Chapter 6

The holographic map floats in the center of the room, casting a cold blue light across Jayson's face. The map is covered in hundreds of pulsing red dots.

Jayson points to a massive cluster of red dots in the lower sector. It's the exact alley where I fell.

He turns his head slowly, his piercing eyes locking onto mine. "What kind of data packet are you carrying?"

My stomach drops. If he finds out I am a human from the real world, an anomaly injected by the system, his core logic will classify me as a virus. He will execute me himself.

I widen my eyes. I let my lower lip tremble slightly. I shake my head, wrapping my arms around my knees, making myself look as small and terrified as possible. I force tears to well up in my eyes, letting one spill over my lashes.

Jayson watches the tear track down my cheek. His jaw clenches. He sighs, a heavy, tired sound, and taps the console again.

A surveillance video pops up. It shows the alley five minutes before I crashed into the billboard. Dozens of corrupted, glitching programs are already crawling toward the drop zone, drawn to it like moths to a flame.

"You didn't trigger them when you fell," Jayson says, his voice tight. "You drew them there. You're a beacon. A walking piece of bait for every anomaly in the grid."

A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I am not just a prisoner of The Warden. I am a target for every monster in this world.

Dameon lets out a sharp, barking laugh from his dark corner. "Perfect. Tie the bait to a pole and throw her to the dogs. Problem solved."

Jayson glares at him. "Shut up." He turns back to me, his expression hardening. "I can't let you leave. Until I find the source of this anomaly, you stay with me."

I grip the edges of his tactical jacket, my knuckles turning white. I let out a small, shaky breath, pretending to be terrified of the prospect.

Inside, my chest floods with relief. This is exactly what I need. I have my excuse to stay close to the targets.

The Warden's interface violently flashes red across my vision, blocking out the room.

"Mandatory Directive: Increase Jayson's affinity to 80 within one hour. Failure will result in protagonist logic classifying you as a burden. Expulsion imminent."

My breath catches. If he kicks me out, I die.

I have to use the only weapon I have: my face.

I tilt my head up, looking at Jayson through my eyelashes. I let my voice drop to a soft, trembling whisper. "Will you... will you protect me?"

Jayson stares down at me. He looks at my eyes, and I can see the exact moment his core programming fractures. The ghost of his sister is standing right in front of him.

He swallows hard. His Adam's apple bobs. "As long as I'm here, nothing will touch you."

The Warden chimes. "Affinity level: 65."

It's not enough. I need to push harder. I need to break his defenses completely.

My eyes drop to his wrist. Peeking out from under his tactical glove is a tarnished, brass pocket watch. In a world made of holograms and data, a physical, mechanical watch is a glaring anomaly. It's an anchor.

I take a tiny, hesitant step toward him. I point a trembling finger at his wrist.

"That watch," I say softly. "It's very old."

Jayson's entire body goes rigid. His hand snaps up, covering the watch completely. His eyes turn instantly hostile, a wall of ice slamming down between us.

Dameon whistles from the corner. "Oh, you stepped on the landmine now, sweetheart. Watch him throw you out."

I don't back down. I force a gentle, sad smile onto my face. I look directly into Jayson's guarded eyes.

"It looks like something someone left behind," I whisper. "A very precious gift."

Jayson's breath hitches. The hostility in his eyes shatters, replaced by a wave of grief so profound it physically hurts to look at.

His hand slowly falls away from the watch. He stares at the brass casing, his eyes distant, lost in a memory that has haunted him for a century.