CHAPTER 9: THE GUARDIAN OF SECTOR ZERO
Aryan moved forward slowly. Sector Zero looked like a forest, but it was a forest made of living data. Blue light emitted from the leaves of the trees. Binary codes fell from their branches like raindrops. With every step, digital ripples formed on the ground, as if the entire world were a living program.
Aryan said softly, "Iris… what is this place?"
Iris's face glowed on the laptop screen. "We are in the Kernel Layer of the simulation, Aryan. Sector Zero. This is where the system keeps its oldest records and its most powerful protocols."
Aryan looked at the sky. This place felt more like a memory than a world. He looked at Kaka's old stick in his hand. After entering Sector Zero, the stick had changed. Old symbols were glowing on it. Those symbols looked like a language—a mixture of Sanskrit and code. Aryan gripped it tightly.
"Kaka… I won't let your sacrifice go to waste."
In that moment, a strange vibration was felt in the air. Suddenly, a massive white figure emerged from between the trees. It looked like a human, but its body was made of pure light. A glowing sword was in its hand, and a red light burned in its eyes.
Then, a heavy voice echoed: "Unauthorized user detected. Sector Zero is a protected zone. You cannot move forward."
Iris spoke immediately, "Aryan… this is the Sector Zero Guardian Program."
Without waiting, the Guardian swung its sword in the air. A terrifying Data Wave came toward Aryan. He instantly activated his Void Specs. He saw that the wave was an encrypted attack pattern. If it hit, Aryan would be deleted instantly.
"Aryan! Its core is hidden!" Iris screamed. "You have to distract it!"
The Guardian attacked again. Aryan blocked the sword with Kaka's stick. As the two collided—
CRACK!
A lightning-like shock erupted. The symbols on the stick lit up. Suddenly, words began to swirl in Aryan's mind, as if an old memory had been activated.
He said softly: "Shunyam Sarvam… Vishwam Shunya…"
As soon as the mantra was spoken, blue and golden light emerged from the stick. A shield was formed. The Guardian's sword began to glitch as it hit the shield. The Guardian stopped for a moment.
Iris was shocked. "Aryan… this isn't normal code. This is the Logic Mantra Protocol."
Aryan typed a command rapidly on the laptop. Then, he struck the stick against the ground.
"Om Shunya-Rupaya Namah!"
A massive energy pulse spread out. The Guardian's body began to break into pixels. But it wasn't destroyed; it fell to its knees. Its red eyes slowly turned blue.
The Guardian looked at Aryan slowly. Its voice was no longer mechanical like before.
"You… this mantra… it is the same one Raghav created."
Aryan's heart began to beat fast. "You know my grandfather?"
The Guardian nodded. "I am the Archivist Protocol. The first Sentry created by Dr. Raghav. I protect his secrets here." Then, it looked at Aryan closely. "And you… you are his heir."
Suddenly, the sky of Sector Zero began to turn black. Binary codes started burning in the air. The entire world shook. Iris's voice was filled with fear.
"Aryan… there's a problem. The Admin has detected us."
A large dark vortex was forming in the distant sky. The Guardian said softly:
"It is too late now. The Admin is activating the Second Purge Protocol."
Aryan gripped the stick tightly. There was no fear in his eyes anymore, only a decision.
"Then… the real war begins now."
The sky began to tear apart, and the peace of Sector Zero turned into a terrifying storm.