[158 Days Left to Live]
The sun was barely peeking through the gray curtains when Zephany’s phone buzzed violently against the nightstand. She groaned into her pillow, her arm flailing out to grab it without even opening her eyes.
Across the next room, divided only by a thick wall, Kendrick’s phone vibrated just as aggressively. He was already halfway up from the couch where he had fallen asleep the night before, with files and notes from his cover job scattered around him.
Both of them, without knowing it, opened the same app: The Archive, a hidden world tucked behind a boring-looking application.
Zephany blinked at the screen blearily. Then sat up straight, her messy hair falling in front of her face.
"Oh my gosh..." she whispered in a breathy voice, rubbing her eyes. "No way."
Kendrick stared silently at his own screen, his usual calm face flickering with a brief glint of surprise.
Level 4.
He leaned back against the couch, letting the news sink in.
Level 4.
Within just a few days, he had finally crossed another threshold. He never thought a special mission reward could make him level up just like that.
Meanwhile, in her room, Zephany let out a soft squeal, clutching her phone like it was a winning lottery ticket. She bit her lip to hold back her excitement. Her heart thudded loudly against her chest.
"Finally," she murmured, pressing the screen gently as if afraid it might vanish. "Finally some good news."
She quickly scrolled to the mission tab, hoping to see new available assignments. Her smile froze halfway when she saw the empty page.
No new missions available.
Zephany slumped forward, her face crashing into her pillow. She let out a muffled groan.
"It’s been days..." she whined softly to herself. "Come on, Archive. Don’t do me like this."
On the other side, Kendrick was calmly scrolling through the same tab, his brows knitting together.
Still nothing.
He exhaled through his nose, his jaw tightening.
Why?
There were dozens of Nulls at lower levels stuck waiting. A dry spell like this was rare... and never a good sign.
He was about to exit the app, his thumb hovering over the close button, when suddenly—
Ding.
A soft ping echoed.
A new mission appeared.
Kendrick didn’t even blink. Years of instinct kicked in.
Without hesitation, he slammed his finger on the accept button, claiming the mission before the notification even finished fully loading.
He grinned faintly.
Of course, he won.
Out of the roughly thirty Nulls glued to their screens right now, it was Obscura who snatched it first.
He leaned back against the couch, satisfied, then finally glanced at the mission details.
His eyes scanned the words carefully:
---
Mission: Break into a high-profile businessman’s mansion to retrieve confidential documents.
Mission Code: Null48mp
Level 3: Mid-Risk Mission
Mission Type: Breaking into Secure Locations, Stealing Data.
Point Rewards: 200 Null Points
Access Granted To: Private data (sensitive personal details, private events, financial records)
Monetary Reward: $80,000
---
Kendrick stared at it for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the side of his phone.
Breaking into a mansion wasn’t something to take lightly. Even if it was only Level 3, some private security systems were almost insane.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
6:42 a.m.
Plenty of time to plan before nightfall.
Meanwhile, Zephany, unaware of what Kendrick had just accepted, was still moping in her bed, grumbling into her pillow.
Her phone buzzed again. She lazily picked it up and blinked. A private message from her partner, Obscura.
She smiled a little. Obscura rarely messaged unless it was important.
Obscura:
Mission secured. Check brief. Meet in 2 hours. Same café. Wear low profile.
Zephany sat up properly this time, clutching the phone closer.
"Finally..." she whispered, her mood instantly lifting. "Team Bacon is back in action."
She hopped off her bed, tripping slightly on her blanket and crashing into the side table. A loud thud echoed through the apartment.
From the living room, Kendrick raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Typical Zephany.
He stood up, stretching his arms over his head, muscles stiff from sleeping on the couch again.
He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. Just as he opened the fridge, he heard soft shuffling behind him.
"Morning..." Zephany greeted weakly, hugging her sweater closer to her. She looked half-dead but strangely determined.
Kendrick offered a small smile, the kind that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Morning," he replied quietly, voice rough from sleep.
Zephany blinked up at him, studying his calm face for a moment before turning away hurriedly, cheeks flushing slightly.
She wasn’t used to Kendrick being around so much lately. He usually vanished at odd hours for his "freelance gigs."
She fiddled with the hem of her sweater, trying to act casual.
"You... going out today?" she asked, forcing her voice to stay light.
"Yeah," Kendrick said simply, taking a sip of water. "Job interview."
Zephany nodded too fast.
"Me too. Um... article assignment. Pia’s dragging me again."
Kendrick gave a small hum of acknowledgment, watching her from the corner of his eye. She looked nervous. But Zephany was always like that when she had something to hide.
Not that he was any better.
They lived together yet remained perfect strangers.
In another world, under different names, they were Obscura and Eclipse, partners risking their lives together.
But here, in the quiet buzz of the morning, they were just Kendrick and Zephany — two young adults sharing an apartment and pretending they were normal.
"Good luck," Kendrick said finally, setting his bottle down.
"You too," Zephany mumbled, flashing him a quick, bashful smile before scurrying off to her room.
Kendrick watched her go, an odd feeling tightening in his chest for a second before he shook it off.
He grabbed his jacket, slipping it on with ease.
Time to prepare.
Because tonight, Team Bacon had a mansion to break into.
And knowing Eclipse... it was never going to be as simple as walking through the front door.