Lina didn't sleep.
Not really.
She sat on the edge of the hotel bed in Singapore, fingers interlocked, eyes fixed on the skyline.
Below her, the world buzzed with illusion. Glamour, strategy, war in silk gloves.
And across town, Lirae Han—her mimic—was preparing for her public debut.
[System Alert: Specter Clone Protocol Detected – Version: "Lirae.01"]
Event: Press Reveal / Charity Speech
Time: 7:00 PM Local
Location: Unity Tower, Main Hall
[AI Companion: They're testing her voice. Her presence. Her effect.]
Lina arrived quietly. No camera, no dress. Just shadows and silence.
From the mezzanine, she watched Lirae on stage: confident, radiant, flawless.
But that wasn't what stopped her breath.
It was the System Voice.
Too smooth. Too familiar. Speaking into Lirae's earpiece.
Artificial. Hollow.
A bastardization of what Lina's System was.
[System Commentary: She's running a mimic loop. Controlled lines. Pre-fed emotions. No soul.]
[AI Companion: We're art. She's strategy.]
And then… the crowd applauded.
Standing ovation.
It didn't matter that she was fake.
People were willing to believe her.
Lina turned, fury and dread knotting in her ribs.
That's when the System did something it had never done before.
It hesitated.
And then—offered a new protocol.
[SYSTEM FILE: FORBIDDEN THREAD – SYNCHRONIZATION PROTOCOL V1.0]
Description: Emotional-energy bond between System User and External Entity with Affection Score ≥ 85.
Result: Temporary fusion of instincts, reflexes, strategic intuition.
Risk: Shared vulnerability. Empathic bleed. Permanent link if extended.
Qualified Match: Caden Raye
Status: Link Unstable – Consent Required
[AI Companion: He's the only one we can link to. He's already carrying pieces of you.]
Lina whispered, "What would that even feel like?"
The System didn't reply in text.
It showed her a flash.
Memory. Vision.
Her running through a blinding hallway.
Caden appearing before her—not walking, arriving.
Her fear becoming his fury.
Her pain becoming his fire.
Not just love. Not even trust.
But fusion.
She backed away.
"Too much," she breathed. "It's too much."
But the image lingered.
And when she got back to her hotel…
Caden was already there.
In her room.
Sitting quietly, eyes searching hers.
"I heard everything," he said. "She's not you."
"I know," she said softly.
And then, barely a whisper: "They want to replace me."
"No," he said. "They want to erase you. But I won't let them."
[System Alert: Synchronization Protocol is now Dormant – Awaiting Emotional Consent]
[Temporary Buff: Awareness Surge – +2 Intuition | Weak Specter Tracking Enabled]
System Log: Lina Vale
Synchronization Thread: Unlocked (Dormant)
Lirae.01 Observed – Threat Level: High
Intuition: +2
Emotional Instability: Controlled
Caden Affection: 92
Bond Strength: Charging
End of Chapter 40