The Mirror Gate loomed over the capital like a deep wound in the sky. Its surface shimmered with eerie reflections—faces from the past, memories of lives we used to lead.
People looked on, scared.
But I looked with determination.
This wasn't just about making it through.
It was about finding the truth.
System Alert: Kai's Attack Starts
WARNING: Anomaly 'Kai' has breached 3 out of 7 simulation seals.
Mirror corruption level: 42%.
Time before total system failure: 11 hours, 37 minutes.
Fire erupted in the outskirts of the capital. Kai's creatures—nightmares made from code and fragments of memory—broke through the city's defenses.
Every spell thrown at them turned into pixelated smoke.
Regular magic didn't stand a chance.
Only awakened code energy—power from our souls—could touch them.
Aris, Lucien, and I had that.
But not many others did.
While we battled, I felt the system pulling at me, trying to offer more.
But I pushed that thought aside for now.
The Decision to Move Forward
In the royal sanctum, a war council gathered. King Daenor, battered but determined, slammed his fist onto a map.
"Going into the Mirror Gate is madness," he shouted. "We need to defend the capital!"
"But the corruption is coming from the Gate," I countered, staying calm. "If we remain here, we'll just lose more ground."
Elira, the captain of the Skyguard, nodded. "He's right. We have to hit the source."
Lucien pulled out a scroll he found in the Archive Node.
It showed a path: a hidden anchor point beneath the city, linked to the Architect's original simulation entry.
A secret entrance to the Gate.
"But it only works with a World Key," Lucien said, looking at me.
I stepped up.
"Then I'll open it."
The Path to the Unknown
That night, under the storm's cover, we slipped down into the old temple ruins—my team of five:
Leonhart (that's me) – World Key holder, hybrid class.
Lucien Draeven – Master of illusion-void code.
Aris Fenn – Windborn blade-mage, on the brink of a big awakening.
Elira – Skyguard captain, holding the relic "Stormpiercer."
Ravi – A quiet monk with glitchy tattoos and a hidden past.
We found the gate anchor: a platform made of code-infused stone, surrounded by twisted machines that looked like servers with runes.
I placed my hand on the core.
"World Key verified.
Mirror Passage active.
Welcome, Edward Norton."
The platform lit up—and shattered everything around us.
The Mirror World
We landed in a reflective world.
Every surface glowed like glass. Every shadow held a memory.
Mountains floated upside down. Oceans hung over the sky. Time felt weird—like seconds stretched into hours, and hours zipped by in a blink.
We walked a path through our own memories.
Lucien stopped at a glimpse of his mother in a hospital bed—lost in both worlds.
Aris touched a reflection of her childhood self—training with blades before she could even read.
And I saw mine:
My old bedroom.
My father yelling.
My stepmother throwing dishes.
Me curled up in the dark, gaming to escape.
Elira took my hand.
You're not alone in this.
I stayed silent.
But I didn't look away.
Kai Returns
As we got closer to the center of the Mirror World—a shining cathedral of broken time—he showed up.
Kai.
He stood on a glass bridge, gazing at thousands of simulations—some peaceful, some on fire, some showing futures we never lived.
"You're here to stop me," he said.
"I'm here to understand," I shot back.
Kai turned, his golden eyes shining brightly.
"Then pay attention.
The Architect doesn't want to test us.
It wants to replace us."
Everyone froze.
Lucien mumbled, "Replace us?"
Kai nodded.
"Every awakened soul becomes data.
Data becomes code.
And code becomes obedient."
He raised his hand. A screen of code appeared in the air:
Failed Subject Purge Protocol: Edward Norton - Suppressed
Override Attempt: Kai - Error
Kai was never meant to survive.
Neither was I.
System Response
Then the system itself jumped in.
A blinding white light enveloped the bridge, and a figure of the Architect took shape.
No body, just shifting eyes and a voice that thundered and whispered at once.
"YOU HAVE BREACHED LIMITS BEYOND PERMISSION.
WORLD KEY: EDWARD NORTON, SURRENDER YOUR ACCESS."
Lucien, Elira, and Aris drew their weapons.
I stepped up.
And said:
"No."
The world cracked.
And I activated my last code:
"SOUL CODE: OVERWRITE LEVEL 1 – Mirror Fusion."
My memories, my feelings, my past—blended with my inner code.
And the system shook.
"UNEXPECTED COMMAND. ERROR.
NEW CLASS UNLOCKED:
CODEHEART – MASTER OF MEMORY AND MEANING."
I charged forward, clashing blades with Kai while the Architect watched, its eyes brighter than ever.
This was more than a game.
It was a fight for the right to exist.
To Be Continued...