Chapter 19: Unknown Variable

Joshua sat on the cushioned examination table, watching Vaughn prepare the injection. The clinic's fluorescent lights buzzed softly, casting a sterile glow over the equipment.

"So, what exactly are you injecting into me?" Joshua asked, eyeing the vial filled with a shimmering silver liquid.

"Nanobots," Vaughn replied, tapping the syringe to remove air bubbles. "They'll scan your body at the molecular level, mapping out every little detail. Should give us an accurate read on what the hell is going on with you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Is this safe?"

"They have a specific purpose—scan, collect data, self-destruct. No side effects."

"No side effects?" Joshua echoed. "Didn't you once say that about that protein shake you made in high school? The one that made me puke for two days?"

Vaughn scoffed. "That was years ago. I'm a professional now."

Joshua sighed. "Fine. Hit me with it."

Vaughn smirked, swabbed Joshua's arm, and injected the nanobots. "Alright, they're in. Now, we wait."

Joshua leaned back against the cold wall. "So, while we wait, you wanted me to explain everything that happened to me again?"

"Yeah," Vaughn said, pulling up a chair. "Give me the full rundown, step by step. Leave nothing out."

Joshua exhaled slowly. "Alright… It all started when I logged into the game."

The first thing he remembered was pain—raw, searing pain that clawed through his body the moment he entered the game. He had felt it before in real life—fevers, broken bones, deep cuts—but this? This was something else entirely.

Joshua described the imprints, the agonizing sensation of symbols being burned into his skin, branding him with something beyond his understanding. He had screamed, his voice hoarse from the sheer force of it, yet no sound escaped his lips in that strange space.

Then came the carving. The symbols were not just burned into his skin but into his very bones. It was like someone took a scalpel made of pure energy and etched into his skeleton, forcing new pathways into existence. Every nerve felt like it was set ablaze, but he had no choice but to endure it.

Joshua clenched his fists at the memory. He could still recall the smell of something burning—his own flesh, perhaps, though he never saw any flames.

And finally… the Core Formation Ritual.

This was unlike anything else. His chest had cracked open—not physically, but it felt like it. His heart, his lungs, his ribs—everything was ripped apart, reconstructed, and then fused back together around an unknown entity. A stone—no, a core, as Maydee had called it—had formed near his heart, pulsating with an eerie, otherworldly rhythm.

It was alive.

It didn't belong to him, yet somehow, it had become a part of him.

When he finally awoke, he was changed. Stronger. Faster. More resilient. But not just physically—something deeper within him had shifted, like he was no longer completely human.

Joshua snapped back to reality, exhaling shakily. He hadn't even realized his hands were trembling until he saw Vaughn staring at them, wide-eyed.

"Jesus Christ, man," Vaughn muttered, rubbing his temples. "That… that sounds like some horror movie shit."

Joshua chuckled darkly. "Tell me about it."

Before Vaughn could respond, a loud BEEP filled the room.

Joshua turned to the screen displaying his biometric data. The progress bar had stopped at 78%.

"What's going on?" Joshua asked.

Vaughn squinted at the monitor, his face scrunching up. "Huh… That's weird."

Suddenly, a loud WARNING alert flashed across the screen.

ERROR: NANOBOT MALFUNCTION.

FOREIGN ENERGY DETECTED.

SYSTEM FAILURE.

Then, before their eyes, the nanobots disintegrated.

Joshua felt a sudden warmth rush through his body, and for a brief second, his skin glowed faintly, illuminating the dimly lit room. The sensation faded as quickly as it appeared, but the damage was done—every single nanobot Vaughn had injected into him was gone.

Vaughn's jaw dropped.

"What the actual fuck did you do, nerd?"

"I didn't do anything!" Joshua protested. "I was just sitting here!"

Vaughn spun his chair toward the monitor, furiously typing on the keyboard. "That was a state-of-the-art scanning system. Those nanobots cost a fortune, and they just got vaporized like they were nothing."

Joshua winced. "Uh… put it on my tab?"

Vaughn groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I'll just deduct a million bucks from your nonexistent salary."

Joshua sighed, rubbing his temples. "So, what did they manage to scan before getting fried?"

Vaughn stared at the data on the screen, his expression shifting from frustration to something resembling awe.

"Okay… so… this is insane."

Joshua leaned in. "How insane?"

Vaughn pointed at the scan of Joshua's circulatory system.

"Your energy lines—the ones that appeared on your skin after that ritual? They're not just markings. They're a second nervous system. A separate, fully functional circulatory network running parallel to your actual blood vessels and nerves."

Joshua frowned. "So… what? Like a secondary power grid?"

"Exactly," Vaughn said, his voice tinged with excitement. "But here's the thing—whenever the nanobots got near the thing near your heart, they were fried instantly. Like, completely disintegrated. Whatever's inside you doesn't like being analyzed."

Joshua touched his chest. He could feel it—the faint hum of the core within him, beating alongside his own heart.

Vaughn adjusted his glasses, deep in thought. "Hmmm…"

"Hmmm?" Joshua mimicked.

Vaughn tapped his chin. "Can you try using magic?"

Joshua blinked. "I… don't know how yet. But soon."

Vaughn leaned back. "Huh. Well, whenever you do, let me know. I wanna see that shit in action."

Joshua smirked. "Maybe I'll let you be my first test subject."

"Fuck you," Vaughn shot back, grinning.

Joshua stood up and stretched. "Alright, I should get going. I need to train if I'm gonna figure this out."

Vaughn nodded. "Wait, before you go—send me the link to that game. I wanna try it."

Joshua hesitated. "I don't know, man. It's… different."

"I just wanna see what the hype's about," Vaughn said, waving him off. "C'mon, don't be a bitch."

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll send it later."

Vaughn grinned. "That's the spirit."

As Joshua walked toward the door, Vaughn grabbed his car keys.

"Lemme drive you home."

Joshua shrugged. "Sure. How much do I owe you for today?"

Vaughn tapped on the monitor. "Not much. Just 1.35 million."

Joshua froze mid-step. "Whaaaat?"

"I told you, nanobots aren't cheap," Vaughn said, smirking.

Joshua's face paled. "Dude, I only have like 90k to my name!"

Vaughn burst out laughing. "Relax, I was kidding. That's pocket change for this young master." He patted his stomach. "Let's go. I need food after all this stress."

Joshua shook his head, chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."

As they left the clinic, a single thought lingered in Joshua's mind.

Whatever was inside him… wasn't just changing his body.

It was changing his very existence.

And he still had no idea what it truly meant.