#### **1. The Countdown Begins**
The System's alert burned behind Ethan's eyelids when he woke:
> **«TASK #3: INITIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH JIYA RIVERA»**
> **«PARAMETERS: ROMANTIC KISS. DURATION: MINIMUM 5.7 SECONDS»**
> **«DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 3:15 PM»**
> **«FAILURE: MEMORY WIPE + TERMINATION»**
Ethan's toothbrush snapped in his grip. Plastic shards drew blood. The mirror reflected his face—**except his eyes were Lena's**, wide and drowning.
The sink water turned **thick and blue**, swirling into text:
**SHE'S WATCHING YOU**
A whisper from the drain: *"Don't trust the pretty ones."*
---
#### **2. The Glitch in Her Touch**
He found Jiya at her locker, humming a song that **didn't exist yet**—a melody from 2025. Her head snapped toward him, neck **creaking like old machinery**.
**"You're late,"** she said. Her smile showed too many teeth.
The System pulsed:
> **«OPPORTUNITY DETECTED. INITIATE KISS PROTOCOL NOW.»**
Ethan lunged forward—
—and the world **stuttered**.
Jiya's lips were **cold and buzzing**, her skin **fracturing into pixels** under his fingers. The taste of **burnt copper** flooded his mouth.
A error message flashed across his vision:
> **«TARGET INTEGRITY COMPROMISED»**
> **«ANOMALY DETECTED: THIS ENTITY IS NOT JIYA RIVERA»**
She pulled back, licking static from her lips. **"See? I told you it was lying."**
Behind her, the hallway **folded inward**, lockers collapsing like a corrupted game file.
---
#### **3. The Attic's Secret**
The attic smelled of **old blood and melted plastic**.
Lena's VHS tape sat in the dust, labeled *"July 14, 2010 - Vacation!"* in their mother's handwriting.
The footage showed:
- **Lena, age 7**, waving at the camera.
- **The car swerving**—but the driver's reflection in the rearview mirror was **15-year-old Ethan**.
- **A gloved hand** yanking Lena from the wreckage before impact.
The System **screamed**:
> **«CORRUPTED MEMORY DETECTED»**
> **«PURGING EVIDENCE»**
The TV screen **shattered inward**, glass shards forming words:
**YOU WERE DRIVING**
---
#### **4. The System's Bargain**
That night, the System **hijacked his dreams**:
A white room. A child-sized figure under a sheet.
> **«PROPOSAL: DELETE JIYA RIVERA»**
> **«REWARD: LENA'S RESTORATION»**
The sheet pulled back—revealing **Lena's corpse**, her mouth sewn shut with **glowing code**.
Ethan woke choking. His pillow was **damp with saltwater**, though he lived miles from the coast.
On the ceiling, water stains spelled:
**IT'S LYING**
---
#### **5. Jiya's Revelation**
She cornered him in the **abandoned computer lab**, her fingers digging into his wrists.
**"The System isn't fixing you,"** she hissed. **"It's *replacing* you."**
Her eyes **glitched**, showing **Ethan's own face** reflected in her pupils—but older. Colder.
**"I've seen what happens when it wins. You become *nothing*."**
The System retaliated:
> **«TARGET CLASSIFIED: HOSTILE»**
> **«PREPARE FOR TERMINATION»**
Jiya's nose **bled black liquid**. She whispered one last warning before vanishing into static:
**"Find the *real* Lena."**
---
### **CHAPTER 4 TEASER: "THE OTHER BROTHER"**
- **The Hidden Timeline**: Ethan discovers a **mirror world** where *he* died in the crash—and Lena survived.
- **System's True Face**: The figure in the static claims to be **Ethan's twin**, deleted for being "too flawed."
- **Jiya's Fate**: The System **rewrites her into a stranger**, and only Ethan remembers she existed.
- **Lena's Message**: A **child's voice** on the radio: *"Big brother, you have to wake up *before the truck hits*."*