SeTa stood before the third door.
There was no lock. No symbol.
Just a full-length mirror, polished to unnatural clarity.
At first, it reflected only his current self—tired eyes, slouched shoulders, clenched jaw.
Then it blinked.
The figure in the mirror didn't match him anymore.
It stood taller. Broader. Clothed in a flowing coat of stars, with a faint crown of runes orbiting his head like moons. His eyes glowed pale blue, pupils like fractals.
He was divine. Elegant. Powerful.
And he looked… furious.
The mirror shimmered. A system prompt appeared:
> [Challenge 3: Confront the Self You're Afraid to Become.]
"Great," SeTa muttered. "Now I'm fighting hallucinations."
> "Not hallucinations," the mirror-version said aloud. "Projections."
The air changed. Time slowed. The mirrored figure stepped through the glass like water.
The room became a void, starless and still.
"You think hiding in stats will save you?" the mirror growled. "That pretending not to feel makes you strong?"
SeTa reached for a weapon—nothing.
The mirror-self summoned a blade of translucent code. Numbers scrolled down its edge:
> [STR: 101 | DEX: 98 | MENT: 300+]
SeTa had nothing close to that.
But he had one thing.
He closed his eyes.
> INTELLIGENCE: ∞
He opened his mind—truly opened it.
Time became math.
Space became thought.
The code of the room unraveled like threads in water.
He saw the patterns beneath reality, shimmering like strings on a loom.
He whispered one word:
> "Collapse."
The mirrored blade broke.
The mirror-self stumbled.
"You're not supposed to know that yet—!" it screamed.
SeTa reached forward and gripped his other self's wrist.
"I'm not afraid of becoming you," he said. "I'm afraid of becoming less."
The mirror shattered, shards flying backward into the void.
Everything blinked white.
---
[Challenge 3/5 Complete]
+2 Achievement Points
+1 Stat Point (awarded for existential resistance)
New Passive Unlocked: [Cognitive Override] – Once per challenge, override a logic-based ability or effect.
---
SeTa reappeared in the corridor.
Sweating. Shaking.
Smiling.
Just a little.
For the first time in years, he felt… real.
---
Then he heard a noise.
A scream.
Someone else was still in Floor Zero.
And they weren't winning.
He turned.
Paused.
Then walked away from the next door.
Toward the scream.