It started with a package.
A plain brown box, left in front of her apartment door.
No name. No return address.
Inside: a sleek black phone, matte screen, no ports. Only a sticker across the front:
> "Trust your instincts. You'll need them."
And below that, a line of glowing symbols that seemed to shift when she blinked.
Lina's brows furrowed.
"…System, this from you?"
[No. Unknown tech. Approach with caution.]
That was… alarming.
She lifted the device carefully. It was warm, almost pulsing with energy.
And then it blinked to life.
---
The screen flickered once. Then an image emerged.
Not a face.
An avatar.
A wolf mask—digitized and glitching, with jagged blue lines slicing through where eyes should've been.
"Hello, Lina Vale," a distorted male voice spoke. "We finally meet."
"…Do I know you?"
"Not yet. But I've been watching. You're... interesting."
Her stomach twisted. Not again.
"I'm not looking for attention," she said coldly.
The avatar tilted its head.
"Exactly. That's why I watched."
---
[System Alert: External surveillance detected. No breach of Core detected. Threat level: Mild curiosity.]
[Observation only. Subject has no access to System data.]
Lina exhaled. Good.
"Who are you?"
"Just call me Kid," the voice replied. "With a K."
"And what do you want?"
"Nothing. Not yet. I just... wanted to see if the rumors were true."
She stiffened. "Rumors?"
"About you," Kid replied, tone shifting to amusement. "The orphan from nowhere. Who suddenly turns heads at elite galas. Who breaks into social circles like gravity bends in her favor."
"I'm just trying to survive."
Kid laughed. "You're redefining survival."
---
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you really here?"
Kid's voice dropped lower.
"Because people like you tend to vanish. Or get rewritten. And I don't like when stories are edited without permission."
"…That sounds like a threat."
"More like a warning. You're in someone's spotlight now, and trust me—this isn't the kind of attention you want."
[System Note: This individual may become useful. File under: Watchlist – Potential Ally or Threat]
---
Before Lina could reply, her phone buzzed. A message from an unregistered number:
> You're being recorded right now. Look at your balcony.
Heart pounding, she rushed to the sliding doors.
A red light blinked once, then vanished into darkness.
Her hands shook.
"System… is someone tracking me?"
[Unknown device. Signal ghosted. Tracking attempt failed. You are not alone tonight.]
She clenched her jaw.
"Who is behind this?"
[No data. But something beyond normal parameters is watching.]
"Beyond?"
[Yes. The pattern isn't entirely human.]
---
Later that night, Kael called.
"There's a gathering tomorrow," he said. "Private event. Come."
"Why?"
"They're curious about you."
She hesitated.
"…They?"
"Investors. Directors. Political shadows. You impressed someone. They want to see what makes you tick."
She almost said no.
Then she remembered the blinking light.
The phone.
The way her past was quietly clawing its way back.
"…I'll be there."
---
The event was in a high-rise above the river. Shadowed chandeliers, black velvet everything. Half the people looked like they'd ordered assassinations before dessert.
Kael wore black on black—tie loose, eyes sharp.
He greeted her at the elevator like she was already famous.
"Smile if you want," he murmured. "Or don't. Either way, they'll be staring."
He wasn't wrong.
---
Someone asked where she trained. She said nowhere.
Someone asked what her background was. She said, "Not worth mentioning."
Someone tried to flirt.
Kael stepped closer and laid a hand on her lower back like a quiet warning.
The flirter vanished.
Later, as the room began to hum with drinks and ambition, Kael handed her a glass and asked:
"Do you believe in fate?"
She looked up at him, surprised.
"…Not anymore."
He smiled faintly. "Good."
"Why?"
"Because people who survive chaos… tend to become fate."
---
When she returned home, the black phone was gone.
Only a note remained, typed out in terminal green:
> You pass for now. Keep your secrets. I'll keep mine.
But remember, Lina Vale—some stories are written in code.
And your code? It's... untraceable.
She stared at it long after midnight.
Then whispered:
"…System. Where are you really from?"
Silence.
Then—
[Origin: Unclassified. Thread: Not bound by Earth.]
[You were chosen not by chance, but by pain. The algorithm that found you was not made by human hands.]
[But you are human. And that's why you're dangerous.]
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Influence: Rising
Threat Awareness: High
External Watchers: Confirmed
True Origin: Veiled
Current Emotional Status: Focused / Shaken
Affection Data: Kael (3.3 / 5)
Unlocked Skill: "Adaptive Presence" – You now blend into high-risk environments.
Loyalty Thread: Activated – "Protect those who stayed."
---
End of Chapter 11