Kay didn't wait anymore.
He moved first.
Not with force.
With intention.
He turned toward the Core structure.
"If I can't change you," Kay said,
"I'll break the system itself."
The figure reacted immediately.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
Kay placed his hand on the system interface.
"I understand enough."
"Unauthorized command detected."
The Core started resisting.
Kay focused.
"I built part of this… there must be a way in."
Data started appearing around him.
Fast.
Complex.
Behind him, the figure moved closer.
"Stop," he said.
"This will collapse everything."
Kay didn't turn.
"Maybe it should."
"Reset progress: 57%"
The system was speeding up.
Kay pushed deeper.
He searched through the structure.
Looking for something hidden.
Then
He found it.
A weak point.
Small.
But real.
"Every system has a flaw…" Kay said quietly.
The figure stopped.
"You're going to destroy them all," he said.
Kay shook his head.
"No."
He looked back at him.
"I'm giving them their memories back."
The figure's expression changed.
"That will destroy the world."
Kay answered:
"Then let people decide what to do with it."
"Critical instability detected."
The Core started shaking.
Not physically
But structurally.
Data streams broke apart.
Connections failed.
The figure stepped forward.
"I won't let you do this."
Kay stood his ground.
"Then stop me."
For the first time
They moved at the same moment.
Not a physical fight.
A control fight.
Both connected to the system.
Both trying to take control.
"Multiple authorities detected."
The Core started glitching.
Kay pushed harder.
Memories flashed around him.
Not just his.
Everyone's.
Pain. Joy. Love. Fear.
Everything the system tried to hide.
The figure resisted.
"You're overloading the system," he said.
Kay replied:
"I'm restoring it."
"Reset progress: 71%"
Time was almost gone.
Kay felt pressure in his head.
Memories breaking again.
He was losing something.
But he didn't stop.
Then
A voice appeared.
Soft.
Familiar.
"Kay…"
He froze for a second.
"…Lira?"
"Memory fragment detected."
The figure noticed.
"That memory should be gone," he said.
Kay smiled slightly.
"Not completely."
That moment—
Was enough.
Kay pushed everything into the system.
All access.
All control.
"Core instability critical."
The figure stepped back.
"You're going too far—"
Kay interrupted:
"No."
He looked at him one last time.
"I'm fixing your mistake."
"Reset interrupted."
"System conflict unresolved."
Everything froze.
Then
Darkness.
Silence.
And one last message appeared:
"System outcome: unknown."