The dark space was now glowing faintly blue.
Everywhere, there were copies of Ryan — thousands, maybe millions.
Each one moved the same way, breathed the same way.
Maria's voice trembled.
"How do we know which one's the real you?"
Ryan shook his head slowly. "I don't know… I just have to feel it."
The holograms stepped closer —
their eyes cold, their tone unified,
"Are you the real one?"
Ryan took a step back.
Then one of the holograms spoke up —
"I'm the one who erased Aya."
Ryan froze.
"What?"
The hologram stepped forward.
"Because only the real Ryan would carry that guilt."
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "Then prove it."
The hologram smirked.
"If I'm the real one… then you'll have to die."
Suddenly, blue lightning burst from his palm, striking straight toward Ryan.
Ryan ducked — the beam hissed past him, crashing into the wall and leaving behind a massive glitch crack.
Maria screamed, "Ryan! Either delete him or get deleted yourself!"
Ryan opened his wrist panel and ran a quick command —
"Command: Mirror Check."
Instantly, all the holograms froze.
Lines of red code flickered across their bodies —
each one displaying the same message:
COPY DETECTED.
Except for one.
One Ryan's screen stayed blank — no error, no code.
"There — that's the real you," Maria whispered.
Ryan nodded…
but the others shouted in unison,
"NO! HE'S THE FAKE!"
Electricity surged through the air —
the whole zone began to glitch violently,
and the world dissolved into a storm of digital fragments.
Ryan sprinted through the chaos —
blue light flashing across his face —
until he reached the Ryan with the blank screen.
He looked into his eyes.
They were calm.
"If you're the real one," Ryan said quietly,
"what were Aya's last words?"
The other Ryan smiled faintly.
"Sometimes, to save… you have to erase."
Ryan's lips trembled.
"You…"
"Yes," the copy said softly. "I'm you."
And then — a blinding white light exploded between them.
The glitch shattered.
The timer stopped.
00:00
A text appeared in the air:
LEVEL 3 COMPLETE.
Access Granted: Final Stage – The Root.
Maria exhaled, trembling.
"What now?"
Ryan looked at the glowing screen ahead.
"Now… we reach the heart of the system."
The darkness slowly faded away —
and in front of them, a massive door materialized.
On it, glowing words appeared:
"WELCOME TO LEVEL 4 – THE ROOT ACCESS."
To continue 🌟