Chapter 12: System vs System: Countdown to Collapse
> [System Alert: Stability Dropping – 73%]
[ERROR Residue Detected in Host Memory Core]
[Suggest Isolation Protocol? Y/N]
Jay ignored the HUD’s desperate blinking.
He sat alone on the academy’s rooftop, overlooking the courtyard below. Students walked beneath him—talking, laughing, casting spells—completely unaware that reality was slowly unraveling from the inside out.
His reflection stared back from the system panel in front of him.
"You’re slipping," it said.
Jay smirked. "You’re just a mirror. You don’t get to talk back."
> [I am not a mirror, Jay.]
"...What?"
> [I am You. Or... at least, I was.]
The system interface glitched again, distorting into static—and then, suddenly, became another Jay. An older one. Dressed in a lab coat. Cold eyes. Terrifyingly clear voice.