The morning sun filtered through the dusty blinds of Eli's apartment. Mira sat curled on the worn-out couch, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes scanning the sparse room like it might vanish if she blinked.
Eli was pacing.
Last night hadn't been a nightmare. The burn on his palm still throbbed. The numbers still hovered faintly in the edge of his vision.
19:03:57
Two lives to change. The deadline was ticking.
But what disturbed him most was the encounter—those glowing eyes, the certainty in their voices, the casual way they had identified him.
He wasn't crazy. This was real.
The system had rules, and someone else out there knew how to play the game.
"Who were they?" Mira asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know," Eli admitted. "But they knew me. Knew this thing inside me."
Mira sat up, her voice quieter now. "And what is that thing?"
Eli opened his mouth, then closed it. What could he say?
"It's... some kind of system. It talks to me. Gives me objectives."
Mira blinked. "Like a video game?"
He shrugged. "More like a survival test."
"And what happens if you fail?"
Eli's silence was answer enough.
She didn't press further.
Instead, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook. It was battered and torn at the edges.
"This was my brother's," she said, placing it on the table. "He kept track of... things. Things that didn't make sense. He was obsessed with patterns. Disappearances. Unsolved cases. He died last year."
Eli looked down at the journal. Handwriting scrawled across the pages, symbols he didn't recognize, references to "void points," "false awakenings," and something called "The Reclamation."
"Why are you showing me this?" he asked.
"Because I think he knew about this stuff," Mira whispered. "And because if you're caught in something dangerous... maybe we both are."
> Quest Item Received: Journal of the Lost Pattern Seeker
Clue Added: Reclamation Event (Unconfirmed)
Eli frowned. "This could be important."
Before she could respond, a new notification appeared before his eyes:
> Influence Chain Progress: 2nd Target Identified – Jericho Lang
Profile: Male, 34. Ex-Army. Unstable. Subject to explosive emotional triggers. Time-sensitive.
Location: Southport Shelter, Sector 9.
Probability of Change: 14%
"Another name," Eli muttered.
Mira leaned forward. "What now?"
"I have to find him," Eli said. "This man. Jericho."
Mira hesitated. "You can't go alone. What if they show up again?"
"I have no choice," Eli said. "The system—it's pushing me. I don't think it lets you stall."
She bit her lip, then stood. "Then I'm going with you."
Eli gave her a look. "Mira—"
"You saved me. If I can help you now, even if it's just being another pair of eyes... I'm coming."
Eli exhaled slowly. The system didn't object, and he figured that was enough permission.
They packed lightly. Mira scribbled something in her brother's notebook before tucking it back in her coat.
By mid-afternoon, they were on a train heading toward the outer district. Southport was a forgotten corner of the city—industrial, decaying, filled with people society had tried to erase.
As the city blurred past, Mira asked, "Do you think you were chosen for a reason?"
Eli stared out the window. "I used to think life was random. But now... I'm not sure. Maybe I did something. Or maybe I didn't do enough."
Mira looked down. "That's how I felt when my brother died. Like I could've done more."
Their eyes met for a moment—two strangers drawn together by loss, held now by something bigger than themselves.
The train jerked to a stop.
Southport.
As they stepped off the platform, a gust of cold air slapped them in the face. The streets were quiet, the buildings worn and cracked. A sense of unease settled over everything.
Eli's system flared up again:
> Target Proximity Detected: 400 meters
Warning: Hostile psychological profile – high risk of violence
Engage with caution
Eli swallowed hard.
This wasn't just a rescue mission.
This was going to test him.
"Let's find him," he muttered, and they began walking toward whatever waited at the edge of the system's reach.