Pao_Duola

In a fantasy world called Eldoria, a young man named Kael lived as an ordinary NPC (Non-Player Character) in the small town of Arindale. However, everything changed when he suddenly realized that his world was nothing but a broken simulation. Every 100 years, this world would reset, and the memories of all its inhabitants would be erased. Kael, who had miraculously gained awareness, discovered that he could collect Memory Fragments—pieces of memories from previous resets. With this ability, he began to uncover the horrifying truth behind Eldoria.

But Kael was not alone. The Debug Knights, an antivirus program tasked with maintaining the stability of the simulation, started hunting him down, considering him an anomaly. Together with a group of heroines, each harboring their own secrets and motivations, Kael must find a way to stop the reset cycle before their world is erased forever.

The Last Save Point

Kael's footsteps echoed against Arindale's cobblestones as he ran, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The Debug Knights pursued with mechanical precision, their pristine white armor reflecting the afternoon sun with an unnatural brightness. Each step they took left momentary glitches in reality – small tears in the fabric of the world that sealed themselves almost instantly.

The marketplace crowd parted before him, but something about their movements seemed wrong now. Each person's reaction was too perfect, too scripted. A merchant dropped his apple – the same merchant who dropped an apple at this exact time every day. A child chased a cat past the fountain – the same scene Kael had witnessed countless times before without realizing its artificial nature.

"Citizen NPC-K137, halt for system maintenance," one Knight commanded, its voice carrying an otherworldly resonance that made nearby windows vibrate. The words sent ice through Kael's veins as new code flashed before his eyes:

WARNING: Subject displaying irregular movement patterns Implementing containment protocols Authorized force levels increased to 45%

The town gates loomed ahead, their wooden structure occasionally flickering to reveal wireframe patterns underneath. The guards stood motionless, their eyes vacant as the Debug Knights phased through them like ghosts. None of the townspeople seemed to notice the supernatural pursuit happening in their midst – their reactions limited to preset responses about his running.

Kael burst through the gates into the forbidden forest beyond. Immediately, the air changed. The floating code he'd been seeing all day became erratic, breaking apart and reforming in chaotic patterns. Trees moved wrongly, their animations stuttering between frames. Patches of ground shifted between textures as if the world couldn't decide what they should be.

Behind him, a Knight's voice carried through the glitching forest: "Warning: Target entering unstable region. Local physics engine showing signs of degradation."

Their synchronized footsteps grew fainter as the forest's instability hampered their pursuit. But something pulled Kael forward – a strange compulsion he couldn't explain. Through the chaos of rendered glitches and broken animations, he caught glimpses of impossible things: trees showing their texture maps like flayed skin, animals frozen mid-animation with visible wireframes, and tears in reality where raw code leaked through.

Then he saw it – a crystalline shard floating between two glitching trees, pulsing with blue light. Unlike the ubiquitous code he'd been seeing, this felt real, tangible. As he approached, images flashed through his mind: himself in different times, different versions. He saw himself wearing armor he'd never owned, walking with a silver-haired woman whose face brought an inexplicable ache to his heart.

The Debug Knights were getting closer, their presence smoothing out the forest's instability. The crystal called to him, promising answers to questions he hadn't even thought to ask. With the sound of heavy footsteps growing nearer, Kael reached for the shard.

Beyond the Gates