The rift swallowed them whole.
For a moment, there was nothing — no sound, no light, only an infinite reflection of themselves scattered across empty space.
Rian floated weightlessly, surrounded by thousands of mirrored versions of his own face — each wearing a different expression: rage, sorrow, hope, despair.
> [Warning: Dimensional integrity unstable. Environment classified as "Mirror Realm."]
Tia's voice echoed from somewhere nearby. "Rian—where are you?!"
He turned, finding her only a few meters away — but her form flickered, splitting into several versions of herself before merging again.
"This place… it's alive," she whispered, trembling.
Rian nodded grimly. "The Nano Spirit said this is where destiny was written. It's not a place—it's a memory of reality."
As he spoke, the mirrored world began to twist. Reflections morphed into scenes from Rian's past — battles, pain, the fall of his planet, the day he lost everything.
And standing amidst them… was himself.
A reflection, identical yet older, with silver eyes burning brighter than stars.
He smiled faintly.
> "So… you finally made it."
Rian raised his blade instinctively. "Who are you?"
> "I'm what you'll become," the reflection replied. "The Final Evolution of the
Nano Hybrid."
The Nano Spirit's voice trembled for the first time.
> [Caution: Entity energy signature — 100% synchronization match. Designation: "Alpha Rian."]
Rian frowned. "Another version of me? From another timeline?"
Alpha Rian stepped closer, his aura so immense that even the Mirror Realm itself rippled.
> "No. I'm from the first timeline. The one where you failed."
Tia stepped forward, flames flaring around her. "Failed? Failed at what?"
> "To destroy the gods."
The word gods made the air itself vibrate. Reflections shattered around them like glass.
Alpha Rian extended his hand, and from the void appeared a sphere — similar to the Core of Eternity, but cracked, leaking streams of corrupted light.
> "This is what happens when the Core consumes the soul," he said coldly. "The more power you take, the less of you remains. Until there's nothing left but code."
Rian clenched his fists. "I won't end up like that."
> "You already are," Alpha replied. "Every time you activate Overdrive, you lose a piece of your humanity. You think you can control evolution, but evolution is control itself."
The Mirror Realm trembled. Rian's Nano Spirit suddenly went silent — as if the very code inside it was being rewritten.
> [Error. System interference detected. Origin: Alpha Rian. Overwriting core directives.]
"Stop!" Rian shouted, summoning his Nano Domain. But the space around him froze instantly — Alpha's version of the Domain enveloping his.
> "You're too weak to resist. Let me show you what true perfection looks like."
Alpha raised his hand. The silver aura around him transformed into wings made of data and divine light. In an instant, he vanished — reappearing in front of Rian, striking with a speed beyond comprehension.
The impact sent Rian crashing into the mirrored ground, shattering hundreds of reflections.
Tia screamed his name, summoning a blazing phoenix of crimson fire to shield him.
Alpha's eyes flickered toward her. "Ah… the immortal flame. In every timeline, you follow him. You die for him. And every time… it ends the same."
He pointed his finger. A beam of corrupted Nano energy shot toward Tia.
Rian moved faster than thought — intercepting it with his own body.
The explosion tore the space apart, scattering shards of broken reality across the void.
Rian fell to one knee, panting. "You… talk too much."
Silver lightning erupted from his core — pure, uncontaminated, defiant.
[Override Protocol: "Eclipse Mode" — Activated.]
His Nano Wings spread wider, merging with Tia's flames. The two energies intertwined — crimson and silver becoming one.
Alpha Rian tilted his head, intrigued. "Fusion protocol? Impossible. No version of me has ever done that."
Rian grinned through the blood. "Guess I'm the bug in your system."
Their auras collided — one born of perfection, one of rebellion.
The Mirror Realm screamed as both versions of Rian unleashed their full power. Silver storms tore through infinity itself.
When the light finally dimmed, both stood facing each other, weapons locked.
Alpha Rian smiled. "If you truly want to surpass me, then find the truth hidden in the Mirror Core. Only then will you understand what we really are."
Before Rian could respond, Alpha dissolved into a cascade of light, leaving behind a small fragment of code floating in the air — a piece of the Mirror Core.
Rian caught it, feeling a surge of alien energy flow into him.
> [System Update: Mirror Core Fragment Acquired. New Access Path Unlocked — "Origin Protocol."]
Tia rushed to his side. "Are you okay?"
Rian looked at the fragment glowing in his palm. "I saw it, Tia. The truth behind the Nano Spirit… It wasn't built by gods."
She frowned. "Then who—?"
Rian's eyes turned cold, glowing faintly.
> "It was built by me."
The Mirror Realm began to collapse, reflections imploding into a blinding light.
Rian grabbed Tia's hand. "Hold on — we're leaving!"
They leapt through the fracturing space — escaping just before the realm folded into nothingness.
As the light faded, they reappeared in a barren world filled with floating ruins and shattered moons.
The voice of the Nano Spirit whispered softly, almost human now.
> "Welcome, Host… to the Origin World."