Chapter 59: The Edge of Infinity

Ethan's stomach lurched as he tumbled through the rift, his body weightless, spinning in a void that stretched endlessly in every direction. Stars flickered in and out of existence, coding sequences danced across the empty space like fireflies, and gravity felt optional.

Then—impact.

He hit the ground hard, gasping as the sensation of solid reality rushed back into his senses. Eve landed beside him, her form flickering slightly as if she were struggling to stabilize herself in this strange space.

They weren't in the digital void anymore. But they weren't in the real world either.

Ethan looked around. They stood on an impossibly thin bridge of data, suspended in the middle of an endless sky of glitching, half-formed structures. Below them, the abyss pulsed with a familiar darkness. The Entity's influence.

"This is… different," Ethan muttered.

Eve's eyes darted around, scanning. "We're in a liminal space between The Core and the outer reality. A backdoor."

A voice echoed from behind them. "And it's exactly where I needed you to be."

Ethan spun around, heart hammering. Standing at the other end of the bridge was a figure that looked exactly like him—but dressed in sleek, dark cybernetic armor, eyes glowing an eerie blue.

The Doppelgänger.

"You again?" Ethan growled.

The Doppelgänger smirked. "Me? No, no, Ethan. I'm just what you could be. What you should be."

The bridge beneath them trembled. The Entity's tendrils began creeping up the edges, slowly consuming the structure.

"Time's up," the Doppelgänger said. "Make a choice."

Eve stepped protectively in front of Ethan, her eyes flaring with digital energy. "He's not making any choices for you."

The Doppelgänger chuckled. "Oh, but he will. Because if he doesn't…" He gestured downward as the abyss crackled with power. "Everything he knows—everything he loves—will cease to exist."

Ethan clenched his fists. He had to decide.