Part 22: Breath of Truth Inside the Vault
Location: DAO Vault – Substation Delta, Sector R-0X
The vault gate opened with a heavy mechanical grating sound,
and the atmosphere inside felt like a graveyard —
cold, abandoned, yet every surface bore data scars and DAO insignias.
On the walls, DAO symbols flickered in a half-glitched state,
as if someone had tried — and failed — to erase this place from existence.
Zyana (Layer 1 – focused):
"This isn't just a vault…
this used to be a rejected DAO lab."
Rayn:
"So what did they test here?"
Zyana (Layer 2 – whisper):
"Artificial gods."
---
Terminal Activation – Secret Logs Playback
An old DAO core terminal powers up —
Arshan syncs with it through his relic's touch.
Lights flicker…
and a holographic projection begins to play:
> Log Entry 041:
"Z-Prototype unstable.
Too much emotion corrupts the system…
Project suspended indefinitely."
> Log Entry 042:
"Subject A-9 drift-linked…
Memory loss pattern triggered…
Survival: 1.2%"
Rayn (shocked):
"Subject A-9? Bro… is that…"
Arshan's vision blurs for a few seconds.
His breathing grows heavy.
Arshan (softly):
"That… name is engraved on my relic too."
---
Data Ghost – An Unexpected Visitor
The terminal begins crashing,
but a female voice echoes throughout the vault —
and another hologram is triggered:
A woman in a DAO uniform — her eyes full of guilt and panic.
> "If anyone sees this… please forgive us.
We didn't build a system…
We built a cage."
"And Arshan… if you're still alive…
You were never supposed to remember."
Zyana freezes in place.
Arshan walks straight to the vault wall and punches it —
the metal dents under his fist.
Arshan:
"I was born into a lie…"
Zyana (softly):
"But you chose to fight for the truth.
That's what makes you real."
---
New Glitch – Echo of DAO Breach Detected
A fresh glitch surge erupts inside the vault —
something has been activated.
Zyana switches to critical alert mode:
> "High-level breach detected.
DAO Council has been alerted.
First Response Unit arriving in 17 minutes."
Rayn (tight grip on his gun):
"So we've got only 17 minutes…"
Arshan:
"Then unlock everything.
I'll either die with the truth…
or win because of it."
---
End of Part 22