We soon reached a huge, broken building that resembled an old arcade. Rain began pouring down as we entered the glitchy part of the game, but something was off about it. The rain wasn't falling in smooth, continuous sheets. Instead, it came down in strange, fragmented bursts. The droplets would freeze mid-air, glitching, then crash down in odd, jagged rhythms. My body felt frozen, the cold cutting into me like shards of glass. Each breath became harder, and my legs felt like they were sinking into ice.
Karun's condition had worsened. His breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible, each exhale fainter than the last. His skin, pale and translucent under the flickering light, looked ghostly, washed out by the broken patterns of rain. He was barely conscious, and I knew it wouldn't be long before he completely collapsed. I wanted to help, to get him to safety, but my body was near its limit. I stumbled forward, exhausted, every muscle in my body aching, my vision blurring as I moved.
The old arcade groaned under the weight of the bomb Kris had set off earlier to delay the enemies. The rumble of the explosion still echoed through the air, mixing with the steady hum of the glitching storm. Parts of the building had crumbled from the blast, adding to the chaotic, broken environment around us. We weren't safe, but the bomb had bought us some time.
I slumped to the floor, my body giving out. Karun fell beside me, unconscious now, his injuries too severe to ignore. I leaned against the wall, my eyelids heavy. My wounds were throbbing, and I could feel the blood loss draining what little strength I had left.
Suddenly, warmth surrounded me.
The NPC, Kris, came over, wrapping a blanket around Karun first, then turning his attention to me.
Something warm surrounded my body, pulling me from the brink of unconsciousness. I should've pushed him away, but I couldn't. His arms were firm but trembling, as if he wasn't sure how long he could hold onto me—or if he even should. I felt his breath, uneven and shallow, as if he was holding back more than words. His warmth thawed the cold rain that had soaked me to the bone. For a moment, I let myself stay in his arms, too tired to care that he was an NPC. I didn't care about anything but surviving, even for one more second.
I wiped away the tears I hadn't even realized were falling. "You can leave me now," I whispered. "I'm warm enough." His grip loosened immediately, though there was a hesitation in his movement, as if he wasn't ready to let go just yet. Oddly, I felt a pang of regret when he did.
I forced myself to sit up straight, glancing at the virtual map above my head. Dozens of red spots were moving closer to our location. If the exit wasn't nearby, we were done for.
The NPC remained silent for a moment, then spoke up, his voice calm but urgent. "Kathy, listen to me carefully." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small data cube, about the size of my palm. It glowed faintly, shifting between blue and violet, like it was glitching in and out of reality. It looked fragile, as if one wrong move might shatter it into a million pixels. "This is the cheat code you've been searching for," he said, handing it to me. "You need to end this."
I took the data cube in my trembling hands, the surface etched with strange, shifting symbols that seemed to barely hold together. It was almost like the game itself—on the verge of collapse. "I will," I said, clutching it tightly.
Karun groaned beside me, his body trembling, fighting to wake up. I didn't have much time. "We need to move fast," I said to NPC, urgency creeping into my voice. He nodded and pointed to the far corner of the arcade, where the air twisted and shimmered like a storm on the verge of breaking.
"That's the glitch," he said. The corner sparked and vibrated, the world around it twisting unnaturally. "It's incomplete, like the rest of this broken world."
I stared at it, the swirling mass of energy pulsating like a living thing. "So... this part of the game hasn't been fully programmed?" I asked, the realization sinking in.
"Yes," He replied. "The game's only halfway built. I've been stuck here for years, exploring every end of it." He hesitated, his voice dropping. "And I found this."
"So it's like a glitch in the matrix?" I said, gesturing to the storm-like glitch in the corner.
"You could say that." His expression darkened. "This is where we part ways, Kathy. You need to go now. Live on... and end this nightmare."
There was something in his voice, a subtle sadness that pulled at me. I had to know. "How do you know my name?" I demanded. "And who are you, really?"
He lowered his gaze, hesitating. "I'm just another NPC," he said, his voice quieter now, but I shook my head.
"No. You're not," I said, my voice firm despite my exhaustion. "No NPC would hand over the game's cheat code like this... or hold me the way you just did. Tell me the truth. Who are you?"
There was a long silence. His eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw something real—something human—flicker in his expression.
"It's better this way, Kathy," he said softly. "You should leave and live a long life. Nothing good comes from knowing the past."
"Tell me," I demanded, my voice rising. "I won't leave without the truth."
His eyes flashed with fear—real fear. His grip on my arm tightened for a moment before he let out a shaky breath.
He looked at the glitching corner of the arcade, then back at me, his face pale, conflicted. The silence stretched between us, broken only by the static rumble of the storm and Karun's faint groaning. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost lost in the thunder.
"As I said," he began slowly, his voice trembling, "nothing good comes from remembering the past." He paused, his jaw tight, struggling with words he seemed reluctant to let go of. "As much as I wanted you to leave this game and live happily… a part of me is selfish, Kathyayini."
The use of my full name made my heart lurch, a name I hadn't heard in years—not from anyone who knew me.
He looked up, his eyes locked onto mine, and I saw the truth—the raw, unguarded truth in them. "If this is the end," he continued, his voice cracking slightly, "then I'm selfish. I want you to remember me, Kathyayini." His hand gripped mine, not tight, but just enough to keep me tethered to him for a moment longer. "I don't want to get away from you. I want to stay with you… even if it's only in your memories."
My breath caught in my throat. The rain continued glitching outside, the storm raging around us, but all I could feel was the weight of his words, pressing into me like a lifeline I hadn't known I needed.
"My name is Kris... and we built this game, Kathy."
I felt my heart skip a beat. "We—what?" I stammered, trying to wrap my mind around his words. "What do you mean, we built this game?"
His eyes gleamed in the flickering light, filled with regret. "Yes, Kathy. We built this hell."