The room is circular, metallic, and intentionally disorienting. A single chair sits in the center beneath a cone of white light. Liger Llama sits in it—mask cracked, fur singed, breathing heavy from the Parallax ordeal.

Agents form a perimeter.

Agent K steps forward.

“Begin interrogation.”

🔥 PART I — THE SETUP

Agent I activates the holo‑recorders.

Agent O seals the chamber.

Agent J fades into the shadows.

Agents L‑1 and L‑2 stand like statues behind Liger.

Agent Y leans against the wall, twirling her anti‑chaos baton.

Liger Llama lifts his head slowly.

“...You don’t have to do this. I’m on your side.”

Agent K’s voice is calm, but sharp.

“We’ll determine that.”

🔥 PART II — THE QUESTIONS BEGIN

Agent K circles him.

“Liger Llama. You were taken by The Parallax. You were found in a recursive identity trap. You fought your own reflection. We need to know what you saw.”

Liger swallows.

“It wasn’t just reflections. It was… possibilities. Versions of me that never happened. Versions that shouldn’t happen.”

Agent I steps forward.

“Describe them.”

Liger hesitates.

“One version of me… was champion forever. No losses. No struggle. Just… perfection. But it felt wrong. Like a lie.”

Agent Y snorts.

“Perfection usually is.”

Liger continues.

“And another version… I never put on the mask. I never fought. I never became Liger Llama. I was just… nobody.”

Agent K stops pacing.

“And the version that attacked you?”

Liger’s eyes darken.

“That one… that one wanted to replace me.”

🔥 PART III — PRESSURE APPLIED

Agent L‑1 steps forward, voice booming.

“Did The Parallax communicate with you?”

Liger nods slowly.

“Yes. It whispered. It said I was ‘a narrative node.’ That I was ‘ripe for rewriting.’ That my story was… unstable.”

Agent I’s visor flickers with data.

“That matches Parallax behavior. It targets individuals with high symbolic resonance.”

Agent Y smirks.

“So you’re basically a walking metaphor. Congrats.”

Liger glares.

“Look, I didn’t ask to be abducted by a cosmic editor!”

Agent K raises a hand.

“Focus. Did The Parallax give you instructions? Commands? Promises?”

Liger hesitates again.

“…It offered me a trade.”

The room freezes.

Agent K’s voice drops.

“What kind of trade?”

Liger looks down.

“It said it could make me stronger. Faster. Legendary beyond anything I’ve earned. All I had to do was let it… rewrite me.”

Agent J emerges from the shadows.

“And did you accept?”

Liger looks up, eyes burning.

“No. I’m Liger Llama because I fight for who I am. Not because something rewrites me into a better version.”

Agent Y claps sarcastically.

“Aww. Character development.”

🔥 PART IV — THE BREAKTHROUGH

Agent K leans in.“Then why did your reflection overpower you?"

Liger’s jaw tightens.

“Because it wasn’t just a reflection. It was everything I’m afraid of becoming. Everything I’m afraid of failing to be. The Parallax didn’t create it—it pulled it out of me.”

Agent I whispers to Agent K:

“That means Parallax has access to his psychological architecture. That’s dangerous.”

Agent K nods.

“Liger. Did The Parallax leave anything inside you? A mark? A seed? A command?”

Liger hesitates too long.

Agent L‑2 steps forward.

“Answer.”

Liger finally speaks.

“…Yes.”

The Agents tense.

“What kind of mark?” Agent K demands.

Liger touches his chest.

“It said it left a ‘story-thread’ inside me. Something it can tug on. Something that connects me to it.”

Agent Y’s baton lights up.“Oh great. He’s basically a walking Parallax Wi‑Fi hotspot.”

Agent I scans him.“There’s a dimensional residue. Faint, but present. He’s telling the truth.”

Agent K steps back.“This means Parallax can track him. Influence him. Maybe even pull him back.”

Liger’s voice cracks.“I didn’t ask for this.”

Agent K’s tone softens—barely.

“No one does.”

🔥 PART V — THE DECISION

Agent K turns to the team.“Recommendations.”

Agent I:

“Monitor him. The thread is dormant, but unpredictable.”

Agent J:

“He’s not lying. He resisted Parallax influence. That matters.”

Agent L‑1:

“He’s compromised. Keep him contained.”

Agent L‑2:

“Agreed.”

Agent O:

“We can isolate the thread with dimensional dampeners.”

Agent Y (KILLJOY):

“Or we could just zap him until the thread screams and runs away.”

Liger recoils.

Agent K raises a hand.

“Enough.”

He faces Liger.

“You are not a prisoner. But you are not cleared. You will remain under Order supervision until we determine the extent of Parallax influence.”

Liger nods slowly.

“I understand.”

Agent K steps closer.

“One more question.”

Liger looks up.

“Did The Parallax mention Adam Glory?”

Liger’s expression shifts—fear, guilt, something else.

“Yes. It said Adam was ‘more valuable’ than me. That he was ‘already halfway rewritten.’”

The room goes silent.

Agent K’s voice becomes ice.

“Then our next interrogation will be harder.”