The world of Valtoria burned quietly.
Fragments of data drifted in the air like snowflakes, dissolving into light before they touched the ground. Kaito Arisawa stood amid the ruins of a city that might once have been human — glass towers twisted into metal vines, streets paved with circuits instead of stone.
The Volourger System interface pulsed faintly at his wrist.
[Warning: Integrity 73%. Synchronization rising. Proceed to Node Sanctum for calibration.]
Kaito exhaled, his breath shimmering."I still don't understand. How can a world be made of code and still feel alive?"
[Because it is alive.][Every line, every creature, every thought is a strand of existence here.]
He ran his hand through the luminous air. "Then… what am I? A god?"
[An Architect candidate.][To ascend, you must survive your Trial.]
The words hit him like a memory. A trial. Of course. Every system had a test, every creation a rule.
"Fine," he said. "Show me."
The world around him bent inward, collapsing into light. He blinked and found himself standing in a vast hall made of mirrors, each reflecting a version of himself — older, younger, broken, proud.In the center stood a woman, draped in a cloak of flowing symbols. Her eyes glowed amber.
"Welcome, user," she said softly. "I am the Mirror Administrator. I test those who claim to be Architects."
Kaito steadied his breathing. "What do I have to do?"
"Face yourself."
The mirrors shattered. From their shards emerged a figure identical to him — same face, same eyes — but the reflection wore a cruel smile.
"I'm the Kaito who gave up," the reflection said. "The one who thought life wasn't worth coding anymore."
Kaito stepped back. "You're not real."
The reflection lunged, summoning blades of data. "Neither is this world."
Steel met light. They clashed again and again, sparks flying in rhythm with his racing pulse. Every strike from the reflection whispered his old doubts — you failed, you lost everything, you created a monster.
He gritted his teeth. "Not this time."
He thrust out his hand.
[Skill Activated: Code Rewrite // Override: SELF_LIMITS = OFF]
Light burst from his chest, rewriting the environment around him. The mirror hall dissolved into a sunrise — pure, unbroken, endless. His reflection staggered, fading into mist.
"You think you can outwrite despair?" it whispered.
"No," Kaito said. "But I can debug it."
He drove his palm forward, and the reflection shattered completely.
Silence followed.
The Administrator bowed her head. "Trial complete. Architect candidate… approved."
The system chimed softly.
[Sync Level: 42%. Title acquired: Architect of Will.]
Kaito knelt on the glowing floor, panting. The moment he lifted his eyes again, he saw her — standing beyond the light, watching him quietly.
A human girl.
Her hair was silver-white, her eyes violet, her presence fragile yet vivid. She was no projection.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She smiled faintly. "The first human born in this world. I'm Lyssia. And I think you're the reason I exist."