The light at the end of the chamber faded as Kazen stepped into the next zone. It was colder here. Silent. Too clean. Smooth obsidian walls pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
> Zone: Mirror Bridge
> System Sync: 19%
> Objective: Reach the Ascension Node
He glanced at his stats. Level 4 now. MP slowly regenerating. His body was sore, but stronger. Something in his core had changed since using Soul Drive—it felt heavier, like a dormant fire waiting to be unleashed again.
As he walked the narrow bridge that stretched over an endless digital void, he noticed something different. Words were etched along the walls in broken code.
Kaz… en…
His name.
His real name, glitching in and out of existence.
He stopped. "Why is my name here?"
The system didn't answer.
Instead, the air in front of him tore like paper. A figure stepped out, wearing a cloak made of broken lines and corrupted texture. Its eyes flickered with system script.
"Kazen Hiro," it said. "Unauthorized soul. Illegal access. You were not meant to survive."
"Yeah," Kazen replied. "I get that a lot."
The enemy unsheathed twin blades made of shimmering code.
> Null Executor – Level 8
> Role: System Cleaner
> Directives: Eliminate Glitch Entities
Too strong to fight head-on. Kazen's mind raced.
Code Rewrite ready.
> Edit: [Bridge Friction +300%]
> Duration: 15 seconds
> MP Cost: 25
The enemy moved—and slipped, its foot locking into the ground.
Kazen sprinted forward, switching to Soul Drive.
> Overload Risk: High
> Proceed? [Y/N]
He chose yes.
His right arm burned as power surged through. He slammed into the Executor and drove a spike of raw system energy through its chest. It screeched, flailing, destabilizing.
"Tell me," Kazen growled. "Why is my name in the system?"
The enemy's head twitched. "You are… not a player. You are…"
It exploded before it could finish.
> Enemy Defeated
> Level Up: 4 → 5
> Item: Unknown Memory Fragment
The bridge started collapsing behind him. He dashed forward, memory fragment in hand. When he reached solid ground, the interface pulsed.
> Memory Fragment Decoding...
> Fragment: You were chosen long before death. A failed version. A backup. A ghost in the code.
He stared at the message.
What did that mean?
A backup?
A failed version of what?
Kazen clenched his fists. If someone had put him in this world on purpose, they'd made one mistake:
They didn't erase him properly.
And now, he was rewriting the story.