Ethan hit the ground hard.
But there was no ground.
He was floating. Suspended in a sea of code, numbers and symbols spiraling around him like a broken reality.
And in front of him—
The Reflection.
No screen between them now. Just it.
A perfect replica of himself, except for the eyes—black voids filled with shifting white code.
"You were never meant to wake up," it said.
Ethan clenched his fists. "What are you?"
It tilted its head. "The real question is—what are you?"
The code around them pulsed. Memories rushed through Ethan's mind—his life, his apartment, his routines—
All of it fragmented.
Like corrupted files.
Like… a program.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
"I'm not real."
The Reflection grinned. "Bingo."