The world was made of mirrors.
They rose from the ground like jagged ice, each pane reflecting not light, but memory.
Every reflection showed a different Aiden — a child gripping a broken controller, a young man slumped before a flickering screen, a corpse lit by the glow of a disconnected headset.
When he blinked, the reflections blinked with him.
When he breathed — they breathed, too.
And when he stepped forward, a thousand versions of his life stepped forward in perfect synchrony.
> "Welcome to the Deletion Trial."
The voice came from nowhere and everywhere — mechanical, gentle, and infinite.
Lines of red code ran through the air like veins in a living sky.
Aiden clenched his hand, feeling the familiar weight of corrupted energy simmering in his palm.
He was ready for another enemy, another fight.
But this wasn't a battle against code.
This was against him.
The mirrors shimmered and split open.
