Not for a mission. For a rescue.
When the dawn of the new day-cycle arrived, the rain of data stopped. Aiko opened her eyes on the real-world balcony. She was still wearing the gray tunic. Her hair was still black. But her eyes… her eyes held the pink grass and the orange sky.
Aiko hesitated, then took it. The moment their skin touched, the world dissolved.
Aiko looked up, startled. “How… how do you know about those?”
“Identity isn’t a rock,” Longmint said, breathing heavily with the effort. “It’s a river. The System wants you to be a rock. Still. Dead. I’m here to remind you that you’re allowed to flow.”
The System logged a minor anomaly. It was ignored.