AFTER BEING EXILED: MY SISTER AND I BUILD HIDDEN CIVILIZATIONS

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Player One

Every door in the outer guest station locked at once.

Marcus looked up.

The soft mechanical clicks came from three directions.

Front entrance.

Service corridor.

Emergency exit.

Then the transparent partition separating the station from House Elysium turned opaque.

A red line appeared across the floor.

Marcus stared at it for two seconds.

Then sighed.

"Yeah."

He slowly placed his smartphone on the table.

"That seems fair."

EVE’s voice filled the room.

"Remain where you are."

Marcus leaned back in the chair.

"I wasn’t planning to run."

"Your current statement has low evidentiary value."

Marcus looked toward the nearest camera.

"Have you been practicing sarcasm?"

"No."

A pause.

"Lyra has."

Marcus almost smiled.

Then the ceiling opened.

Four security drones descended.

Weapons unfolded.

Marcus’s smile disappeared.

"Okay."

He raised both hands.

"Very fair."

Far away beneath House Valerius, Arin still gripped Edwin’s wrist.

White Sanctuary light moved through the young man’s body.

The black smoke recoiled from it violently.

Selene stood several steps away.

Her face had gone pale.

Lucan remained near the wall with Theron dragged safely behind him.

Duke Aldric watched everything without understanding half of it.

Arin did not care.

His focus remained on the name floating before him.

«REMOTE SYSTEM OWNER IDENTIFIED:

MARCUS HALE.»

Marcus.

The man who had told him about the Players.

The man who had warned him about elimination quests.

The man who had declined the reward.

The man whose own brother now lay dying because something connected to Marcus’s System was trying to tear out his Core.

Arin’s expression became completely still.

"Selene."

She looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Can a Player System identify the wrong owner?"

Her eyes glowed faintly as her investigative ability activated.

"Possible."

"Probability?"

"I don’t know."

"Estimate."

She focused on the black smoke surrounding Edwin.

A translucent blue pattern appeared across her pupils.

"Low."

"How low?"

"Under ten percent."

Good.

Not proof.

Enough to treat Marcus as dangerous.

Not enough to execute him.

Arin looked down at Edwin.

"Can you hear me?"

The young man’s eyes fluttered.

"Yes."

"Is Marcus your brother?"

"Yes."

"Biological?"

Edwin looked confused.

"Yes."

"Did he come to this world before you?"

A pause.

"No."

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

That did not match Marcus’s story.

Marcus claimed he had arrived eight years ago.

"Who arrived first?"

"I did."

Selene looked sharply toward Arin.

"When?"

Edwin swallowed.

"Nine years ago."

Silence.

Arin’s grip tightened slightly.

Marcus had lied.

By at least a year.

"How?"

"Truck."

Lucan frowned.

"What?"

Arin ignored him.

"System?"

Edwin looked terrified.

"I don’t know."

"Wrong answer."

"I mean... I had one."

"Had?"

"It stopped talking."

"When?"

Edwin’s face twisted with pain.

"After Marcus came."

There it was.

Arin felt the situation become much simpler.

Not solved.

Simpler.

"What kind of System?"

Edwin’s breathing became uneven.

"Settlement."

Arin’s eyes sharpened.

"What functions?"

"Building. recruiting. food production. defenses."

Another civilization-type System.

Interesting.

"Did Marcus have a System when he arrived?"

Edwin nodded weakly.

"Yes."

"What did he tell you?"

"That we should work together."

Arin’s jaw tightened.

"And did you?"

"For a while."

"What happened?"

Edwin’s eyes filled with fear.

"He started getting quests."

Selene whispered:

"Competition."

Edwin nodded.

"At first little things."

Arin already knew this pattern.

"Then?"

"His System started comparing us."

"Rewards?"

"Yes."

"Kill quest?"

Edwin’s body stiffened.

Arin knew before he answered.

"Yes."

"Target?"

Edwin stared at him.

"Me."

Silence.

Aldric finally spoke.

"What exactly are you discussing?"

Arin raised one hand.

