I, Raze, teleported into Echo Realm, a world of mirrors glinting with icy deception. The entrance was jarring—instant and violent like all my arrivals. Shimmering reflections morphed into ghostly faces all around me, their features distorting in impossible angles that no human mind was meant to comprehend. A hollow echo snarled like trapped beasts, bouncing between the endless mirrors that formed this realm's architecture. A cold draft scraped my skin like worthless whispers, stirring nothing but contempt within me.

  Ahead, surrounded by cowering mirror-bound slaves, stood Hype Fraud, Peddler of Plagiarized Glory—a sneering weakling draped in stolen gold. His reflection multiplied a thousandfold across the mirrored chamber, each image more self-important than the last. The slaves' faces were blank, their essence slowly being drained to fuel his artificial fame.

  "Welcome, traveler, to my grand exhibition of excellence!" he proclaimed, arms spread wide as if expecting applause. "These pitiful creatures fuel my rise to prominence. Their creative essence becomes my accolades!"

  I recognized his kind immediately—boasting of stolen fame while crushing true talent beneath his heel. My lips curved into a cruel smile as I stepped forward, cracking the mirror floor beneath my boot.

  "So, you stole your spotlight? Time to return it."

  Hype Fraud snarled, his reflections multiplying as he hurled a barrage of mirror shards toward me. I flicked my wrist, calling upon Reality Flick, and the shards warped mid-air. Their blades screeched as they warped, heat sizzling off like dying lies, before dissolving into harmless sparks.

  "Impossible!" he shrieked, summoning a whirlwind of golden citations and plagiarized awards.

  I sidestepped, but their cursed aura grazed me, a sour sting on my tongue—annoying, but nothing I can't erase. The smallest of inconveniences, like a paper cut to a god. I brushed the sensation away with casual contempt.

  The System pinged—[3 new Followers from Earth-616]. I smirked. Even alternate mes knew quality.

  Hype Fraud backed away, his reflections displaying fear while his original maintained its arrogant facade. He raised his hands, summoning more stolen power.

  "My followers will protect me! I have millions who adore me!"

  "Your fake fans can't save you!" I taunted, advancing slowly for dramatic effect. The slaves watched with awakening hope in their empty eyes.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Something stirred within me then—a sensation I was becoming familiar with. The System's voice rang clear:

  [System: 0.3% Power Unlocked! New Ability: Firestorm Fist!]

  A molten surge roared through my veins, fire coiling like a beast unleashed. My right fist ignited with swirling flames that didn't burn me but promised devastation to anything else they touched. The temperature in the mirror chamber rose instantly, surfaces beginning to warp.

  "What... what are you?" Hype Fraud stammered, false bravado evaporating.

  "Your reckoning," I answered simply, driving my Firestorm Fist forward.

  The impact was glorious. Hype Fraud un-rezzed into a pile of his own bad intentions, flaring into acrid flames. His countless reflections shattered simultaneously, raining crystalline fragments across the chamber. As he disappeared, the plagiarized accolades floating around him dissolved, returning to their rightful creators across realities.

  The mirror-bound slaves broke free of their chains, kneeling before me, their chains clattering in awe. Their featureless faces slowly regained definition as their stolen essence returned. Their cheers thrummed in my chest like a war drum, vibrating through my very being.

  [System: Quest Complete! +10,000 Followers! Total: 10,000!]

  [System: Reward Granted: Echo Crown + Title "Reflection's Bane"]

  The crown materialized above me, a circlet of perfect mirrors that reflected not my image but infinite versions of my potential. It settled on my brow with a satisfying weight, instantly amplifying my awareness of the realm.

  [System: Surprise Bonus! Mini-Pet Unlocked: Snarky Voidling Companion for 2 Chapters!]

  A small blob of darkness coalesced beside my shoulder, forming into a tiny creature with glowing eyes and a permanent smirk. It hummed with void energy, its presence creating a peculiar sensation like pins and needles across my skin.

  "Impressive for a beginner," it chirped in a voice like grinding glass. "I've seen better, though."

  I laughed, enjoying its immediate attitude, then summoned a mirror throne, its chill biting my back as I sat to survey my newly liberated domain. The freed slaves began rebuilding their shattered realm, occasionally glancing at me with reverence.

  "You've earned the title 'Reflection's Bane,'" the voidling noted. "Bit on the nose, but you're new at this."

  As I settled into my momentary kingdom, a rift tore open at the far end of the chamber. Beyond it lay Neon Abyss, a stormscape of electric rivers cutting through darkness. A crackling hum stung my ears, setting my teeth on edge. The Voidling tensed on my shoulder.

  "That's not a friendly invitation," it muttered.

  "Raze!" a voice snarled from the glowing tear. "I am Gatekeeper Prime, and your rampage ends before it begins! Enter if you dare!"

  I rose from my throne, the Echo Crown gleaming. A strange rune glowed on my arm—what did it mean? It hadn't been there before my battle with Hype Fraud. The symbols pulsed in time with the crackling energy of the rift.

  I smirked confidently, but curiosity flickered beneath my bravado. The rune, the challenge, the next realm—all pieces of a puzzle I was just beginning to solve.

  "Well," I said to my tiny companion, "shall we show Gatekeeper Prime what 0.3% can do?"