8 : Failure

Aiko walked slowly through the village, the sky still painted with the soft hues of dawn. The scent of freshly baked bread from her family's bakery lingered in the air, but her mind was elsewhere.

Ever since her conversation with Takeru the night before, something inside her refused to settle.

As she passed through the central square, she spotted Kenji sitting on one of the stone benches, completely absorbed in a pile of scrolls. His glasses had slipped down his nose, and his eyes raced through the ancient lines, devouring every word.

"You're going to fry your brain," Aiko remarked, leaning against the bench.

Kenji didn't even look up.

"The Guild's theoretical exam… Tamer license… I need to know every regulation, every rule…"

Aiko sighed and tossed a small, cloth-wrapped bun onto his lap.

"You have three days. You don't need to bury yourself in this."

Kenji huffed.

"Yeah, but if I fail the written exam, the practical test won't even matter."

"Besides, what are you doing out here?" Aiko gestured toward the library just across the square.

"Trying to get some sunlight," he said, taking a bite of the bun. "Once the whole village wakes up, it's going to get too noisy, and I'll have to go back inside."

Before Aiko could respond, a sharp electric sound crackled nearby.

"Aiko!"

Pulsebun came dashing into the square, his long, electric-charged ears bouncing with the wind.

"What is it now?" Aiko crossed her arms.

"I want to show you something! Come with me to my workshop!" Pulsebun grinned mischievously.

Aiko glanced at Kenji, who only mumbled something about "Guild conduct regulations" and kept reading.

"Fine, fine," she said, following the V-Monster.

Pulsebun's workshop was tucked away in a quiet corner of the village. It was a simple structure, but filled with hanging wires, gears, and metallic devices scattered everywhere. A soft blue light flickered inside, a sign that one of his inventions was running.

As they stepped inside, Aiko was met with an unexpected sight.

A small creature with sleek, shiny fur peeked at her from behind a pile of scrap metal.

"Who's this?" Aiko asked.

Pulsebun puffed out his chest, clearly proud.

"This is Bolbun, my little sister!"

Bolbun blinked her big blue eyes and shrank back slightly behind the junk pile.

"She's shy… but super smart! Helps me test my inventions!" Pulsebun beamed.

Aiko crouched to Bolbun's level.

"Hey, Bolbun."

Bolbun hesitated before letting out a soft, electric chirp, almost like a gentle beep.

"She doesn't talk much yet, but she's really good at communicating through sparks and signals!" Pulsebun explained.

"Speaking of which… I've always wondered—where do V-Monsters come from?" Aiko asked innocently.

Pulsebun and Bolbun exchanged glances, then looked back at her.

"That's… kind of complicated for humans to understand. I'll explain it some other day."

Aiko shrugged and looked around.

"So… what did you want to show me?"

Pulsebun bounced excitedly and grabbed a small object from the workbench.

It was metallic, with a sleek and compact design. A black glass panel adorned the front, framed by delicate golden accents. Small grooves on the sides hinted that it could connect to something larger. The material was smooth to the touch, but oddly cold—almost alive.

"I found this yesterday," Pulsebun said, spinning the object between his paws. "When I went back to the ruins alone."

Aiko's eyes widened.

"You went back there alone?! Are you insane?!"

Pulsebun shrugged.

"I had to see if anything useful was left after the Rhinobee. That's when I found this."

He handed the object to Aiko.

The world trembled.

The moment her fingers touched the metal surface, something inside her snapped.

A low hum echoed in her mind.

Aiko blinked—

And everything changed.

She was no longer in the workshop.

The sky above her was not blue but an endless sea of numbers shifting in geometric patterns. Lines of light pulsed, connecting across a vastness that felt alive.

Towering structures, impossibly tall, loomed in the distance. The ground beneath her was metallic, reflective, shimmering with a silver glow from a sun that didn't exist.

She heard voices.

Fragmented. Distant.

"System compromised."

"Access denied."

"Failure detected. Restarting…"

The sound was cold, mechanical—yet strangely familiar.

Then, something caught her attention.

A shadow.

Humanoid silhouettes, blurred and faceless, moved in the distance. They weren't wandering. They were watching.

Watching her.

The object in her hand glowed intensely.

A single word appeared in the air, flashing in red, like a warning.

"WAKE UP."

Aiko tried to move, but an unseen force yanked her back.

And then—

Like waking from a nightmare, she felt the ground beneath her feet again.

Aiko gasped, stumbling as the object slipped from her grasp. It clattered against the workbench with a metallic clang.

Pulsebun and Bolbun stared at her, alarmed.

"Hey! What the heck was that?!" Pulsebun demanded.

Aiko blinked repeatedly, trying to steady herself. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"I… I saw something."

Pulsebun narrowed his eyes.

"You just vanished. Then reappeared like nothing happened!"

Aiko glanced at the device.

The once-dark screen now flickered faintly, as if something inside had been activated.

"I saw something that… shouldn't exist."

She could still feel the lingering pulse of the vision echoing through her body.

For a brief moment, she had been somewhere else.

What exactly was this device capable of?