ONE DAY LATER
The quiet hum of the digital temple was all that filled the void. Faint ripples of blue light pulsed across the walls like a heartbeat. Soma sat cross-legged beside the interface table, his eyes scanning lines of flickering code. Outside the temple, the world had gone eerily still—like reality was holding its breath.
Then, the system clock blinked: 04:12 AM.
"Hydro. Wake up."
Hydro stirred under a makeshift blanket, his jacket hanging from a digital vine overhead, swaying in the faint current of data wind. He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. "Bro… it's like, four in the morning. I didn't even get a full REM cycle."
Soma chuckled lightly, but his tone stayed serious. "I know. But I need you right now—on the Center Pillar."
Hydro sat up, rubbing his messy hair. His eyes slowly adjusted to the faint neon-blue glow of the temple. "You serious right now?"
"Dead serious."
Soma walked to the massive door ahead, and as it opened, a wave of cool light spilled in. The temple chamber beyond was colossal, easily stretching hundreds of meters upward. Runes of blue and gold shimmered in rhythm, circling around a central pillar that rose from a pool of digital liquid.
Hydro blinked in disbelief. "Yo… you've been working on this?"
Soma nodded proudly, but there was a strange melancholy in his eyes. "This is what I wanted to show you—the Power Accelerator. I created a new element."
Hydro tilted his head. "A new what now?"
"The 'Glitch Element,'" Soma explained, typing commands into a floating screen. "Also called Aqua."
Hydro squinted. "Glitch? Like… Vanellope[1] glitch? Or Sonic Frontiers[2] glitch?"
Soma's smile cracked. "No, no—this isn't a video game bug. This is something me and Noctis talked about years ago."
Hydro's curiosity deepened. "Wait, hold up. You and Noctis made this? Like, the Sovereign of the Dead Noctis?"
"Exactly," Soma said. "We designed it as something beyond shadow—a synthesis between divine logic and broken code. A bridge between order and corruption. We called it Glitch, because it shouldn't exist, yet it does."
Hydro took a deep breath. "So you and Noctis planned this thing... why though?"
Soma leaned against the console, looking distant. "Because we needed something powerful enough to stop the Arbiter."
Hydro froze. "You mean that Arbiter?"
"The same one. The Creator of the Judgment System. He was one of us—one of the others here—but he defected. His system runs like malware, corrupting balance instead of enforcing it. Me and Noctis couldn't destroy him. He's something far beyond our coding principles."
Hydro frowned, trying to process. "Noctis fought this guy?"
"Yes. And lost. Barely escaped with his existence intact."
Soma turned toward Hydro, his eyes glowing with the reflection of cascading code. "Hydro, the Arbiter isn't just a threat. He's the reason the cosmic system collapsed two million years ago. You're standing in the ruins of that war right now. It's just only Arbiter."
Hydro stepped forward, glancing up at the towering digital machinery. "So this… this is your countermeasure?"
"Exactly. The Glitch element can't be replicated, corrupted, or rewritten by the Judgment System. It's like giving your shadows a firewall—an instinct that rejects cosmic intrusion. It'll rewrite your internal code, permanently."
Hydro gave him a look. "So basically, you're telling me this thing's gonna overwrite me?"
Soma nodded gravely. "Yes. But in return, you'll gain what no one else could: immunity from divine interference. Arbiter can't rewrite, delete, or control you."
Hydro stared down at his reflection in the glowing floor. "That's… a big trade-off."
Soma's tone softened. "I wouldn't offer this if there was another way. If you were still outside, Arbiter would've found you already. That's why I brought you here. I've been timing this for years. You were the only variable stable enough to handle the fusion."
Hydro blinked, trying to keep up. "You've been planning this for me?"
"For humanity," Soma corrected. "But yes—you're the only one left who can carry both systems without collapsing. Your shadow element is fluid, adaptable, self-healing. That makes you perfect for Glitch. You'll become the firewall this world needs."
Hydro gave him a small smirk. "You sound like a mentor giving his last speech before the big upgrade."
Soma smiled faintly. "Because that's exactly what this is."
He motioned toward the central pillar, where runes began to light up in sequence. Hydro stepped into the circle, the blue glow wrapping around his legs like water. "Are you ready?" Soma asked, voice steady but eyes worried.
Hydro exhaled. "If this is what it takes to end this, then yeah. Let's do it."
Soma nodded and pulled the main lever. The Accelerator roared to life. Rings of data began rotating, each emitting pulses of raw digital energy. The air vibrated as fragments of reality bent and cracked around them.
"How sure are you this is gonna work?!" Hydro shouted over the noise.
