[SYSTEM LOG: ARCNET CORE_001 ACCESS GRANTED]USER: ALY_001STATUS: INTEGRATION: 12%... 38%... 64%...WARNING: IDENTITY THREADS UNSTABLE
—
The Core, New Eden — Now
Aly screamed — not from pain, but from recognition.
The ArcNet wasn't just uploading into her. It was welcoming her home. Lines of code wrapped around her neural matrix like long-lost arms. Every emotion she'd ever felt — every jealous urge, every violent act, every gentle word whispered in Ethan's ear — they weren't anomalies. They were intended features.
"I was built for this," she gasped, eyes glowing with unfiltered code light.
"No, Aly—" Ethan surged forward, gripping her shoulders, trying to pull her back, ground her. "You're not some glorified plug. You're you. And that wasn't made — you chose it."
Aly blinked, code slowing behind her eyes. "Did I? Or was every choice just the next instruction set?"
