It was cold on the station floor. Not freezing, but the kind of cold that slowly slipped into your skin and made your bones ache.
Lina sat next to her brother, wrapped in his coat. She hugged her knees tightly, her sketchbook still clutched against her chest like a shield. She didn't cry, but her eyes stayed wide, her body still. Every so often, she'd glance down at Kai's face, hoping his eyes would open.
He hadn't moved.
His chest rose and fell gently. He was breathing. But something had gone wrong—deep inside his head. One moment he had been with her, sharp and alive. The next, he had collapsed like someone had flipped a switch.
Lina reached out with her sleeve and gently touched his cheek. It was warm. Too warm.
"You're not allowed to sleep forever," she whispered, her voice soft and shaky. "You still owe me noodles. And stories. And one more joke."
No answer.
She looked up at the ceiling. The lights overhead flickered once, then again. A soft, constant drip echoed somewhere beyond the platform. It sounded like the tunnel itself was holding its breath.
She pulled her sketchbook from under the coat and laid it carefully on Kai's chest. The last page was still open — the half-finished doodle of Fred the Noodle King with his pasta crown.
"You can have him," she said. "He's pretty brave. Even if he melts in soup."
She hugged her knees tighter and lowered her head. "Just don't leave me alone down here…"
Kai's fingers twitched.
Lina froze. Her head snapped up.
His hand moved again. Then his eyes opened slowly, blinking at the low light.
He squinted. "Lina…?"
Her breath caught in her throat. "You're awake! You're actually awake!"
Kai sat up a little too fast and winced, pressing a hand to his temple. "What happened…"
"You passed out," she said quickly. "You screamed and your eyes did this freaky glow thing, then you collapsed and didn't move for, like, forever!"
Kai blinked again and rubbed the back of his head. "It feels like something exploded in my brain."
"You were out for a long time," she whispered. "I didn't know what to do. I thought… I thought maybe you wouldn't wake up."
He looked at her properly now, saw how tightly she was gripping her sleeves, the fear still sitting behind her eyes.
"I'm okay now," he said gently.
"You better be," she muttered, swiping at her face with her arm. "You're not allowed to scare me twice in one day."
"Alright. That's fair," he said, and forced a weak smile.
Kai shifted his weight and slowly stood. His limbs ached like he had run for miles, but nothing was broken. Just sore and heavy. Like something new had taken root inside him.
As he moved, something flickered in front of his eyes.
Words.
Floating.
Clear but silent.
[World Seed Protocol Active]
[Welcome, Kai]
[Architect Layer: Fragment Initialized]
[Passive Trait: Adaptive Logic Core Installed]
He stared at it, barely breathing.
"Still there," he murmured.
Lina tilted her head. "What is it? What do you see?"
Kai didn't look at her. "Blue writing. In the air. Some kind of system. It's… like a menu."
"Like those old video games?"
"Sort of. But this feels real."
More text appeared as he focused.
[Lineage Fragment Match: 13% Decoded]
[Access: Limited until further growth]
"Lineage?" he said quietly to himself. His stomach turned a little. That word meant something big. Something buried in blood.
He looked at Lina again, her face watching him closely.
He pushed the thought aside. "Probably nothing."
She didn't push him. Just gave a small nod and picked at her sleeves.
They sat in silence for a little while. The platform didn't feel as scary now, but it still felt empty. Like the whole world had gone into hiding.
Kai stood again and scanned the tunnel. He didn't feel like resting anymore. He walked to the edge of the platform, where the old tunnel curved into darkness. Pipes hissed softly above him. Moss covered part of the wall. There were signs still hanging, barely readable:
D-9: South Exit. Emergency Stairs – Keep Clear.
Everything was rusted. Broken.
He turned back to Lina. "We need to find a safer corner. A place with walls. If more of that thread rain comes, we'll need something stronger than a bench."
Lina nodded without arguing. She followed him closely as they moved along the station wall.
They found a half-collapsed supply closet near the end of the platform. The door was hanging by one hinge. Inside were old crates, torn cleaning rags, a dusty box of half-melted tools, and a broken metal chair.
Kai stepped inside and cleared a spot on the floor. He tested a few of the panels for stability. They held.
"Here. It's better than nothing."
Lina sat and wrapped herself in the coat again. He could see how tired she was — the fear still sitting deep in her chest.
Kai sat beside her.
Then something pinged in his vision again.
[Nearby Node Detected – Status: Offline]
[Type: Metro Core Access Panel F9]
[Use Permission: Locked – Requires Trait or Tools]
He looked at the wall near them.
A metal panel was glowing faintly through the dirt and dust — but only in his vision. To Lina, it looked like nothing.
He stood and walked to it. When he touched the panel, a soft spark ran up his fingers.
[Log Node?]
He thought the word: Yes.
A small mark appeared in his vision. A saved location. Like a pin on a map.
Lina peeked out from the coat. "What was that?"
"Some kind of old system panel," he said. "The protocol let me see it. I think it wants me to remember where things are."
"Like secret stuff?"
"Maybe."
She nodded slowly. "You always liked fixing broken machines. Guess now you can fix broken… tunnels."
He smiled. "Guess so."
"You're still kind of a nerd, though."
He raised an eyebrow. "And you're still kind of a brat."
"I'm cute. It balances out."
They both laughed — tired, soft, but real.
Kai sat back down and pulled the coat around both of them. The dripping water in the distance sounded almost peaceful now.
Lina leaned her head against his arm. She didn't say anything else. Her eyes slowly closed, one hand still holding onto his sleeve.
He looked at the tunnel ahead of them.
There was a long road waiting.
He didn't know where it led.
But he knew he'd walk it — with her beside him.
And whatever this power inside him was, whatever the system was meant to do…
He'd use it.
To protect her.
To rebuild something better.
One step at a time.