Jay's eyes opened to a blinding ceiling light, flickering like a faulty memory. For a moment, everything felt… wrong. Not in a painful way—but like a dream was trying to follow him back through the cracks of sleep.
His mouth felt dry. His thoughts were sluggish.
> Why do I feel… watched?
He sat up.
The infirmary bed creaked under his weight. The school nurse's office was empty. A clock ticked steadily in the background, but Jay noticed something else:
A faint blue shimmer in the corner of his eye.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: Primary Anchor Status – UNSTABLE]
[Class: Lazy Genius – Partial Override Detected]
[Core Alignment Conflict: Subject R.K.]
His heart didn't race. His body didn't shake. But his soul? That trembled.
He could feel something had shifted—no, been stolen—from within him.
---
> "...Rei," he murmured.
The name had always been there. Somewhere at the edge of his thoughts. But now it was central—a burning line carved into the walls of his mental space.
