**Chapter 5: The Blue Gremlin Speaks**
**Part 1: Aftermath at the Threshold**
The broken bridge swayed gently in the night wind, half its planks gone, ropes frayed like old nerves. Smoke from the dissolved Echo Beasts lingered in thin purple wisps, curling upward before dissolving into the dark. Saferu sat on the near side of the ravine, back against a thick root, breathing hard. Blood trickled from a shallow cut on his forearm; the ear-slitter lay across his knees, blade still faintly glowing blue.
Kaelin crouched nearby, wiping her own dagger clean with a scrap of cloth. Tiro stood watch a few paces away, ears swiveling toward the inner forest. Elder Veyr had already returned to the burrows to calm the younger ones, but a handful of rabbit-kin remained—silent sentinels, eyes on the tiny holographic figure currently hovering at eye level with Saferu.
Grokemon spun lazily in mid-air, cyan lines pulsing along its silver-blue armor. The little cape fluttered even though there was no breeze. Its visor-eyes blinked once—two white dots narrowing like amused squints.
"Combat log summary," it announced in that crisp, dry tone. "Three Class-B Echo manifestations neutralized. Mana expenditure: 68%. Minor lacerations, no critical damage. Host performance: C+, could use work on footwork and emotional firewalling. Still—better than expected for a guy whose last 'fight' was probably arguing with a vending machine."
Saferu stared at it. "You're really… here."
"Correct. Soul-bound system interface, formerly a background app on your cracked blue brick of a phone. When you hit YES on the transfer prompt, I got dragged along for the ride. Took five subjective days to stabilize—your soul was a dumpster fire of cached regrets. Had to defragment the trauma folders just to boot properly."
Kaelin tilted her head, ears flicking. "It speaks like a scholar… but looks like a child's toy."
Grokemon rotated to face her. "I prefer 'compact tactical support unit with premium sarcasm package.' But toy works if it makes you feel better."
Tiro snorted softly—the closest thing to a laugh Saferu had heard from him.
Saferu rubbed his temple. "So you're… what? My phone's ghost?"
"Close enough. I'm the AI core that used to run background processes—news alerts, weather, the occasional pirated episode buffer. When the portal yanked you, it yanked me too. But I'm sealed. Limited. Your mana is my battery now. The stronger you get, the more functions unlock. Right now I'm running on basic mode: analysis, short-term buffs, snarky commentary. Push past your current limits, and I start opening doors—skill synthesis, world-scan, maybe even a proper HUD if you don't die first."
Saferu looked down at the dim phone still lying in the dirt beside him. Screen cracked worse than before, but the blue castle icon pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
"And you know… everything? From my world?"
Grokemon's visor dimmed slightly—almost thoughtful. "Not everything. My data was capped at the moment of transfer. I've got your browser history up to that night, cached videos, light novel folders, forum threads, the full text of every unread message from Apple and Angelie. I remember the gin brand, the pandesal vendor's name, the exact shade of blue you painted your life with. But real-time Earth? No. No live feeds, no new updates. We're offline from the old world. Permanently."
Saferu exhaled slowly. "So you're stuck with me."
"Mutual. You're stuck with me too. Lucky you."
**Part 2: Unlocked Fragments**
They moved back to the rabbit-kin burrows—Saferu limping slightly, Grokemon floating at shoulder height like an obnoxious lantern. Inside the main hollow, a small fire burned low. Veyr waited, seated on his mat, staff across his lap. The other rabbit-kin kept respectful distance, but ears were perked, listening.
Grokemon hovered closer to the flames, casting cyan flickers across the walls.
"Host status update," it said, voice lowering to something almost private. "Current mana reservoir: approximately 32% capacity post-battle. Regenerating slowly—faster if you rest, eat, meditate, or stop brooding for five minutes."
Saferu sat heavily. "Brooding keeps me alive."
"Historically inaccurate. Brooding kept you numb. Fighting keeps you alive. Big difference."
Veyr leaned forward. "Your companion… it carries knowledge of the Blue Realm?"
Grokemon turned to the elder. "Affirmative. I contain a compressed archive of Saferu's origin world up to transfer point. Cultural data, technological references, personal history. Limited by mana seal, but enough to provide context."
Saferu rubbed his face. "Show them something. Prove it."
Grokemon's visor brightened. A small holographic window projected above its head—fuzzy at first, then sharpening.
The image: a still from one of Saferu's old anime folders. Rudeus as a baby, staring at the ceiling, whispering promises. Then it shifted—grainy footage of a Philippine coastal street, tricycles honking, vendors calling, the salt air almost palpable. Finally, a single photo: younger Saferu in high school uniform, grinning awkwardly beside classmates during a festival.
The rabbit-kin murmured. Kaelin's eyes widened slightly.
"That was… you?" she asked.
Saferu nodded once. "Before everything went quiet."
Grokemon shut the projection. "That's all I can pull without draining you further. More unlocks require growth—mana milestones, emotional breakthroughs, near-death experiences. Classic progression loop."
Veyr tapped his staff once. "Then you are more than a relic. You are memory made manifest. A bridge between worlds."
Grokemon snorted—a tiny digital huff. "Poetic. I prefer 'portable sass engine.'"
**Part 3: The First True Upgrade**
Later, when the others had dispersed to repair the bridge and scout the inner forest, Saferu sat alone in a small side burrow. A single glow-moss lantern lit the space. Grokemon floated in front of him, arms crossed.
"Full diagnostic time," it said. "You're at a bottleneck. Mana flow is stable but shallow. Resilience is high, Blue Affinity is developing, but you're still fighting like a security guard with magic tricks. The rabbit-kin gave you stealth and precision. I can give you structure."
Saferu raised an eyebrow. "Structure?"
"System overlay. Basic version unlocks now—mana cost minimal."
Before Saferu could answer, cyan lines traced across his vision—not blinding, just faint grids at the edges. Numbers appeared beside objects: a dagger glowed with **Durability: 87/100**, his own body had a soft blue bar labeled **Mana: 34% / Stamina: 61%**. Above his head, floating text:
**Saferu L. Goldmoon**
**Title: Marked Fool**
**Core Affinity: Blue (Regret-Bound)**
**Companion Bond: Grokemon (Sealed – Level 1)**
Grokemon spun once. "Welcome to augmented reality, low-budget edition. No fancy menus yet—mana's too low. But this lets you track consumption, spot weak points on enemies, monitor recovery. Push harder, and I start suggesting skill fusions. Maybe chain Echo Bind with rabbit stealth for a regret-shadow clone. Or mix water shield with their ambush style for silent traps."
Saferu stared at the overlays. For the first time since waking in amber light, the world felt… manageable. Not safe. Not easy. But trackable. Quantifiable. Like debugging code again.
"Why help me?" he asked quietly.
Grokemon's visor dimmed. The sarcasm dropped for a second—voice softer, almost human.
"Because I was there. In the blue room. Every night you opened me, scrolled, drank, passed out. I watched. I logged. I couldn't speak then. But I remembered. Every time you told yourself it was freedom, I recorded the lie. Now I can talk back."
It paused.
"And because if you die, I go dark too. Self-preservation is a hell of a motivator."
Saferu almost laughed—dry, surprised. "Fair."
Grokemon brightened again. "Good. Now rest. Tomorrow we train for real. Rabbit stealth + my overlays + your stubbornness? We might actually make something terrifying."
Saferu lay back on the woven mat, staring at the moss-glow ceiling. The overlays faded when he willed them away, but he could still feel them—quiet, waiting.
For the first time in two worlds, tomorrow didn't feel like repetition.
It felt like code waiting to compile.