Wind howled through the trees like voices whispering secrets. Jayden opened his eyes to darkness flickering green.Leaves glowed faintly, lines of code running across them like veins. The ground beneath him pulsed, half-solid, half-data. He pushed himself up, heart hammering. “Luna?”Silence. Only the rustle of digital leaves answering him.“System, scan area,” he commanded.A faint blue text appeared before his eyes: [Zone Two: Glitch Forest, Survival Rate: 22%. No allies detected within one kilometer.]He cursed softly. “She’s gone.”A faint laughter echoed through the trees. He spun around, sword raised. “Who’s there?”No one answered, then, a rustle. Something moved between the shadows.A boy stumbled out, skinny, wearing cracked glasses and a trembling expression. “D-don’t kill me!” he shouted, hands raised.Jayden blinked. “Kill you? I’m human!”The boy stared for a second, then lowered his arms slowly. “You’re… a player?”“Yeah.” Jayden exhaled. “Name’s Jayden Cross. You?”“E-El

Rain of data fell from the broken sky, each drop a flash of red code that hissed when it hit the ground.Jayden stood amid the ruins, chest heaving, ash and pixel-light clinging to his clothes. “Eli!” he shouted into the smoke. “Answer me!”No reply, only the hum of static where a friend should have been. He turned, jaw tight. The message burned into the cracked street still pulsed faintly: “Welcome to the Core Tower, Code Breaker.”His fists clenched. “Code Breaker… what does that even mean?” A soft chime answered from within his mind: [New Quest: Enter the Mirror Tower. Reward, Truth Fragment.]He stared at the words, anger and dread twisting together. “Truth, huh? Then you’d better be ready for mine.”The Tower rose in the distance, a black spire splitting the clouds. Every wall reflected fragments of the city, each reflection showing a different version of him, smiling, bleeding, dying.He stepped inside. The door sealed shut with a metallic sigh. “System,” he muttered, “scan for

The arena pulsed with crimson light, the sound of thunder echoing like a heartbeat. Jayden’s sword trembled in his hand. His voice cracked. “Luna?”The Red Hunter tilted her head, removing her mask fully. The face underneath was both familiar and wrong.Her eyes glowed red instead of violet, her smile carved too perfectly. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said coldly. “You wanted to find me, didn’t you? Well, here I am.”Jayden took a slow step forward. “You’re not her. You can’t be.”Her expression didn’t change. “Then why does your system recognize me?”A tone chimed in his ear. [Identity Confirmed: Luna Vale, Status: Corrupted Core System.]Jayden’s breath caught. “No… no, that’s impossible.”“It’s the truth.” Her voice softened for just a second. “When the Tower collapsed, I was rewritten. My memories, my feelings… they belong to him now.”“The Game Master,” Jayden whispered.Her gaze sharpened. “He gave me purpose, to protect the Core. And to erase you.”Jayden’s sword shook. “E

Beeping. Slow, rhythmic, piercing. Jayden gasped awake. Cold air burned his lungs. He flinched against the brightness above him, white ceiling lights, sterile walls, wires attached to his arms.He wasn’t in Eden. He was in a hospital. For a second he couldn’t breathe. Then the panic hit. “Luna!”Machines blared as he ripped the sensors from his chest. A nurse burst through the door. “Sir, you need to stay still!”“Where is she?” Jayden’s voice cracked. “The girl who came in with me!”The nurse froze, pity flashing across her face. “You were the only survivor brought from the pod chamber.”Jayden’s knees buckled. “No… she was right there. She.”[System reboot detected.]He froze. The voice was faint, like an echo behind his heartbeat. “Not now,” he whispered. “You’re supposed to be gone.”[Core connection incomplete. Searching for missing fragment.]Jayden’s eyes widened. “Luna?”The nurse frowned. “Sir?”He ignored her, yanking the IV from his arm. “I have to go.”“Security!” she shou

Lightning flashed over the rebuilt city, bright enough to make every window pulse blue for half a heartbeat.Jayden jerked awake on the narrow couch in his workshop, sweat running down his neck. The monitors on the wall flickered with static.For one breath he thought it was a storm glitch. Then he heard it, her voice, soft and clear, carried through the speakers. “Jayden… can you hear me?”He froze. The wrench in his hand clattered to the floor. “Luna?”He stood, heart pounding, eyes on the nearest screen. “Say it again. Please.”Nothing, only the dull hum of power lines outside. He swallowed hard, whispering, “You promised you’d watch me. Guess I’m still talking to ghosts.”A second later, every monitor in the room blinked white: [System notice, Network anomaly detected.]Jayden’s pulse spiked. “Not again.”He grabbed his jacket, slammed the door open, and ran into the rain. The city stretched before him, half rebuilt, half ruins. Neon signs glowed between broken towers. People hur