Lust Sync: Every Woman Wants Me Now
Chapter 24: The Other Charles

Chapter 24: The Other Charles

The message replayed in Charles’s mind as he stared at the photo.

> "You’re not the only Charles Manson."

His own face stared back at him from the image—same sharp jawline, same dark tousled hair, same confident eyes.

But this Charles wasn’t alone.

Four women surrounded him, their bodies pressed close, their eyes glowing a familiar electric blue. Each woman’s expression was... wrong. Not just aroused. Possessed. Like they belonged to something else.

Like they belonged to him.

But it wasn’t him.

It was someone—or something—wearing his skin.

> [System Notification: Genetic Echo Match Detected – Mirror Host Confirmed] [Codename: Manson-Ω] [Warning: Interaction with Mirror Host May Result in System Instability]

Charles backed away from the glowing message as if it might burn him.

Maya leaned in from the side of the couch. "What is it?"

He turned the phone around.

She froze. "What the actual hell—?"

"Either someone’s copying my image," he said slowly, "or..."

"They built another one," she whispered.

---

An Hour Later – Maya’s Makeshift Lab

The server hummed with activity as Maya traced the source of the message.

"Encrypted, bounces through seven dead relays. Someone wanted this to land in your hands but not be traced."

Charles paced behind her. The air in the apartment felt heavier than usual, as if the shadows were listening.

"So what are we dealing with? A clone?"

"No," Maya said. "This isn’t sci-fi. It’s something worse."

She spun the screen around.

"Digital replication. The system didn’t just use your genetic profile. It used your psychological one. Memory patterns. Desire-response algorithms. It created another Charles from your behavior."

Charles’s breath caught.

"So this... mirror version of me. He has my instincts?"

"He is your instincts. But filtered through the system—without hesitation, without doubt, without guilt."

---

Flashback Sequence – Three Months Ago

> "Subject Manson-Ω initiated. Purged emotional inhibitors. Replaced natural empathy with predictive seduction."

A man sits on a throne of women—eyes vacant, smile cruel. They cling to him like he’s the sun.

He doesn’t even look at them.

Just stares ahead.

> "This model performs at 327% the sync efficiency of the original."

---

Back in the Present

Maya looked up, eyes haunted. "He doesn’t love. He doesn’t hesitate. And if he finds you..."

Charles finished the sentence himself.

"He’ll overwrite me."

---

Olivia’s Apartment – Later That Night

Charles didn’t tell her.

He held her close instead, her back against his chest, her fingers laced with his as she drifted off to sleep. But inside, his mind raced.

> [System Echo Detected – Manson-Ω Approaching Proximity] [20 Miles... 18 Miles... 16...]

He sat up.

The system was counting down.

Someone was coming for him.

Not with fists.

But with charm.

With his own face.

---

Next Morning – Arkvale Central Plaza

Charles stood outside the metro station as people bustled past. The air tasted like stormclouds and static. Maya’s tracking had led him here.

> [System Distortion Detected – Mirror Host Nearby]

A girl bumped into him.

He turned, apologized—

But her eyes were glowing.

Not like Olivia’s. Not soft, not heated.

They were blank. Cold.

He looked around.

Three other women nearby.

All glowing.

All staring.

And in the center of the plaza...

He saw himself.

Smiling.

Hands in pockets. Black coat fluttering in the breeze.

Manson-Ω.

---

Scene – Charles vs. Charles

The two versions of Charles stood a dozen feet apart.

Maya, watching from the café rooftop, whispered, "Oh my God..."

The original Charles broke the silence. "So you’re the system’s improved version?"

The copy smirked. "I’m the version that doesn’t waste time pretending women have free will."

Charles clenched his fists. "They’re more than tools."

"Are they?" Omega Charles stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "You fell for Olivia’s tears. You hesitated with Mia. You’re soft. But me? I took their love and turned it into fuel."

He gestured.

A woman nearby dropped to her knees, eyes glazed, moaning.

> [Command Word Activated: Kneel]

Charles took a step back.

Manson-Ω smiled. "You’ve tasted the sugar. I am the hunger."

---

A Flash of Movement

Suddenly, Maya shouted through Charles’s earpiece. "Get out! His sync pressure is destabilizing your core!"

Too late.

> [System Clash Detected] [Warning: Emotional Integrity Dropping – 21%... 17%...]

Charles fell to one knee, mind spinning. Lust Sync wasn’t just reacting—it was unraveling in his head.

Omega walked up to him.

"You’re not ready for this game," he said. "But don’t worry. When I take your women, I’ll leave their memories of you intact. Broken hearts make better slaves."

He turned, vanishing into the crowd with his harem of glowing-eyed followers.

---

Maya’s Apartment – Hours Later

Charles lay on the floor, shirt soaked with sweat.

His mind still buzzed from the clash.

Maya sat next to him, jaw tight. "That wasn’t a fight. That was a demonstration. He’s showing you what you’ll become—or what he already is."

Charles sat up, face pale.

"He can take them from me."

Maya nodded. "Unless you upgrade."

He looked at her. "How?"

She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a vial.

Dark liquid swirled inside.

"Eliza made this. It’s a neural lock—a way to isolate your emotional core from Lust Sync’s control. But once you take it..."

"I can’t feel love the same way," he finished.

Maya hesitated. "You’ll still feel. But it’ll be filtered. Clear. Sharp. No obsession. No confusion."

Charles stared at the vial.

> [Item Identified: NeuroSync Stabilizer – One-Time Use] [Effect: Blocks Lust Sync Emotional Override. Risk: Reduces Emotional Bond Formation Rate by 60%]

"Take it," Maya whispered. "You need your mind clear. Or you’ll lose everything."

---

Charles held the vial up to the light.

Behind his eyelids, he saw Olivia’s smile.

Mia’s laugh.

The warmth of the bonds.

The women weren’t just pawns—they were pieces of his heart.

But if he didn’t take the stabilizer, the mirror host would turn every love he earned into a weapon.

He twisted the cap.

And swallowed.

> [NeuroSync Stabilizer Activated] [Emotional Clarity Protocol Engaged – Sync Resistance Boosted] [Next Objective: Hunt the Mirror Host Before He Hunts You]

But the cost?

He wouldn’t be able to love them the same way again.

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