The world around Kenn flickered like a broken television screen, the edges of reality warping and shifting with each passing second. He felt as though he were standing on the edge of something vast and unknowable, suspended in a place where time didn't exist, and yet everything was happening at once. The emotional scanner on his wrist pulsed with an energy that made his skin tingle, as if it were alive, reacting to the storm swirling inside him.
The system, that dark force that had been manipulating his every move, was no longer something abstract. It was here, in front of him, a massive web of intertwining lights and energy that hummed with a sinister force. And in the center of it all stood Yaoi, her eyes wide and wild, her body trembling with the intensity of the moment.
Kenn's pulse thudded in his ears. This wasn't just about breaking free anymore. This was about survival. His survival.
"You don't understand," Yaoi whispered, her voice strained, as though she was speaking through a haze of fear. "The system isn't just controlling us—it's merging us. Making us one. You can't stop it. It's already too late."
Kenn took a slow, deliberate step forward. His thoughts were racing, but one thing was clear. It's not too late. He could feel it—the surge of emotion rising within him, the strength that came with finally understanding that the system didn't own him. Not anymore.
"Yaoi," Kenn said, his voice firm despite the swirling chaos around him. "You think I don't understand? I know what this system wants. But I also know that I don't have to let it control me. I'm not a piece in its game anymore."
Yaoi's lips trembled, a hint of desperation creeping into her expression. "You're wrong. You can't fight it. It's inside you, inside all of us now. It's too powerful."
Kenn clenched his fist, feeling the raw power surging from the emotional scanner. He could feel it, deep in his core—his emotions, his choices, pulsing with a clarity he hadn't known existed. This was what the system had been trying to erase, trying to drown out with its manipulation. But now, Kenn understood: emotions were the key. They were the system's greatest weapon, but they were also his greatest strength.
"You're right about one thing," Kenn said, his gaze locking with Yaoi's. "The system has control. But only as long as we let it. I'm not going to let it control me anymore."
Before Yaoi could react, the world around Kenn shifted again. The web of lights—the system—seemed to collapse inward, tightening, trying to swallow him whole. The pressure in the air thickened, and the ground beneath him felt as though it were shaking with the force of the system's power. The system was fighting back.
"You can't escape it!" Yaoi screamed, her voice rising to a frantic pitch. "You don't get it! If you destroy it, everything will collapse! You'll destroy us too!"
Kenn's heart clenched as he looked at her, her face twisted in terror. It was clear she had been consumed by the system's promise of control, of perfection, of something that felt like safety. But it wasn't real. Nothing about the system was real. It was a lie, built on manipulation and fear.
"I'm not destroying anything," Kenn said softly, his voice almost a whisper. "I'm just taking back what was always mine."
His hand shot out, reaching for the core of the system. The emotional scanner pulsed in his hand, its light flickering erratically as it resonated with the energy around him. It was as if the system itself recognized the power within him, and it fought to suppress it, to keep him from taking control.
But Kenn didn't flinch.
He had come too far to turn back now.
The emotional scanner began to glow brighter, the pulse of light intensifying as it connected with the web of energy around him. He could feel the emotions of everyone—the fear, the uncertainty, the anger, the sadness—and he could feel it all within himself, too. He was no longer just reading them; he was becoming them. The system had always sought to control emotions, but now, Kenn was wielding them.
With a deep breath, Kenn focused. The emotions swirling inside him were no longer chaotic; they were his. And he was going to use them. The system had built itself on the emotions of others, but what if the emotions themselves were the key to breaking its hold?
The lights around him flared, the web of the system trembling as the scanner's energy surged outward. The air crackled with power as the system recoiled, the walls of light that had surrounded him beginning to flicker, like a dying star.
Kenn pushed forward. He didn't care about the consequences. He didn't care about what would happen to Yaoi, or the system, or even himself. This was about reclaiming his life.
"I choose." The words escaped his lips, raw and powerful, shaking the very foundation of the system. "I choose myself."
In that instant, the world around him shattered.
***
When Kenn's eyes opened again, the world was still.
For a long moment, everything was silent. The web of lights, the oppressive energy of the system, was gone. It was as if the very essence of the system had unraveled, leaving only emptiness in its wake.
Kenn's breath was shallow, his body trembling with the aftershock of the struggle. He felt… different. Lighter. Free.
But as his eyes adjusted, he saw her.
Yaoi was still there, standing just a few feet away, her body slumped in exhaustion. Her eyes were wide, filled with disbelief, as though she couldn't comprehend what had just happened. She looked as though she had lost everything—the obsession, the control, the system that had been her anchor. Now, she was just… lost.
Kenn took a tentative step forward, his voice barely a whisper. "Yaoi… it's over."
For a long time, there was no response. Then, slowly, Yaoi's head lifted, her gaze meeting his. Her expression was unreadable, but something shifted in her eyes—something that could have been relief, or maybe just resignation.
"I… I don't know who I am anymore," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Kenn didn't know what to say to that. He had chosen his own path, but Yaoi had never really had the chance to choose for herself. The system had twisted her, just like it had twisted him. But now, there was no system. Only the two of them, standing in the remnants of something broken.
Kenn felt his chest tighten. He had broken free. He had taken control of his life. But in the silence that followed, he realized that breaking free didn't always mean escaping without scars.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "But I'm not going to let the system define me anymore. And neither should you."
For a moment, the two of them stood in the silence, the weight of the world slowly shifting around them. The system was gone, and now, Kenn had to figure out what came next. He had no idea what the future held, but for the first time, he was ready to face it—not as a puppet, not as a tool, but as himself.
And that was enough.