The safehouse lights dimmed automatically.
Soft blue neon traced the edges of the room, low enough not to hurt the eyes. Outside, the snowstorm howled against reinforced glass, but inside, everything was still.
Too still.
Elaris didn't even remove her coat.
She fell onto the bed like her body had finally given up the fight. The VR band slid off her wrist, clinking softly against the metal frame. Her breathing was uneven at first—short, sharp—but slowly, it began to settle.
Above her, the ceiling displayed a faint moving pattern of stars. Artificial. Calming.
Her implants hummed.
A quiet vibration, deep inside her skull.
System Log:Neural stress levels high.Adrenaline residue detected.Entering recovery mode.
She closed her eyes.
Darkness came easily.
Too easily.
At first, sleep felt normal.
Heavy. Warm. Safe.
Her thoughts drifted—broken images of crimson petals, silver light, snow melting on metal skin. The VR garden replayed itself softly in her mind, like a memory her brain was borrowing.
She exhaled.
Then—
A sharp pulse.
Her implants flickered.
Warning: External signal fluctuation detected.Source: Unknown.Strength: Low.Threat level: Minimal.
Elaris shifted slightly in her sleep.
Her fingers twitched.
The warning faded.
Silence returned.
But deep inside the system… something stayed awake.
In the control room, far below the safehouse, Xyren stood alone.
Data streamed across the walls, reflected in his cybernetic eye. His posture was relaxed—but his focus was razor-sharp.
He frowned.
"That shouldn't be there," he muttered.
A faint red line blinked on the display. Barely visible. Like a heartbeat hiding between others.
He zoomed in.
The signal wasn't forcing entry.
It was waiting.
"Clever," Xyren said quietly.
He activated another layer of security.
Firewall Upgrade: ActiveDream-state monitoring enabled.
Still, unease settled in his chest—an emotion he hadn't been programmed to feel.
Back in the bed, Elaris' dream began to shift.
The stars above her dimmed.
The warmth thinned.
She stood now—not in the safehouse—but in the VR garden again.
Crimson flowers.Silver trees.Soft wind.
"Xyren?" she called.
No answer.
The music was gone.
She took a step forward.
The ground cracked beneath her boots.
Thin red lines spread through the grass like veins.
Her breath caught.
"This isn't—"
A sound echoed behind her.
Slow. Measured. Familiar.
Footsteps.
She turned.
At the edge of the garden stood a door.
Old wood. Out of place. Its surface glitched faintly, bleeding red code into the air.
Her implants pulsed.
Alert: Dream integrity compromised.Disconnection recommended.
She reached for the exit command.
Nothing happened.
The door creaked open.
Cold air rushed in.
And then—
He stepped through.
Kael.
His coat moved as if touched by invisible wind. Snow clung to his shoulders. His eyes locked onto hers, sharp and unreadable.
"You're not supposed to be here," Elaris said, backing away.
He smiled—not cruel, not kind.
Honest.
"Neither are you," he replied.
The garden around them flickered. Petals froze mid-air. Trees distorted, stretching unnaturally.
"This is a protected space," she said."Xyren—"
"—built walls," Kael finished softly."But walls always have cracks."
He took a step closer.
Her body reacted before her mind could—heart racing, pulse spiking.
Warning: Emotional response detected.
"You hacked my dream," she accused.
"No," Kael said."I followed an invitation."
She shook her head. "I didn't invite you."
He looked at her then—really looked.
"You did," he said quietly."The moment you started wondering why I didn't kill you."
The words hit harder than any weapon.
The garden shattered.
Flowers dissolved into static. The sky split into jagged lines of code. White noise screamed through the air.
Elaris staggered.
"Disconnect!" she shouted.
Nothing.
Kael reached out—not to touch her, but to the space beside her. Data bent around his hand.
"You think Xyren tells you everything?" he asked."You think your twin is only protecting you?"
A voice cut through the chaos.
"ELARIS. PULL BACK. NOW."
Xyren.
Urgent. Sharp. Real.
She turned toward the sound.
Kael's voice followed her, calm and dangerous.
"Stay," he said."And I'll tell you why he was created before you… and why you were never meant to survive."
The ground split between them.
Two forces pulled at her mind.
Xyren's command.Kael's promise.
And somewhere beyond the broken dream, something else stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
Unknown Entity Detected.Origin: Unclassified.Status: Observing.
Elaris screamed—
And the dream collapsed.