Location: Fragmented Memory Thread – Jay's Inner System Space
Perspective: Jay Arkwell
The corridor had faded behind him, but the silence remained—pressing against his ears like deep water. Jay stood inside what looked like an old study, its shelves overfilled with books that had no titles and clocks that ticked in reverse.
He didn't remember walking here.
Or maybe he never left.
Floating above a cracked glass desk was a smaller, pulsing window of code. The System's voice had gone quiet, but fragments of it still responded to his pulse—like an echo, rather than a guide.
> [EMOTIONAL ANCHOR: DISRUPTED]
[INTERNAL DIALOGUE MODE ENGAGED]
--Processing Thought Divergence--
Jay leaned against the desk, running a hand through his messy hair. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't thinking about what to do next. He was thinking about what had already been done.
Jay's Thoughts:
> "They say the truth sets you free.
But what if it was built to keep you obedient?
