Some people leave.
Some people disappear.
And some—
Refuse to be gone.
---
The Glitch
The screen flickered again.
Not randomly.
Not like a broken signal.
It was patterned.
Intentional.
Alive.
Luna stepped closer slowly, her eyes narrowing.
"…Show me."
The system responded instantly.
Lines of data rearranged.
Fragments stitched together.
Brevis stood behind her, arms crossed—but tense.
"You're seeing something I'm not, right?"
Luna didn't answer.
Because she was already inside it.
---
The Presence
It wasn't a face.
Not yet.
Not something human.
Just fragments.
Code that didn't behave like code.
Signals that didn't follow logic.
And yet—
She recognized it.
"…Adrian."
The name slipped out quietly.
Brevis stiffened.
"…Don't."
Luna didn't look back.
"It's him."
His voice hardened.
"Or it's something pretending to be him."
Silence.
Both possibilities—
Equally dangerous.
---
The Deep Dive
Luna placed her hand against the console.
The system reacted immediately.
Synchronizing.
Opening.
Letting her in.
"Luna—" Brevis started.
"Stay back."
Her voice wasn't cold.
But it was firm.
Focused.
Final.
---
Inside the System
Darkness.
Not empty.
But endless.
Data streams moved like distant stars.
And somewhere in between—
A distortion.
Familiar.
Broken.
Trying to form.
Luna stepped forward.
Her voice soft.
"…Adrian?"
No response.
Only static.
Then—
A flicker.
A fragment of memory.
A voice.
"…you have to win…"
Her breath caught.
That was him.
---
Reality – Outside
Brevis watched her body go still.
Eyes unfocused.
Breathing shallow.
"…Damn it."
He didn't like this.
Didn't trust it.
Didn't trust anything that could pull her this deep—
Away from him.
---
Inside Again
The distortion shifted.
Stronger now.
Trying.
Fighting.
Breaking apart.
Reforming.
Luna moved closer.
"I know you're here."
Silence.
Then—
Another fragment.
"…Luna…"
This time—
Clearer.
Her chest tightened.
"Adrian."
The shape began to form.
Not fully.
Not stable.
But enough.
A silhouette.
Flickering.
Incomplete.
But real.
---
The Truth
"You shouldn't be here," the voice said.
Broken.
Distorted.
Luna didn't step back.
"You're alive."
A pause.
"…No."
Her eyes hardened.
"I don't accept that."
The figure flickered.
Struggling.
"This isn't living."
"It's something."
Silence.
Then—
"You have to disconnect."
Luna shook her head.
"No."
"If you stay…"
The voice glitched.
"…they'll find you."
"I don't care."
---
Outside – Brevis
The system surged suddenly.
Lights flashing.
Energy spiking.
Brevis stepped forward instantly.
"Luna!"
No response.
"…This is bad."
---
Inside – Collapse Begins
The system started reacting violently.
Like something was pushing back.
Hard.
Trying to close access.
Trying to erase the connection.
Luna didn't move.
"I'm not leaving you."
Adrian's form flickered harder.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain!"
Silence.
Then—
"They didn't just kill me."
The words came slower.
"Heavier."
"They… uploaded what was left."
Luna froze.
"…What?"
"I'm not whole."
Her breath tightened.
"But you're still you."
"…Not for long."
---
The Clock
The system pulsed violently again.
Time was running out.
Luna stepped closer.
"Then we fix it."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"You can't."
"I can."
"You'll break the system."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Then I break it."
---
The Moment
For a second—
Everything stilled.
Adrian looked at her.
Really looked.
Even through the distortion.
"…You didn't change."
Luna's voice softened.
"I did."
Silence.
"I just didn't forget."
---
Outside – Brevis Intervenes
"Enough."
Brevis moved.
Fast.
He grabbed her shoulders.
"Wake up."
No response.
His grip tightened.
"Luna, this isn't safe."
Still nothing.
The system surged again.
Harder.
Dangerously.
"…Fine."
He reached for the console.
"If you won't come back—"
---
Inside – Final Seconds
"They're coming," Adrian said.
Luna didn't move.
"Then let them."
"You can't fight them like this."
"I'm not alone."
Silence.
Then—
Adrian said something that hit deeper than anything else.
"…You were never supposed to be."
---
The Choice
The system began collapsing around them.
Fragments breaking.
Connections severing.
Luna reached out—
Trying to hold onto him.
But he was slipping.
"…Go," he said.
"No."
"Luna—"
"I'm not leaving you again."
Silence.
Then—
A final flicker.
A final moment.
"…Then don't forget me."
---
The Break
Everything shattered.
The system forcefully disconnected.
---
Reality
Luna gasped sharply.
Her body jerking forward.
Brevis caught her instantly.
"Hey—hey—stay with me."
Her breathing was uneven.
Her eyes wide.
"…He's still there."
Brevis shook his head.
"We don't know that."
"I saw him."
"That doesn't mean—"
"It was him."
Silence.
Brevis exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
He didn't believe it fully.
But he believed her.
And that was enough.
---
The New Problem
The screens flickered again.
This time—
Different.
Multiple signals.
Incoming.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Brevis looked up.
"…Tell me that's not what I think it is."
Luna stood slowly.
Her expression changing again.
Back to focus.
Back to control.
"They found us."
---
The Return of Nyra
The door opened again.
But this time—
Nyra didn't walk in slowly.
She rushed in.
Urgent.
Different.
"They're coming," she said.
Brevis blinked.
"…You again?"
Luna stepped forward.
"You switched sides."
Nyra shook her head.
"No."
Silence.
"I chose one."
She looked directly at Luna.
"You."
---
Final Build-Up
The building trembled slightly.
The system pulsed violently.
Signals closing in.
Fast.
Unstoppable.
Brevis loaded his weapon.
"Well…"
He exhaled.
"Guess we're doing this."
Luna stood at the center.
Eyes steady.
Heart heavy.
Mind clear.
"They want war."
Nyra stepped beside her.
"So we give it to them."
---
Final Line
And as the first real army of the unseen began to close in—
As the system lit up like a battlefield—
As Luna stood between what was and what would be—
One truth became undeniable.
This wasn't just her fight anymore.
This was a war for everything.