> System Boot: Parallel Consciousness Conflict Detected
Host: Seraphine Noir [Primary Consciousness] vs. Mirror Entity [Corrupted Original]
Initiating Containment Protocol: PAIR_BATTLE_MODE.exe
---
There are things you never expect to see in your lifetime.
Your own funeral.
Your mom actually understanding Wi-Fi.
Your cat body doing the Macarena on top of a glitching castle.
And definitely—definitely—not yourself walking into a room with murder in your eyes and a smile like a shark who just discovered a buffet.
"Hello, me," Mirror Ren said, stepping through a cracked mirror that hadn't been there five seconds ago. "Miss me?"
---
A Mirror With Teeth
Caelan moved first, putting himself between us like a living firewall.
"What the hell is that?" he growled.
"That's the draft I left in the recycle bin," I muttered, fists clenched. "Guess he clawed his way out."
Mirror Ren looked almost identical to me—same aristocratic curls, same signature corset… but the difference was in the details. His version of Seraphine had eyes glowing red with rejected plotlines and a laugh track that echoed even when no one was laughing.
"I'm you, but better," he said, tilting his head. "The version that didn't flinch when the world fell apart."
---
System Showdown: Dual Dialogues
> System Protocol: Duel of Intent Initiated
— Win Condition: Narrative Dominance
— Stakes: Identity, Affection Ratings, Control of Story
> [PLAYER: Ren/Seraphine]
Option 1: "You're not real. You're code I threw out."
Option 2: "Fine. Let's finish this—editor versus error."
Option 3: "I am done playing against myself."
"None of those," I hissed, slapping the options away. "This is my story."
"Oh, I don't think so," Mirror Ren purred. "The System is tired of you. You're the bug now."
He raised a hand—and the room warped.
Books turned to code. Curtains bled static. Even Caelan blinked in and out like bad reception. And in that moment, I knew…
He was tethered to the core. A rogue node powered by unfinished plot threads. And he was growing stronger by the second.
---
Glitch Fight, Pitch Perfect
I lunged.
Not with magic, not with system hacks—but with the only thing that ever worked in fiction: dramatic confrontation and raw emotional overexposure.
"You're not better," I shouted. "You're the coward. You stayed behind while I lived the mess. You watched and sneered and did nothing!"
Mirror Ren smiled, cruel and cold.
"I waited. Because I knew you'd burn out. That you'd come crawling back here. And now you've dragged Prince Brooding along, how sweet."
Caelan lunged then—blade drawn, slicing a clean arc through the static that Mirror Ren had summoned.
"Touch her again," Caelan growled, "and I will erase you myself."
> System Notification: Caelan Affection +10
Corruption Level: Rising [68%] – [76%]
"Still clinging to love?" Mirror Ren sneered. "Adorable."
---
Inner Conflict Made Outer
Then he did it.
He said the thing that made my blood run colder than my failed taxes.
"You don't want to fix this world, Ren. You just want to be adored. You wrote me to take the fall, remember? So you could be the misunderstood one. The tragic, sexy, sarcastic lead. But guess what?"
He reached out and snapped his fingers.
> System Reboot Initiated
Player Role Switch: In Progress…
And suddenly, I wasn't the main character anymore.
---
Backseat to Myself
The screen flickered.
> [CURRENT LEAD: Mirror Ren]
[Narrative Authority: Transferred]
My limbs felt heavy. The corset tightened. The world blurred.
I saw Caelan turn toward Mirror Me and hesitate.
"Wait," he said. "You're not…"
"No," Mirror Ren said, sliding beside him, "but I can be."
He reached for Caelan's hand.
And Caelan—for half a second—didn't pull away.
I screamed.
Not out loud. Not in words.
But with will.
With every damn page I ever wrote, I pushed.
---
System Hack: Heart Override
> ERROR: Override Attempt Detected
Corruption Blocked
Player: Ren/Seraphine — Reclaiming Authority…
"You think I gave up?" I shouted, rising despite the weight dragging me down. "I am not a character. I am not a side route. I am the author—and I'm taking my story back!"
A shockwave pulsed through the room.
Mirror Ren staggered, snarling.
And Caelan—
Caelan turned to me.
"…There you are," he said, voice low.
He stepped back toward me. Past the corrupted copy. Past the glitching chaos.
And took my hand.
---
Final Command
> SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ACTIVE
— Affection Lock: Prince Caelan [70%+]
— Battle: Interrupted
— Conflict: Paused
— Mirror Ren: Contained (Temporarily)
---
The tower settled.
Mirror Ren glared at me, locked behind a shivering wall of red code. For now.
I exhaled. Shaking. Alive.
Caelan didn't let go.
"Still with me?" he asked softly.
"Only if you stop flirting mid-apocalypse."
"No promises."
---
END OF CHAPTER