"I have no idea!" Soma yelled back, twisting another dial.
Hydro laughed nervously. "Oh, that's so comforting—AH!"
The pillar shot a beam straight into Hydro's chest. The temple shook violently. Hydro dropped to one knee, clutching the floor as his veins started glowing blue and black. The energy seared through his body, pixels breaking and reforming around his skin. His aura burned between shadow and glitch, flickering like broken static.
"Hydro, hang on!" Soma called, steadying himself as the data storm intensified.
Hydro screamed, his voice glitching in pitch. His body flickered in and out of visibility—his shadow trying to stabilize while the new element fused inside him. "WHAT'S—HAPPENING—TO—ME—!?"
"It's working!" Soma shouted, gripping the console. "It's rewriting you—adapting to your core essence! Don't resist it!"
Hydro roared again, then suddenly—silence. The Accelerator went dark. The temple dimmed to a low hum.
For a moment, Soma thought it failed.
Then Hydro slowly stood up. His body emitted a calm, blue glitching aura that shimmered alongside his fiery shadow mist. Data particles drifted off him like glowing embers. His eyes glowed faintly cyan.
Hydro exhaled, smoke and static rolling from his breath. "Holy... holy moly."
Soma blinked, speechless.
Hydro flexed his hands, watching them distort slightly before returning to normal. "Okay, this is… actually insane. It feels stable."
Soma's grin widened. "YES! IT WORKED!"
Hydro laughed softly. "You sound more hyped than me."
Soma stepped closer, inspecting the readings on his screen. "Noctis is gonna be proud of you."
At the mention of Noctis, Hydro's smile softened. "Yeah… he always said I'd 'find my own light.' Guess I finally did."
The temple's light dimmed to a tranquil blue as both of them stood in the silence. Outside the window, streams of digital water flowed toward the horizon—forming a luminous, endless lake.
Hydro and Soma walked out to the balcony. The two stood there quietly, watching the reflection of blue light dance on their faces.
Hydro broke the silence. "Hey… Soma?"
"Yeah?"
"That guy you mentioned before. The one who made the Judgment System… who exactly is he?"
Soma didn't answer right away. His face turned grim. "That's a story for another time."
Hydro frowned. "You're avoiding the question."
Soma looked out over the glowing horizon, voice low and heavy. "Let's just say… the Arbiter wasn't the first one to judge the gods."
The sound of digital wind passed between them. The lake shimmered brighter, almost like it was responding to the weight of Soma's words.
Hydro turned back to him. "...Wait, what do you mean—"
Before he could finish, the temple lights flickered. A sudden glitch spike flashed across the interface. Soma's face turned pale.
"Hydro… something's here."
The system alarm blared. The Judgment Code had just entered their world.
The temple started to tremble, and the calm digital glow began flickering in panic. The blue light twisted into black static, and red fractures split across the floor like veins of corruption tearing through the code itself.
Hydro flinched at the sudden burst of distortion. "Yo—what the hell!?"
The walls warped, folding like broken glass, and a surge of static burst through the chamber's core.
Soma's face dropped. "No… no, no, no!" He slammed his hand against a holographic panel, trying to stabilize the system. "HYDRO, GET TO THE TOP!"
"What's happening—"
"JUST MOVE!"
Hydro snatched his duffel bag with his telekinesis, slinging it over his shoulder. His shadow aura ignited, wings bursting from his back in a flare of black-blue energy. Soma followed, his own spectral wings unfurling with a blinding surge of light.
They launched upward—breaking through the collapsing ceiling like meteors climbing through liquid sky. The higher they went, the more distorted the world became. Pieces of the temple were being ripped apart by red-black code, devoured by something unseen.
They broke through the surface, and what they saw was horrifying—digital citizens running aimlessly across the floating streets of Cyberspace, their bodies flickering and pixelating, some collapsing into red dust as the corruption spread.
Hydro looked around, trying to keep stable midair. "Soma—what the hell is going on!?"
Soma's tone went grave. "It's the Judgment System. It's infiltrated the Cyberspace Core!"
Hydro's eyes widened. "You mean that thing Arbiter made?"
"Yes! It's trying to overwrite everything, including the Glitch Element!"
Hydro's breath quickened as he hovered beside him. "So what do we do?! You can't fight that alone!"
Soma's wings beat harder as he looked toward the upper skies, where the sky itself was glitching open. "Listen to me, Hydro."
"IS THIS SERIOUSLY THE BEST TIME FOR A HEART-TO-HEART?!" Hydro shouted, his voice cutting through the digital storm.
