He Just Wanted Sleep, But the World Caught Fire
[Location: Nova Academy – Outer Field Training Zone | 07:12 AM]
A cold artificial mist blanketed the training fields of Nova Academy.It was probably programmed for "atmospheric realism"—But to me, Deren Arkwright, it just screamed one thing:
"There goes my nap."
I stared blankly at the rising fog, lifting an empty thermos.
"Simulation again?"
Ryn stood beside me, scrolling through the mission briefing.Kael was nearby, poking at his gear. Whether for prep or posing, I couldn't tell.
"Residual signal from yesterday's hybrid battle," Ryn explained."Lieutenant Varres wants us to verify if there's still active Core residue left behind."
"Residue?" I frowned."Why not just send a cleanup bot? Or, I don't know... throw a scanner from orbit?"
"Because you are now considered the most 'familiar' with the leaked technology," Nala cut in as she arrived, her voice as sharp as ever.
I turned to her with the most exasperated look I could manage.
"Fine. But if we find one more bootleg that looks like my design...I swear I'm building a giant sign that says:'ORIGINAL CONCEPT BY DEREN. HANDS OFF.'"
[Location: Hybrid Ruins – Remnants of Chaos | 07:45 AM]
The battlefield was still scorched.Blackened concrete. Warped metal.The aftermath of yesterday's chaos was fresh—too fresh.
But something new caught my eye.
A small device jammed into the soil.It pulsed weakly—A short-range beacon with an all-too-familiar Eidolon-style signal pattern.
Ryn crouched beside it.
"Looks like a tracker.But definitely not government-issued."
I joined him, narrowing my eyes.
"Trial-phase build… I remember drafting this.Thought Clarice scrapped the whole project due to battery instability."
Nala spoke up, sharp as ever.
"She wouldn't have released it, right?"
"Exactly.If this is out here, that means one of two things—Either it leaked from a third-party…Or someone pulled it directly from an old prototype vault."
Kael crouched beside us, blinking.
"Or... it's bait.Someone's trying to drag us in deeper."
I looked at him.
"For someone who usually is the chaos, that's... not a bad theory."
[Scene Shift – Glitching Systems, Growing Suspicion]
Just as Ryn reached to retrieve the beacon—
The ground rumbled.Not simulated.
Ryn's scanner screamed.
"System activation—unregistered.It's not part of any sim protocol!"
I raised my head slowly.
"Someone's triggering legacy systems.And they're using my tech to unlock it."
A rusted tower unfolded from the rubble—Hidden beneath decades of silence.
A holographic panel flickered to life.
Then—
A video.
Faint static. Old lens distortion.
And at the center of it:
Me.
A much younger version—age thirteen.Stammering through an early Eidolon prototype demo.
I froze.
"This was… a private recording. Stored offline."
Kael gaped.
"Bro… that's like, main character backstory leak, episode 20 stuff!"
[Cutaway – Nova Academy Control Room]
Tessan stood over the surveillance feed.
The image of young Deren played silently on loop.
"This just got serious."
Nayra typed rapidly, analyzing the surrounding data stream.
"The signal's bleeding into dormant satellite networks.Somehow, someone just reactivated a legacy grid that's been offline since the First Core War."
"And every single node...Is built on Eidolon architecture."
Tessan watched as old distribution lines lit up on the display.
Old names. Forgotten channels.
At the very bottom—a tag appeared.
Signal Signature Match: PRIMAL CORE – TYPE: ANCIENT | CODE: VORAX"Vorax…" Nayra whispered.
[Back at the Ruins – One Man, One Mistake, One Declaration]
I stared at the recording of my younger self.
I wasn't confused.
Just... tired.
Because once again, the past refused to stay buried.
"Clarice is probably panicking right now," I muttered.
Ryn glanced at me.
"You thinking of running?"
"I want to.But whoever's behind this... crossed the line.If they spread half-finished Eidolon tech—my rep crashes.And that's unforgivable."
Kael clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Dude… you're kinda scary right now."
I stood slowly.Eyes sharper than I'd allowed them to be in a long time.
"Starting today…We hunt whoever decided to play with fire under my name."