And somewhere in a Discord server with three hundred silent members, one user’s status changed to . Permanently. Version 6.256.21 Patch notes: Removed player remorse. Improved matchmaking with real-world memories. Null-Self now inherits your contacts list.

Kael didn’t remember downloading it.

The two Nulls met in the center. They didn’t fight. They merged . A sound escaped Kael’s phone speakers—not an explosion, but a wet, human sob. His or Daniel’s, he couldn’t tell.

The app was called Null-s Royale . Not Clash Royale . Not a cheap rip-off with renamed troops. This was something else.