The world didn't break.
It misplaced itself.
---
It started small.
Too small for panic.
Too subtle for alarms.
---
A traffic light stayed red for twelve seconds too long.
No malfunction.
No error code.
Just… hesitation.
Drivers waited, irritated but compliant, until the light turned green again—as if embarrassed for delaying reality.
---
I watched from above.
"…That wasn't me," I muttered.
Mira answered slowly.
"No. But it reacted to you."
---
I drifted east, keeping my distance from crowds. The farther I moved, the more stable the city felt behind me—like a surface settling after something passed beneath it.
Ahead—
Reality felt thinner.
---
> [System Observation: Local Consistency — Degrading]
"…Define 'local,'" I said.
"…The area in which your existence is unresolved," Mira replied.
I grimaced.
"…So basically wherever I am."
"Yes."
---
A billboard flickered as I passed.
Not the image—
The idea of it.
For half a second, it advertised nothing.
People looked up, confused, then shrugged and moved on once the image returned.
---
"…They're adapting," I whispered.
Mira didn't sound relieved.
"They're compensating."
---
I landed on the roof of an empty office building.
The concrete felt… optional.
Like it wasn't sure if it should support me.
---
"…This is getting worse," I said quietly.
"Yes," Mira replied.
"Because you're not anchored."
---
A window beside me reflected my form—
Then didn't.
Then did again.
Each version slightly different.
---
"…Which one's real?" I asked.
Mira hesitated.
"…All of them."
"…That's not comforting."
---
Below, something screamed.
---
I snapped to attention.
Not fear.
Recognition.
---
A man stood frozen in the middle of the street, staring at his own hands.
"I don't remember dropping this," he muttered.
The phone in his palm showed a photo—
Of nothing.
No subject.
No blur.
Just a gap where something should have been.
---
> [System Alert: Memory Desynchronization Detected]
"…Mira," I said slowly.
"…Is that because of me?"
"…Yes."
---
My chest tightened.
"…I didn't touch him."
"You didn't need to," she replied gently.
"Your presence erodes certainty. Memory relies on narrative continuity."
---
The man blinked.
His expression shifted from confusion to fear.
"…What was I doing?" he whispered.
People around him paused, concerned.
Someone touched his shoulder.
He flinched violently.
---
I moved instantly.
Pulling back.
Withdrawing further than I had before.
---
The air stabilized.
The man gasped, grounding himself.
"…I— I think I'm okay," he stammered.
People nodded, uncertain but relieved.
Life resumed.
---
I hovered higher, shaking.
"…This can't keep happening."
Mira was quiet for a long moment.
Then—
"…Rei. This is why phenomena like you don't exist unregulated."
---
I laughed bitterly.
"…That's comforting."
---
Far away—
Something else noticed.
---
The unknown entity reappeared.
Not close.
Not watching me.
Watching the distortion.
---
"…It's back," I muttered.
"Yes," Mira replied.
"And it's not looking at you."
"…Then what?"
"It's studying the consequences."
---
The entity extended a hand.
Reality beneath it smoothed.
Stabilized.
Like ironed fabric.
---
"…It's fixing things," I said quietly.
"For now," Mira replied.
---
I felt something twist in my perception.
Not threat.
Opportunity.
---
"…If it can stabilize reality locally…"
"…Then perhaps you can learn how to do the opposite," Mira finished.
"…Or better," I said slowly,
"…how to choose where reality holds."
---
I tested it.
Carefully.
---
I focused—not on chaos—
But on permission.
---
I imagined the space around me agreeing that I was allowed to be here.
Not forced.
Not imposed.
Accepted.
---
The distortion eased.
Just slightly.
---
> [System Alert: New Interaction Pattern Detected]
Mira inhaled sharply.
"…Rei. You just created a micro-anchor."
"…I did?"
"Yes. Brief. Unstable. But intentional."
---
The air felt warmer.
Less sharp.
---
"…So anchors don't have to be names," I murmured.
"No," Mira replied softly.
"They can be rules."
---
The unknown entity froze.
It had felt it too.
---
"…I don't want to hurt anyone," I whispered.
"Then you'll need to decide," Mira said,
"where the world bends—and where it must not."
---
Below, the city lived.
Unaware that its reality had almost slipped.
---
Above, Authority Enforcer remained gone.
Not regrouping.
Reconsidering.
---
I floated there, nameless, undefined—
But no longer passive.
---
"…If the world doesn't know how to deal with me," I said quietly,
"then I'll teach it."
---
> [Status Update:]
— Reality Consistency: Locally Variable
— Micro-Anchor: Discovered (Manual, Unstable)
— Unknown Entity: Observing Stabilization Methods
— Rei: Transition from Anomaly to Rule-Setter (Initial Stage)
---
The city lights flickered once.
Then steadied.
---
For the first time since erasure—
The world didn't recoil.
It adjusted.
---
And somewhere beyond logic—
The System hesitated.
---