The next morning, Axton's system buzzed the moment he woke up.
[Rift Residue Detected in Aura]
Status Effect: Dimensional Mark (Dormant)
Effect: You are now traceable by entities attuned to interdimensional signatures.
Advised Action: Proceed with caution. Avoid prolonged exposure to anomalous areas.
Traceable.
He clenched his fist. Whatever reached out through the Rift last night knew him — or worse, remembered him. And if something could reach through once, it could do so again.
That day, he couldn't focus in class. The fluorescent lights, the crowded halls, the scent of floor polish and cafeteria ramen — all blurred into noise. Only two things stood out:
1. Rei was watching him — more intently than usual.
2. The System hadn't given him a new quest.
Until after school.
---
He found Kenji waiting outside the gates, holding up his phone like a scanner.
"Hey, Axton? You ever feel like something's off about this school?"
Axton blinked. "Define 'off.'"
Kenji lowered his voice. "Weird electromagnetic pulses. Strange fluctuations in radio signals. Even my phone's compass wigged out near the old science lab. And last night... I saw light coming from inside it."
[Warning: Kenji is nearing awareness of dimensional activity.]
[Optional Objective: Recruit an Ally or Divert Attention]
Axton made a split-second choice.
"You're not wrong," he said. "But it's dangerous. Don't poke around alone."
Kenji stared. Then... nodded.
"Okay," he said. "Then don't go in alone either."
[Relationship Updated: Kenji – Loyal | Tag: Potential Party Member]
[New Feature Unlocked: Party System – Rank F]
You may now form a small party (max 3 members) to share vision, minor stats, and quest data.
Later, as they walked toward the shelter district, Rei caught up with them.
"Let me guess," she said. "You two idiots are ghost hunting now?"
Axton paused. "Would you believe me if I said... something worse?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Try me."
And then the System dinged:
[Choice Event Triggered: Form Your First Party?]
[Yes – Trust Them]
[No – Stay Alone]
[Partial – Tell One, Hide from the Other]
Warning: This will affect future loyalty and trust paths.
Axton hovered his hand over the option.
He'd survived the collapse of a kingdom, the death of magic, and the fall through worlds.
But now, he faced the hardest trial yet:
Trusting others.
And behind them, in a shadowed alley, a faint shimmer pulsed — unnoticed.
Something had crossed through. And it wasn't friendly.