Algoritm of oblivion. Юрий Третьяков

center of the temple stood an altar, made of black obsidian, like a concentrate of evil itself, pulsating with dark energy.

      Grimnir and the surviving defenders, the last handful of warriors, witches, and demons, burst into the temple, and with a thunderous crash, the massive doors, reinforced with dark magic, slammed shut behind them. The forces of light surrounded the temple from all sides, but breaching the magical barrier proved no easy task.

      “Alex, stop!” Grimnir cried out. “At this level, the death of any of us could be final. In this world and in the real one!”

      Alex stood before the temple. He saw the hatred and despair in the eyes of the last retreating defenders but understood that this battle was not yet over… He knew that within the temple, along with Grimnir, could be the Book of Fate, a mysterious artifact, any entry in which could change the very world of the game and make it as the company’s leadership deemed fit.

      Now, as an ominous silence descended upon the battlefield, it became clear that the forces of light and darkness were about to clash in a final showdown.

      From the ranks of the warriors of light, an NPC mage in white robes stepped forward and stood before the emperor:

      “My emperor, attacking the temple is forbidden,” he bowed before the leader of the light forces. “Blood spilled on sacred ground will turn into a curse. We will incur the wrath of the gods!”

      Alex carefully examined the temple, its grim majesty, its ancient runes, and frowned. He knew that this was a sacred place of the dark forces and also knew that, according to the rules of this world, it was forbidden to spill blood on sacred ground. However, the desire to obtain the Book of Fate had blinded him. He stared at the sealed doors of the temple, knowing that Grimnir was inside. His hand, clutching his sword, trembled with excitement, but his will was as firm as a rock. He decided to go against all the rules.

      “Take the temple!” he roared, his voice, filled with authority, thundered across the battlefield. “Spare no one! Let blood be spilled, if necessary! The Book of Fate must belong to us!”

      For the first time in history, the warriors of light, in their fanatical pursuit of victory, began the assault on the shrine of the dark forces. And so, blood flowed onto the sacred stones of the altar and the planks of the temple floor. Red and thick, it spread across the ancient runes, staining them and simultaneously imbuing them with its power, summoning the demonic forces slumbering within the depths of the temple. And just as the final blow struck Grimnir’s body, the unleashed dark magic, gushing out from within him like a fiery wave, threw back the attackers.

      Through the cracking of splintering boards and the roar of demonic incantations, seemingly echoed by the temple walls themselves, came the screams of wounded, agonizing, and dying warriors, consumed by flame and darkness.

      And at that moment, the world shuddered, as if from an earthquake of unimaginable power. A deafening roar ripped through the city, and the sky seemed to split apart, revealing an abyss filled with chaos and darkness. The wind intensified, turning into a hurricane, tearing tiles from roofs and felling trees. Everything around grew dark, as if the sun had forever abandoned this world, plunging it into eternal twilight.

      With a cry of horror erupting from the ranks of the advancing warriors, the unthinkable began. The wounds of the last defenders of the temple began to heal, and their eyes glowed with a red light, their bodies began to rot, saturated with the necrotic energy seeping from the sacred ground of the dark forces. The dark and light forces who had fallen that day rose from the dead, turning into animated corpses, possessed by a thirst for blood and flesh. The zombies, risen from oblivion, recognized neither friend nor foe, throwing themselves at all who still breathed.

      Panic gripped the warriors of light. They, recoiling in horror from their former comrades, who had been transformed into walking dead and with whom they had fought shoulder to shoulder, fled the city. The battle devolved into chaos, where the living fought against the dead, and light clashed with the darkness it had itself spawned.

      Alex, realizing the horror of what had happened, silently watched the unfolding nightmare. He understood that he had disregarded the rules of the world, and this had led to catastrophe. He tried to turn back, running and pushing his warriors aside, but the zombies, driven by their bloodlust, began to swarm over him like flies. Reaching his griffin, he took flight, but the risen dead, like a swarm of vile insects, clung to his mount. Evil hands reached for him, tearing flesh from its wings, and the griffin, losing altitude, crashed to the ground, smashing against the stones.

      Emperor Alex I, founder of the empire, scourge of the dark forces, once a dazzling hero, was buried beneath a wave of dead bodies, and his flaming sword was extinguished, like a spark in the night.

      A gray mist descended upon the city, shrouding it like a shroud. It became a place where eternal twilight reigned, a place where past and present were intertwined in agony, light and darkness mingled in a primordial gray haze.

      The city, once illuminated by light, was plunged into impenetrable twilight. The thick fog, enveloping the streets, swallowed all sounds and cries, leaving only silence and horror. The forces of light, in panic, fled, leaving behind their fallen comrades and a city gripped by terror. All who had perished on that day were turned into the undead and filled the streets of the city, hidden in the eternal fog.

      Recollections of those who witnessed the events:

      Stephanie. Level 26 Elf.

      The fog. It was everywhere – thick, cold, piercing to the bone. Something ancient, evil, as if a living creature. It enveloped me, muffled sounds, leaving only the dull, agonizing beating of my own heart. A heart that pounded like a trapped bird.

      I couldn’t see anything but the fog, but I felt it – heavy, sticky, steeped in the smell of blood and… something else. Something putrid, sweet, disgustingly alluring. It was terrible, but… I couldn’t tear my gaze away from it. I couldn’t move.

      I was hiding in a narrow passage, pressed against the cold, damp wall. A few meters away were others – ghostly figures, dissolving into the fog, whispering something in a language I didn’t understand. Fear was not just a feeling; it was a living, cold entity, constricting my soul.

      But even stronger than the fear was the pain. A sharp, burning pain in my chest that echoed in every cell of my body. I clenched my fists, trying to suppress it, trying to concentrate on something else, on something other than this relentless, all-consuming horror.

      Right now, all that mattered was survival. Just to keep… breathing.

      Something touched my hand – a cold, sticky touch. I shuddered, preparing for the worst. It was… horrible. But not deadly. Just… strange.

      I peered into the fog. In the dim light, I made out a figure. It was inhumanly tall, its movements – slow, clumsy. It wore tattered clothes, and its face… its face was as if covered in an unearthly shroud, a white fog that I felt so close. Suddenly, the creature screamed opening a huge black yawn and I rushed to run without looking back away from this city. One thing I knew for sure that I will never return here again.

      Milfhanter38. Professional Game Reviewer.

      OMG! It was just… EPIC FAIL! I’ve never seen anything like it! Imagine, you’re right in the thick of it, the most epic siege of the last boss – the Fortress of Darkness – and then everything breaks down, as if someone cut the server cable!

      At first, it was pretty standard, basically. The forces of light, you know, charging ahead, grinding mobs, kicking dwarf and witch ass, I’m in the front ranks, of course, and then… Whoa, the gates open! I’m like, “WTF?! Was that a trigger?!” No one expected that twist, honestly!

      Well, as they say, go-go-go! We rush inside,