The copy drew two digital katanas, their edges flickering with corrupt data.

The copy of Lloyd stared at its hands as they pixelated, dissolving like sand in wind.

He vaulted forward, past the frozen copy, and drove his real katana into the SYSTEM_ADMIN figure standing behind it. The hooded figure dissolved into a shower of error messages.

Kai’s voice crackled through the headset, distorted. “Yeah. Weird. Jay’s freaking out—says his character screen is just… static.”

COPYCAT: And I've been waiting for you to log back in.

Not grayed out. Not under maintenance. Empty. Like someone had erased the concept of multiplayer.

The copy staggered. “That’s—that’s not in the game data.”

The server list was empty.