Chapter 33: The Reformat Begins
The weather over Vija Academy had taken a strange turn.
Not the thunderstorm kind of strange. More like the sky itself had caught a bug. The clouds moved in odd, almost circular patterns. The light from the sun flickered once, like a faulty mana lamp. Students began whispering. Birds didn’t fly. Even the wind paused to listen.
Jay, of course, was asleep.
Sort of.
He was lying flat on the academy rooftop, eyes closed, sandwich half-eaten in one hand, the other tucked under his head. His system panel flickered faintly in the air next to him—just soft enough to be mistaken for a heat shimmer.
Across the rooftop, Rei sat in absolute silence.
Not his usual brooding silence.
This one felt... heavy. Like he was bracing for a storm only he could see.
Jay cracked one eye open.
"...You glitchin’ again?"
No response.
He stared at Rei for a moment. The guy was sitting stiffly upright, hands on his lap, eyes open but unfocused. A faint blue glow pulsed behind his irises.