Kai woke to warmth.
Not from the sun. From the goblins. They had huddled around him during the night, pressing against his sides, his legs, his back. Their small bodies radiated heat like embers from a fire.
He lay still for a moment, watching them. Twelve small creatures, green skin, twitching ears, yellow eyes closed. They trusted him. They had chosen him.
"You slept for six hours," Red announced. "Your body has recovered approximately 40% of its optimal function. Will Resonance levels remain depleted. Threat Detection is active at 60% efficiency."
Kai sat up slowly. The goblins stirred but didn't wake. He looked at the warehouse around them—the cracked walls, the rusted beams, the holes in the roof where morning light filtered through.
"This structure is compromised," Red said. "It will provide shelter for now, but long-term habitation is not recommended."
"It is a start," Blue countered. "A home does not need to be perfect. It only needs to be safe."
Kai stood. His legs ached. His head throbbed. But he was alive.
"Let's see what we have," he said.
The goblins woke as he moved. They chirped and scrambled after him, a wave of green limbs and curious eyes. Tik led the pack—the small one who had shared food, who had been brave first. He stayed closest to Kai's heels, watching everything.
"Tik has taken responsibility for your safety," Blue observed. "It sees itself as your guardian now."
Kai looked down at the little goblin. Tik looked up, yellow eyes bright, and chirped.
"Guardian," Kai repeated. "I like that."
They explored the city as the sun rose.
Shinra City was a graveyard of concrete and steel. Buildings leaned against each other like tired old men. Streets were choked with rubble and rusted vehicles. The wind carried ash and silence through empty windows.
But not all of it was dead.
"Structural analysis complete," Red said. "Approximately 30% of the buildings remain sound. Suitable for shelter. Storage. Defense."
Kai walked through the ruins, the goblins fanning out around him. They knew this place. They showed him the safe paths, the places where water pooled, the spots where scavenged food could be found.
"They have been surviving here for a long time," Blue said. "They know every stone. Every shadow. Every hiding place."
Kai watched them move. Quick. Quiet. Coordinated. They weren't strong. They weren't warriors. But they were survivors.
And they had chosen him.
They stopped at what used to be a market. The roof had collapsed, but the lower level was intact. Piles of scavenged goods—rusted tools, broken electronics, scraps of fabric—were stacked in corners.
The goblins gathered around Kai, waiting.
"They are looking to you," Red said. "They have chosen you as their leader. Now they wait to see what kind of leader you will be."
Kai looked at the twelve small faces. Scared. Hungry. Hopeful.
He needed to give them something. Not just protection. Something more.
"There is a way," Blue said quietly. "The Neuro-Sync Protocol."
Kai's brow furrowed. "What?"
"GROX can establish cognitive links with compatible beings. A connection. A bond. They would gain access to your processing power. You would gain access to their senses. Their loyalty. Their potential."
Kai's heart quickened. "Like... like what AZRAX said? Will Resonance?"
"Different. Will Resonance projects your will outward. This... this is a bridge. A connection. It allows you to share what you have. To elevate them."
"There is a cost," Red cut in. "Cognitive Load. Your brain has limited bandwidth. Every Sync consumes a portion of it. Too many, and you risk degradation. Memory loss. Hallucinations. Psychosis."
Kai's hands clenched.
"What's my capacity?"
"Your Cognitive Load capacity is 100 points. Each Sync costs between 5 and 25 Load, depending on the subordinate's cognitive complexity."
"And the goblins?"
"Analysis in progress."
A pause. Data scrolled behind his eyes.
"Goblin species. Cognitive complexity: Low. Estimated Sync cost: 5 Load per individual."
Kai did the math fast. Twelve goblins. Sixty Load. He would still have forty left. Functional. But compromised.
"The drone," he said. "The fragments. If they come, I need to be sharp."
"Yes."
"You do not have to Sync all of them," Blue said. "Start with one. See how it feels. See if the cost is worth the gain."
Kai looked at the goblins. At Tik, who had been brave first.
"One," he said. "Just one."
He knelt in front of Tik.
The little goblin tilted its head, yellow eyes curious. The others watched from a distance, silent.
"GROX, initiate Neuro-Sync Protocol," Kai said.
