Break Into My World │ Binary Code: EP │ ONEUS FF │Connect With US│

Chapter 6: Into The Mirror

The library was quiet, the faint glow of lamplight casting long shadows over the towering shelves of books. Leedo leaned against one of the tables, arms crossed, watching Seoho fiddle with the device Jae had brought.

"This won't work," Leedo said for the third time, his deep voice low and skeptical.

Seoho didn't look up, his fingers tracing the strange grooves on the device's surface. "It has to work. Jae said it's the key."

"The key to what? More trouble?" Leedo muttered, but his tone softened as Seoho glanced up, determination burning in his eyes.

Seoho inhaled slowly. "End portal, be opened," he said firmly.

The device vibrated faintly in his hands but didn't respond. Leedo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Told you," Leedo said, pushing off the table. "It's useless. Let's head back."

Seoho hesitated before handing the device to Leedo. "You try."

"Why me?"

"Just do it," Seoho insisted.

Leedo frowned but took the device, its strange warmth sending a chill up his spine. He stared at it for a long moment before murmuring, "End portal, be opened."

The reaction was instant. The device hummed violently, its soft glow intensifying until the entire library seemed bathed in its light. A ripple tore through the air in front of them, the fabric of reality bending and warping until it solidified into a glossy, pitch-black surface.

"Leedo..." Seoho whispered, staring at the portal.

Leedo stepped back, his expression unreadable. "Go get the others. Now."

The group was gathered in Jae's dorm room when Seoho burst in, breathless.

"It worked," Seoho said, his voice shaking with excitement.

"What worked?" Sunny asked, sitting up from her spot on the floor.

"The portal. It's open," Seoho said.

Jae's eyes widened. "You're serious?"

Seoho nodded. "Come on. You need to see this."

They followed him down the hallway to the library, where the Black Mirror stood ominously in the

middle of the room. Its surface shimmered, reflecting nothing but endless darkness.

"Whoa," Xion breathed, stepping closer.

"It's like a giant black phone screen," Hwanwoong said, tilting his head.

"No," Jae said, her voice trembling. "It's more than that. It's alive."

Seoho nodded. "This is the source of the glitches. If we're going to stop Helios, this is where we need to go."

Sunny swallowed hard. "Are we sure about this?"

Leedo stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "We don't have a choice."

With that, one by one, they stepped through the portal, leaving behind the world they knew.

The transition was disorienting. The group landed in a surreal, digital realm where the ground beneath them flickered with shifting pixels. Flowers bloomed in vibrant, unnatural colors, but each one glitched and disintegrated at the slightest touch.

"This place feels... wrong," Sunny said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's the I.P.U.," Seoho explained. "The part of the system that processes Binary Code. We're in the core of it."

"Yep. Infrastructured Processing Unit. Google told me." Xion smiled, lightening the mood with the grin on his usually solemn face."

"Guys," Sunny said, "Let's split up. We meet here if we find anything suspicious.

Leedo stumbled into a dark corridor lined with long mirrors, each reflecting an his face. He stopped in front of one, his heart dropping as he saw Jae on the other side.

But it wasn't the Jae he knew. Her eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and her face twisted into an expression of rage. She raised her hand, and the reflection began to crack, splintering as if she was about to break free.

"You'll abandon them," her voice echoed, distorted and unnatural. "Just like you abandoned me."

Leedo clenched his fists, his wings twitching against his back. "You're not her."

The reflection smirked. "Are you sure?"

RAVN found himself staring at a massive mirror, its frame decorated with glitching gold. In the reflection, he saw Hwanwoong standing tall, with a little smirk, hand crossed out in front, and his eyes glowing with power.

"You'll never be enough for Sunny," the reflection hissed, its voice dripping with venom. "You'll always be last in her eyes."

RAVN gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "Are you sure about that?"

"Are you?" the reflection asked, stepping closer to the glass. The reflection became grey and dark.

Keonhee walked through the glitching realm, the faint hum of code surrounding him. He stopped in front of a mirror, where he saw Seoho staring back at him.

The reflection was cold and distant, its eyes filled with disappointment. "You'll never keep up," it said softly, but the words cut deep. "You'll always fall behind."

Keonhee clenched his jaw. "I'm faster than you think."

The reflection chuckled, its smile cruel. "Prove it."

Xion froze in front of a mirror, where Sunny stood on the other side. Her smile was sweet, but her eyes were empty, void of any warmth.

"You let me down," the reflection whispered. "You'll lose me."

Xion's hands trembled as he reached out to the glass. "That's not true."

The reflection tilted its head. "How would you know?"

Seoho landed in a quieter part of the realm, where the mirrors reflected nothing but darkness. He continued down the corridor until he saw a figure at the end of the hall—a girl flickering in and out of focus, her form glitching like a corrupted program.

"Who are you?" Seoho asked cautiously, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space.

The girl turned to him, her smile faint. "I'm Eui."

Seoho frowned. "Eui...?"

"I've been waiting for someone to find me," she said softly.

Seoho stepped closer, his heart racing. "What do you mean? How long have you been here?"

"Eight years," she said, her voice trembling. "I was pulled in when my dad built the device. I don't even know if he realized what happened. But I've been stuck here ever since, in this world of ones and zeroes."

Seoho's chest tightened. "You've been trapped here for eight years?"

Eui nodded. "And I've seen everything. Helios has been controlling this place since the Y2K Era. He's been manipulating the code, waiting for the right moment to escape Olympus. And now... with the device active again..." Her voice broke. "He's almost free."

Seoho stepped closer, his expression softening. "We're going to stop him. We're going to get you out of here."

Eui's flickering form stabilized for a moment, her smile growing. "Thank you. But be careful. This place... it's not what it seems."

Before Seoho could respond, the ground beneath them trembled again, and the mirrors around them began to shatter, their fragments dissolving into pixels.

"We need to find the others," Seoho said, his voice urgent.

Eui nodded, her glitching form following him as they made their way deeper into the I.P.U.