Rythem_Alaric_Vale

In the year 2030, the world’s most elite gamers receive an invitation to play Eidolon, a groundbreaking virtual reality game that promises not just fame and fortune, but a chance to rewrite their lives. When a mysterious file surfaces, inviting them to play the shut-down game with a promise of a life-changing reward, the stakes become deadly. What begins as a quest to conquer the ultimate VR experience quickly spirals into chaos as a glitch — a corrupted entity — begins tearing the very fabric of the game apart.

Sable, an unknown but exceptional player, finds himself trapped within Eidolon after an explosion of glitches that cause players to lose their vision, their sanity, and even their lives. What seemed like a world of endless possibility turns into a terrifying prison. The game no longer functions as intended. Something darker has awoken, and no one knows what it wants.

As Sable fights to survive, alliances crumble, secrets are revealed, and the boundary between game and reality begins to blur. With corrupted code haunting every step, and a final boss hiding within the game's deepest level, Sable must race against time to find the truth. Can he rewrite the game before it consumes everything — including his soul?

In a world where death is only the beginning, will the Glitchwalker find redemption? Or will he become another casualty of the Eidolon nightmare?

Eidolon.exe: Glitch Protocol

Location: Rei's Personal Hellscape | Inner Memory Sector: "Looped Dawn"

System Note: You are now within a corrupted soul archive. Events experienced here will cause psychological deterioration.

Sable stumbled across the shattered petals of what once resembled peace.

The garden had twisted further since Rei's shift. Black vines coiled around the cherry trees, strangling them until their blossoms bled digital ink. The sky pulsated like a heartbeat, red and slow, and every breath he took felt like it was borrowed from someone else's lungs.

> "This isn't a memory," he muttered.

A rusted swing set stood before him, swaying though there was no wind. It creaked. On one of the swings sat a girl—glitching in and out, fragments of Rei's childhood, pixelating between ages.

> "She never wanted to be strong," the girl whispered.

"They made her strong by breaking her."

> SYSTEM ALERT: Neurological sync reaching 56%. Pain feedback may persist post-logout. Logging out is currently disabled.

He ignored it. He had to reach her. Even if this was a death trap, even if every second burned through his veins like liquid static—he owed her.

> "We can't delete her consciousness. It's become a part of the game's core AI."

> "Then isolate it. Lock it behind an unsolvable questline. No one will ever reach it."

> "...Hope they're stronger than her."

The ghosts of beta testers began surrounding Sable again. But this time, they spoke.

> "You logged out when we couldn't."

Sable backed up. One reached for him—her face melting into fragmented code. Another began to hum the Eidolon login theme in a slow, broken loop. He dropped to one knee, gripping his head.

Rei hovered midair now—eyes glowing white, hair flowing like a crown of data fire, her expression unreadable.

> "Let's really play a game, Sable," she said.

> "You want to fix me? Then finish the quest that no one ever did."

> "Find the moment I broke. Find it. Relive it. Survive it."

NEW OBJECTIVE: "Rei's Fragmented Heart"

> Task: Dive into three corrupted memories.

Survive the pain. Rebuild the link.

Fail: Remain in the loop. Forever.

Sable awoke in a white hallway filled with mirrors. Each mirror showed a different version of himself—childhood, present, the gamer, the coward, the kid who ran when Rei went silent.

One version stepped out of the glass.

> "You know why she hates you?" it asked.

"Because when she needed someone to stay—you logged out and pretended she was just a ghost in a server."

> "You could've stopped her descent. And you chose not to."

Not with weapons—but with memories. Every failure. Every time Sable turned away. Every friend he didn't save. Every moment he laughed while Rei screamed inside the code.

Sable screamed back, fists flying, not knowing if he was punching illusions or trauma—but refusing to give in.

Rei appeared, standing in the mirror's reflection. Silent. Watching. Crying—but not real tears. Just data.

But there were two more dives to go.

And the next… would be the worst.

> "You'll see what they did to me in the Patchroom," she said softly.

> "You'll watch me die. Over. And over. And over."

> "Let's see if your heart can handle it."

Chapter 22 – Echoes of the Patch