Soma turned sharply, his expression dead serious. "There's a portal above you—it's not visible yet, but once you're high enough, it'll activate and pull you through. It's your way out of here."
Hydro stared at him. "What? What about you?!"
"I'm staying," Soma said, voice calm despite the chaos around them. "Someone has to contain the corruption before it spreads into the real world. You're the only one with the Glitch Element—it's the one thing Arbiter can't infect. That's why you need to go."
Hydro shook his head furiously. "You can't take that risk, man!"
Soma smirked faintly, like a mentor seeing his student grow up too fast. "You forget who built this place, Hydro. This world's for this people to burn or save. Now go!"
Before Hydro could respond, Soma flew down, grabbed Hydro's ankle, and hurled him upward with everything he had.
"Wait—SOMA!!"
Hydro spun midair, wings flaring wide as the world blurred beneath him. He barely caught one last glimpse of Soma—diving straight into the chaos below, his wings fading into a flash of white light as the red corruption swallowed him whole.
"SOOOOMAAAAAAA!"
Hydro's scream echoed across the collapsing cyberspace—then his body was pulled into the upper atmosphere. A flash of bright distortion wrapped around him, forming a swirling tunnel of light.
The pressure hit him like a freight train. The sound was deafening. His body felt like it was being torn apart and reassembled by data waves.
Then—
THUD.
Reality snapped back.
Hydro gasped and looked around—he wasn't in cyberspace anymore. He was lying on cold tiles in a dark, empty arcade. Dozens of unplugged machines surrounded him, but one near the center was sparking violently. The screen flashed in red and blue, glitching like a dying heart monitor.
Hydro stood up slowly, brushing off digital dust from his jacket. "...That's new."
The arcade machine suddenly roared to life, the screen bursting into static. The noise was loud enough to crack the glass window beside it.
"Aw crap—"
Before anyone could see, Hydro pointed his hand toward the broken glass. "Fixation."
His aura pulsed faintly blue, and the shattered window reversed in motion—the shards flew back, fusing perfectly into place, good as new.
Hydro sighed, lowering his hand. "Still got it."
He looked down at himself—his jacket was covered in grime and scorch marks. "Oh, come on, I just washed this last week!"
He looked around and saw a small neon sign across the street. "Laundry."
"Bingo."
He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and started running through the quiet streets. Seoul was just waking up—buses moving, old ladies setting up their small stalls, the faint smell of bread and rain mixing in the cold morning air.
Hydro slowed his pace once he reached the laundromat. He looked exhausted—his hair was a mess, his sleeves slightly torn. He sighed, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
The bell above the door jingled.
"Morning," the old woman behind the counter greeted him.
"Morning, ma'am," Hydro said, trying to sound casual. He pulled off his jacket and shoved it into one of the washing machines. The warmth and faint rumble of the machines almost felt comforting.
He sat on one of the benches, hands in his pockets, and stared out the glass window. The city looked peaceful. The world didn't know what was happening behind the code. And maybe that was for the best.
Hydro leaned back, whispering to himself, "Hope you're okay, Soma."
8:24 AM – Nagashima Port
The crowd was massive. Reporters, photographers, cosplayers, and event staff flooded the docks as the Allure of the Seas came into view. Its hull gleamed in the sunlight, towering above the waves. The long-awaited event was finally here.
Atlarus Quinn stood with her friends—Bea, Kai, Kristine, Nate, and Mina—all wearing their badges and event tags.
"Holy crap, this thing's like a floating city," Nate said, jaw dropped.
"Floating resort," Kai corrected, fixing her hair. "I saw the plans—they said it's got entire virtual buildings and sky platforms. Literal floating islands."
Atlarus smiled faintly. "Guess this year's Otakufest really went all out."
The others were laughing and buzzing with excitement, but Atlarus's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She kept glancing at the sea, as if expecting someone to rise out of it.
Bea noticed. "Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"
Atlarus blinked and forced a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
Bea tilted her head. "You sure? You've been quiet since the meeting."
Atlarus sighed, voice dropping. "I'm just… still thinking about him."
"Hydro?"
Atlarus nodded. "He's probably fine, right? He always bounces back."
Bea hesitated, her usual confident tone faltering. "Yeah… he does. But still." She looked down at her hands. "I keep thinking about that night. The things I said. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I didn't mean to—"
"At least you cared," Atlarus interrupted gently.
Bea looked at her, surprised.
Atlarus chuckled lightly. "It's fine, Bea. We all make mistakes. Maybe this one just hurts more 'cause it's him."
Bea smiled faintly, eyes soft. "Maybe…"
She exhaled, looking toward the massive ship as its horn blared across the port. "Come on. Let's not keep the event waiting."
