The glitch menu flickered in front of Aki's eyes like a broken neon sign.
[Villain's Path – Activated]
[Hero Route – LOCKED]
[Warning: Entity Observing]
Aki's stomach twisted.
And standing right there, framed in the sunlight like some holy judgment, was Eren.
The Hero of this world.
The one person Aki thought he could trust.
The one person who now looked at him like a stranger.
"Eren," Aki said, forcing a laugh that cracked in the middle. "Wow. You're early. Didn't expect… you know, a dramatic entrance with the door-kicking and—"
"Stop."
Eren's voice was quiet, but sharp enough to cut through the air. His hand rested on his sword hilt, not drawn yet, but tense.
"I asked you a question," Eren said. "What are you doing?"
Aki's mouth went dry. His instinct screamed to close the glitch menu, but the thing wasn't responding to him anymore. It hung in the air, bright and obvious, like a floating confession.
"I… I was just checking my, uh… magical calendar." Aki tried, voice high and unconvincing. "You know, keeping track of villain appointments. Tea with the Princess, assassination attempts, casual betrayals. The usual."
Eren didn't even blink. "You're lying."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Aki sighed and sat back down on his bed. "Yeah. I am. But so are you, Eren."
That startled him. His eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't remember, do you?" Aki leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His voice dropped low. "The Academy. The cursed forest. The night raids. You're walking around like none of it happened. Like you've been… rewritten."
Eren's hand twitched. "…Rewritten?"
"Your memories," Aki said bluntly. "Someone tampered with them. You don't remember the times I saved your stupid shiny life. You don't remember us laughing in the mess hall. You don't even remember when you swore you'd believe in me. All gone. Like they never existed."
Eren's jaw tightened. His sword was halfway drawn now, gleaming in the light. "Enough games. If this is another one of your tricks, I'll end it here."
Aki shot to his feet. "You think I want this?!"
The glitch menu crackled louder, screens multiplying around them like shards of glass. Code spilled into the air.
[System Override Detected]
[Narrator Watching…]
Eren's eyes widened at the glowing symbols. "What… what is this?"
"You weren't supposed to see this," Aki muttered, panic in his throat. He waved his hand uselessly at the menu, but it only spread more, filling the dorm with unnatural light.
A deep, distorted voice cut through the chaos.
"Hero. Villain. NPC. It doesn't matter. All of you are pieces."
Both Aki and Eren froze.
The words weren't human. They were everywhere — echoing off the walls, bleeding through the floorboards, vibrating in their bones.
A masked figure stepped out of the code. Cloaked in shadows, its face hidden behind porcelain-white, with cracks running down like veins. Its presence felt… wrong. Like it didn't belong to this world.
Aki staggered back. "…Who the hell—"
"I am the Narrator," the figure said. Its voice overlapped with static. "The architect of this story. And you…" Its gaze locked on Aki. "…are a glitch that should not exist."
Eren instinctively raised his sword. "Stay back!"
The Narrator tilted its head, almost amused. "Ah. The Hero still performs his role. So predictable. So easily controlled."
Eren's grip tightened. "If you're the one who's been tampering with people's minds—"
"I am the one who writes them," the Narrator interrupted. "Memories, routes, flags… all are mine to command." Its mask turned toward Aki. "But you… you are foreign data. An error that refuses deletion."
Aki's skin crawled. His sarcasm failed him for once. "…So what, you're saying I'm a bug? Like a piece of broken code?"
"Yes," the Narrator hissed. "And broken code must be purged."
The glitch menu shattered into streams of light, spiraling toward the figure. The entire room groaned, as though the world itself was bending.
Eren stepped in front of Aki, blade raised. "If you want him… you'll have to get through me."
Aki blinked. "…Wait. You don't even trust me five minutes ago. And now you're—"
"Shut up," Eren snapped, not taking his eyes off the figure. "I don't know what's going on. But I know this thing isn't right. And I'll protect you. Just this once."
Something hot burned in Aki's chest. Confusion. Relief. Maybe even guilt.
The Narrator stretched out a hand. "Protect him? Foolish. He cannot be saved. He will corrupt you too."
Dark tendrils of code shot out like spears.
Eren swung his blade, holy light sparking against the unnatural energy. The clash sent ripples through the dorm, books flying off shelves, windows shattering.
Aki stumbled back, covering his head. "This is insane. This wasn't in the game. This wasn't in ANY route—"
[Warning: Hero-Villain Route Collapsing]
[World Stability: 42%]
The glitch menu reappeared one last time, glowing blood red.
Eren shouted over the chaos: "Riel—Aki—whatever your name is! Decide now! Are you with me or not?!"
And Aki froze. Because for the first time, someone said his real name in this world.