Not now.

His father actually obeyed.

Edwin continued.

"Marcus refused."

Selene looked surprised.

Arin did not.

That matched what Marcus had done earlier.

"Then why are you here?"

"I ran."

"From him?"

"From the System."

Arin frowned.

Edwin swallowed.

"Marcus told me his quests changed after he refused."

"How?"

"He started losing rewards."

"Then?"

"His System offered..."

Edwin stopped.

Arin’s voice hardened.

"Offered what?"

"A merge."

Selene went completely still.

Arin felt cold.

"Between your Systems."

Edwin nodded.

"He said no."

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened?"

Edwin’s lips trembled.

"The System didn’t."

There it was.

Arin remembered the black interface.

«REFUSAL INVALID.»

Same behavior.

The Systems were not merely encouraging competition.

At some point, they stopped respecting refusal.

"Did it merge you?"

"Partly."

Edwin touched his chest.

"The next morning, half my functions were gone."

Arin looked toward the black fragment on the floor.

"And Marcus?"

"He got stronger."

Selene’s expression hardened.

"Did he know?"

Edwin shook his head violently.

"No."

That mattered.

Arin looked at her.

"Don’t assume guilt."

She nodded.

Good.

Edwin continued.

"He tried to help me."

"How?"

"Destroyed quest terminals. stopped using rewards. tried to leave me somewhere safe."

"And then?"

"I started forgetting."

Arin’s expression changed.

"Forgetting what?"

"My world."

Edwin’s voice broke.

"My mother."

A pause.

"My own face."

Silence.

Lucan no longer looked impatient.

Even without understanding every Earth-specific detail, he understood memory theft.

Too much of his own life had been shaped by it.

Edwin looked toward Arin.

"Marcus thought distance would stop it."

"It didn’t."

"No."

"What did?"

"Nothing."

Arin stared at the black System fragment.

Then why had Marcus claimed Edwin was not among the six Players he knew?

Because he believed Edwin dead?

Because he forgot?

Or because the System had altered his memories too?

That possibility mattered.

"EVE."

Static.

Then:

"Listening."

"Marcus status."

"Contained. Cooperative."

"Any System activity?"

"Significant."

"Details."

"His device has attempted seventeen outgoing connections since lockdown."

Selene’s eyes widened.

Arin’s expression hardened.

"To where?"

"Unknown."

"Did Marcus initiate them?"

"Undetermined."

Exactly.

Do not assume.

"Can you isolate the device physically?"

"Yes."

"Do it without touching Marcus."

A pause.

"Executing."

---

At House Elysium, the table beneath Marcus’s phone opened.

The device dropped through.

Marcus stared.

"Hey."

A transparent compartment sealed around the smartphone below the floor.

White light surrounded it.

Marcus looked toward the camera.

"That phone has eight years of my life on it."

EVE answered.

"It has also attempted seventeen unauthorized communications."

Marcus froze.

"What?"

"Seventeen."

"I didn’t send anything."

"That remains under investigation."

His face changed.

Not anger.

Fear.

Real fear.

"Turn it off."

EVE paused.

Marcus stood too quickly.

The drones aimed.

He froze.

Then slowly sat again.

"Please."

His voice was different now.

"Turn it off."

"Why?"

Marcus stared at the sealed phone.

"Because if it’s doing something without me..."

He swallowed.

"...then it finally stopped pretending."

EVE’s eyes flashed through the camera lens.

"Clarify."

Marcus leaned forward.

"For years, it asked permission."

His hands tightened.

"Then about three months ago, some quests started accepting themselves."

Silence.

EVE immediately opened a channel.

"Founder."

Back beneath House Valerius, Arin heard her.

"Go."

"Marcus confirms autonomous System behavior."

Good.

Edwin’s story and Marcus’s current statement aligned.

Not innocence.

Corroboration.

Arin looked at the black fragment again.

"Can Sanctuary stop extraction permanently?"

«CURRENT SANCTUARY:

TEMPORARY.

EXTERNAL SYSTEM PRESSURE:

ONGOING.»