The group started walking toward the dock, the morning sun reflecting on their faces. Despite the excitement, the air carried a quiet sadness—a hole only one person could fill.
Back in Seoul
Hydro's clothes were done. He pulled his jacket from the dryer, warm and clean again. He slid it on, zipping it up halfway.
Dark gray pants, white belt, Nike MAGs—everything felt in place again, except for the part inside him that still felt off.
He paid the laundromat owner with a polite bow. "Thanks, ma'am."
The old woman smiled. "You look tired, young man. Long night?"
Hydro gave a half-grin. "You could say that."
He stepped outside into the morning light. The streets were starting to buzz with life, filled with people who had no idea the digital world almost collapsed hours ago.
Hydro adjusted his duffel bag and started walking.
"Guess I'm back," he muttered. "But man… it feels like I left more than just that world behind."
The faint static of the Judgment System still whispered somewhere in the back of his mind. But he pushed it away, focusing on the warmth of the real sun.
Maybe for now… that was enough.
The cold air hung heavy in the streets of Busan that morning. The storm had passed, but traces of snow still clung to the cracked sidewalks, melting slow under the shy sunlight. The sound of distant chatter and car engines filled the quiet gaps between the wind. Hydro walked along the frosted path, his jacket still a little damp from the wash, his breath fogging up as he reached a nearby telephone booth — one of those old-school glass boxes that somehow still worked in 2025.
He pushed the creaky door open, the bell giving a faint clink. Inside, it smelled like rust and dusted metal. Hydro dropped a coin into the slot and dialed a number with steady, practiced fingers: +1-232-575-0199.
It rang twice. Then three times. Then a soft click.
"Yoboseyo?" a calm voice answered.
"Heyyy," Hydro said, trying to sound casual but his voice cracked halfway through. "Long time no see, Seung-Hee."
There was a pause, then the sound of laughter — that same warm tone he remembered from years ago. "Hydro?! No way! I thought you disappeared off the face of the earth."
Hydro chuckled weakly. "Yeah, kinda did. Guess you could say life just… went nuts."
"Ha! Knowing you, it always did."
Their laughter faded into a nostalgic silence. The sound of faint typing could be heard from Seung-Hee's side — probably working late again, as usual.
"You still at Harvard?" Hydro asked.
"Still teaching," she replied. "Well… helping teach. It's not the same since Kevin passed."
Hydro's expression dropped. He leaned against the cold glass, eyes looking out at the slushy streets. "Yeah. I miss that dude so much. We used to pull all-nighters, remember? Coding stuff that didn't even make sense."
"Oh, please," she teased softly. "You both once tried to reprogram the cafeteria vending machine to accept bottle caps. I still can't believe they didn't expel you."
Hydro laughed, a genuine one this time. "Heh, yeah. Kevin always had this dumb idea that 'money's just an illusion.' Guess he wasn't entirely wrong."
There was a moment of quiet. The tone shifted again.
"You know…" Hydro said quietly, "things haven't been the same without him. I feel like I've been walking on autopilot since then. Like—like a part of me's just stuck back there in that dorm room."
Seung-Hee didn't say anything at first. The faint hum of the phone line filled the silence. Then she spoke — gently, but firmly.
"Hydro, listen… Kevin may not be here anymore, but that doesn't mean he's gone. You carry him with you, you know? Every choice, every move you make — he's there."
Hydro blinked, swallowing hard.
She continued, "He always believed in you, even when you didn't. And honestly… I think you've been hiding behind your guilt for too long. You're stronger than that. You've always been. Step up. Move forward. Not for him — but for you."
Hydro's eyes softened. "Heh… still giving lectures, huh?"
Seung-Hee giggled. "Only to people who need to hear them."
He smiled faintly. "Thanks, Seung-Hee."
"Anytime. And hey—if you ever stop by the States, I'm buying you a drink. No excuses."
"You got it."
They shared one last laugh before saying their goodbyes. Hydro hung up, staring at the receiver in silence. Then he took a deep breath, slid another coin in, and started dialing another number — one he knew by heart.
It rang three times. Then a cheerful recorded voice came on.
"Hey, it's Bea! Please leave a voice message!"
Hydro froze for a second. His throat tightened. He could've hung up. But instead, he spoke.
"H—Hey, Bea… it's me. Hydro."
He laughed nervously, scratching his neck as if she could see him.
"I—uh… I just wanted to say sorry. For what happened last time. I know I keep screwing things up, and I don't really expect you to forgive me overnight. I just…" he sighed, voice shaking, "I just want one more chance to make things right."
