Void sickness

Kelvin had cleaned up fast.

At Noah's request, he had erased every trace of the Elder Genes profile he had created for him. Deleted. Gone. Like it had never existed in the first place.

Noah hadn't spoken since the game.

While Kelvin had gone off to meet with Vee for something he vaguely claimed they both wanted, Noah lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Gigarose.

The name looped in his mind, over and over.

Not because of ego—not because he had lost.

But because of that rude awakening.

That realization.

That there was more than what met the eye.

To everyone else—the players, the streamers, the self-proclaimed Shadow Oracle fans who had all turned on him in seconds—this was just a game. Even to Kelvin, a technopath, it was still a game.

But Noah?

Noah knew better.

What Gigarose had done… it wasn't just about skill. It wasn't just about game mechanics.