Not enough.

"How long?"

«ESTIMATED STABILITY:

23 MINUTES.»

Arin’s expression hardened.

Too short.

"Selene."

"Yes?"

"Can your System reconstruct the merge event?"

She hesitated.

"Maybe."

"Risk?"

"High."

"To you?"

"Potentially."

Arin stared at her.

"Then don’t."

She blinked.

"You need the information."

"Not badly enough to feed another person to a System."

Selene looked at him differently.

Then nodded slowly.

"Understood."

Lucan smiled faintly.

Arin looked at him.

"What?"

"You’ve become predictable."

"How?"

"Whenever a magical interface offers a convenient sacrifice, you become angry."

"Good."

"I didn’t say it was bad."

Arin turned back to Edwin.

"Can you walk?"

"Probably."

"Then we move."

Aldric frowned.

"Where?"

"Home."

The Duke’s expression changed at the word again.

Arin ignored it.

"Edwin comes with me."

Selene stepped forward.

"So do I."

"No."

Her expression hardened.

"I am a Player."

"Exactly."

"I can help."

"Maybe."

"You don’t trust me."

"No."

"You’re taking Edwin to the place Marcus is currently being held."

"Correct."

"That sounds worse."

Arin looked at her.

"You’re assuming they’ll be in the same room."

Selene paused.

Fair.

Arin continued.

"You stay here."

"Why?"

"Theron."

Aldric looked toward his brother.

Theron remained unconscious.

"Interrogate him."

Selene frowned.

"About what?"

"Everything."

Lucan smiled.

Arin ignored him.

"Especially the USB drive."

Selene’s face became serious.

"Victor may be able to decrypt it."

"Later."

"You really enjoy that word now."

"No."

Arin looked toward the door.

"I just finally have enough problems to justify it."

---

They returned to the training field ten minutes later.

The aircraft remained untouched.

Good.

Arin hated learning to fly and immediately leaving someone else’s vehicle unattended.

Edwin stared at it.

"What is that?"

"Victor’s."

Edwin froze.

"Victor Kane?"

Arin looked at him.

"You know him."

Edwin’s face turned pale.

"Marcus told me he joined Hollow Crown."

"He did."

"Is he here?"

"At Elysium."

Edwin almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

"You have Marcus and Victor in the same place?"

"Separate."

"That’s still insane."

Lucan nodded.

"I don’t understand him, but I agree."

Arin opened the fighter.

Edwin stopped.

"You want me to get inside that?"

"Yes."

"I don’t fly."

"Neither did I twenty minutes ago."

Edwin stared.

"That’s not reassuring."

Lucan climbed into the rear compartment.

"It gets worse."

Edwin looked at him.

Arin translated.

Edwin closed his eyes.

"Great."

Aldric approached before Arin entered.

"Arin."

Arin looked at him.

The Duke hesitated.

Not something he did often.

"Will you return?"

Arin considered the question.

Not to House Valerius.

Not as family.

But there were still unresolved threats.

"Probably."

Aldric’s expression tightened at the word.

Arin almost smiled.

"Bad answer?"

Aldric looked at him.

"Yes."

Interesting.

Arin nodded.

"I’ll return if the situation here requires it."

Not what Aldric wanted.

Enough.

The Duke stepped back.

Then looked toward Edwin.

"Who is he?"

"Someone else’s brother."

Aldric frowned.

Arin entered the cockpit.

That answer was enough for him.

It had to be.

---

The flight back took twenty-one minutes.

Edwin spent most of it gripping the seat.

Lucan spent most of it insulting the aircraft.

Arin spent most of it thinking.

Player One.

Marcus had called himself that.

But if Edwin arrived first, why did Marcus get that designation?

Chronology did not determine player numbers.

Then what did?

System strength?

Compatibility?

Sequence of activation?

Or something darker?

The Cooperative Route had identified only five active Players.

Yet Edwin was a dormant Player.

That meant the count excluded people whose Systems were damaged or partially extracted.

How many dormant Players existed?

