The sterile scent of disinfectant hovered in the air as soft beeps pulsed rhythmically around him. Kairo Vale stirred, eyes fluttering under heavy lids before cracking open to the world.
White light. Blurred ceiling. Stiff sheets.
"You're awake," came a voice.
It wasn't a nurse. It was warmer, more familiar. Kairo turned his head slowly, pain blooming at the base of his skull.
Seated beside the bed, arms crossed and eyes sharp with worry, was his older sister, Elira. Her dark hair was pulled into a loose braid, and her work blouse was crumpled from a long night spent in the hospital chair.
"Hey," Kairo croaked. His throat felt like sandpaper.
Elira stood, stepping closer, her face softening. "Took your sweet time. They said you've been out for over a day. I took today off. Figured if you were gonna pull something like this, I should be here to see it."
He gave a weak smile. "Lucky me."
She handed him a cup of water. "No kidding. You could've died, Kai. What the hell happened?"
Kairo leaned back, letting the cool water ease his throat. "There was an accident. Not mine. I was watching, and… I guess I got too close. Slipped. Hit my head."
Elira sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. "Curiosity's going to kill you one day."
He smirked faintly. "Apparently not today."
The machines beeped gently. Outside the hospital window, gray clouds loomed but hadn't yet broken. The city was still moving.
Kairo didn't feel different, at least not physically. He hurt, sure—but that was expected. The doctors said he'd had a mild concussion, bruised ribs, nothing too serious. Nothing... abnormal.
But there was a pulse inside him. A quiet thrum that hadn't been there before.
Elira sat again, leaning her elbows on her knees. "They said the guy you were near didn't make it."
Kairo turned his head slightly. "Yeah?"
"He coded shortly after getting here. Some tech guy, apparently. Had weird stuff in his pockets. They've locked down his belongings. Probably corporate."
Kairo didn't reply. His eyes lingered on Elira.
Then it happened.
For a fleeting second, above her head—just above her brow—numbers shimmered into existence. Light, translucent, like a hologram on the edge of vision. 87.2%
And beneath that… tiny threads of blue water drifted around her shoulders, curling and unwinding in the air like tendrils of steam.
Kairo blinked.
Gone.
His heart jumped.
"Kai?" Elira frowned. "You okay? You look like you saw something."
He hesitated, his lips parting, then closing again. "Just lightheaded. Maybe the drugs."
She gave him a long look. "Want me to call the nurse?"
"No, it's fine," he said quickly. "Just tired."
The rest of the morning passed in quiet conversation. Elira updated him on life—work, bills, their parents. She had always been the one who held the family's reins while he wandered mentally into shadows and questions.
Eventually, a nurse came with his discharge papers. His medical bills had been partially covered due to his minimal insurance, and the rest would be handled later. He was free to go.
"You sure you can manage?" Elira asked as they stepped outside into the damp afternoon air.
Kairo nodded. "I'll be fine."
She squeezed his shoulder. "I'll check on you later. Text me."
He promised he would.
The walk back to his apartment was slow. He moved cautiously, not because of pain—but because his senses felt off. Heightened. Sounds seemed sharper. People's voices echoed in strange frequencies.
At the street corner, he paused. A man brushed past him, and for a second, Kairo saw green numbers over the man's head—41.5%—and threads of gray static hanging from his chest.
Kairo looked around. No one else reacted.
He was seeing things. But not hallucinations.
Data.
Emotion. State. Connection?
By the time he reached his apartment, he was drenched in a light rain. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, heart pounding.
Something had changed.
Not just in his body.
In how he saw the world.
And whatever it was—it had only just begun.