"Initiating. Target: Goblin. Designation: Tik."
A warmth spread through Kai's skull. Behind his eyes, something shifted. A thread of light stretched from his mind to Tik's—thin, fragile, like a spider's silk in wind.
"Sync established. Cognitive Load: +5. Current Load: 5/100."
Kai gasped.
It was like a door opening in his head. He could feel Tik. Not thoughts. Not words. Something deeper. Emotions. Fear. Trust. Hunger. And something else—a spark. Something waiting to grow.
Tik shuddered. Its eyes glowed faintly—just for a moment—then faded. It looked at its hands. At the other goblins. At Kai.
Then it chirped. Loud. Excited.
It jumped up and down, ran in circles, pointed at itself, pointed at Kai. The other goblins stared, confused.
"What happened?" Kai asked.
"The Sync has elevated Tik's cognitive functions. Its intelligence, reaction time, and problem-solving ability have increased. It is still a goblin. But it is... more."
Kai watched Tik run to the other goblins, chirping wildly. They gathered around, touching Tik, sniffing it, trying to understand what had changed.
"It understands now," Blue said softly. "Not just your words. Your intent. Your bond. It knows you chose it. And it knows what that means."
Kai felt the thread between them. Thin. But there. He closed his eyes and reached through it.
Tik.
The goblin froze. Its head snapped toward Kai. Its eyes went wide.
Safe, Kai pushed through the thread. Together.
Tik's whole body trembled. Then it ran back to Kai, grabbed his hand, and pressed its forehead against his palm.
"The bond is established," Red said. "Tik is now part of your network. Its cognitive capacity has expanded. Its loyalty is absolute."
"And the cost?" Kai asked.
"Manageable. But each new Sync will add to your Load. Choose wisely."
Kai looked at the other goblins. Eleven pairs of yellow eyes watched him, waiting.
"Not yet," he said. "One at a time."
Tik chirped in agreement, still pressed against his hand.
"Now," Blue said. "You have a home. You have allies. You have a network. What is your plan?"
Kai stood, Tik at his heels. He looked at the ruined city, the broken streets, the skeletons of buildings that had once been his home.
"First," he said. "We make this place safe. Food. Water. Shelter. Defenses."
He looked at the goblins. At their small, fragile bodies. At their bright, hopeful eyes.
"Second, we grow. Not just numbers. Strength. Intelligence. Skill. I can't protect you if I'm weak. And you can't protect yourselves if you stay the way you are."
"The Neuro-Sync will help," Blue said. "Each Sync expands your network. Each Synced subordinate adds their idle processing power to your own. You gain their senses. Their skills. Their strength."
"And you risk your mind," Red added. "Too many Syncs, and you risk Synth-Psychosis. Hallucinations. Fragmentation. Collapse."
Kai touched his temple. The thread to Tik pulsed softly.
"What's the limit?"
"Unknown. Each mind is different. But when you reach 70% Load, you will feel it. Slower reactions. Memory lapses. Difficulty focusing. At 90%..."
"I know. You told me."
He looked at the city. At the walls that still stood. At the creatures that had chosen him.
"What about the fragments? The ones Mira warned me about. They're still out there."
"They are. And they will come. But now you have something you did not have before."
"What?"
"A network. A home. A purpose."
Kai was quiet for a long moment.
"Third," he said. "We find out what happened here. The Collapse. My family. The experiment. The ones who sent me."
He thought about the data drive he had found in his family's shop. Still hidden in his pocket. Waiting.
"And fourth?" Blue asked.
Kai looked at the sky. At the horizon where the Bleed waited. Where AZRAX waited.
"Fourth, we go to the Bleed. We free AZRAX. And we find out what's really coming."
The goblins gathered around him as the sun climbed higher. Tik stayed at his side, the thread between them humming with quiet energy.
"Cognitive Load: 5/100," Red reported. "Will Resonance: 10% capacity. Threat Detection: Active. Neuro-Sync Network: 1 subordinate."
Kai looked at the twelve goblins. At the ruins of his home. At the walls that had stood for centuries.
"One Sync," he said. "One day. One step at a time."
He turned toward the heart of the city.
"Let's start building."