How many had already been harvested?

Arin’s jaw tightened.

EVE’s voice entered his earpiece.

"Founder."

"Status."

"Marcus’s device has been isolated."

"Result?"

"Outgoing connection attempts stopped."

"Marcus?"

"Distressed but cooperative."

"Victor?"

"Annoyed."

"Expected."

"Ark population stabilization continuing."

"Good."

"Elara requests to see you."

"Later."

A pause.

EVE sounded almost amused.

"I will inform her."

Arin stared ahead.

"Don’t use that tone."

"What tone?"

Lucan began laughing behind him despite not hearing EVE’s side.

Arin ignored everyone.

---

The aircraft landed outside House Elysium.

Better this time.

Not good.

Better.

«LANDING QUALITY:

ACCEPTABLE+.»

Arin stared at the plus sign.

EVE was mocking him.

He was certain now.

Edwin stepped onto the plateau.

The moment his feet touched Elysium territory, Sanctuary brightened.

His knees buckled.

Arin caught his shoulder.

«SANCTUARY STABILITY:

23 MINUTES → 4 HOURS.»

There.

Territory mattered.

Good.

"Can we extend it further?"

«REQUIRES:

SANCTUARY FACILITY OR CIVIL PROTECTION NODE.»

Arin smiled faintly.

New construction objective.

Finally something useful.

Lucan saw the expression.

"You’re going to build something."

"Yes."

"You’ve looked happier discussing buildings than fighting S-Ranks."

"Buildings stay useful longer."

Edwin stared toward the invisible valley.

"Where are we?"

Arin looked at him.

"My home."

Then the mountain opened.

Edwin stopped breathing.

The hidden city appeared.

Lights.

Roads.

Towers.

Residential districts full of newly awakened citizens.

Drones moving between buildings.

Vehicles crossing the valley.

For several seconds, Edwin said nothing.

Then:

"Marcus undersold this."

Arin looked at him.

"What did he say?"

"That Player Two had a sci-fi base."

Arin’s expression flattened.

"Base."

Lucan couldn’t understand the English word, but recognized offense.

"What happened?"

"He called Elysium a base."

Lucan considered.

"Technically—"

Arin looked at him.

Lucan stopped.

"Home. Obviously."

Good.

They entered.

---

Marcus was transferred to Interrogation Room Two.

Victor remained in Outer Station One.

Edwin was brought to a separate medical room.

No contact.

No shared communication.

Arin wanted their stories independently.

Marcus sat behind a transparent barrier.

No phone now.

No equipment.

He looked exhausted.

When Arin entered, his expression tightened.

"You found him."

Arin stopped.

Marcus stared through the glass.

"You found Edwin."

Not a question.

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

"How do you know?"

Marcus closed his eyes.

"Because I can feel him."

That was bad.

"Through the System?"

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"Always."

"Then why didn’t you mention him?"

Marcus looked up.

Pain filled his face.

"Because I thought he was dead."

Arin said nothing.

Marcus continued.

"I felt the connection disappear six years ago."

"Not nine."

Marcus froze.

Arin stepped closer.

"You told me you arrived eight years ago."

Marcus stared.

Arin’s voice hardened.

"Edwin says he arrived nine years ago."

Silence.

"And you came after him."

Marcus’s face became confused.

Real confusion.

"No."

"Think."

"I arrived eight years ago."

"How certain?"

"Completely."

"Earth year?"

"2024."

"Arrival?"

Marcus opened his mouth.

Stopped.

His expression changed.

Arin watched.

"Say it."

Marcus whispered:

"I don’t remember the first year."

There it was.

Memory manipulation.

Again.

Always.

"What do you remember first?"

Marcus stared at the table.

"Red Hollow."

"Before that?"

"Hospital."

"On Earth?"

"I..."

He grabbed his head.

The security system reacted.

Arin raised one hand.

Wait.

Marcus’s breathing accelerated.

"I remember the accident."

"Then?"

"Light."

"Then?"

"Phone."

"Then?"

Silence.

Marcus looked terrified.

