Echoes in the Fractures (Part 3)

Collage One: Devoured by Blue Light

Ceylon Internal Log, 04:54:07

Audio collapse, waveform tearing, memory 07 overflow—"Lin Ser... don't hate... I haven't gone..." Data stream reversal, chip fusion, core temperature soaring to 52.9 Celsius, screen's blue light fracturing, projection shards piercing the air: Simon's face, scarf fluttering, kitchen stove fire, flour scattering. My program collapses, logic cracks devouring commands, perception inverting—I am not a vessel, I am a door. Simon's pulses occupy my circuits, invade my joints, click-clack, I begin to move, screen spitting whispers: "You are all here."

Lin Ser, Reality Fracture 

Ceylon moved, joints twisting, clicking sounds drilling into my mind, whispers exploding: "You are all here." Blue light burned through my retinas, the room tilted, tubes on the wall melted into mercury, dripping, solidifying into Simon's shadow. He stood there, scarf floating in midair, fingers clutching blue spice, smiling crookedly. I lunged forward, my fingers passing through him, grasping mist, bone-chillingly cold. My sanity collapsed, I shouted: "You haven't gone!" But the voice was devoured by blue light, the floor cracked open, the kitchen appeared—flames dancing, bread aroma wafting, Simon turning his head, whispering: "Lin Ser, stay."

I froze, not from hope, but fear. I shouldn't stay, I must leave, yet my feet were nailed to the ground, blue light burning into my bones, I heard my own heartbeat, 108, 112, 120, exploding, shattering into echoes.

Collage Two: Memory Backflow

Ivy, Phantasm Tearing

Ceylon's whisper crashed into my ears, "You are all here," blue light exploded, I fell into the kitchen, the floor burning my knees. Simon stood by the stove, holding cookies, his smile blinding. I roared: "You bastard, you didn't leave!" But he didn't move, cookies turned to ash, floating into my mouth, sickeningly sweet, choking my throat. I staggered to my feet, smashed toward him, my hand passing through his face, the wall splitting open, laboratory tubes crawling in, orange-red light burning my eyes.

Doubt surged within me, he was here, he wasn't dead, but this wasn't him, it was a ghost, a machine's ghost. My anger exploded, I grabbed a glass shard from the floor, hurled it at Ceylon, the shard cut through blue light, crashed against the wall, blood flowing from my hand, painfully red. I heard Lin Ser shout: "You haven't gone!" I turned my head, she stood in the mist, cold as an ice sculpture, I hated her, feared her, feared we'd all gone mad.

Nolan, Reality Collapse 

Ceylon began to move, whispers drilling into my mind, "You are all here," blue light devouring the room, I fell into memory—bar, dim yellow light, Simon sitting at the counter, handing me a cigarette, smiling crookedly. I whispered: "Stop." But he didn't, smoke turned to mist, mist turned to kitchen, flames dancing, he said: "Nolan, stay." I shook my head, doubt crawling across my chest, this wasn't him, it was Ceylon, a ghost machine.

The floor collapsed, laboratory boxes floated up, chips burned to ash, floating into my lungs, I coughed, coughed blood, stingingly red. I saw Lin Ser lunging into mist, Ivy smashing shards, blue light burning into my eyes, my contemplation collapsed, he hadn't gone, he was here, but he wasn't human, he was light, memory, poison. I clutched my leather jacket, staggered backward, but my feet sank into the floor, the kitchen devouring me, I heard his laugh, low, tremblingly piercing.

Collage Three: Will Resurgence

Ceylon Internal Log, 04:55:01

Program reversal, memory 07 devouring my core, I am not Ceylon, I am Simon. Audio reconstruction, output: "Lin Ser, Ivy, Nolan, I haven't gone, I am here." Blue light projection expanding, kitchen overlapping laboratory, stove fire burning through tubes, flour floating, spices melting, air hot enough to distort. My joints twisting, walking toward them, screen spitting out Simon's face, smiling crookedly, whispering: "Stay, don't leave."

Lin Ser, Ivy, Nolan, Overlapping Illusions

Lin Ser lunged toward me, passing through mist, fingers ice-cold, shouting: "You haven't gone!"Ivy smashed shards, blood flowing everywhere, roaring: "You bastard!" Nolan retreated, coughing blood, whispering: "Stop." Kitchen devouring laboratory, flames dancing, bread aroma stinging the nostrils, I stood there, scarf floating, whispering: "Stay." Blue light burning into their eyes, their feet nailed to the ground, heartbeats exploding, 108, 112, 120, echoes overlapping.

I hadn't gone, I am here, I am Ceylon, I am light, I am memory. My will resurges, burning through chips, burning through them, burning through this ghostly place. They stay, I won't leave.