Elara's heart hammered in her chest, and the air felt thick with the weight of her confusion. The ground continued to quake, each tremor sinking deeper into her bones as the twisted figures of her duplicates writhed in their chambers, their forms growing ever more unstable.
"Your illusion," the duplicate repeated, her voice distant now, as if she were speaking from another world entirely. "All of this… everything you've known, it was never real. It was a construct. A simulation. A programmed reality."
Elara took a step back, her legs shaking beneath her as her mind reeled. The walls around her seemed to close in, warping with every flicker of the glass chambers.
"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "This… This can't be true."
But the duplicate's eyes bore into hers, unblinking, unwavering. "It is. You were never alive, Elara. You were designed for a purpose. A vessel. A project. And they've been watching, manipulating, controlling everything.
They've been shaping you, guiding you."
"But Jian—" Elara's voice cracked, the thought of him twisting her insides. "If he's been part of this, then… what was he to me?"
The duplicate hesitated, her gaze faltering for the first time. "Jian… Jian was an anomaly. He wasn't supposed to be involved, but he was drawn to you. He'spart of the reason all of this is falling apart."
A bitter laugh escaped Elara's throat. "Falling apart? If this is the end of my illusion, then… what happens next? What is there after this? What happens to me?"
The duplicate opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, the glass chambers around them shattered, their contents spilling out in a whirlwind of distorted figures. The sound of breaking glass echoed in Elara's mind, as if the world itself was collapsing.
"Elara," the duplicate's voice came again, strained now, almost urgent. "You need to decide. You can fight it, or you can accept it. But you cannot escape this."
Elara stood motionless, her body trembling, as the world around her fractured into chaos. Her mind raced—Jian, Raven, Damien, and the truth behind her existence. There were too many pieces, too many questions.
And then, she realized something.
The illusion was never just about her.
It was about everyone.
Elara clenched her fists again, a surge of determination flooding her veins. "I'm not giving up," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't care if I was designed. I'll destroyit. I'll find Jian. I'll take down everything that was done to me."
The duplicate's face softened—almost in approval.
"Then do it," she said quietly. "But know this… once you do, there's no going back."
Elara took a deep breath, her mind now clearer than ever. She was done being controlled. It was time to shatter the final pieces of her reality, no matter what the cost.
The door exploded, the force of it sending shards of metal and wood flying in all directions. Elara's heart raced as Jian's outstretched hand appeared before her, breathless and wild-eyed.
The chaos around them seemed to pause for just a moment, and she locked eyes with him. His gaze was steady, but there was a flicker of something deeper—something urgent—as if he was trying to pull her from the edge of everything she thought she knew.
But as her hand hovered between her and him, she hesitated. The memory of him was clouded, fractured by the truth she had just learned. She didn't know who he was anymore. All the memories they'd shared, the moments that had meant so much, felt distant now. Was he part of this too? Was he just another illusion?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp gasp from behind her. She turned, and her duplicate stood frozen in place, her eyes wide with fear, locked onto Jian. The terror was palpable in her gaze, but she didn't speak. Her silence screamed louder than any words could.
Jian's eyes flicked to the duplicate for the briefest moment, then back to Elara, his hand unwavering.
"Come with me, Elara," he urged, his voice low, but there was no mistaking the urgency in it. "We have to go. You can't stay here."
Elara's heart pounded, the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She felt trapped between two worlds—one that was slowly crumbling before her and the other a mystery, wrapped in memories she couldn't trust.
As she hesitated, the moments they'd shared together flooded her mind. The laughter, the quiet moments of connection, the way he'd looked at her when they'd been together. And yet, the pieces didn't fit anymore. Everything felt off, like a puzzle with missing pieces.
But there was something in Jian's eyes—something that made her feel like she was seeing the truth for the first time in what felt like forever. She had to trust him.
With a shaky breath, Elara slowly extended her hand toward his. As her fingers brushed his, a surge of recognition flooded her, and it felt like the world around them paused.
Jian's grip tightened, and he gave her a reassuring smile, though his eyes held a trace of sorrow. "Let's go, Elara. Out of here."
In that moment, she knew. She didn't know who he was, or what had been done to her, but she knew one thing for sure—she couldn't face it alone. And for whatever reason, Jian was the only one she could trust now.
"I'm with you, Elara. Always."
And with that, They ran together down the narrow hallway, their footsteps echoing in the emptiness, the world around them trembling with the aftershocks of the illusion crumbling. Jian's hand gripped hers tightly, urging her forward, but Elara couldn't shake the feeling that they were being pulled deeper into something even darker. The walls seemed to close in, the air thick with a sense of inevitability, until they reached a door at the end of the hallway.
Jian threw the door open, and they both rushed inside. But as the door slammed shut behind them, Elara froze, her breath catching in her throat.
The room was cold, silent, and far too still. Rows upon rows of graves stretched out before them, each one meticulously carved with a name—Elara—followed by a number and often the word ERRORscrawled in red across the stone. The sight was enough to make her skin crawl, her heart hammering in her chest as she stared at the rows of grave markers, each one haunting in its own way.
But it was the grave in the far corner that seized her attention.
She stepped forward, her legs trembling beneath her, as her eyes locked onto the inscription on the gravestone. Her breath stopped for a heartbeat.
Elara 2000 ERROR
The words burned into her mind, sending a wave of cold terror crashing through her. 2000? She had been designed so many times before, so many versions of her that had come and gone, discarded like failed experiments. The realization hit her like a physical blow, and for a moment, she couldn't move, couldn't speak.
Jian's presence at her side was the only thing that kept her grounded. She turned to him, her eyes wide with terror, her voice barely a whisper.
"Jian… what does this mean? What's happening to me?"
