Chapter 7 – Reflections in the Code
The 404 Abyss had calmed, its electric hum fading as the echoes of battle disappeared into the silent data void. Komi sat on the glitched stone floor, her breath shallow but steady, the burn of energy still fresh in her muscles. She looked at her hands—trembling, not from fear, but from the lingering rush of combat.
Lisa stepped out from behind a digital pillar, clapping slowly with an amused expression. "Well, well, Your Glitchness, not bad for your first sparring match. You actually gave Zero13 some competition."
Komi groaned. "That nickname again? I'm never gonna get used to it."
Zero13 approached, his armor gleaming with scattered sparks from the last clash. Though unreadable as ever, his voice betrayed a flicker of pride. "Your synchronization rate is increasing. Soon, you may wield the full potential of Royal Protocol."
Komi blinked. "Royal what-now?"
Lisa waved a hand. "Ignore his cryptic nonsense. He always speaks in half-loaded code. Come on, let's head back. You need rest and maybe something to eat that isn't made of pixel energy."
As they returned to the palace through a glowing glitch corridor, Komi looked around, catching fragmented images in the glitch layers. A child version of herself? A memory from her school? Were these bugs… or was the game reacting to her mind?
In her royal quarters, Lisa helped her settle down with a platter of glowing fruit-shaped food. "You did good today. That war gear suits you. Kinda makes you look like a protagonist from a sci-fi anime."
"Please stop hyping me up. I'm just a broke girl who joined this weird game for extra cash. I didn't sign up to be royalty or fight virus-bears."
Lisa smirked. "Maybe not. But something brought you here, and this world responds to you like you were meant to be part of its core."
Komi raised an eyebrow. "You're not gonna pull the 'chosen one' speech, are you?"
Zero13, standing by the balcony, looked up at the artificial stars. "She must evolve. Before the others find her."
Komi frowned. "Others? Wait—what others?"
But Zero13 gave no answer, his system flickering.
Lisa put a hand on Komi's shoulder. "Don't stress it now. Sleep first. Overthinking gets you nowhere in this place."
Later that night, under the synthetic moonlight, Komi lay awake in her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "This game… is it really just a game? Or did I just fall into a story I can't control?"
A whisper echoed faintly through the air—a system voice, perhaps a remnant of old code:
"Princess Beta... System Sync: 47% Complete..."
Her eyes widened.
"Oh crap. I knew this was too good to be freelance work."
Fade to black.