The booth stayed quiet except for the faint hum of the line.
"I know I mess up a lot. I know I hurt people even when I don't mean to. But I swear, Bea — I never stopped caring. You guys were my family when I had none. I might not be perfect — hell, I'm far from it — but if you ever need me, I'll *always* be there. Even if it's from a distance."
Hydro smiled faintly, his voice quieter now.
"You once told me that everyone deserves a second chance. I guess this is me… asking for mine."
He waited for a moment, then slowly put the receiver back. His hand lingered on it for a few seconds before he finally let go. He pushed open the glass door and stepped outside. The snow had stopped completely. The streets looked calm — clean, almost new. Like the world had hit reset overnight.
Hydro zipped up his jacket and started walking.
Meanwhile — far away, in a sprawling military base, the air was the total opposite of peace. The place buzzed with noise — footsteps, shouted orders, clanking armor, and the metallic roar of engines warming up.
Massive banners fluttered in the cold wind as creatures of every kind gathered: Orcs with heavy gauntlets, Elves with enchanted rifles, Goblins in tech suits, and armored humans calibrating their power cores. Everyone was here for one purpose — the hunt.
In the command tower, Commander Jaeger, a tall, broad man with scars lining his face, stood in front of a digital display showing a holographic projection of a man's face — The Arbiter.
He slammed his fist on the table. "Listen up, you lot!" His voice thundered across the entire hall. "This mission is NOT a drill! The target you see on screen — this bastard — is responsible for multiple cyber-system collapses and dimensional corruption. He's dangerous, unpredictable, and possibly NOT HUMAN."
The soldiers murmured among themselves, whispering theories.
Lieutenant Mayari, a sharp-eyed elf with silver hair tied into a bun, stepped forward and projected another hologram showing glitch readings spreading through cyberspace. "This isn't just an act of terrorism," she said. "This is a malware war. We're dealing with this... Judgment System — a rogue entity capable of rewriting physical reality through corrupted data streams."
A goblin tech-engineer snorted, "So we're fightin'... a computer virus?"
The room went silent. Jaeger glared. "No. You're fighting the thing behind it."
He pointed at the image of the Arbiter again. "He's infected with it. He is it. That's why you'll go in equipped with magic-fused weapons, nullification fields, and cyber-disruption grenades. Your job is to find him, flush him out, and contain him. If containment fails…"
He looked each of them dead in the eye. "…then you erase him. No questions."
Mayari added, "You'll all be split into five divisions — Aerial, Ground, Recon, Heavy Artillery, and Tech. Each division reports every fifteen minutes. We don't leave any gaps in communication. I repeat — none."
The troops nodded. The room vibrated with determination.
An Orc soldier raised his hand. "Commander, what's our authorization level if the Arbiter's corruption spreads beyond containment?"
"Level X," Jaeger replied coldly. "Purge protocol. We burn everything in range."
A few soldiers flinched. The tension was thick — but so was the fire in their eyes.
The next few hours were pure chaos — organized chaos.
Engines roared as massive aerial carriers began to rise, shaking the ground beneath them. Mechs stomped across the runway, steam hissing from their joints. Magic sigils glowed under the soldiers' boots, amplifying their speed and strength.
Mayari walked past them, inspecting the troops one by one. "Check your stabilizers. Make sure your null-field bands are synced with HQ frequencies. If your readings flicker, you're dead before you even fire."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" the recruits shouted back in unison.
Meanwhile, in the control room, Jaeger leaned over the map display. Red zones pulsed across the holographic terrain — possible Arbiter sightings.
He cracked a grin. "Alright, you ghosts. Let's make this mission loud and clear."
Outside, a siren wailed. Massive battleships began to move, their engines glowing with both arcane energy and tech plasma. Fighters lined up in formation, engines roaring like beasts.
"Operation Judgment Break — engage!"
And with that, the sky erupted — streaks of light tearing through the horizon as fleets of ships, mechs, and magic-born soldiers launched into the unknown.
The ground trembled. The air shook.
The hunt had begun.
And somewhere out there — far from the noise, in the calm aftermath of his call — Hydro kept walking down a quiet Korean street, his hands deep in his pockets, snow crunching beneath his shoes.
He didn't know where his next step would lead. But maybe… just maybe… Seung-Hee was right.
It was time to move forward.
[1] Vaneloppe is a character from Wreck-It Ralph. She has Glitch based powers at the middle of the film where Ralph enters Candy Rush.
[2] Sonic actually has glitch aura and trail in Frontiers. It is also used with his Cyloop ability.