Chapter 36: The Observer’s Shadow
The silver-robed figure didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t breathe.
It just hovered there—five feet above the central courtyard, cloaked in morning sunlight that refused to touch its skin. It was as if the world bent around it, refusing to acknowledge its presence and yet unable to look away.
Jay leaned against the railing, one hand still holding the half-finished can of coffee, now lukewarm. His candy stick hung loosely from his lips, forgotten.
He didn’t like this.
Not because of fear.
Because it was a waste of time.
> "Unscheduled Event Detected."
"System Stabilization in progress..."
"Warning: Local Anomaly Sync Failing."
Jay heard Rei’s system voice again—faint, like it was leaking through cracks in a wall.