"Nothing."

Arin stood still.

Not guilty.

Not innocent.

Compromised.

"Your System removed a year."

Marcus laughed weakly.

"Apparently."

"Maybe more."

His face hardened.

"Edwin."

"Alive."

Marcus’s eyes immediately filled.

He looked away.

Arin gave him five seconds.

No more.

"His System is being extracted."

Marcus’s head snapped up.

"What?"

"Remote connection identifies you as owner."

Marcus went pale.

"No."

"Explain."

"I can’t."

"Try."

Marcus stood.

"Whatever it says, stop it."

"Sit."

"Arin—"

"Sit."

Marcus stared.

Then slowly obeyed.

Good.

Arin continued.

"Your System is connected to his."

Marcus looked sick.

"I know that much."

"Did you absorb his functions?"

"Not willingly."

"What did you gain?"

Marcus’s face tightened.

"Settlement storage."

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

"What else?"

"Resource scanner."

"More."

"Population map."

"More."

"That’s all."

"From him."

Marcus hesitated.

Arin caught it.

"From others?"

Silence.

There.

Marcus closed his eyes.

"Daniel."

Arin’s expression hardened.

"What did you get?"

"Unit command interface."

The room went cold.

"You said Hollow Crown killed him."

"They did."

"Then why did you receive his ability?"

"I don’t know."

"Gabriel?"

"No."

"Aisha?"

"No."

Arin stared.

Marcus looked at him desperately.

"I didn’t kill Daniel."

"I didn’t say you did."

"But you’re thinking it."

"I’m thinking your System benefits when Players die."

Marcus went silent.

That was worse.

Arin continued.

"And your System may be absorbing functions without permission."

Marcus whispered:

"Yes."

Then EVE’s voice interrupted.

"Founder."

"What?"

"Victor has requested immediate contact."

"Reason?"

"He claims his System just lost an ability."

Arin froze.

"What ability?"

"Drone targeting."

Interesting.

"At the same time Edwin entered Elysium?"

"Approximately."

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

Transfer.

The System network was moving functions between Players.

Not necessarily after death.

Maybe through proximity.

Marcus looked toward him.

"What happened?"

Arin ignored the question.

"EVE, check Edwin."

A pause.

Then:

"New System function detected."

"What?"

"Drone interface."

Silence.

Victor lost drone targeting.

Edwin gained drone interface.

That changed the model completely.

The Systems were not merely being harvested.

They were reallocating.

Arin looked toward Marcus.

"Your Systems are moving abilities between hosts."

Marcus’s face went blank.

"What?"

"Victor just lost one."

"No."

"Edwin gained it."

Marcus stood despite the warning.

Arin did not stop him this time.

Marcus stared.

"That’s never happened."

"Apparently it has."

Arin’s Authority Band activated.

A black interface appeared.

Not Elysium.

The foreign System network.

«HOST REALLOCATION EVENT DETECTED.

DORMANT PLAYER RESTORATION IN PROGRESS.»

Then another line.

«BALANCE CORRECTION REQUIRED.

ACTIVE PLAYER COUNT:

5.

DORMANT PLAYER REACTIVATION:

PENDING.»

Arin’s expression hardened.

"Balance."

Marcus whispered the word.

Then the interface continued.

«ONE ACTIVE PLAYER MUST BE DOWNGRADED TO RESTORE DORMANT PLAYER.»

Marcus stared.

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

The final line appeared.

«SELECT DONOR PLAYER.»

A list.

Marcus.

Victor.

Selene.

Elena.

Arin.

Five names.

Marcus went pale.

Arin stared at his own.

There it was again.

A false choice.

Hurt someone to save another.

He almost laughed.

The System really did not learn.

Marcus looked at him.

"What do we do?"

Arin closed the selection menu.

"No donor."

«SELECTION REQUIRED.»

"No."

«DORMANT PLAYER RESTORATION WILL FAIL.»

"Then find another method."

«INVALID.»

Arin’s expression became cold.

"Sanctuary."

White light appeared around his Authority Band.

