Chapter 18 · Shattered Mirror

"Stop fighting it, Kai. You're glitching again," Lilith hissed, her palm slamming against my chest to pin me back against the cold metal of the server rack.

My vision flickered. One second, I saw the sterile white of the corporate hub; the next, a jagged streak of crimson code tore across my retina. The Reaper Plugin wasn't just calculating death anymore—it was screaming. A high-pitched digital whine vibrated in my teeth, making my skull feel like it was about to split open.

"Get... off... me," I gasped, my fingers clawing at her wrist.

She didn't budge. Lilith leaned in closer, her scent—something like ozone and expensive gunpowder—filling my senses. Her eyes scanned my face, not with worry, but with the clinical hunger of someone watching a weapon malfunction. She shifted her weight, her thigh pressing firmly against mine, locking me in place.

"Look at me," she commanded. "If you crash now, we both die in this hallway. Do you want to be a ghost again, or are you going to pull yourself together?"

I tried to answer, but a surge of static erupted in my throat. I coughed, and something metallic tasted like copper and burnt plastic hit my tongue.