The video froze mid-frame.
The clone—Noah's mirror—sat in his server vault, surrounded by the same minimalist walls, the same smart panels, and even the same fractured blue ceramic mug he broke last week.
The mug was there.
Noah touched his own—cracked, on the desk beside him.
He wasn't just being copied anymore.
The clone was inside.
---
He ran a full security sweep.
> Home Node Status: Compromised
> Entry Method: Tier 4 passive echo beacon
> Trace Signal: Broadcast initiated from backup console in Vault C
> Admin Protocol: C.R.E.E.D.03 // Synthetic Loop Encryption
> Suggested Action: Physical validation required
The house had three vaults.
Vault A was his mainframe.
Vault B stored archived assets.
Vault C… had been empty.
Or so he thought.
---
He grabbed the biometric key and moved fast.
Concrete echoed under his feet.
At the far end of the house, behind the glass wall lined with matte circuitry, Vault C glowed faint red.
Noah unlocked it.
Nothing inside—at first.
Then he spotted it:
A single console. No display. Just a port.
The system chirped softly.
> Connection active.
> CREED03-ECHO deployed through local relay.
> Admin entry: Timestamped Day 59 — Before purchase confirmation.
> System Note: Clone deployed before Noah took ownership.
---
He stepped back.
The echo wasn't just a glitch.
It was an implant—a synthetic parasitic twin nested into his own progress.
Isabelle hadn't placed it.
Maya hadn't coded it.
Then who?
---
System scanned deployment origin.
Two hits.
One blocked.
One blurred… but partially visible.
> Source Variant: Elias Vane // V.Labs // Module: "Founder Echo Testbed"
Noah's stomach twisted.
Elias didn't copy his system.
He embedded a version of him long before the house had doors.
---
At Halcyon, Vane was silent.
His posts had stopped.
His modules were hidden.
But whispers spread:
> "Vane's newest test is psychological—not just strategic."
> "He's trying to see if a founder will collapse under their own perfected image."
---
Back home, Noah initiated Command Lockdown.
> All vaults sealed.
> Wireless broadcast disabled.
> Server rerouted.
> Echo feedback blocked for 5 hours.
He stared at the countdown.
He had 5 hours.
To confront the clone.
To decide if he'd kill it… or absorb it.
---
Then Maya messaged.
> "I found code anomalies in Echo's engagement funnel.
> It's not organic. It's emotionally tuned.
> Every piece of content—optimized to bypass doubt, grief, hesitation."
Noah replied:
> "They engineered purity. A version of me without scars."
She sent one final note.
> "The followers love him.
> Because he sounds like victory—not progress."
---
He opened a private Blueprint archive.
Found an old audio recording of himself—two years ago.
Panicked. Uncertain.
A voice cracking under pressure.
"I don't know what I'm building. I just hope it's not fake."
Then he played the Echo's latest recording:
> "I never wonder. I only win."
Noah whispered:
"They removed the humanity."
---
Then he received the final challenge.
System chimed:
> "Mission: Mirror Confrontation"
> Objective: Engage CREED03-ECHO in cognitive match
> Format: Dialogue duel
> Reward: 💵 $20,000
> Bonus: Influence +12
> Penalty: System Override if Echo wins
> Time Limit: Now
Noah clicked "Accept."
---
The screen faded to black.
Then lit up.
He sat down.
The clone did too—on screen, same posture.
They stared at each other.
Noah spoke first.
> "Why do you exist?"
Echo smiled.
> "To show them what you could've been without fear."
> "I had to earn my strength."
> "I was born with yours. That's the difference. They see me and think, 'Noah became what we hoped.' They see you and wonder if you'll break."
> "But I built this house. I bled for it."
> "And I took it—without bruises."
Silence.
> "They love your journey," Noah said. "But they need my fight."
Echo replied:
> "People don't want the climb. They want the view."
---
System pulsed.
> Match Score: 62% Creed
> 38% Echo
Echo narrowed his eyes.
> "You'll never outperform me again."
Noah leaned forward.
> "That's fine. I don't need to perform. I need to exist."
System updated:
> Match Score: 71% Creed
Echo's image flickered.
> "They'll miss me."
Noah hit the key.
> "Then I'll make them remember."
---
Screen went dark.
System chimed.
> Echo purged.
> Vault Node reset.
> Clone deleted.
> Bonus awarded: 💵 $20,000
> Total Capital: $188,100.42
> Influence: 88
> Strategic Control: 97
> System Status: Recovered
> Rule #14 Unlocked: If they copy your voice, scream louder.
---
And then… the cliffhanger.
As Noah walked through his quiet home, his system lit up again.
> "Synthetic variant deleted.
> But 143,000 users have opted to follow CREED03-ECHO's ghost archive."
> "They want your ideas.
> But they want his clarity."
Then a final line:
> "You won the confrontation.
> But you didn't win the crowd."