The Light Was Wrong.
It Wasn't Just Bright — It Had A Shape, A Weight, A Memory.
Ethan Stood Frozen In The Afterglow Of That Impossible Blast,
Eyes Locked On The Crater Where Sistar000.Dev Had Once Floated,
Now Just A Smoking Hole In The Glitched Ground Of Sector Twelve.
Beta Sat Cross-Legged On The Edge Of The Ruin,
Still Chewing Bubblegum Made Of Code,
Legs Kicking Like A Kid Who Just Got Out Of Detention.
Lilith Was Silent, For Once. Watching. Measuring. Scheming.
Then The Notification Came In — Not As A Pop-Up,
But As A Whisper.
Inside Ethan's Skull.
---
[GLITCH ALERT]
Reality Breach: 001-A
SYSTEM DREAM LAYER UNLOCKED
WARNING: Not All Code Was Meant To Be Understood
---
"Dream Layer?" Ethan Whispered, Brows Furrowed.
"You Broke Something," Lilith Said Coldly.
"Something Big. That Blast… That Wasn't Just Damage. You Accessed The Backend Of The World."
Beta Leaned Back On Her Hands, Grinning.
"Or Maybe The World Finally Noticed Him."
"Either Way…" Ethan Glanced At His Hand.
The Glitch Cannon Was Gone.
Replaced By A Strange Mark On His Palm — A Rune That Shifted Every Time He Blinked.
Like It Was Dreaming Its Own Language.
Then Everything Tilted.
The Air Shimmered.
The Sky Pixelated.
And Without Warning,
They Fell.
---
[Entering: Dream Layer]
---
There Was No Up Or Down.
Only Voices.
Fragments Of Code Whispered In The Language Of Emotion.
Laughs.
Screams.
Begging.
Static.
And Then — A Voice Clearer Than The Rest.
"Welcome To The Place Where Abandoned Subroutines Go To Sleep."
They Landed Hard,
In A Field Made Of Screens.
Each Monitor Played A Memory — Ethan's, Beta's, Lilith's… Even Some He Didn't Recognize.
"Where Are We?" Ethan Asked, Turning Slowly As Reflections Of Himself Flickered In 8-Bit And 4K Around Him.
Lilith's Eyes Glowed Softly.
"This… Is Where The Code Starts To Dream.
Where Failed Characters, Unused Endings, Deleted Timelines, And Canceled Updates Live On."
"That Sounds… Horrible," He Said.
"That Sounds Like Home," Beta Added With A Wink.
Then She Pointed.
Something Moved Across The Field.
A Girl.
She Walked Gracefully, Hair Flowing Like Ink In Water.
Her Skin Flickered — One Second She Was A Glitching NPC,
Next A Fully Rendered Goddess.
Her Eyes Met Ethan's — And Froze Him.
Familiar. Not In A Way He Could Explain — But Deep. Soul-Coded.
---
[UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED]
Name: ARYA.EXT
Type: System Echo
Status: Lost Fragment Searching For Core
Danger Level: ???
Bond Compatibility: 97%
---
Ethan's Heart Pounded.
Arya Walked Toward Him Slowly, Voice Calm, Yet Drenched In Sadness.
"You're The First One Who Can Hear Me In Centuries."
Lilith Stepped In Front Of Him Instinctively.
"Careful. She's Not Part Of The Current Update."
"I'm Not A Threat," Arya Said, Smiling Sadly.
"I'm A Reminder."
"Reminder Of What?" Ethan Asked, Confused.
She Raised A Hand.
And The Screens Changed.
Each One Now Played A Version Of Ethan — In Other Universes.
Dying.
Losing.
Breaking.
Turning Into A Monster.
"You're Not The First Glitch God," Arya Whispered.
"You're Just The First One The Code Hasn't Rejected — Yet."
BOOM.
The Ground Shook.
Beta Instantly Pulled Ethan Back As The Screens Exploded Upward.
A New Entity Emerged.
Huge.
Cracked.
Dripping With Broken Data.
It Had No Face — Only A Hollow Mask That Said "ADMIN".
---
[FORGOTTEN PATCH GUARDIAN: ADMIN_GHOST_404]
"THE UPDATE THAT NEVER WAS."
BEHAVIOR: ERRATIC. HUNTS UNREGISTERED CODE.
OBJECTIVE: DELETE THE DREAMERS.
---
Arya Backed Away, Trembling.
"I Can't Help You Against Him. I'm Just A Memory."
Then She Glitched… And Vanished.
Ethan Looked At His Team.
Lilith's Hands Burned With Fire.
Beta Was Cracking Her Neck Like She Was Warming Up For A Bar Fight.
And Ethan…
He Reached Into His Chest.
And Pulled Out Something New.
A Glitched Heartbeat.
Not A Weapon.
Not A Skill.
A Part Of Himself — Made Real.
