Back to High-Tech World

When Keal opened his eyes, he was back in his room.

The sky outside had turned a soft shade of orange. The sun of this high-tech world was beginning to rise, casting golden hues across the sleek, tinted windows.

He lay there in bed for a long while, staring at the fading light, unmoving.

The warmth of the sun should have brought comfort but instead, it only reminded him of what he had just escaped.

Gu Chen. That child.

The memory made his chest tighten.

Keal turned his head slowly and stared up at the ceiling. The smooth white panels were lined with pale blue ambient lighting.

That dream... no, it wasn't a dream. He knew it wasn't. He had been in that child's body. Experienced that life. That world. The emotions were still there, clinging to his bones.

Unlike John, where he felt as if he watched the movie, the experience with Gu Chen is with him.

At first, it hadn't felt like anything strange.

After the woman, that ghost tried to drag him under the water, he had lost consciousness.

And that's when he had seen Gu Chen. Inside him.

Not just a passive memory or fragment... no. The boy had been alive and aware.

And terrifying.

Keal's breath caught in his throat as the image returned.

There had been no anger in Gu Chen's expression. No malice. Just… calm dominance.

But Keal felt it, an instinctive fear. As if he were a rabbit staring into the eyes of something older, colder, and far more dangerous than a child should be.

He didn't know how or why, but Gu Chen had tried to merge with him. Tried to consume him from within.

If Gu Chen hadn't woken up in his own world… Keal was certain he would've been lost.

Erased.

"I… I never want to go back there again," Keal muttered to himself, voice hoarse.

His fingers clenched the sheets.

But why had this happened in the first place?

He didn't recall entering the gate again. There had been no mission prompt. No transition. Just a sudden shift—and then he was someone else.

Was his power acting on its own? Or had something else intervened? Or this was something different?

Still shaken, Keal sat up and reached for the small communication tool on his bedside table. He tapped the screen and waited.

A familiar voice answered, slightly groggy. "Hey… what's up? It's early."

Anrika.

"I had a dream. A very realistic one," Keal said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Felt like I was in another world. Inside another person. I… I want to know if any other Outworlders have powers like mine. Jumping into other realities, or projecting dreams, or… something close."

There was a pause on the other end. Then a sigh.

"I don't know," Anrika replied honestly. "You're the only one I've ever heard of with something like this. But I'll send you the database—the official one. It has records of all Outworlders who've publicly revealed their abilities."

"And the ones who didn't?" Keal asked.

"There are a few who kept their powers secret," she admitted. "But based on what I know… I doubt any of them could do what you're describing. Still, I'll be over in a few minutes. We'll run a scan. Just to be safe."

Keal nodded, "Thanks."

"And hey," she added, her voice softer, "don't worry too much. Might even be tech interference. We'll figure it out."

---

By the time she arrived, Keal was showered, dressed, and mentally bracing himself. He followed Anrika through the quiet city streets, their footsteps echoing softly against the glass pathways until they arrived at a sleek, low-profile diagnostic facility.

Inside, a soft blue light filled the room.

"Take a seat," one of the lab techs said, motioning toward a reclining chair fitted with sleek instruments. "We'll run a full scan, neurological, genetic, temporal sync patterns. Just relax."

Keal sat still as the chair adjusted itself to his posture.

He watched as technicians swiped across glowing tablets, uploading his biometric data. A soft hum filled the room. The scanner above his head began to rotate slowly.

After several minutes, the technician gave a small nod.

"No anomalies," she said. "His cognitive structure, neural flow, and body vitals are within the standard range. However…" She hesitated. "His immune panel is outdated. He's missing a few standard resistance shots."

Anrika raised an eyebrow. "Get him the vaccines."

They did.

Once it was all done, Anrika led him outside into the cool midday breeze.

"You're fine," she said. "No parasites, no tech interference, no rogue AI links. That's the good news."

"And the bad news?" Keal asked.

She handed him something small, a sleek, black wristwatch with glowing lines along the sides.

"This is an anti-shield. Custom-linked to your ID. If something tries to tamper with your consciousness, AI, tech, or… something else... it'll detect and block it."

Keal slipped the device on and gave a small nod. "Thanks."

"Keep it on," Anrika said. "Always."

---

That afternoon, they visited a training facility.

It was a large dome lined with adaptive screens. Inside, Keal sparred against various simulated enemies. The AI adjusted difficulty based on his reactions, and within minutes, Keal was ducking punches and trying to mimic what he had seen in vids.

He wasn't terrible but he had a long way to go.

Still, after several rounds, he learned basic footwork, how to channel basic energy into his strikes, and how to move in sync with low-level enhancement suits.

"You're better than some rookies," Anrika said during their break, handing him a water bottle.

"I don't feel like it," Keal replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But thanks."

They grabbed lunch afterward at a quiet food station. Keal stared out the window, watching silver birds fly across distant towers.

---

That evening, back home, Keal sat on his bed with a glowing screen on his lap.

The Outworlder Registry. A public document, sent by Anrika, listing all known Outworlders and their powers. He scrolled through the entries... fire control, spatial manipulation, AI fusion, beast summoning, environmental shaping…

None of them matched what he had.

His ability, this strange, reality-warping connection to other worlds was uniquely his.

He leaned back against the headboard.

And for the first time since the nightmare, he felt sleepy.

Not that haunted, restless exhaustion. Real sleepiness.

He smiled faintly.

"Guess the anti-shield works."

He changed into sleepwear, lay down, and pulled the covers over himself.

His eyelids drifted shut.

No flickers of lakes. No cold water. No ghostly children.

Just silence.

And sleep.

---

The next morning

Keal sat up in bed and stretched, a yawn escaping his lips.

No dreams. No strange sensations. No memories of other lives.

He looked at the watch on his wrist and smiled.

Still working.

His communicator buzzed.

Anrika's face popped up on the screen, bright and alert. "Morning. How're you feeling?"

Keal rubbed his eyes. "Refreshed. No dreams. No weirdness. I think I'm finally okay."

"Good," she said with a grin. "Then today... We train for real."

Keal laughed. "Guess I'm not off the hook, huh?"

"Nope," she said. "Suit up."