Kael stared at the screen, his defiant message hanging in the digital void like a challenge thrown into a storm. **"READY FOR WAR, NYXNULL. THIS GHOST DOESN'T FADE."** The words glared back at him, bold and unyielding, but his hands trembled slightly as he hit enter. His room felt smaller suddenly, the orange lamp casting long, jittery shadows on the walls. Rain drummed harder outside, a relentless patter that matched the pounding in his chest.
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms—a habit he'd picked up in his original timeline during late-night coding marathons. It didn't help much; his vision blurred from staring too long, and a dull ache throbbed behind his forehead. "What now?" he muttered to himself, voice cracking a bit from exhaustion. The clock on his desk read 2:17 AM. He should sleep. He knew he should. But how could he, with that message burning in his mind?
*"Incoming response detected,"* ECHO's voice cut in, steady but urgent. *"NyxNull is engaging. Tracing... multiple vectors inbound. Defensive protocols recommended."*
Kael bolted upright, heart skipping. No time for second thoughts. His fingers flew across the keyboard, but he mistyped the first command—**fiewall activate** instead of **firewall activate**. "Crap," he hissed, backspacing frantically. Flawed fingers, flawed focus. This wasn't like the simulations in his head; real life had lag, typos, and that nagging itch from his braces scraping his lip.
The screen flickered as lines of code assaulted his system—NyxNull's counterattack, probing his newly deployed QuantumFirewall like a thief testing locks. Kael's mind raced, pulling from memories of 2049 cyber-wars he'd studied obsessively. She was good, whoever she was—mirroring his encryption patterns, slipping through tiny gaps like water through cracks. But he had the edge: future knowledge.
"ECHO, reroute through the secondary proxy chain. Flood her with dummy packets—make it look like a DDoS from a dozen nodes."
*"Executing. Dummy traffic initiated. Her response time is 1.2 seconds—faster than anticipated. Probability of AI assistance: 68%."*
Kael's leg bounced under the desk, a nervous tic he couldn't shake. Guilt flickered in his thoughts—why did this feel personal? NyxNull, or Lyra Voss, as ECHO had identified her. In his original timeline, she'd been a legend, a hacker who disrupted corporate giants but vanished mysteriously in 2025. Had he crossed paths with her before? Curiosity gnawed at him, mixed with a strange recognition, like seeing an old rival in a new light. But guilt twisted it too—if she was like him, pulled from some fractured future, was he fighting an ally? Or was she the one who'd unravel everything he was trying to save?
No time for doubts. The screen lit up with alerts—NyxNull was pushing back, injecting malware that tried to hijack his mining script. Kael countered with a custom virus he'd designed on the fly, using ECHO's processing to embed it in a fake wallet transfer. "Come on, bite," he whispered, watching the bait dangle.
She did. Her system latched on, pulling the infected packet into her network. Kael's code activated silently, a digital venom spreading through her relays. He could almost picture her—wherever she was—scrambling as her proxies crumbled one by one.
*"Intrusion successful. Her primary node is compromised. Shutting down access... now."*
The response came almost immediately: a final message flashing on his screen before her connection severed.
**"Impressive, Architect. But wars aren't won in one night."**
Then, nothing. Silence from her end. Kael's firewall held firm, logs showing her retreat. He'd won—this round, at least. But victory felt hollow, laced with that nagging curiosity. Who was she really? A foe from his past, or something more? The guilt lingered—if he'd just destroyed an ally's setup, what did that make him?
Exhaustion crashed over him like a wave. His eyes burned, and he slumped forward, head hitting the desk with a soft thud. "Just... a minute," he mumbled, the room spinning as sleep dragged him under.
***
Kael jolted awake to the sound of his alarm blaring—7:15 AM, school time. Sunlight pierced through the blinds, stabbing his eyes. He groaned, rubbing his neck where it had kinked from sleeping at the desk. Papers were scattered everywhere, his notebook open to a page of half-finished sketches. The events of last night flooded back: the hack, the win, NyxNull's parting shot. He'd defeated her—or at least pushed her back—but the adrenaline hangover left him groggy, like he'd run a marathon in his sleep.
"Shut up," he grumbled at the alarm, fumbling to turn it off. His phone slipped off the desk, clattering to the floor. Typical. He bent down to grab it, wincing as his back protested. Mornings like this made him miss his adult body—no more endless all-nighters without consequences.
Downstairs, the kitchen smelled like burnt toast and fresh coffee. Aunt Amelia was at the stove, flipping eggs with one hand while holding her phone with the other. Danny was already at the table, shoveling cereal into his mouth like it was a race.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Amelia said, glancing over with a warm but tired smile. "Rough night? You look like you wrestled a bear."
Kael forced a chuckle, sliding into his seat. "Just... homework. Stayed up too late."
