The encounter with the cloaked figure haunted Kai’s thoughts long after she disappeared into the shadows. The words she had spoken rattled in his mind, looping like a broken record. "The mirror was never meant to be whole," she had said. "It was meant to be shattered." But why? What did that mean for the Glitched World? What did it mean for him?

  He walked through the dimly lit streets of the city, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on his shoulders. The air was thick, almost suffocating, and the very ground beneath his feet felt unstable, like the earth itself was on the verge of breaking apart. The Glitched World was crumbling, and Kai could feel it in every fiber of his being. The cracks that ran through the fabric of reality were no longer distant, abstract concepts; they were here, now, surrounding him, pressing in from all sides.

  As he made his way through the city, Kai couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. It was more than just the usual unease—this was something deeper, something more insidious. He turned a corner, scanning the area, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The world felt different now, like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

  "Are you lost, Kai?" a voice said, cutting through the silence.

  Kai froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that voice. It was the same voice that had haunted his nightmares, the voice that had once belonged to his greatest enemy. He whipped around, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword, but he found no one standing behind him.

  "Show yourself," Kai demanded, his voice steady despite the rush of adrenaline flooding his system.

  From the shadows emerged a figure—tall, cloaked, with eyes that glowed an eerie red. The figure's features were obscured by the hood, but Kai knew who it was before the figure even spoke.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Did you miss me?" the figure said, his voice dripping with mockery.

  "Vynak," Kai muttered, his grip tightening on his sword. "What do you want?"

  Vynak stepped forward, his grin widening as he looked Kai up and down. "I wanted to see how far you’ve come. How much you’ve changed since the last time we crossed paths."

  "You know what I’m after," Kai said, his eyes narrowing. "And I know what you’re capable of. I won’t let you destroy this world."

  Vynak laughed, the sound echoing in the quiet street. "Destroy it? No, Kai. You misunderstand. This world is already destroyed. You’re just too blind to see it."

  Kai’s brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

  "The Glitched World," Vynak said, his voice growing colder. "It’s a broken reflection of something much larger. Something beyond your comprehension. And you—" he paused, a wicked smile spreading across his face, "You’re the key to fixing it. Or rather, the key to making it all fall apart."

  Kai’s mind raced as he tried to process Vynak’s words. What did he mean? Was this all part of a larger plan? Was Vynak trying to manipulate him again?

  "I won’t let you use me again," Kai growled, taking a step forward, his eyes locked on Vynak.

  Vynak raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, you think you have a choice in this? The world is falling apart, Kai. It’s beyond saving. But you? You’re the one holding the threads together. You’re the one who will decide if it all comes crashing down or if it will be rewritten."

  Kai’s heart raced as the weight of Vynak’s words settled over him. He had always known that the stakes were high, but this was different. The fate of the Glitched World, of everything he had fought for, rested on his shoulders. And if Vynak’s words were true, he had no idea what kind of power he was wielding.

  "I won’t be your pawn," Kai said, his voice firm.

  Vynak smiled, his eyes glowing brighter. "Then you’ll have to make a choice, Kai. A choice between saving this world… or watching it burn."

  Before Kai could respond, Vynak turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind only silence. The air around Kai seemed to grow heavier, thicker, as if the very atmosphere was closing in on him. He stood there, motionless, as the weight of the situation crushed down on him.

  What choice did he have? What was the right thing to do? Could he fix the Glitched World, or was it already too late?

  He didn’t know the answers. But he would find them. No matter what it took.