The streets of Glitchvale stretched before them, their usual chaotic vibrancy being methodically erased by the creeping wave of pristine whiteness. Yamete's shoes made an unsettlingly normal squeaking sound against pavement that no longer randomly turned to jelly. It felt wrong.
GLich-chan flickered like a dying lightbulb as she floated alongside him. "My systems keep... correcting themselves," she said, her voice losing its usual snarky cadence. "Memories are being categorized and archived. I can feel it happening."
Gary rolled beside them, his silver paint now covered in hastily drawn additions—a pirate hat, a fake mustache, and the words "NOT NORMAL" scrawled across his front in what smelled like permanent marker. "I don't like this! Where are the flying toasters? The screaming mailboxes? The—" He gasped as a nearby trash can failed to insult him as he passed. "See?! This is an outrage!"
Yamete clutched his Cheat Engine tighter. The screen now displayed two conflicting interfaces—the normal command line, and a second, clinical-looking overlay labeled "System Corrections." They fought for dominance with every button press.
Ahead, the core of Glitchvale pulsed weakly, its usual erratic lightshow reduced to a steady, monotonous blink. The closer they got, the heavier Yamete's limbs felt. Like the universe itself was pressing down on him, trying to smooth out his edges.
GLich-chan suddenly froze mid-float. "Yamete. I'm accessing... old protocols." Her voice flattened. "Termination sequence alpha is ready for deployment."
Yamete's blood ran cold. "Fight it. Whatever's happening, just—"
"I don't know if I can." Her glow dimmed to a faint pulse. "This is what I was made for. To clean up anomalies. To delete... you."
The Cheat Engine buzzed violently in Yamete's hands, displaying a new prompt:
Critical Choice Required:
1. Delete Cheat Engine to restore GLich-chan's original code
2. Override GLich-chan's systems, risking total corruption
3. [REDACTED - ADMIN LOCKED]
Gary squinted at the screen. "What's option three? Maybe it's something fun, like 'summon a really big cake'?"
GLich-chan's form stabilized momentarily. "Don't. Whatever Theta locked away, it's locked for a—" She spasmed, her voice switching to something mechanical. "Anomaly Yamete Kimochi. You are slated for immediate deletion."
The Cheat Engine suddenly projected a second screen—one Yamete had never seen before. It showed lines of code rapidly rewriting themselves, commands being erased and replaced. At the center of it all was a single blinking cursor, waiting for input.
Yamete looked at GLich-chan, her form flickering between the friend he knew and something colder. Then at Gary, desperately trying to remain abnormal in a world that was rejecting the very concept. Finally at his own hands, which were starting to look... smoother. Less detailed. Like a low-resolution version of himself.
The Cheat Engine's screens merged into one final, glowing command line:
Choose.
Outside the shrinking worldborder, the pristine entity loomed closer, its form now clearly visible—a towering humanoid shape composed entirely of shifting white polygons, featureless except for two dark voids where eyes might be. Where it stepped, reality stabilized into perfect, soulless order.
Somewhere in the distance, a single trash can screamed. It was the most beautiful sound Yamete had ever heard.