The door slammed shut behind them.
Metal on metal.
Heavy.
Final.
For a moment...
No one spoke.
The safehouse was small.
Too small for seven people.
Dim lighting flickered overhead, casting uneven shadows across cracked walls lined with old wiring and half-dead screens. A single table sat in the center, cluttered with tools, cables, and parts that looked like they hadn't been touched in years.
The safehouse was small.
Too small for seven people.
Dim lighting flickered overhead, casting uneven shadows across cracked walls lined with old wiring and half-dead screens. A single table sat in the center, cluttered with tools, cables, and parts that looked like they hadn't been touched in years.
The air smelled like dust, ozone… and something faintly burnt.
Elric stepped inside, glancing around.
"…Alright," he said. "…not bad. Kinda cozy. Needs snacks."
Pix immediately darted past him, sliding across the floor and popping open a panel on the wall. "Ohhhh this place is ancient! I love it already!"
Sparks flew.
She laughed.
Mii collapsed dramatically onto a chair backwards. "Player! That was exhausting! Emotionally! Physically! Dramatically!"
Kaida-9 remained near the door.
Guarding.
Watching.
Always watching.
Sera moved to the far corner, leaning lightly against the wall, eyes already distant calculating something no one else could see.
Elen stayed beside Elric.
As always.
Calm.
Grounded.
Lyra didn't move far.
She stopped near the center of the room.
Standing.
Still.
Like she hadn't decided whether she belonged there.
Silence stretched.
Then...
Kaida-9 spoke.
"…Clarification required."
Everyone stilled.
Her gaze locked onto Lyra.
"…You were assigned to monitor the Player."
Lyra didn't respond.
"…You withheld critical information."
Still nothing.
Kaida's voice dropped.
"…State your current allegiance."
Pix muttered under her breath, "…Ohhh here we go."
Mii slowly sat up. "Wait wait wait... this is the confrontation scene, right? Everyone stay in character!"
Lyra finally spoke.
"…My mission parameters are no longer relevant."
Kaida didn't move.
"…That is not an answer."
Elric raised a hand.
"…Okay, timeout."
Everyone looked at him.
"…Step one," he said, walking further into the room, "nobody punches anybody... yet."
Pix whispered, "…yet."
"…Step two," Elric continued, "we figure out if we're a team, or like… a temporary party before betrayal."
Mii nodded seriously. "Yes. Party dynamics are very important."
Sera's voice slipped in quietly.
"…You were always temporary."
A beat.
"…All of us."
Elen stepped forward slightly.
"…That doesn't have to remain true."
Lyra exhaled slowly.
"…You want the truth?"
No one answered.
She looked at Elric.
"…You were flagged before the system error."
A pause.
"…Your existence triggered anomalies before the companion glitch."
Elric blinked.
"…Wait. What?"
Pix froze mid-wiring.
"…Hold up."
Mii leaned forward. "Wait wait wait... pre-glitch lore drop?!"
Kaida-9's stance shifted again.
"…Explain."
Lyra's voice stayed steady.
"…The system identified irregular probability fields centered around a single point."
Her eyes locked onto Elric.
"…You."
Silence.
Heavy.
Elric scratched his cheek.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "…counterpoint."
He looked around.
"…I was just playing a game."
Sera's head tilted.
"…A game."
"…Yeah," Elric said. "Like... controller, screen, bad decisions, good vibes."
Pix blinked.
"…What?"
Mii tilted her head. "Wait… what's a controller?"
Kaida-9 frowned. "…Define 'game.'"
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
"…Explain."
Elric hesitated.
For the first time.
"…You know," he said slowly, "…where nothing's real."
A pause.
"…Where if you mess up, you just… try again."
Sera's voice dropped.
"…That is not how this world functions."
Elen's gaze softened.
"…But that is how you see it."
Elric looked at his hands.
Flexed his fingers slightly.
"…Yeah."
A beat.
"…Still kinda feels like that."
Something flickered.
Not in the room.
Not in the lights.
In his vision.
For just a second...
A screen.
A menu.
A blurred image of...
A desk.
A monitor.
A can.
Elric blinked hard.
"…Huh."
Lyra stepped closer.
"…What was that?"
He shook his head.
"…Nothing. Just… lag."
Pix whispered, "…That didn't look like lag."
Sera's eyes sharpened.
"…You're remembering something."
The room felt tighter.
Smaller.
Like something unseen had just stepped inside with them.
Kaida-9 broke the silence.
"…Irrelevant."
Everyone looked at her.
"…Current priority: survival."
A beat.
"…We require unity."
Lyra didn't argue.
Didn't resist.
"…Agreed."
Pix raised a hand. "…Wait, seriously? That's it? No dramatic betrayal?"
Mii looked disappointed. "Awww. I was ready for tears."
Lyra shot them both a look.
"…Not now."
Elen stepped forward.
Between everyone.
"…Then we decide."
A pause.
"…We stay together."
Her gaze moved across each of them.
"…Or we don't."
Silence.
Again.
But different this time.
Pix shrugged. "…I'm in. Too much chaos to leave now."
Mii jumped up. "I'm definitely in! Player's my main audience now!"
Kaida-9 nodded once. "…I will remain. Objective incomplete."
Sera closed her eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"…I need to understand him."
All eyes turned to Lyra.
She held their gaze.
Then...
"…I stay."
A beat.
"…For now."
Finally...
Elen looked at Elric.
"…And you?"
Elric blinked.
Then smiled.
"…Step one," he said.
"…team confirmed."
He stretched his arms, looking around at all of them.
"…Step two…"
A grin spread across his face.
"…we break whatever's trying to control this place."
Pix grinned.
Mii cheered.
Kaida-9 nodded.
Sera watched.
Lyra stayed silent.
Elen smiled.
Outside...
Far above...
Neon Meridian flickered.
Just once.
And somewhere—
Deep in the system—
A new line appeared:
[USER: ELRIC D. GRIMM – STATUS: UNDEFINED]
Elric cracked his neck slightly.
"…Alright," he said.
"…what's the final boss?"