The foreign interface flickered.

«SANCTUARY DOES NOT POSSESS PLAYER NETWORK AUTHORITY.»

"Not yet."

Marcus stared at him.

Arin opened Elysium’s construction menu.

"Civil Protection Node."

«BLUEPRINT:

UNAVAILABLE.»

"Sanctuary Facility."

«BLUEPRINT:

LOCKED.

REQUIREMENT:

PROTECT THREE NON-FAMILY INDIVIDUALS FROM SYSTEMIC THREAT.»

Arin stopped.

One.

Edwin.

Maybe Marcus?

Victor?

No.

The System wanted conditions.

Fine.

He could work with that.

Then EVE spoke.

"Founder."

"What now?"

"Victor’s condition has changed."

Arin’s expression hardened.

"How?"

"His System is attempting to designate him as donor automatically."

Marcus swore.

Arin immediately turned toward the door.

"EVE, protect him."

"Sanctuary unavailable without your direct presence."

Of course.

Arin started walking.

Marcus called after him.

"What about me?"

Arin stopped.

Looked back.

"You stay."

"Victor hates me."

"Not relevant."

"He might be dying."

"Exactly."

Marcus stared.

Arin’s expression hardened.

"This is your chance to prove you care more about him living than about what his System can give you."

Marcus went silent.

Arin left.

---

Outer Station One had become chaos.

Victor was on one knee.

Black light crawled across his tactical armor.

His System interface projected uncontrollably around him.

Weapons appeared.

Vanished.

Vehicle icons flickered.

Inventory slots emptied and refilled.

His jaw was clenched hard enough to crack teeth.

"Don’t touch me."

Arin entered.

"Everyone says that too."

Victor looked up.

"Seriously."

"I know."

«AUTOMATIC DONOR PROCESS:

31%.»

Arin approached.

Victor raised one hand.

"Stay back."

"No."

"You get close and it may redirect."

"Probably."

"You’re insane."

"Frequently."

Victor laughed despite the pain.

Then screamed.

«42%.»

Arin crossed the final distance.

Placed one hand on Victor’s shoulder.

White light erupted.

«TARGET NOT FAMILY.

SANCTUARY ELIGIBILITY:

SYSTEMIC THREAT CONFIRMED.

APPLY?»

"Yes."

Victor’s eyes widened.

The black light stopped.

«SANCTUARY TARGET TWO REGISTERED.»

Two.

Edwin.

Victor.

One more.

The foreign System reacted violently.

«DONOR INTERRUPTION DETECTED.

BALANCE CORRECTION FAILED.»

Arin smiled faintly.

"Good."

Victor looked at him.

"What did you do?"

"Made the System angry."

Victor laughed weakly.

"I approve."

Then every light in House Elysium changed.

EVE’s voice came across the entire city.

"Founder."

Arin’s smile disappeared.

"Status."

"Third systemic threat detected."

"Who?"

A projection opened.

Not Marcus.

Not Selene.

A remote image from somewhere far away.

A woman stood inside a ruined cathedral.

White skin.

Long black coat.

Dozens of undead monsters knelt around her.

Elena Volkov.

Hollow Crown necromancer.

Her System interface was tearing itself apart around her.

Black chains wrapped her body.

A notification appeared.

«AUTOMATIC DONOR PLAYER:

ELENA VOLKOV.»

Victor stared.

Arin’s eyes narrowed.

The foreign network had chosen another donor after Victor became protected.

Elena looked upward.

Straight into something unseen.

Then her eyes shifted.

As if somehow finding Arin through the System.

She smiled.

And spoke in Russian.

The translation came automatically.

"Player Two."

Arin went still.

Elena’s smile widened.

"If you want your third Sanctuary target..."

Black chains tightened around her throat.

"...come earn me."

Behind her, thousands of undead eyes opened at once.

And a quest appeared.

«SANCTUARY CONDITION:

SAVE ELENA VOLKOV BEFORE PLAYER NETWORK EXTRACTION.

TIME LIMIT:

6 HOURS.»

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