The neon drizzle thickened again as they stepped out of the alley.
Streetlights flickered overhead, casting uneven pools of color across the pavement. The hum of Neon Meridian returned distant chatter, engines whining, holograms glitching in the air like ghosts trying to stay solid.
Elric stretched his arms lazily as he walked.
"…Alright," he said. "Step one: wander aimlessly. Step two: trigger something important. Step three: pretend it was intentional."
Lyra walked beside him, expression tight. "We are not wandering. We are relocating to a safer zone."
"…Same thing," Elric replied.
Kaida-9 scanned the street, visor flickering faintly. "Incorrect. Wandering increases threat exposure by 63%."
Pix popped up between them. "Yeah, but it increases fun by like 200%, so it balances out."
Mii spun ahead of them, stepping onto a glowing advertisement panel embedded in the ground. "Ooooh! New stage! Player, is this a mission? Tell me it's a mission!"
Sera slowed slightly, eyes narrowing at something ahead. "…It is."
Everyone paused.
Elric blinked. "…Wait, seriously?"
Sera pointed.
At the end of the street, tucked beneath a flickering overpass, stood a data terminal tall, black, humming faintly. Glitching lines of light crawled across its surface like something alive inside it.
Above it, barely stable, a holographic prompt flickered:
[COMPANION SYSTEM NODE – CORRUPTED]
Elric's grin spread slowly.
"…Oh," he said. "That's definitely a quest."
Lyra stepped forward immediately. "That's corporate infrastructure. Restricted. We should not..."
Elric started walking toward it.
"...touch it," Lyra finished, too late.
Kaida-9 followed instantly. "If Player engages, I will secure perimeter."
Mii clapped excitedly. "Yes! Mission start! Player, I'll support you dramatically!"
Pix was already sprinting ahead. "Ohhhh this is gonna break EVERYTHING!"
Sera exhaled softly. "…Of course it will."
Elen walked calmly beside Elric. "…Be careful."
Elric glanced at her, smiling. "…Careful is optional."
The terminal loomed closer.
Up close, it looked worse.
The surface wasn't just glitching it was breathing. Light pulsed unevenly, like a heartbeat out of rhythm.
Elric reached out.
Paused.
"…Alright," he muttered. "Step one: press the suspicious button. Always works."
Lyra snapped, "Don't..."
He pressed it.
Everything went wrong immediately.
The screen fractured into overlapping layers.
Text spilled across it fast, unreadable, stacked on itself.
[ERROR]
[MULTIPLE USERS DETECTED]
[ILLEGAL BINDING CONFIRMED]
[FORCE SYNC INITIATED]
The ground vibrated.
Pix whooped. "YES! YOU BROKE IT!"
Kaida-9 stepped forward, fists raised. "Hostile response imminent."
Mii grabbed Elric's arm. "Player! This is the best mission ever!"
Lyra cursed under her breath. "You've triggered a system recall. They're going to send everything."
Sera whispered, "…No… something else is happening."
Elen's hand tightened slightly on Elric's sleeve.
"…Elric."
The terminal pulsed
and the air around them warped.
Not visually.
Not completely.
Just… slightly wrong.
Like the world had shifted half a degree out of place.
Elric blinked.
"…Okay. That's new."
Then the enemies arrived.
Not drones.
Not exactly.
Humanoid figures stepped out of the distortion faceless, smooth, glowing faintly with corrupted data.
Their movements were too clean.
Too precise.
Too fast.
Lyra raised her weapon instantly. "Those aren't standard units."
Kaida-9 growled. "Unknown hostiles. Engaging."
Mii jumped back, eyes wide but still smiling. "Ooooh, boss fight energy!"
Pix practically vibrated. "This is SO illegal, I love it!"
Sera stepped forward slowly.
"…They're reacting to him."
Everyone froze.
"…Me?" Elric said.
The nearest figure turned its head
Directly at him.
Then lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Kaida-9 intercepted with a brutal punch impact sending shockwaves through the pavement.
Lyra fired shots passing through one of the figures like it wasn't fully there.
Mii spun, blasting light that scattered across multiple enemies at once.
Pix slammed her hands into the terminal, screaming, "I'M HACKING SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW WHAT BUT IT'S WORKING!"
Sera moved like a ghost, pulling Elric back just as another figure phased forward.
Elen stayed close too close watching everything.
Elric stumbled.
"…Okay," he muttered. "Step two: panic slightly."
A figure appeared directly in front of him.
Too fast.
Too close.
He flinched...
Slipped...
Fell backward...
and hit the terminal.
Hard.
The terminal exploded with light.
A surge of energy shot outward.
The corrupted figures froze.
Glitched.
Then.
Collapsed.
All at once.
Gone.
Silence.
Only the hum remained.
Soft.
Fading.
Elric blinked up at the sky.
Rain hitting his face.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "…that worked."
Lyra stared at him.
"…You ended a corrupted node… by falling into it."
Kaida-9 lowered her fists.
"…Confirmed. Outcome successful. Method… unacceptable."
Mii dropped to her knees dramatically. "PLAYER!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!"
Pix tackled him sideways. "YOU BROKE THE SYSTEM AGAIN! DO IT MORE!"
Sera stood still.
Watching him.
"…You didn't just get lucky."
Elen helped him up gently.
"…No," she said softly. "He didn't."
The terminal flickered one last time.
A final message appeared:
[SYNC PARTIAL – USER RECOGNIZED]
Then it went dark.
Elric brushed himself off, grinning.
"…Alright," he said. "Step three: pretend that was intentional."
Lyra exhaled slowly. "…I'm starting to believe you."
Kaida-9 nodded once. "…You are… effective."
Mii clung to his arm. "You're my hero now. Officially!"
Pix grinned. "You're my chaos engine!"
Sera whispered, "…You're something else entirely."
Elen smiled.
"…You're ours."
Elric blinked.
"…Okay," he said. "…that sounded important, but I'm gonna ignore it for now."
He looked ahead deeper into the city.
Lights flickering.
Systems glitching.
Something clearly… reacting to him.
His grin widened.
"…Step four," he said quietly. "Find the next thing to break."