Jin's sneakers scraped against the concrete as he trudged along the narrow sidewalk, his jogging pace long abandoned. Sweat clung to his shirt, sticking it to his back like a second skin. His breaths came slow and shallow—not from exertion, but confusion. He glanced at his smartwatch.
2:30 PM.
"Only thirty minutes? It feels like I've been running for hours…" he muttered under his breath. His calves ached in a way they shouldn't have, not from a light jog. It was as if he had used muscles that had long forgotten how to move. "Maybe I'm just out of shape. Or maybe…"
His eyes instinctively drifted behind him.
"Wait."
He stopped. His heart skipped.
Where Ark's house should've been—a quaint, aging suburban two-story—there was now an empty lot. No signs of construction. No rubble. Not even the memory of a foundation.
"What the hell?" he whispered, blinking hard. "How far did I walk?"
But he hadn't walked that far. Had he?
Heat shimmered off the concrete. The air felt heavier, oppressive, like the atmosphere itself was pressing down on him. Sweat beaded on his brow.
"Ark... I know you're not gone," Jin thought, the memory of Ark's face ghosting through his mind. "I spoke to you yesterday. I don't remember how or for how long, but I did. You were real. You are real."
The asphalt radiated a scorching wave as a figure bumped into him from the front, snapping his thoughts. The stranger didn't stop, didn't apologize, just kept walking—as if Jin wasn't even there.
He shook his head. "This is too much. Too damn much."
"Please," he whispered, glancing at the sky, to anything that might hear him. "If you can hear me… if that's even possible… just give me something. A sign. Anything. I promise I'll bring you back."
His walk slowed to a crawl. As he finally reached his own street, the heat was unbearable. His limbs felt like they were moving through molasses. A woman passed by, brushing past him with a casual wave.
"Kai, it's been a while. Thought you skipped town."
Jin froze.
"Kai?"
But by the time he turned to look at her, she was gone.
Vanished.
Gone without a trace.
His heart skipped. "Wait… who's Kai?"
For a fraction of a second, something stirred in his memory—a flicker of laughter, soft fingers brushing his hand, the smell of coffee on a rainy morning. But then it was gone.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a chilling whisper that slithered through the heavy air, coming from a flickering streetlight.
"Are you lost again, Subject #003? Then I shall return you home."
His mouth dried instantly. "Who's there?!"
Silence.
"Show yourself! Don't hide behind these riddles!"
Nothing.
No answer. Just the sound of cicadas buzzing in the oppressive heat.
"Reality drift," he whispered to himself.
He didn't know where the term came from, but it felt true. Like it had been waiting in the recesses of his mind.
Reality drift — when a subject becomes aware, and the environment shifts to confuse and recalibrate them.
Jin's steps turned frantic. He needed to get home. Now. Maybe if he retraced his steps, found something concrete, he could anchor himself.
His vision blurred as he walked.
"Why is everything spinning… what's happening to my eyes?"
He rubbed them hard, but it didn't help. His vision flickered like static. Everything was bending at the edges. Familiar trees became surreal silhouettes. Houses seemed to stretch and twitch.
Then—
A tall, faceless figure brushed past him.
No one else reacted.
Jin froze.
Another figure stepped into his path.
An Overseer.
It stopped.
Stared.
He stared back into its blank face—an abyss where a face should've been. It was looking at him.
The air cracked with a glitching sound.
Skip.
His watch blinked.
2:38 PM.
He was standing in his hallway.
He didn't remember getting there.
He blinked.
"I… what just happened?"
A dull pain throbbed in his forearm.
He rolled up his sleeve.
Subject: #003
State: Awake
Pending Reboot
The red code blinked once, then vanished.
His knees buckled.
A crashing wave of memories—broken pieces—finally broke through.
—FLASHBACK—
Laughter filled the night.
Jin's graduation party was alive with chatter and music. Banners hung with his name: J. Hong. Confetti littered the lawn. The proud young genius of Clausten State, youngest graduate of Langster University.
Ark had arrived late, sheepish.
"Sorry, man," Ark said, walking up to Jin with his hands in his pockets. "I know, I know. Let me guess—you think I was gaming again."
Jin smirked. "You're not denying it?"
Ark shook his head. "Not this time. I was actually thinking hard about what to get you."
"Dude, you didn't have to—"
"No," Ark interrupted. "I had to. You're the only one who never made me feel like I was wasting my life. So… here."
He handed Jin a USB drive.
Engraved on it: J. Hong
Jin raised an eyebrow. "What's on it?"
"A game," Ark grinned. "One I thought you'd actually want to play."
Jin pocketed it. "Alright, alright. Thanks, man. You're still a dork, though.".
Ark laughed. "Takes one to know one.
Just promise me you'll remember."
Jin"Remember what?"
Ark just smiled
—BACK TO PRESENT—
Jin bolted upright.
"The USB. That's it."
He sprinted upstairs, rifled through his drawer. There it was.
He shoved it into his work laptop.
A single file.
Glitch.exe
"…Did he name the game that?"
He double-clicked it.
The screen glitched.
A black video began.
Ark's voice emerged, distorted but familiar.
"If you're seeing this, they're trying to erase you too."
Static.
"They rebooted me three times before I figured it out…"
The screen flickered with numbers, frames dropping.
"There's a place called the Null Gate. Remember this phrase: wake the forgotten."
Glitch.
Then—
Blue screen.
SYSTEM REBOOTING IN: 5:00 MINUTES
A piercing alarm echoed.
Jin's eyes widened. "No. No, no, no!"
He yanked the power cord. Held the power button.
Nothing worked.
Frantic, he grabbed the laptop and ran to the bathroom.
He filled the tub, then without thinking—plunged the laptop into the water.
Sparks exploded.
He recoiled, catching a sharp cut across his palm from the shock.
"Shit!"
Blood dripped.
He tore through the cabinet for a bandage, heart pounding. The mirror loomed over him.
Then—
His reflection moved. It blinked before he did. Then it… stepped forward.
Out of the mirror.
Same face.
But wrong.
Eyes too calm. Skin too clean. Smile too sharp.
"They're looking for you," it whispered. "You need to run."
Behind him—
THUMP.
Heavy footsteps.
He turned.
Nothing.
The world dimmed.
FADE TO BLACK.
BEGIN DELETION PROTOCOL: SUBJECT #003