The simulation was quiet. Not broken. Not whole. Just quiet.
Jay stood atop the spiraling tower—a structure that hadn't existed before the reset. Not in the simulation, and definitely not in the real academy. It wasn't supposed to be here, but that was the problem. Everything that wasn't supposed to be here… was.
He stared out across the fractured skyline, where digital constellations blinked in and out, loading errors shimmering like dying stars. The world wasn't collapsing anymore. It was rewriting. Stitching together. But not from the original blueprint.
From them.
"Is this still the dream world?" Jay asked aloud, though he wasn't sure if he expected an answer.
Rei appeared beside him, emerging like a mist dispersing into shape. He looked different: older somehow. Or maybe wiser. There was weight in his eyes now, not just the burden of memory, but of choice.
"It's... something new," Rei replied. "Not the simulation. Not reality. Maybe a bridge. Maybe a trap."
