Eiliana had been reviewing Kyle's neural recordings since 3 a.m.**
There was something illogical about everything concerning him. His brainwaves were unstable, yet they showed no signs of classic psychological disturbance. Instead, they resembled dual signals—a consciousness speaking to itself, then denying its own existence.
She opened the frequency analysis interface and replayed a segment from his deep sleep session:
> *"...He… is not me… but he resembles me… and I remember I was him."*
The words had emerged from Kyle during his sleep—a hoarse voice, with no movement in his mouth or throat. The microphones had picked up nothing, but the neural sensors had captured them directly from his brainwaves.
She whispered to herself: *"It's as if his brain… is broadcasting into another dimension."*
❖
In the observation room, a humanoid robot stood in the corner—half-human, half-covered in sleek black armor. It hadn't moved for hours, yet it had recorded everything. On its forehead was a symbolic mark: **S-3 / Spectral Observer.**
One of the technicians asked:
*"Should we deactivate it? Its memory temperature has exceeded normal limits."*
The shift leader replied:
*"No. Let it observe. I want to know what the S-3 sees that we don't."*
❖
As for Kyle, he appeared to be asleep… but his mind was elsewhere.
He was walking through a deserted square. The ground was concrete, but the sky was starless black. In the distance, a rusted metal gate appeared. He approached it. Slowly, it opened, and a man in a gray coat emerged—his face… blurred. No features.
The man said:
*"Everything you see is not yours. But everything you hear… is from you."*
Then he vanished.
❖
Kyle woke up abruptly, sweat dripping from his forehead.
In the corner, the analyzer was flashing red, with words appearing on the screen:
> *"Shared consciousness activity detected."
"Perceptual Unit 0-N: Origin unknown."*
Kyle stood up, completely unaware if he was still dreaming.
Then, he heard the voice again. Soft… steady… too close:
*It has begun. Don't look back