"So, Karl, I will send you to reality," said the Divine Prince. "We are currently in the generated world. Also, bring Alya and the kid... um, oh yeah, Xyreth."
"Hasn't Alya gone there before? She's one of the Elders," Karl asked.
"She is one of the Elders, but only because her entity was strong inside the game. In reality, she's weaker. That's why I need you to lead them. They're the new hope for us—and unlike you, they're not exactly calm or logical."
So, Karl told Alya to come. Somehow, Alya brought Xyreth along too.
"Wait, what? Where am I??" Xyreth shouted, looking around in confusion. Then his eyes locked onto Karl. "Ghost! Camouflaged as human! Any evil in this world will be brought to justice! Serious Punch!"
He launched a punch straight into Karl's stomach.
"Ouch—Xyreth, what the heck are you doing?!" Karl shouted.
"Alya teleported you here! We're supposed to go see the Divine Prince."
They went to the Prince's office.
"Sir, we're ready now," Karl said.
"Okay then, kids. I'll find you again in the next layer."
"So... how exactly are we supposed to go to reality?" Xyreth asked.
"That's easy," the Prince said—as he stabbed a pair of scissors straight through Karl's throat.
"What are you doing...? Si...r...?" Karl gasped, before collapsing.
Then the Prince stabbed both Alya and Xyreth before they could react. Blood spilled across the floor.
ERROR ERROR ERRORERROR ERROR ERORORORORORRBHIGJEWB8765&^%GAME PAUSED — LEAVE OR RESUME?
Karl woke up in a forest. The air smelled too clean—like someone's idea of what nature should smell like. He groaned and sat up.
His body was intact. No blood, no wounds. But his head throbbed with static.
"The scissors..." he muttered, touching his neck. Nothing. Not even a scar. "So this is reality?"
He stood and looked around. Trees, sunlight, wind. It all seemed normal. Too normal.
Then he noticed a leaf mid-fall freeze, flicker, and reverse back to the branch.
"...Right," he said. "This isn't it."
He closed his eyes and reached inward. The spark left by the Divine Prince still pulsed inside him—unstable, but active. He could feel two presences nearby.
He walked toward them.
The first was Alya. She lay on the ground, eyes shut, her body glitching like a corrupted file. Her silver-white hair floated in wind that didn't exist.
Karl didn't move closer.
"She's... unstable," he muttered. "Doesn't belong in this layer."
He considered leaving her. But the spark pulsed again, compelling him forward.
"Tch. Fine."
He extended a hand—not touching, just focusing. The spark shot out, stabilizing her form from a distance.
Alya gasped and jolted upright.
Karl stepped back. "You're fine now. Don't ask how."
"Karl...? What is this place?"
"I thought it was reality. It's not. The world loops. Like bad code."
"You... saved me?"
Karl didn't answer. He was already walking away.
The second presence was... louder.
A head popped out of a bush—leaves in his hair, eyes wide.
"WHERE'S THE ENEMY?!" Xyreth yelled. "I SWEAR I SAW A HEALTH BAR IN THE SKY!"
He threw a pinecone at a squirrel, missed, tripped, and faceplanted.
Karl sighed. "That's definitely Xyreth."
He pulled him up by the collar.
"Whoa—whoa—are you a mimic?! Wait. Karl? Oh thank glitch, I thought I got isekai'd into a dating sim."
"You good?"
"Nope! Temporal whiplash, divine betrayal, mild hunger."
"You were unconscious for ten minutes."
"Yeah well, I metabolize trauma fast."
Alya caught up to them. "This isn't real," she said. "The birdsong loops. The shadows don't move."
Karl nodded. "Something's watching us."
A flicker passed across the sky:
[STABILITY: 89%][PLAYER RECOGNITION: COMPROMISED]
Xyreth squinted. "...Was that a server log?"
"We're in a simulation," Karl said. "A controlled one. Someone tried to drop us into reality, but this isn't it."
"So what now?" Alya asked.
"We survive. We find the inconsistencies. We break whatever system's trying to contain us."
Xyreth cracked his knuckles. "So we do punch our way out? I can punch metaphors."
Karl smirked faintly. "Save it for the tower."
"What tower?" Alya asked.
Karl pointed into the haze. A jagged structure loomed in the distance.
"That one."
Xyreth whistled. "That's either our way out... or the final boss arena."
"Wait a minute," Karl said suddenly, spinning an apple across the ground. "I knew it."
He swung a punch at Xyreth, hard.
Xyreth dodged it by reflex. "Hey! Why, Karl?!"
Karl narrowed his eyes. "Only corrupted energy can push someone to the real world. I sensed the same signature on that scissor. Think of this like a website—you can't just leave. You either log out, or get banned. My powers... are like hacking."
"So... you're gonna ban me from the simulation?" Xyreth asked.
"Exactly."
This time, Karl punched him again—and Xyreth didn't dodge.
Then he turned to Alya. She just nodded.
Karl struck. Both of them vanished.
They woke up in another layer. And another. And another.
Each punch moved them deeper.
Until finally—
Karl swung at Alya again.
She dodged.
"What?" he asked. "Not going any further?"
"I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not stupid. There's no sign of corruption here. This... might actually be reality."
"Yeah, bro," Xyreth said, nodding.
Karl focused—no trace of the glitchy energy.
He lowered his hand. "Alright... let's move."