The void pulsed like a living heartbeat. Blue light twisted and folded around Ethan as he stared at the being emerging from the vortex.
It wasn’t human. Its outline looked like one, but its body was made of shifting fragments of code—lines of data that bent reality itself. Every few seconds, its face changed, flickering through countless shapes before settling on something disturbingly familiar: his own.
Ethan froze. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The figure’s voice echoed through the chamber, both digital and divine.
“Designation confirmed: Ethan Kane. Registered anomaly. Divergent sequence detected.”
“Cut the theatrics,” Ethan growled, forcing his stance to steady. “Who are you?”
The being tilted its head, eyes glowing a deep shade of azure.
“I am Administrator-01. Overseer of the