Danny piped up, milk dripping from his chin. "Homework? Or more of your spy stuff? You were mumbling about 'firewalls' in your sleep again."
Kael shot him a warning look, but inside, his stomach twisted. Danny was too perceptive for his own good. "It's nothing. Eat your cereal."
Amelia's phone rang suddenly, shattering the morning calm. She answered it, her face shifting from relaxed to concerned. "Hello? Yes, this is Amelia Draven... Oh, Principal Harris. What's this about?"
Kael froze, fork halfway to his mouth. He could hear the muffled voice on the other end—formal, apologetic. Amelia's expression darkened as she listened, nodding slowly.
"I understand... No, I thought we had more time... Yes, I'll discuss it with him. Thank you." She hung up, setting the phone down with a sigh. "Kael, that was the school. They say we're behind on tuition payments. If we don't catch up by the end of the week, they'll have to... well, you might need to switch schools."
Danny's eyes widened. "What? But Kael likes it there! He's got all his computer stuff!"
Amelia ruffled Danny's hair, trying to keep things light. "We'll figure it out. Money's been tight since the layoff, but I'll pick up extra shifts. Don't worry, boys."
Kael set his fork down, appetite gone. The words hit him like a gut punch, dragging up memories he'd buried deep. In his original timeline, this exact moment had played out. He'd begged Aunt Amelia not to make him switch schools—his friends, the lab, the routine—it was all he had after his parents' accident. She'd scraped together the money, working double shifts at the diner, pushing herself until her health crumbled. And she died because of Heart Attack in 2013. Gone too soon, leaving him and Danny shattered.
He'd always blamed himself. If he hadn't been so stubborn, so scared of change, maybe she'd have lived. The guilt had fueled his isolation, driving him into the labs where he built ECHO, only to meet his own end.
But now? This life was different. He wasn't that scared kid anymore. Bitcoin mining didn't need this fancy private school—any old PC would do, and public schools had libraries, after all. No fees, or at least nothing that would drain Amelia like before. Why fight it? Staying meant risking her health again, repeating the same tragic loop. Changing schools... it was a small price for keeping her safe. A fresh start, maybe even a way to lay lower while he built his empire from the shadows.
"You know what?" Kael said, forcing a casual tone. "It's okay. I can switch. Public school's fine—no big deal."
Amelia blinked, surprised. "Really? You're sure? I know you like the computer lab there..."
"Yeah, but... it's not worth stressing you out. We'll make it work." He met her eyes, hoping she saw the sincerity.
Inside, his thoughts raced. *The old school's lab is already rigged for mining—scripts running on those PCs, hidden in the background processes. No one's touching them without my remote access. I'll still pull in Bitcoin, steady as ever, even from a new school. This change... it's not a loss. It's a win. Keeps Aunt Amelia safe, lets me fly under the radar. Forced good, yeah. Fate's handing me camouflage.*
Danny pouted. "But what about your spy club with the computers?"
Kael ruffled his hair. "Spy club moves with me, squirt. Don't worry."
Amelia smiled, relieved. "Alright. We'll get the paperwork started today after school."
***
The next afternoon, after a quick lunch of leftovers that tasted like cardboard (he was still jittery from the hack), Kael and Amelia headed to the local public school—Jefferson High, a sprawling brick building with faded murals and kids milling around like ants on a hill. The air smelled like wet grass and distant cafeteria food, a far cry from the polished halls of his old school.
Amelia handled the paperwork in the office, chatting with the receptionist about transfer forms and bus routes. Kael waited in the hallway, fidgeting with his hoodie string again—twist, untwist, twist. The place felt chaotic, alive in a way his old school wasn't. Kids laughed, shouted, slammed lockers. No uniforms, just jeans and backpacks everywhere.
A girl walked by, backpack slung over one shoulder, earbuds dangling from her pocket. She had striking features—dark hair tied back messily, sharp eyes that scanned the hall like she was mapping it out. She paused near him, glancing at the office door.
"New here?" she asked casually, popping a piece of gum into her mouth.
Kael blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah. Transferring in. You?"
She shrugged, blowing a small bubble. "Been here a while. It's not bad—teachers are okay, as long as you don't tick 'em off. Name's Elara Kane. You?"
"Kael." He extended a hand awkwardly, then pulled it back when she just nodded. "Cool. Any tips for a newbie?"
Elara grinned, leaning against the wall. "Stick to the back stairs if you're late—fewer hall monitors. And the computer lab's open after hours if you're into that stuff."
Kael's interest piqued, but he played it cool. "Computers? Yeah, I dabble."
She laughed lightly. "Dabble? You look like the type who lives in code. Anyway, see ya around. Good luck with the transfer."
She waved and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. Kael watched her go, a strange feeling tugging at him—familiarity? Nah, probably just nerves. New school, new faces. That's all.
Little did he know, the new school will be going to give him so much trouble.