Somewhere between code and coma, he woke up.
His first breath wasn’t through lungs.
It passed through a filter of programming, prophecy, and protocols written before he ever had a name.
[Memory Sector: Partial]
[Core Directive: Stabilize Reality – Eliminate the Glitch]
[Hostility Level: Dormant]
[Emotion Module: Uninstalled]
The boy opened his eyes.
There was no color in them. Just a flat shade of gray, like an overcast sky deciding whether or not to cry.
He sat up in the pod slowly, with all the awareness of someone waking not from sleep—but from purpose.
Vija Magical Academy — Morning
It was a full-bodied yawn. The kind of yawn that made birds hesitate midflight. His back popped like a threat to the laws of posture.
Alicia, walking beside him through the courtyard, rolled her eyes.
"You slept through the emergency faculty meeting again."
"I told them to email me the summary," Jay mumbled.
"We don’t have email."
"Exactly. Problem solved."
As they approached Class 1-S’s hall, a crowd had gathered. Not around a fight. Not around magic.
But around a new student.
"Whoa... he’s kinda pretty."
"No, his eyes just look like... mirrors."
Jay, still half-asleep, peeked through the gaps in the crowd.
Rei stood there, wearing the same uniform—but perfectly ironed, with a crest none of them recognized. He wasn’t looking at anyone. Not scanning. Not searching.
Breathing like a machine would, if it knew how to fake being human.
"Which one of you is Jay Sama?"
"I think you’ve got the wrong guy," he said, already turning away.
But Rei’s voice followed. Not angry. Not threatening.
"You are the anomaly. You are not meant to exist."
Jay sighed. "Oh no. Another one."
> [System Alert: DREAMER-001 has entered your proximity.]
[Warning: Hostile Protocol Signature Detected — Reboot in 12 hours.]
> [Optional Quest: Survive your first lunch with a bio-programmed assassin.]
Jay looked at Alicia. "So... cafeteria?"
She nodded nervously.
Jay sat under his usual shade spot, poking at the rice in his bento.
Rei sat across from him, watching like a hawk being forced to attend etiquette class. His hands didn’t move. He didn’t blink.
Jay, however, chewed loudly on a fried dumpling and made a point of slouching.
"Are you gonna keep staring until I explode or something?"
"You are an anomaly," Rei said again. "You exist beyond the logic threads. You must be neutralized."
"Cool," Jay replied, "but do you want a dumpling?"
Then, almost reluctantly... he reached out. Took one. Bit into it.
A flicker. The tiniest spark of confusion.
Jay smirked. "See? That’s flavor. Welcome to not-being-a-robot."
Rei stood up suddenly. His hand glitched.
> [System Error: Emotional Reaction Detected. Emotion Module was never installed.]
[Potential Contamination: Interaction with Subject-03 "Jay Sama."]
He looked down at Jay, who was now lying flat, lunchbox on his chest.
"You... are a danger to everything."
Jay replied without opening his eyes.
"I know. I’m dangerously close to napping."
> [Dreamer Protocol: Observational Phase complete. Termination Countdown — Active.]
T-minus 11 hours, 58 minutes.
And Jay... still hadn’t finished his lunch.