The first thing I noticed—
Was the silence.
Not the dramatic kind.
Not the aftermath of destruction.
But the uncomfortable realization that something essential had been removed… and the world hadn't bothered to scream about it.
---
I hovered above the city, but gravity no longer acknowledged me properly. Wind passed through without resistance. Light bent slightly, unsure whether it should reflect off my form or ignore it entirely.
I was still here.
But the world was no longer sure who was here.
---
"…Mira?" I called.
There was a pause.
Longer than usual.
"…I'm here," she answered.
Her voice sounded… distant.
Filtered.
"…Why did you hesitate?" I asked.
"…Because," she replied carefully,
"your identifier didn't resolve immediately."
---
I frowned.
"…My what?"
---
> [System Diagnostic: ERROR]
— Primary Identifier: NOT FOUND
— Secondary Labels: Unstable
— Reference Name: ❌ INVALID
---
I stared at the floating error.
"…That's not funny."
Mira didn't respond immediately.
When she did, her tone was quiet.
"…Rei. Your name no longer exists as a fixed reference."
---
The words didn't hurt.
That scared me more than pain ever could.
"…Explain."
---
Authority Enforcer still floated in the sky—motionless, broken in a way machines weren't supposed to be. Its chains trembled occasionally, reacting to something they couldn't define.
The unknown entity was gone.
Not retreating.
Avoiding.
---
"…During Absolute Erasure," Mira said slowly,
"they didn't just target your form."
"They targeted the concept that allowed the universe to agree on who you are."
---
I looked down at my hands.
They flickered—sometimes solid, sometimes suggestion.
"…So what am I now?"
Mira hesitated.
"…You are a presence without a stable label."
"…A ghost without a name," I muttered.
---
Below, the city resumed its rhythm.
Cars moved.
People talked.
Life continued.
---
And yet—
Something felt wrong.
---
A man exited a convenience store, then stopped abruptly.
"…Huh?" he muttered, looking around.
He rubbed his arm, unsettled.
"…Why do I feel like someone just walked over my grave?"
---
> [System Observation: Civilian — Perceptual Discomfort Detected]
I drifted closer.
The closer I got—
The more uncomfortable people became.
---
A couple argued suddenly for no reason.
A child started crying, pointing at empty air.
A dog barked furiously at nothing.
---
"…Mira," I whispered.
"Yes?"
"…Am I hurting them just by existing?"
She didn't answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
---
> [System Warning: Undefined Phenomenon — Passive Psychological Distortion Detected]
"…This isn't chaos," I said quietly.
"…It's absence."
---
The system tried to categorize me.
Tried to assign values.
Failed.
Again and again.
---
> [System Log:]
Attempting Classification…
Attempt Failed.
Reason: Subject lacks narrative anchor.
---
"…Narrative anchor?" I echoed.
Mira sounded strained.
"In simple terms… the world doesn't know how to place you in its story."
---
I laughed softly.
"…Guess I really don't belong anywhere."
---
Suddenly—
A sharp pain lanced through my perception.
Not from an attack.
From recognition.
---
Authority Enforcer twitched violently.
Chains snapped into defensive configuration.
---
> [Authority Enforcer: ERROR LOOP — TARGET STATUS UNDEFINED]
"…It's panicking," I murmured.
"Yes," Mira said.
"Because you broke its most fundamental rule."
---
I turned away from it.
I wasn't interested anymore.
---
I descended toward the hospital.
The one where I had died.
---
The building stood unchanged.
Lights on.
People inside, unaware.
---
I passed through the walls effortlessly.
No resistance.
No acknowledgment.
---
I found the room.
Different patient.
Different machines.
Same smell.
---
I stood beside the bed.
And felt—
Nothing.
---
No sorrow.
No longing.
No rage.
Just a quiet, hollow recognition.
---
"…This is where Rei ended," I whispered.
Mira's voice trembled.
"…And something else began."
---
A nurse passed through me.
Shivered.
Paused.
"…It's cold," she muttered, pulling her coat tighter.
---
> [System Observation: Environmental Chill — Anomalous Source Detected]
"…I don't want to be this," I said quietly.
Mira answered honestly.
"…Then you need a new anchor."
"…Another name?"
"…Another meaning."
---
I closed my eyes.
"…And if I don't?"
There was a long silence.
Then—
"…Then the world will reject you slowly."
"Not with erasure."
"But with isolation."
---
I exhaled.
"…That's worse."
---
Outside, Authority Enforcer finally moved.
Not toward me.
Away.
Retreating.
---
> [System Update:]
— Authority Enforcer: Strategic Withdrawal
— Target: Undefined Phenomenon (Avoidance Recommended)
---
"…Even it doesn't want to deal with me now," I muttered.
Mira replied softly.
"Because you're not an enemy it can fight."
---
I rose again.
Above the city.
Above humanity.
Above names.
---
"…Mira," I said.
"Yes?"
"…If my name is gone…"
"…Can I choose a new one?"
---
She paused.
Then smiled—something I could hear in her voice.
"…Yes."
"But this time," she added gently,
"it won't be given to you."
"You'll have to earn it."
---
The city lights flickered beneath me.
I felt the weight of countless lives.
Of fear.
Of memory.
Of responsibility without recognition.
---
"…Then let's start there," I said quietly.
---
> [Status Update:]
— Name: ❌ UNASSIGNED
— Existence Type: Undefined Boundary Phenomenon
— Passive Influence: Psychological Distortion (Low–Rising)
— Next Objective: Establish New Anchor
---
Somewhere, far beyond perception—
The System recalculated.
No longer confident.
No longer in control.
---
And above a sleeping city—
Something without a name watched over it.
Not as a guardian.
Not as a god.
But as a question the world hadn't learned how to ask yet.
---