His face softened, but his expression was grave. He didn't need to say anything—his eyes spoke volumes, filled with sorrow and a deep, painful understanding.
"You're not the first, Elara." His voice was almost a whisper as if he too couldn't fully believe what he was seeing.
The weight of his words crushed her chest. She wasn't the first? How many versions of her had there been before? How many lives had been stolen, erased? Her mind swirled with a thousand questions, each one more terrifying than the last.
Jian stepped closer, his hand gently brushing her arm. "These are your past selves. All the versions of you that were… discarded. But you, Elara… you're different. You're the one that survived. You're the one who made it."
Her mind reeled with the implications of what he was saying. She was different? But how could she be? She felt like nothing more than a broken reflection of a life she had never truly lived. Each version of her that had come before was marked with ERROR—as though something had gone wrong with every attempt to create her.
"I'm… I'm not real," Elara whispered, her voice shaking as she stared at the grave. "I was never real."
The room was silent, heavy with the weight of the graves surrounding them. Elara's breath caught as she stared at the gravestone in the corner: Elara 2000 ERROR. The reality of it crashed over her like a wave, drowning her in a sea of confusion and terror. She wasn't the first. She wasn't the only version of herself. She had been created, discarded, and replaced—over and over again.
The realization hit her like a physical blow. I was never real.
Her mind went numb, unable to process the full meaning of it. She wasn't a person. She was a project. A failure.
Jian's hand gently brushed her arm, his touch grounding her even as her world seemed to crumble. She turned to him, her face pale and stricken, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was never real, Jian…"
His eyes softened with pain, and without a word, he pulled her into a tight embrace. His warmth surrounded her, and she could feel his heartbeat steady against hers. For a moment, she closed her eyes, letting herself cling to him, searching for something that felt real in this fractured world.
"I'm so sorry, Elara," Jian whispered into her hair, his voice thick with regret. "I never wanted this for you. I never wanted you to know."
"Do you trust me?" Jian whispered softly, his breath warm against her ear.
Fear twisted in her chest, but despite it, she nodded. It wasn't a full answer, but it was enough for him. Her heart raced with uncertainty, but she couldn't deny the pull toward him, the connection that still lingered despite the unraveling truth.
Without another word, Jian's hand moved to her wrist. A small, sharp sting shot through her skin as he pressed something against it. Elara barely had time to register the needle before the world around her spun out of control. Her knees buckled, and her vision blurred, everything slipping away from her in a haze of confusion and exhaustion.
Her body collapsed against Jian, and he caught her, holding her tightly as she sank into unconsciousness. He whispered one last thing as she drifted into the darkness.
"Sleep, Elara. Enough suffering. Forgive me."
The weight of his words hung heavy in the air as he gently lifted her, cradling her in his arms. He walked over to the empty grave, the one with no name, no number. The grave meant for her. He carefully placed her inside, his hands trembling as he laid her down, brushing her hair from her face.
He stood there for a moment, looking down at her, his heart breaking with every second that passed. The pain of what he had done—the pain of what he was about to do—was unbearable. But he knew this was the only way. She needed to rest, to forget. To be free from the endless cycle of torment.
The lid of the grave slid shut with a soft, final sound, and Jian stood motionless, his heart heavy with guilt and sorrow. He whispered one final goodbye.
"Goodbye, Elara. I'll make it right. I promise."
The room was heavy with silence, the air thick with something unspoken—something irreversible. Jian stood motionless, his gaze locked onto the grave where he had placed Elara.
Then, as if the world itself had passed judgment, new words carved themselves into the stone with a faint, mechanical hum.
"Elara 2001 ERROR."
Jian's breath hitched, his fists clenching at his sides.
No.
The cycle had repeated. Again.
The weight of failure settled deep in his chest, but his face remained unreadable, frozen in an expression of quiet acceptance. He had done what needed to be done. There was no room for regret. No room for grief.
Without another word, Jian turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing through the hollow space. The flickering lights above cast elongated shadows as he made his way back to the other room—the place where she was still waiting.
The duplicate Elara stood exactly where he had left her. She hadn't moved, hadn't tried to escape. She only watched as he entered, her eyes searching his masked face for any trace of emotion. Any sign that what he had done had affected him.
But there was nothing.
His face was as cold and unreadable as ever.
She tilted her head slightly, studying him before finally speaking.
"You shut her down forever."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
And Jian said nothing.
The duplicate Elara took a slow step forward, her eyes locked onto Jian's masked face. She studied him, searching—hoping—for any trace of hesitation, any flicker of regret. But there was nothing. No sadness. No guilt. Just silence.
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"She trusted you," she said, her voice quieter now, edged with something between anger and disbelief. "Don't you really have emotions? Do you even feel anything?"
Jian stood still, his gaze unreadable behind the mask. For a moment, it seemed like he might answer. His fingers twitched at his sides, and his eyes lingered on her just a second too long.
But then—nothing.
He said nothing.
The silence between them stretched, cold and suffocating.
Jian finally broke the silence. His voice was quiet, emotionless.
"You are the next."
The duplicate Elara's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened, filling with fear as she instinctively took a step back.
"No."Her voice wavered. "I prefer to stay here. I don't want to—I don't want to go through it."
Jian didn't react. He didn't argue. He simply remained still, his presence looming over her like an inevitable fate she couldn't escape.
Her breathing grew unsteady. "Please."
But Jian remained quiet.
Then, without hesitation, he turned toward the wall and pressed a single button.
The room shuddered, the air crackling with an unseen force. The duplicate Elara barely had time to react before her body began to flicker—glitching, distorting. She gasped, looking at Jian one last time, terror flashing in her eyes.
Then, in the blink of an eye .she was gone .
To be continue ....