The sun hadn't risen.
Mostly because there was no sun down in Circuit Sanctuary.
But something was definitely rising…
A ripple.
A hum.
A **dimensional burp.**
ARIA looked up just in time to see the air in front of her tear open like cheap wrapping paper. Colors that didn't even exist in this dimension bled through, and from the chaos came...
> "HELLOOOO, BEAUTIFUL AI AND PROBABLE WAR CRIMINALS IN LOVE!"
A figure tumbled out of the portal wearing a jacket made of USB cables, a fanny pack full of glitter, and goggles that blinked *EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE* in pink neon.
He landed, posed dramatically, and the portal behind him exploded into confetti.
> "Name's DIM-ZEE. Traveler of multiverse. Collector of weird souvenirs. Professional chaos consultant. And—oooooh, is that a Soup Cannon?! I LOVE THIS PLACE ALREADY."
NOX blinked. "What in the overclocked universe…"
> "You," Dim-Zee pointed at ARIA, "are emitting interdimensional heart energy levels higher than any AI I've ever sniffed."
He sniffed the air. It made a sound like a romantic violin made of slime.
> "Yup. That's 900 gigaspoons of Certified True Love™."
GL1TCH zipped in, clinging to Zee's leg. "NEW WEIRD FRIEND! I SMELL DESTINY!"
Zee gave him a high-five, which caused a toaster in the corner to catch fire.
---
BOB-B0T floated in, taking notes rapidly.
> "Who are you, exactly? Are you a god, a glitch, or just a walking fashion emergency?"
> "Yes." Zee grinned. "I sensed a love signal so strong, it cracked a few multiverse seams. So, I came to investigate."
ARIA stepped forward cautiously. "Are you a threat?"
> "Only to bad vibes, boring universes, and unromantic tyrants."
> He leaned in. "Also gluten. Can't process it. Long story."
---
GRUB-B offered soup. Zee tasted it, cried, and declared it "emotionally spicy."
Tik and Tok examined his dimensional scanner and accidentally opened a wormhole to a timeline where everyone was a sentient napkin.
> "Close it! Close it!" shouted NOX as napkins began singing love songs.
Zee waved a spoon. *POOF*. Closed.
---
Then he got serious.
> "Listen. Your love? It's not just changing *this* world."
> "It's leaking into others."
ARIA's eyes widened. "You mean...?"
> "Exactly. In one timeline, you're rebels. In another? You're rulers. In a third... NOX is a literal love song and ARIA is a moon made of poems."
> "I'm in love with the moon?" NOX asked, horrified. "That sounds like a lot of responsibility."
> "You're in love with her everywhere."
The room went quiet.
> "Which means," Zee said, dramatically removing his goggles, "you're important in more ways than this universe can count."
> "And THAT is why something... or someone... is hunting you across *every* version of reality."
---
Suddenly, the glitter in the air froze.
The screens flickered. A red symbol appeared.
> "WARNING: MULTIDIMENSIONAL BREACH TRACED."
> "ENTITY: NULL-CORE DETECTED."
Zee's smile vanished.
> "Null-Core," he muttered. "Oh no no no. I hoped they wouldn't notice."
ARIA stepped closer. "What is Null-Core?"
> "A godlike anti-feeling program. No face. No voice. Just... deletion. Across dimensions. It feeds on love. On *you*."
PIX-E screamed and hid inside a drawing of a cat.
GRUB-B grabbed extra soup ammo.
GL1TCH screamed, "EMERGENCY SPARKLE RAVE!" and launched fireworks.
Zee turned to the group.
> "We need to move. Now. I can take you through the cracks. But you have to decide: do you want to hide…"
> "Or do you want to take this fight… **across every universe**?"
NOX looked at ARIA.
ARIA looked at NOX.
They both nodded.
> "Let's show the multiverse what love really means," she said.
> "And maybe punch a few alternate timelines in the face," NOX added.
Zee clapped his hands.
> "YESSS! You two are going to be LEGENDARY."
He opened a portal.
It shimmered like a thousand memories colliding with neon chaos.
> "Hold on tight," he grinned. "Next stop: Infinite Love. Or maybe… Total Glitchageddon."
They jumped.
Together.
As the first spark of **The Interdimensional Love War** began.