The crimson crystal continued pulsing faintly within Ayan's hand.
Soft.
Steady.
Almost like a heartbeat.
The ruined battlefield around them had already begun returning to silence, the corruption fading completely now that the unstable creature and the network connection sustaining it had both collapsed. Broken trees and shattered earth still scarred the clearing, but the unnatural pressure was gone.
Yet despite that—
Ayan felt more uneasy now than during the fight itself.
Because the moment he touched the crystal—
Something touched him back.
Not physically.
But mentally.
The visions still lingered faintly in the back of his mind.
Those endless crimson lines spreading beneath the world.
That massive underground structure.
And far below it all—
Something watching.
Ayan slowly looked down at the crystal again.
"…A memory fragment."
Aelira stood beside him silently, her crimson eyes fixed entirely on the object in his hand.
"…The network stores information within condensed structures like that."
Ayan frowned slightly.
"…So this thing contains memories?"
"…Fragments of connected experiences."
Her voice remained calm.
"…Residual data left behind after synchronization collapses."
Ayan stared at the crystal for several moments.
Then let out a tired breath.
"…You really say terrifying things like they're normal."
A faint silence followed.
Then unexpectedly—
"…Compared to what it could become…"
Aelira's gaze darkened slightly.
"…This is still harmless."
Ayan immediately narrowed his eyes.
"…That's not reassuring either."
But despite the unease crawling beneath his skin—
He didn't let go of the crystal.
Because instinctively—
He understood this mattered.
The network had started interacting with him directly now.
Not through monsters.
Not through evolving regions.
But through information itself.
And somehow—
That felt far more dangerous.
Ayan slowly tightened his grip around the crystal before speaking again.
"…Can you read it?"
Aelira shook her head slightly.
"…Not clearly."
"…These fragments respond differently depending on the person connected to them."
Ayan's expression hardened.
"…Connected."
There was that word again.
Aelira noticed immediately.
"…You are reacting to it more strongly because the network recognizes you."
Ayan looked toward her sharply.
"…And we still don't know why."
Silence.
Again.
Ayan exhaled slowly.
"…Right."
Honestly—
At this point he almost expected every important answer to end in silence.
The forest wind moved softly through the clearing while the morning sun climbed gradually higher above the trees surrounding them.
Then suddenly—
The crystal pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Ayan's eyes widened slightly as another violent sensation rushed through his mind.
The battlefield vanished instantly.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
Voices.
"…Synchronization progressing."
"…Structural adaptation stable."
"…Subject compatibility exceeds projections."
Ayan's breathing slowed sharply.
He wasn't standing in the forest anymore.
Or at least—
His body wasn't.
The vision surrounding him slowly stabilized into a massive underground chamber illuminated entirely by crimson light. Endless black structures extended across the walls and ceiling like mechanical roots, pulsing with moving red energy while enormous crystalline pillars connected directly into the floor beneath them.
And standing within the chamber—
People.
Real people.
Not creatures.
Not distorted silhouettes.
Humans wearing dark unfamiliar clothing moved between the structures calmly, observing countless floating crimson screens covered in symbols Ayan couldn't recognize.
His chest tightened instantly.
"…This is real."
Not ancient ruins.
Not fantasy.
This looked closer to advanced technology than magic.
The voices continued.
"…Regional integration progressing successfully."
"…Native species adaptation rate increasing."
"…Emotional resistance remains primary instability factor."
Ayan's eyes narrowed sharply.
Because the way they spoke—
Was horrifyingly clinical.
Like they weren't discussing living creatures.
Only systems.
Processes.
Experiments.
Then—
One of the people turned.
And Ayan froze completely.
The man looked human.
Completely human.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Ordinary appearance.
But his eyes—
Glowed faint crimson.
"…Impossible…"
The man stepped toward one of the floating crimson structures calmly.
"…Continue observation of the anomaly sectors."
"…Especially the future synchronization candidates."
Ayan's heartbeat slowed.
Synchronization candidates.
The words echoed heavily inside his mind.
Then suddenly—
The man stopped moving.
Slowly—
He turned his head directly toward Ayan.
Even though Ayan knew this was a memory.
A fragment.
Not reality.
The man's glowing crimson eyes locked onto him perfectly.
And smiled.
The entire vision shattered instantly.
Ayan staggered violently backward into reality again, nearly dropping the crystal as the forest clearing reappeared around him.
His breathing roughened immediately.
Cold sweat covered his skin.
"…Ayan."
Aelira's voice reached him instantly.
He looked toward her sharply.
"…I saw people."
Her expression changed immediately.
"…What?"
Ayan tightened his grip around the crystal.
"…Inside the network."
His thoughts raced rapidly as he tried processing everything he had just witnessed.
"…There were humans."
"…Real humans."
"…Working with it."
Aelira's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Describe them."
Ayan hesitated briefly before speaking.
"…They looked normal."
"…Not corrupted."
"…Not distorted."
He frowned slightly.
"…But their eyes…"
His chest tightened again remembering it.
"…They had the same crimson glow."
Silence spread between them.
Heavy.
Different from before.
Ayan immediately noticed the shift in Aelira's expression.
"…You know something."
Aelira remained silent for several seconds.
Then finally—
"…The previous anomaly was not alone."
Ayan stared at her.
"…What?"
Aelira lowered her gaze slightly.
"…Others crossed into this world with him."
The words hit harder than expected.
"…There are more people from Earth here?"
"…Not anymore."
Ayan's eyes narrowed sharply.
"…Meaning?"
Aelira's voice softened slightly.
"…Some became part of the system willingly."
"…Others resisted."
Ayan's grip tightened unconsciously around the crystal.
"…And the ones who resisted?"
Aelira closed her eyes briefly.
"…The network removed them."
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Ayan stared silently toward the shattered battlefield around them as the implications settled heavily in his mind.
This wasn't just an invading system anymore.
It was organized.
Intentional.
Built.
There had been people behind it from the beginning.
Humans.
People from his world.
And somehow—
The network had already started viewing him the same way it viewed them.
A future synchronization candidate.
The phrase repeated endlessly in his thoughts.
Then another realization surfaced.
The man inside the vision—
Had looked directly at him.
Inside a memory.
Ayan slowly looked down at the crystal in his hand again.
The crimson light pulsed softly beneath its surface.
Waiting.
Watching.
Like it knew he understood now.
Aelira stepped closer quietly.
"…You should destroy it."
Ayan looked toward her.
"…Why?"
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on the crystal.
"…Because the longer you keep it…"
A brief pause followed.
"…The deeper the connection becomes."
Ayan stared silently at the object for several moments.
Then slowly—
Closed his fingers around it tighter instead.
"…No."
Aelira's expression shifted slightly.
"…Ayan."
He looked toward the distant forest ahead.
"…If this thing contains information…"
His eyes sharpened gradually.
"…Then I need to know more."
Because now—
This had become bigger than survival.
Bigger than monsters.
Bigger than corrupted forests.
Somewhere beneath this world—
People from Earth had built something monstrous.
And somehow—
The network already expected him to join it.
Ayan's grip tightened firmly around the crystal.
His expression hardened completely.
"…That's not happening."