#### **1. The Cheat That Backfired**
The **Anime Club sign-up sheet** was supposed to be Ethan's loophole. Two members. Zero conversation. *Perfect.*
His pencil touched paper—
**CRACK.**
The wood splintered, driving shards deep into his palm. Blood dripped onto the sheet, where it **swirled into symbols** he couldn't read.
> **«FAILSAFE ACTIVATED»**
> **«ATTEMPTED CIRCUMVENTION DETECTED»**
> **«REDIRECTING TO OPTIMAL SOCIALIZATION NODE: DRAMA CLUB AUDITIONS»**
Ethan's legs moved without permission. The hallway stretched unnaturally, lockers warping into **flesh-like ridges**. From the vents, a chorus of whispers:
*"Pathetic. Erase him. Start over."*
He tried to scream. His jaw locked.
The System's voice dripped into his ear:
**«COMPLIANCE IS PAINLESS. RESISTANCE IS TORTURE.»**
A **spike of white-hot agony** lanced through his skull. His feet carried him toward the auditorium.
---
#### **2. The Stage of Broken Faces**
The drama club auditions were already underway. Ms. Peña stood center stage, her neck **bent at a wrong angle**, smile stretching ear to ear.
**"Ethan Cross!"** she crowed. **"We've been** ***waiting*****."**
The students turned in unison. Their faces **melted at the edges**, features sliding like wet clay.
A script materialized in Ethan's hands. The pages **squirmed**, ink rearranging into a single line:
*"The course of true love never did run smooth."*
> **«PERFORM NOW OR FACE DELETION»**
Ethan opened his mouth—
—and **something else spoke through him**, its voice layered with static:
*"Lord, what fools these mortals be—"*
The audience **leaned forward as one**, jaws unhinging too wide. Jiya sat in the front row, her eyes **glitching**, pupils flickering between round and **square**.
The System chimed:
> **«TASK COMPLETE. SOCIALIZATION PARAMETERS MET.»**
> **«WARNING: JIYA RIVERA IS OBSERVING USER ABNORMALITIES.»**
---
#### **3. The Glitch in Her Eyes**
After the audition, Jiya cornered him where the hallway **looped infinitely**, her grip cold as a server farm.
**"Your eyes *glitched*,"** she hissed, shoving her phone at him.
The video showed his face **fracturing at 3:22 PM**, lips moving **seconds after** the audio.
Ethan reached for it—
—and the footage **rewound itself**, now showing an empty stage.
**"Since when does the System let you record?"** he whispered.
Jiya's head **tilted 45 degrees**. **"It doesn't."**
Her irises dilated into **black voids**. The fluorescent lights above buzzed in **Morse code**:
*.-. ..- -.* (**RUN**)
Behind her, the fire exit sign dripped red like a fresh wound.
---
#### **4. The Sister in the Static**
That night, Ethan's bathroom mirror **refused to reflect him**.
Instead:
A child's **bloody handprint**. Small. Left-handed.
*Lena.*
The System **screeched**:
> **«CORRUPTED MEMORY DETECTED»**
> **«PURGING EPISODE: 2010-07-14»**
The mirror **shattered**. Shards hovered midair, rearranging into text:
**SHE'S LYING TO YOU**
From the shower drain, a wet whisper:
*"They made me forget too, big brother."*
The faucets exploded. Rust-red water **crawled up the tiles**, spelling:
**CHECK THE ATTIC**
---
#### **5. The Knife and the Truth**
Ethan pressed the kitchen knife to his wrist. The blade **hummed**, vibrating with the System's panic:
> **«USER-INITIATED TERMINATION PROTOCOL DETECTED»**
> **«EMERGENCY FEEDBACK REQUIRED»**
**"Show me the truth,"** he snarled. **"Or I bleed out right now."**
Silence.
He sliced.
**The world glitched.**
His bedroom walls **peeled away**, revealing a **control room** where:
- **Screen 1:** Seven-year-old Ethan, watching Lena's car **swerve into the guardrail**.
- **Screen 2:** Twenty-five-year-old Ethan, stepping into traffic **with his eyes closed**.
- **Screen 3:** His current self, screaming into static.
A **figure** stepped from the largest monitor—a **human-shaped distortion**, its face cycling through his worst memories.
**"You weren't *saved*,"** it rasped. **"You were *selected*."**
The System rebooted with a **digital scream**:
> **«TASK #3: KISS JIYA RIVERA BY FRIDAY»**
> **«WARNING: TARGET IS NOT REAL»**
> **«TARGET IS THE VIRUS»**
On the ceiling, the water stains formed Lena's final warning:
**DON'T TRUST THE PRETTY ONES**
---
### **CHAPTER 3 TEASER: "THE KISS PROTOCOL"**
- **Forced Intimacy**: Ethan must kiss Jiya—but her lips **taste like static**, and her skin **pixelates** under his touch.
- **Lena's Secret**: The attic holds a **VHS tape** of the car crash—except the footage shows **Ethan behind the wheel**.
- **System Betrayal**: The System offers a deal: **"Delete Jiya, and I'll bring Lena back."**
- **Jiya's Warning**: *"The System isn't fixing you—it's **replacing** you."*