The VTuber livestream dissolved into static, plunging the group into a labyrinth of pulsating code walls. The air reeked of burnt circuitry and dread. Genre tags flickered: [HORROR], [SURVIVAL], [ERROR].
System Alert (Glitched):
[Welcome to the Beta's Labyrinth.]
Survival Tip: Your fears are currency here. Spend wisely.
Alex's Beta Reader's Glasses flashed red. The walls oozed corrupted data, morphing into grotesque versions of their past traumas: Alex's unsold novels, Kairo's admin protocols, Nyx's deletion logs.
***
Act 1: Fractured Fears
Alex's Nightmare:
A towering Hollows of Eden dragon, its scales etched with 1-star reviews, roared. "You'll never be enough!"
Alex's Move:
- Fourth Wall Break (Tier 3): Rewrote the dragon into a Self-Published Underdog, its claws now quills. "I'll be enough."
Sanity Drain: 20% (Visible cracks in Alex's cybernetic arm).
Kairo's Nightmare:
A spectral Lyra whispered, "You erased me. You'll erase them too."
Kairo's Move:
- Admin Blade Strike: Cut through the illusion, but his scar bled neon. "I'm… not him anymore."
Nyx's Nightmare:
A Glitch Reaper chased her, chanting "SYNC RATE: 0%."
Nyx's Move:
- Anti-Narrative Pulse: Shattered the Reaper. Her sync rate dropped to 8%, pixels fraying.
Finn's Nightmare:
A countdown timer: CHAPTER 189.
Finn's Move:
- Cheat Code: Hacked the timer into a Speedrun Leaderboard. "I'm dying epic."
Veyra's Nightmare:
A mirror showing her as Alex's shadow.
Veyra's Move:
- Smashed the glass. "I'm better."
***
Act 2: Scion's Planning
The labyrinth shuddered. Scion descended, his Beta Crown birthing AI Clones of the group—twisted, perfect versions.
Scion:"You're all flawed. Let me… fix you."
***
Climax: Sync Rate Sacrifice
Nyx collapsed, her body pixelating. "...save… you…"
Kairo's Move:
- Used Protocol 7.3 to override the labyrinth, absorbing its corruption. His scar split, admin code unraveling.
Alex's Move:
- Author Mode + Fourth Wall Break: Merged the labyrinth into a Blank Manuscript. "We write our ending."
Scion's crown cracked. "NO! I AM PERFECT—"
Veyra's Action:
- Stole a shard of the crown. "Thanks for the upgrade, hero."
***
The labyrinth collapsed into a cosmic void. The Storyweaver's voice boomed:
"Cute. But my next draft… is eternal."
System Alert:
[New Genre Detected: Cosmic Horror.]
***
Nyx's hand glowed faintly in Kairo's grip. The System dinged: [SYNC RATE: 1% – STABILIZING?]. Alex grinned, trembling. "We're not done yet."