EPISODE 2: The Mirror Protocol

EPISODE 2: The Mirror Protocol

Recap: Rey Zenix's ordinary life in the neon-lit city of Cythera took a sharp turn when he witnessed his reflection glitch. Not once. But twice. The mirror—an ancient family relic—seems to be hiding more than just reflections.

Rey couldn’t sleep. The silence of his room buzzed louder than the traffic outside. Every blink of his ceiling fan felt like the tick of a countdown clock. At 3:17 AM, he stood again in front of the antique mirror, half-hoping to see something, half-dreading he might.

Nothing moved.

Until the reflection smirked.

He didn’t.

“Okay, what the hell?” Rey whispered.

Suddenly, his smartwatch vibrated violently. The screen glitched, displaying unfamiliar code—[MIRROR_PROTOCOL_ACTIVE].

He stepped back. The mirror rippled, like water touched by wind.

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Somewhere else...

A girl with stark white hair sat hunched over three screens. Her name: Leyla Sana, UAE-born hacker prodigy. Location: Undisclosed. She watched Rey through a pixelated feed. “He activated it...”

To her left, Kael Riven, her calm Canadian partner, sipped his cold brew. “Then it’s started. The world will know soon.”

Leyla didn’t look up. “Not if The Architects get to him first.”

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Back in Cythera…

Rey’s mirror flickered. A message scrawled across its glassy surface:

“THIS WORLD IS VERSION 3.1 – YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO WAKE UP.”

He stumbled back, heart pounding. His phone lit up with a new contact: GLITCH.exe – with a location pinned.

His fingers trembled.

He tapped it.

TO BE CONTINUED...