The corrupted forest whispered as Arin moved through it, each step crunching on ground that flickered between grass and jagged error textures. His training had left him sharper, stronger—but more aware of how little he still understood.
Kael wasn't just another bugged player. He was organizing. Gathering. Preparing.And Arin? He had no one.
That had to change.
The system never gave him quests like normal players, but this time, when he whispered, "Search: potential allies," the HUD blinked.
[Tracking anomaly…]
[Possible Player Data Detected.]
[Warning: Stability below 40%.]
Arin's brow furrowed. "Another player? Out here?"
The marker pointed northeast, through a stretch of broken terrain where the sky glitched black and white like static. As he followed, the air grew heavier, filled with the sound of distorted whispers.
When he reached the clearing, he saw it.
A player—or what was left of one.
The figure sat slumped against a tree, their avatar's armor half-rendered, pieces flickering in and out of existence. Code spiraled around them like a storm, warping their form. Their eyes glowed faintly, unfocused, but when Arin stepped closer, they snapped toward him.
"Stay back." Their voice cracked, distorted.
Arin froze, hands half-raised. "I'm not your enemy."
The player laughed bitterly. "Enemy? Friend? Does it even matter? I can't tell anymore." Their body twitched violently, pixels tearing across their skin.
[Player Status: Unknown]
[Corruption: 62%]
Arin's chest tightened. That's dangerously high. Any higher and they'll…
He knelt carefully, keeping distance. "What's your name?"
The player's gaze flickered, fighting for clarity. "...Lyra. At least, that's what it used to be."
Arin exhaled softly. A name. That was something.
Lyra clutched her head, groaning. "The system… it won't let me level. Every fight, every kill, it resets. I thought I was broken. And then… I started hearing voices. Code whispering, telling me to give in."
Arin's pulse quickened. He knew that feeling—the pull of corruption, the temptation to surrender.
"You're not broken," he said firmly. "You're like me."
Lyra blinked, confusion breaking through her haze. "Like… you?"
Arin nodded. "I can't level either. My title, my exploits—they block me from growing like normal players. But I'm still here. Still fighting. And so can you."
For a moment, silence. The corrupted wind howled through the clearing.
Then, Lyra's lips twitched into the faintest smile. "You sound insane."
"Maybe I am," Arin admitted. "But insanity's all we've got left in this place."
He extended a hand—not too close, just enough to offer. "Join me. I don't have answers, but I have a plan. Kael's building something dangerous, and if we don't fight back, this world's going to collapse. I can't do it alone."
Lyra stared at his hand, her corrupted fingers trembling. The whispers around her grew louder, as if the code itself resisted. Finally, with a sharp breath, she grasped his hand.
The system chimed.
[New Party Member Acquired: Lyra – The Fractured One]
Arin's HUD glowed faintly. For the first time since entering the glitched world, he wasn't alone.
Lyra's corruption still pulsed dangerously, but he could see strength in her eyes—a survivor's strength.
He smirked. "Welcome to the rebellion."
She chuckled weakly. "Rebellion, huh? Sounds better than rotting alone."
But even as they stood together, the forest around them shifted. More monsters flickered into existence, their models unstable, their data corrupted. The system wasn't happy.
Arin's grin widened. "Guess we'll start our alliance with a warm-up."
Lyra's corrupted blade sparked to life, unstable but deadly. "Let's see if you're worth following, Bugged One."
And as the monsters closed in, Arin felt it for the first time—Not just survival. Not just desperation.
But the spark of hope.
The beginning of something bigger.