Sector: Eidolon Core Memory Archive | Depth Level: RED ZONE | Status: Core Stabilized
Objective: Survive Rei's fragmented soul. Uncover the secrets hidden within Eidolon.
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Sable's hands shook as he held Rei's fragile form in his arms. Her breathing was steady, but the battle had taken its toll. Her physical body was still linked to the VR system, but emotionally, she was fractured. The pieces of her—memories, experiences, all torn apart—clung to her like shreds of an old film reel.
His eyes scanned the darkened room, the sterile, clinical space still humming with the low buzz of failing systems. The once pristine monitors blinked, now corrupted. Fragments of data spilled across the walls like broken glass. Each error message, each pulse of static, felt like a mocking reminder of how far Eidolon had fallen. And yet, the game continued.
Rei stirred slightly in his arms, her eyes fluttering open, though her gaze was distant.
> "Is it over?" she whispered, her voice cracking as though she had just woken from a nightmare. "Did you… save me?"
Sable let out a ragged breath, running a hand through his hair. "Not yet," he said. "This is just one fight. There's still more to uncover, more to fix."
Rei's eyes searched his, confusion flashing across her face. "More? But it's over, isn't it? We… we won. We broke the loop."
Sable shook his head slowly. "We broke you out. But the game isn't over. Eidolon's glitch isn't just in the system. It's in the core."
Her brows furrowed in concern. She had no idea how deep this went.
> "The real enemy isn't just the glitches," he continued, his voice firm but pained. "It's someone who's been controlling them from the shadows. Someone who's been pulling the strings behind the scenes. Someone who's still watching us."
Rei's eyes widened. "You mean… the others? The players who disappeared?"
Sable nodded, pulling her gently to her feet. "And then some. The ones who survived the patch glitches... they've become parts of the system. Lost fragments of the original code. They're no longer human. They're something else entirely."
Her lips parted, a breath catching in her throat. "You think... we're still trapped?"
"I don't know. But if we don't finish this, if we don't destroy whatever is corrupting the system from the inside, we're never going to escape. And neither will the others."
The room around them flickered again, the low hum of the system intensifying. Sable's heart rate quickened as the air around them grew heavy with static.
A sudden, ominous sound echoed from the shadows. A crackling of broken data, followed by the unmistakable sound of footsteps.
Rei grabbed Sable's arm, her grip tight, but trembling. "What is that?"
Before he could answer, a figure stepped into the flickering light, its outline distorted by the glitching atmosphere. At first, it seemed like a human, but something about it was wrong. The shape was jagged, pixelated, and the figure's movements were unnatural, like it wasn't quite a part of this world.
It was... a player, but not one he recognized.
Sable instinctively stepped forward, putting himself between Rei and the strange entity. The figure's face was obscured, but the voice that came from it was chillingly familiar.
> "I told you it wouldn't be over just because you broke through one layer of the system," the voice rasped, cold and distant. "You should have stayed out of it. But you chose to play the hero. Now... you'll see the true cost."
Rei gasped, her eyes widening in recognition. "No… you... you're one of the beta testers, aren't you?"
The figure's head tilted slightly, a grin splitting its face, though the expression was distorted. "Beta tester? No. I'm what remains of the original user. The one who merged with the game. The one who became Eidolon."
The realization hit Sable like a punch to the gut. This wasn't just a corrupted player. It wasn't just a glitch.
This was the core—the origin.
This was the one who had caused everything. The one who had pulled the strings, who had twisted Eidolon into something far more dangerous than a mere game. The creator of the glitch.
And now, it was looking right at him.
> "I didn't think you'd make it this far," the figure continued, its voice dripping with malice. "But now that you're here, I can finally finish what I started."
Suddenly, the air around them warped, the walls pulsing with darkness. The figure's presence grew overwhelming, suffocating. Sable's instincts screamed at him to run, but Rei held onto his arm, her voice a whisper in his ear.
> "This... this is it. We have to end it. Now."
Sable's eyes hardened. He turned to face the figure, his hand tightening on the sword that materialized in the air next to him.
> "You'll regret pulling us into this hell."
The corrupted entity raised its arms, and the ground beneath them cracked open, revealing a cascade of corrupted code spiraling up into the air. The room dissolved into chaos, the world around them glitching as it pulled them into a final confrontation.
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SYSTEM UPDATE: FINAL BOSS PROTOCOL "THE CORRUPTED CREATOR" INITIATED
> Danger: S-Rank
Objective: Defeat the corrupted creator and end the system corruption.
---
Sable charged, his movements swift and precise, cutting through the corrupted data that surrounded him. But with every strike, the entity just reformed, its form flickering between states.
> "You're wasting your time," it taunted. "You think you can defeat me? I am Eidolon. Every line of code, every system update—it's all me."
Sable gritted his teeth. "Then you'll fall like all the others."
The battle raged on, each attack Sable made met with more resistance, more chaos. But with every passing moment, he grew more determined. Rei's voice echoed in his mind:
> "You can win. We can end this."
His resolve solidified. He knew what he had to do. To defeat this corrupted creator, to destroy Eidolon once and for all—he would have to become the system itself.
With one final surge of power, he plunged the blade into the center of the entity's chest, the code splintering and cracking under the pressure.
The corrupted creator's screams filled the air, but they quickly faded, drowned out by the static as the system began to collapse.
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SYSTEM SHUTDOWN: COMPLETE
---
The world around them began to fade, the glitching darkness slowly dissipating. The room returned to a soft, flickering light. The battle was over.
But Rei's gaze remained uncertain, as though she still wasn't sure whether to believe it.
Sable turned to her, his chest heaving from exhaustion. "It's done. We're free."
But in the back of his mind, something lingered. A feeling of dread.
Had they truly ended it? Or was this just another level of the game?
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To Be Continued...