Shattered Illusions

Capítulo 2: Los primeros fallos

Iris' party was in full swing. Lia and Kay arrived at a massive hall filled with neon lights, walls pulsing to the rhythm of the music, and a starry sky projected on the ceiling. Iris had outdone herself. Holograms danced to a mix of electronic beats, while fantastical creatures soared through the air.

"Told you this party would be epic," Kay said, grinning as he looked around.

Lia smiled weakly. Despite the vibrant atmosphere, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen earlier. The image of the old woman still lingered in her mind. It was like a shadow she couldn't shake. She tried to focus on the party, but something wasn't right.

"Are you okay?" Iris asked, suddenly appearing next to her. She was wearing a shimmering dress that changed color with every step, like a moving rainbow.

"Yeah, I'm just... distracted," Lia said, trying to sound casual. She knew Iris wouldn't believe her so easily; Iris was always the most perceptive of the group.

Iris narrowed her eyes, as if trying to read Lia's mind. "Distracted is not something you do well. What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Lia lied. She knew something was wrong, but even she didn't understand what it was. She decided to push it aside, at least for now. She didn't want to ruin the party.

"Well, if you need to talk, you know where to find me," Iris said, giving her a pat on the shoulder before diving back into the crowd.

Lia sighed. Maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe she just needed to distract herself. She looked around for Kay, who was already in the middle of the dance floor, moving with an energy he always seemed to have. Lia decided to join him, forcing a smile and letting the music fill her mind.

But it wasn't long before something else strange happened.

While dancing, the world around her began to tremble slightly. At first, she thought it was part of the music, but soon realized no one else seemed to notice. The ground beneath her feet began to sway, as if she were standing on an unstable platform. She looked at Kay, but he kept dancing, completely oblivious.

Suddenly, everything froze again.

The lights, the people, the sound... everything stopped. It was as if someone had pressed pause once more. But this time, it was worse. The walls began to fade, pixelating and crumbling like a sandcastle blown away by the wind. The starry sky above her started to crack, and the stars fell from the ceiling as if they were nothing more than shards of glass.

Lia felt fear take hold of her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She was trapped in a scene that was falling apart around her, unable to move. And then, like a nightmare come to life, the old woman appeared again. This time, she was closer. Her eyes, filled with anguish, stared directly at Lia.

"Help me..." the woman repeated, her voice even weaker than before.

Lia tried to step back, but she couldn't move. Fear paralyzed her. She knew something was terribly wrong, but she didn't understand what. What did this woman want? Why did she keep appearing?

And suddenly, everything was back to normal. Again.

The music resumed, the lights flashed back on, and people continued dancing as if nothing had happened. Lia was breathing heavily, trying to compose herself. Her heart was racing so fast she thought it might burst from her chest.

Kay walked over to her, a carefree smile on his face. "You okay? You look a little pale."

"I... yeah. I just need some air," she said, quickly slipping out of the hall before Kay could say anything else.

Once outside, Lia leaned against a wall, trying to calm herself down. This wasn't normal. Something was happening in the System, something she couldn't ignore any longer. The images, the glitches, that woman... it all pointed to something being very, very wrong.

As she looked out at the perfect virtual landscape stretching before her, she realized one unsettling truth: her world wasn't as perfect as she had believed.