Jay Arkwell – Somewhere Between
Jay was not sure if he was asleep, dead, or stuck in one of the system's many half baked fail safes.
All he knew was that he was standing at the edge of a vast dreamscape. The Academy's simulation had long since degraded into static, yet something kept it from collapsing entirely. A single thread golden and pulsing stretched into the distance like a lifeline stitched into broken fabric.
He had not moved for what felt like hours. Or minutes. Or maybe years.
Time was weird here.
System, you got anything?
[ERROR: No anchor found]
[Autonomous Thought Drive engaged]
[Query: "Why are you still standing?"]
Jay sighed. "Even your sarcasm feels recycled."
He stepped forward—and the world rippled. The moment his boot touched the golden thread, he felt it.
Rei.
Jay did not hear his voice, but the memory of it surged into his mind like a recording encoded in instinct. He felt pain. Doubt. Fear. And, hidden beneath, resolve.
Jay clutched his head.
