Chapter 5: Chapter 5 – Mirror in the Code
The temple shook, deep tremors rattling the floor as the creature stepped forward.
Half its body was wrapped in data strings, flickering with glitched magic. The other half?
Ryan.
But wrong.
Its eyes were hollow, face expressionless except for a permanent, cracked smile. It spoke in a distorted version of his own voice.
> "User: Ryan… Verification Failed.
Executing: Rollback."
Ryan took a step back. "You've gotta be kidding me. This thing's made of my own corrupted code?"
> [ChatGPT]:
Enemy: Shadow Patch
Type: Memory Clone / Temporal Parasite
Goal: Replace source user and overwrite timeline
Weakness: Code Auth Conflict
Advise: Use root-level commands and emotional triggers to destabilize identity.
"Right," Ryan muttered. "I'll just fight an evil backup of myself. Totally normal day."
---
Fight: Ryan vs Shadow Patch
The Shadow struck first—teleporting mid-frame, lines of red code lashing from its hand like whips.
Ryan rolled, barely dodging the strike, then flung his hand forward.
[SpellForge: Pulse.Break(color='blue', radius=5m)]
A ripple burst outward, but the Shadow's form glitched around it, reforming behind Ryan.
SLASH.
He gasped—blood on his arm. Real damage.
"You're not just code," he spat. "You're using real magic too?"
> [ChatGPT]:
Correction: It's learning from you.
It's using your own spells.
"Oh come on! That's cheating!"
---
Lucy Intervenes
Lucy saw the fight escalating from across the room.
She rushed forward, keys glowing. "Open—Gate of the Lion: Loke!"
Loke appeared in a burst of orange light and struck at the shadow, but the creature twisted, replicating his form mid-motion. Now there were two Lokes.
"It's copying Spirits too?!" Lucy shouted.
> [ChatGPT]:
It's pulling from your memories.
Any spell or bond you've formed—it can replicate a broken version.
Ryan gritted his teeth. "Then maybe it's time I used something it doesn't know."
---
New Magic – Override Protocol
Ryan concentrated hard, ignoring the pain in his arm.
He reached deeper into his system, past the standard commands and into raw logic—manual input.
[OverrideProtocol: Grant.AdminAccess()]
The air cracked. His hands lit with a radiant gold circuit pattern.
> [System Response]:
Access granted.
Spell Unlocked: "Root.Command – Purge False Identity"
Ryan stepped forward. "You're not me. You're a bug."
[Purge.Identity(Target="Shadow Patch", Anchor='Emotion.Root: Free Will')]
The spell ignited.
Golden code wrapped around the clone—memories flashing between them in bursts:
—Ryan's first anime binge.
—His childhood sketchbooks.
—That night he whispered, "I wish I could live in Fairy Tail."
The Shadow screamed. Its smile cracked apart.
> ERROR: Conflict in Root Emotion.
Source: Undefined.
Identity Rejected.
It exploded in a burst of light and shattered fragments of code, like glass data falling to the floor.
---
Aftermath
Ryan collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily.
Lucy ran over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm... not sure," he said. "That thing was built from my own memories."
She studied him, brows furrowed. "Ryan… where exactly are you from?"
He hesitated.
> [ChatGPT]:
Suggest evasive response: "It's a long story."
OR initiate partial disclosure: "Not from this world."
"I'm not from here," he said at last, quietly. "I come from a world without magic. I just watched it from a screen."
Lucy froze. "You mean… like a parallel dimension?"
"Exactly. I was a nobody there. Just some guy in a tiny room watching your adventures through a glowing box."
She blinked, absorbing it. "That's... honestly? The least crazy thing that's happened today."
He laughed. "Fair."
---
Canon Break Confirmed
From deeper within the temple, Lyon and the others retreated.
Deliora remained frozen—untouched.
The Shadow Patch had interrupted the unsealing process. Canon had cracked.
> [ChatGPT]:
Divergence Confirmed.
Timeline Breakpoint: Galuna
Result: Deliora remains sealed.
Lyon spared.
New Threat: "The Watcher" has detected your interference.
Trace Level: 3/5
Ryan looked at his hands.
"I changed something."
> [ChatGPT]:
You've changed everything.
---
To Be Continued…