The vault door closed behind Eon.
Inside, the air shimmered like corrupted memory. A thousand reflections flickered across the walls — different versions of Eon, each slightly wrong.
Smiles that weren't his. Eyes too calm. Expressions he never made.
System Alert: Mirror Path Activated
Authenticity Scan: FAILED
Then, from the center of the mirrored chamber, a voice spoke:
"I'm your alternate. Not opposite. Not enemy. Just... possible."
Eon stepped forward. The reflection moved too — but not in sync.
"This city needed someone to believe in its lie," the mirrored Eon said. "I was designed for that. But you... you were the glitch."
Suddenly, the room destabilized.
Protocol Breach: Mirror Collapse Imminent
Echo Identity Drift Level: Critical
Kael's voice crackled through the comms. "Pull out. Now."
But Eon didn't flinch.
He held up the mirror fragment and pressed it to the vault's core. The chamber froze, then began decrypting memories hidden behind the mask.
Thousands of logs spilled out:
Test entries from Lunaris's beta cycle Conversations between architects debating morality A file labeled Eon-000 — timestamped two years before his birth
The reflection smiled again. "Now you know why you don't fit, why the system reacts to you. You weren't born here. You were recalled."
And just like that, the mirror shattered — and Eon stood alone in the archive, holding the shard of truth.
System Update: Mirror Protocol Terminated
Unlocked: Creator Logs Access
The decrypted logs glowed like ancient scrolls.
Eon sat in the archive alone, the mirror shard humming beside him as the files began to load.
Log Entry #011: Architect Lyra Dren
"We didn't build Lunaris to last. We built it to forget."
The creators spoke in cryptic tones — warning each other about emotional overloads, user rebellion simulations, and identity bleed. But the most chilling file was encrypted with his name.
Log Entry #Eon-000
Subject: Prototype User Interface
Status: Live Experiment
Purpose: Emotional Response Monitoring in Synthetic Environments
Eon's breath caught.
He wasn't just born in Lunaris.
He was created for it.
A test — a living feedback loop designed to adapt, glitch, and evolve the system through emotional imprinting.
Kael broke through the comms finally, voice filled with static. "You were never supposed to access this. They abandoned the project. Lunaris rewrote itself to survive."
The last log flickered to life:
"If Eon reaches this stage, the city will begin the Echo Reset. But if he remembers... the myth becomes real."
Suddenly, the screen darkened, and the book fragment pulsed again — now showing coordinates none of the other hosts had ever reached.
Final Path Unlocked: The Origin Core
Warning: No Protocol Exists for Entry