I woke up already sensing something off.
My shadow lagged.
Not a harmless 0.1-second delay—a quarter-second tear,edges dragging like they were being pulled apart before snapping back.
The Source point in my chest hummed.Patch stared at it like he could see something I couldn't.
He probably could.
UFO Park was wrong again today.
Colors slightly washed out.Air pressure subtly lower.The kind of wrong you don't notice unless it's your fifth day in a row.
A sharp cry.
A mother slipped.An infected rose from the grass—skin warped like corrupted data.
I grabbed the mother and child.Claws carved a line across my arm,but I held my ground.
Then—
"Move!"
Emilia arrived like a drop of cold metal.Her blade cut the infected clean.
The distortion receded.
Her gaze moved to my wound.Then to my chest.Then back to my face.
Not fear.Not concern.
Assessment.
"A normal person would already be collapsing.Your readings are… different."
She took a slow breath.
"We received a signal.An awakened individual appeared in this area today."
Silence.
"It's coming from right next to me."
My chest tightened.
Her voice lowered.
"Jeff…
Are you sure you're just a normal human?"
ARC Monitoring Room.
Silver-frame glasses reflected two names:
B-87 (Awakened)B-39 (Unclassified)
"Two signatures. Same park."
He tapped the screen.
"Deploy an additional observer.No interference. Maintain distance."
A faint hum.
"B-39…you're becoming interesting."