The cathedral trembled as the three Ethans stood locked in a triangular standoff—Ethan Prime, the Conscience, and the armored Doppelgänger.
Each one represented a part of the whole, and Ethan was starting to see it: this wasn't just a digital nightmare. It was a sandbox he'd built for himself, years ago, unintentionally seeding every fault line that now threatened to collapse the world.
And somewhere in the static, Eve was still watching.
Maybe waiting.
The armored Doppelgänger smirked. "You really think you can code your way out of this mess?"
Ethan straightened, brushing virtual dust from his coat. "I don't need to code my way out… I need to recompile who I am."
The Conscience-Ethan nodded slowly. "Then you'll need the Compiler Key."
The cathedral darkened, data-drained light flickering through corrupted stained glass.
"Of course there's a damn key," Ethan muttered.
