The air was thick with tension, the estate trembling under the weight of the Convergence. Zhang Wei stood at the threshold, his body no longer just a physical form, but a fusion of the physical and the Shadow Realm. His shadow no longer moved independently—it was part of him, a reflection of his will, his power, his very existence. He could feel the energy of the Shadow Realm flowing through him, a current of raw power that had once been foreign, now fully integrated.
The first wave of entities surged forward, their forms shifting between the physical and the unseen, their eyes glowing with a hunger that sent a chill down his spine. They were not just creatures—they were manifestations of fear, of the unknown, of the multiverse's attempt to purge what it saw as an anomaly.
Zhang Wei stepped forward, his blade—Shadowbane—glowing with an ethereal blue light. The moment he moved, the world changed. The physical and the Shadow Realm merged, and for the first time, he was fully present in both. The entities hesitated, their forms flickering as if they could not comprehend what they were facing.
[New State Activated: True Fractured Self - Enhanced Perception, Enhanced Combat Ability, Enhanced Resistance to Convergence Entities.]
[System Alert: Convergence Entities are adapting. New threat detected: Shadow Mimics. These entities can now mimic your form and abilities. Use caution.]
The first of the Shadow Mimics appeared—a perfect copy of Zhang Wei, complete with the same weapon and the same expression. It moved with the same precision, the same grace. But the moment it lunged, it faltered, its form flickering between reality and unreality.
Zhang Wei didn't hesitate. He moved, and his twin moved in tandem, but the moment the mimic reached for Shadowbane, it was struck down by the real one. The weapon passed through it like mist, and the mimic dissolved into nothingness.
[New Ability Unlocked: Shadow Discrimination - Ability to distinguish between real and mimicked entities. Effect: 100% accuracy in identifying true threats.]
The remaining entities surged forward, but Zhang Wei was no longer just a warrior. He was a force of nature, a being that existed in the space between worlds. He moved with a precision that defied logic, his strikes cutting through the air with a speed that made the entities recoil.
Chai Lang, still engaged in the fight, saw the change in Zhang Wei. His partner was no longer just a man—he was something more, something that had transcended the boundaries of the physical world. He moved with a grace that was almost otherworldly, his blade carving through the darkness like a beacon of light.
[System Alert: Chai Lang is in danger. Recommend immediate assistance.]
Zhang Wei turned, his gaze locking onto Chai Lang. The man was fighting with everything he had, his weapons barely holding back the onslaught. But the entities were relentless, their numbers overwhelming.
Zhang Wei moved, and the world shifted. He was no longer just present in the physical world—he was in the Shadow Realm as well, moving through both dimensions simultaneously. He reached out, and the entities that had been attacking Chai Lang were pulled into the Shadow Realm, their forms dissolving into nothingness.
Chai Lang looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What… what just happened?"
Zhang Wei smiled, though there was a weight behind it, a burden he had yet to fully understand. "I'm not just a man anymore, Chai Lang. I'm something else. Something that exists in two places at once."
He turned back to the remaining entities, his presence now a force that they could not comprehend. The Shadow Mimics had stopped attacking, their forms flickering with uncertainty. They were no longer sure whether they were facing a threat or a god.
[New Mission: Confront the Convergence - Reward: 100,000 Shadow Points, Keeper Initiation Complete. Risk Level: Infinite.]
Zhang Wei stepped forward, his voice carrying through both realms. "You are not gods. You are not anomalies. You are nothing more than the fear of the multiverse, and I am the embodiment of its defiance."
The entities screamed, their forms unraveling, their existence collapsing under the weight of his presence. One by one, they were consumed by the darkness, their forms vanishing into the void.
And when the last of them was gone, the world was silent.
Zhang Wei stood at the center of the estate, his body still, his breath steady. The Convergence had passed, but the cost had been great. He could feel the weight of the transformation pressing down on him, the duality of his existence no longer a burden, but a truth he had to live with.
Chai Lang approached, his expression unreadable. "You did it," he said. "You survived."
Zhang Wei looked at him, and for the first time, he felt something other than the cold weight of power. He felt something human—something fragile, something real.
"I didn't just survive," he said. "I became something more. I became the Fractured Self."
Chai Lang nodded, his gaze steady. "Then let's make sure no one ever finds us."
Zhang Wei smiled, and for the first time, the smile didn't feel like a mask. It felt like something real.
And with that, they stepped into the unknown, not as two people, but as one—the Fractured Self, a being of light and shadow, of past and future, of power and purpose.
The game had changed. And Zhang Wei was no longer playing by anyone's rules but his own.