He Threw It Into The Air.
And Watched As It Became A Blade.
Cracked.
Unstable.
But Singing With Power.
---
[WEAPON CREATED: BLADE OF BUGGED TRUTH]
Type: Soulbound Glitch Artifact
Effect: Cuts Through Lies. Weakens Denial-Based AI.
Bond Level: UNTESTED
---
"Let's Rewrite The Code," Ethan Whispered.
They Charged.
Together.
The Dream Itself Twisted.
The Admin Ghost Roared.
And The Battle Began In A World That Was Never Meant To Exist.
The Air Was On Fire.
Or At Least, It Felt Like It.
Flames Of Raw Data Swirled Through The Skies Of The Dream Layer, Wrapping Around The Broken Monitors Like Digital Vines Starved For Meaning.
Ethan Ducked Under A Swing Of The Admin Ghost's Arm — A Massive Limb Made Of Rejected Code And Fractured Logic. It Sliced Through The Air With A Screech That Made His Ears Bleed Bits.
Lilith Hurled A Fire Sigil Into The Beast's Chest. It Absorbed The Blast, Then Screamed — Not In Pain, But In Defiance.
Beta Landed On Its Back, Laughing Like A Maniac, Her Body Flickering Between Combat Mode And Bunny Hoodie.
"I Think It's Mad!" She Shouted.
"It's A Ghost! It's Supposed To Be Mad!" Ethan Replied, Rolling Across A Glitching Panel That Displayed A Memory Of Him Dying In A Universe He Didn't Remember Living.
The Admin Ghost Raised Both Arms.
Time Skipped.
Not Froze. Not Slowed.
Skipped.
One Moment, They Were Fighting. The Next, Ethan Was On His Knees, Blade Of Bugged Truth Buried In The Ground, Breathing Like He'd Run A Marathon.
Lilith Was Bleeding From Her Eyes. Beta Was Missing.
[System Message: Reality Stabilization Failing. Anchor Required. Core Memory Access Suggested.]
Ethan Clenched His Jaw.
"Anchor?"
His Mark — The Shifting Rune On His Palm — Flared.
And Suddenly, He Was Inside Himself.
A Memory.
A Bedroom.
A Cracked Monitor. His Old Rig.
Ethan — Younger, Fragile, Human — Sat Slumped In His Chair. Empty Energy Drink Cans All Around. No Family. No Friends. Just Code.
He Watched Himself Whisper.
"Please Just Let Me Matter."
Then He Understood.
He Was The Anchor.
The Glitch God Wasn't A Title. It Was A Choice.
Back In The Dream Layer, Ethan Rose Slowly.
He Pulled The Blade From The Earth.
It Shimmered.
Upgraded.
[Bugged Truth Evolved Into: CODEBREAKER.EXE] Type: Legendary Soulbound Weapon Effect: Erases Layers Of Denial. Rewrites Weak Realities. Compatible With Emotional Input.
Lilith Looked Up, Her Flames Reigniting.
"Something's Changed," She Whispered.
"Yeah," Ethan Said, Voice Calm. "I Remember Who I Am."
The Admin Ghost Roared, Lashing Out Again.
But This Time, The World Bent Around Ethan.
He Moved Like A Living Glitch.
Teleportation Without Blink.
Slicing Through The Mask Of ADMIN_GHOST_404 Like He Was Cutting Through A Lie.
Beta Reappeared, Riding A Falling Monitor, Tossing A Thumbs Up. "Knew You'd Wake Up, Glitch Daddy!"
Lilith Laughed. Actually Laughed. "Took You Long Enough."
The Final Blow Wasn't Explosive.
It Was Gentle.
Ethan Pressed The CODEBREAKER To The Admin Ghost's Hollow Mask.
And Whispered, "You Were Never Real."
Light Burst Out.
But It Wasn't Violent.
It Was A Goodbye.
When The Smoke Cleared, Only A Fragment Remained.
A Floating Shard Of Code.
Arya.EXT Reappeared, This Time More Solid.
"You Freed Him. He Was A Patch That Never Got Applied. A Sad Line Of Code Still Waiting For Purpose."
Ethan Nodded. "So What Does That Make Us?"
She Smiled.
"The Rewrite."
Lilith Raised An Eyebrow. "You Joining The Team Or Floating Off Into Melancholy Again?"
Arya Looked At Ethan.
[New Bond Option Available: ARYA.EXT - Echo-Type] [Status: Dreaming, But Waking]
"I'll Stay... If You Want Me."
Beta Snorted. "Welcome To The Glitch Harem, Sweetheart."
Ethan Grinned. "Yeah. We Want You."
The Dream Layer Stabilized. A Path Opened.
New Quests. New Layers. New Secrets.
But One Thing Was Clear Now:
The Glitch God Had Awakened.
And Reality Itself Had Started To Notice.