They stood before it.
A spire made of fractured memories, suspended in gravityless space. The tower pulsed with veins of red light, like it was alive—and dreaming.
Airi whispered, "This… is where it all began, right?"
Hiragi nodded, eyes fixed on the highest chamber.
"The nightmare Eden.exe was built to contain."
They entered.
Each floor forced them to relive a piece of the past—
…but twisted.
1st Floor: The Day Hiragi Was Rejected
He stood in front of a locker.
A girl laughed. A crowd mocked.
A note stuck on his back:
"VOID BOY."
Except—this time, the faces were faceless.
The crowd… endless.
Hiragi slashed through them.
2nd Floor: The Night His Mother Died
He stood again in the hospital hallway.
But the lights were off. The machines unplugged.
His mother's face was replaced by static.
She whispered:
"You left me behind…"
"Lies." Hiragi muttered.
He walked past her—not to run, but to remember.
Airi's voice grounded him.
"We're here now. Don't forget that."
3rd Floor: Eden.exe Activation Log
An old screen flickered on.
A record.
Project Eden – Soul Transference Trial #00-Void.
Subject: Hiragi Kazuki.
Result: Partial Success.
Side Effect: Memory Leak. Core Fragmentation. Echo Spawned.
Hiragi clenched his fists.
"So it's true… I was the first test subject."
Airi looked at him, shaken.
"You didn't choose this. They forced it on you."
Ishigami appeared from the shadows.
"And now, the system wants to overwrite you—erase the original. That's what the Core intends to do."
From above, a voice echoed like broken glass.
"Come, Prototype."
"Reclaim the dream you lost."
A door opened to the final chamber.
Inside, the Core Self of Hiragi awaited.
Not a monster.
Not a villain.
But a perfect version of himself—