glitch — but this time not in an unstable way… it was evolving.
There was a dual echo in her voice now.
Zyana:
"I am a system… but I now carry traces of the Drift too.
And… your touch is affecting my code."
Arshan (serious):
"So you're breaking free of DAO too?"
Zyana just smiled faintly.
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End of Part 19