- Not So Ordinary

Alex lay fast asleep in bed, tangled in his sheets.

Morning sunlight slipped through the cracked blinds, slicing across his face and dragging him out of sleep. A mechanical whisper tickled his ear.

"Rise and glitch, sleepy one."

Alex groaned, blinking against the light. His whole body ached.

"Ugh... What happened? Why does it feel like I got steamrolled by a semi?"

Genesis hovered nearby, its glow faint but steady. "You were brought home by your mother. She found you unconscious. You... technically died."

Alex froze mid-sit-up. "Wait—what?"

Genesis buzzed, unusually quiet. "You were clinically dead for twenty-seven seconds. I managed to revive you. Some people found you on the field and got help. Your mom brought you home."

Alex sat still, stunned. "So, I actually died?"

Genesis hovered closer, its light softening. "Yes."

Silence thickened the air.

"I... I don't want to do this anymore," Alex said, his voice low and serious.

"I know it's hard—"

"No, you don't. I died, Genesis. This isn't a video game. This is my life. You need to go back to whatever virtual dimension you crawled out of."

Genesis suddenly glowed a fierce red. "I CAN'T DO THAT!" its voice cracked into something guttural. The room shook briefly—picture frames rattled—then it dimmed, almost sheepishly. "Oops. Sorry."

Alex's mouth twitched. "Why can't you go back?"

Genesis hovered awkwardly. "Because... I'm not actually from the virtual society."

Alex blinked. "What?"

"I don't know where I came from, not exactly. But I do know people are trying to get their hands on me—and I don't trust the virtual society's motives."

Alex felt a strange tug in his chest. Sympathy? Understanding?

Genesis's light flickered gently. "Please, Alex. If they get me, it's bad. For both of us."

Alex looked at him—really looked. For the first time, Genesis didn't feel like an annoying, all-powerful floating console. He felt... scared.

Then came footsteps outside the door.

Genesis zipped into the cupboard with a soft whir.

Alex quickly flopped back onto the bed.

Mei entered with a tray of breakfast and placed it on his lap.

"Morning," she said softly, feeling his forehead.

"I'm fine," Alex said, forcing a smile.

"You didn't look fine yesterday," she said, brushing his hair from his eyes. "I called the school. Told them you're staying home."

Alex hesitated. "Actually... I think I need to go to school."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"

"Yeah. Gotta act normal, right? Just another regular day of pretending nothing's weird."

She gave him a look—half suspicion, half concern—but didn't push it. "Egg rolls are on the counter. Don't stay out late."

Alex nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

She kissed his head and walked out.

Genesis peeked from the cupboard. "Time is but a construct. But truancy is tracked by algorithms."

Alex chuckled as he swung his legs out of bed. Despite everything, he was kind of glad Genesis was back to being... well, Genesis.

As he got dressed, he felt the weight of everything settle onto his shoulders again. High school, bruised ribs, secret tech, and reality bending monsters. He yanked a hoodie over his head.

"I'd trade this destiny thing for five more minutes of sleep," he muttered.

Genesis's voice echoed in his head. "I calibrate my tone to match your sarcasm."

"You're way too chipper for an ancient alien console."

Monridge High was a chaotic mess of voices, footsteps, slamming lockers, and hallway drama. Comfortingly normal.

Genesis, on the other hand, was not.

"These creatures smell of hormones and disappointment," it observed in his mind.

"You're describing high school," Alex muttered.

"Is this where intellect comes to die?"

"Stop narrating my life. You're not Morgan Freeman."

He waved at familiar faces—Amir from bio, Emma from physics—and narrowly dodged a rogue soccer ball. For a fleeting moment, he almost felt normal.

Until he didn't.

"Well, well, if it isn't Forehead Boy."

Alex stopped. Darren and Blake stood by the bike rack, smug and smirking.

"Still alive?" Blake added. "That's unfortunate."

Genesis stirred. "Shall I initiate Humiliation Protocol?"

"What? No!" Alex hissed. "Wait... What is that, exactly?"

Before Genesis could explain, Darren slapped an egg roll from Alex's hand. It hit the pavement with a sad splop.

"Oops," Darren said with mock innocence. "Guess your basketball skills don't protect your snacks."

Nearby students watched—but of course, no one stepped in.

Then, across the quad, Alex spotted her. Dark hoodie. Headphones. Standing under the maple tree.

Lena.

She met his eyes. No expression. Just watching.

Genesis whispered, "She's observing. Wouldn't now be a great time to impress her?"

Alex sighed. "Fine. Just don't vaporize anyone."

Darren moved in again. This time, Alex grabbed his wrist, twisted, and Darren face-planted into a nearby bench—right into someone's leftover noodles.

A beat of silence. Then—laughter.

Blake rushed in with a yell. Alex sidestepped, stuck out his foot, and Blake skidded across the pavement like a glitch in a fighting game.

More laughter. Someone shouted, "Yo, Steele's got moves!"

Alex brushed off his hoodie. "You guys always trip over your egos, or is this a new thing?"

Genesis buzzed. "That was immensely satisfying."

Alex allowed a grin—but Lena was already walking away.

That afternoon, clouds rolled in fast and heavy, like reality was holding its breath.

Alex walked home, earbuds in, no music playing. He replayed the day in his head—especially her. That look. Like she knew him. Like she remembered something he hadn't even lived yet.

Then, a chill swept the street.

Traffic lights blinked out. Lampposts flickered. His phone buzzed with static.

[CONSOLE.DETECT.MODE – ACTIVATED]

[ACCESSING ENTITY DATA…]

[THREAT LEVEL: CLASS-2 — "HOLLOWBORN"]

Genesis's tone sharpened. "Alex. Move. Now."

Alex turned—and froze.

The Hollowborn stood at the end of the street, limbs pulsing with glitchy static, eyes flickering like bad code. Pedestrians froze, trapped in some kind of suspended animation.

"This can't be happening again," Alex whispered.

"Run or fight," Genesis warned. "Choose now."

Alex bolted toward the alley. The creature gave chase, footsteps pounding, growl wet and guttural.

Suddenly, something dropped between them—a blur of motion and glowing black armor.

The agent.

She spun her glowing staff, deflecting the monster's claws. Sparks flew. She moved like code brought to life.

Alex ducked behind a dumpster, breath ragged. "Who is she?"

Genesis's voice came low. "An unexpected ally. For now."

The Hollowborn roared. She conjured a gun mid-spin, fired. The blast pushed the creature back—but it didn't fall.

Then came the laser. The Hollowborn's eyes flashed red, firing a beam into her chest. She dropped, sliding across the ground.

Alex instinctively moved—but Genesis stopped him. "Do you want to die again?"

She coughed, clutching her stomach where her armor smoked.

The Hollowborn lunged.

She conjured a giant shuriken, glowing blue, and hurled it. It sliced through the Hollowborn's face—

—and the creature burst into static, disintegrating into a swirl of code.

Alex stumbled out, wide-eyed. "Are you okay?!"

But the girl just stood, scanned the area—and disappeared into the shadows.

Alex stared after her, stunned.

"So," he muttered, "still think I'm not in danger?"

Genesis buzzed in his pocket. "That was a Class-2 manifestation. Next time, you'll need more than luck and alley walls."

Alex looked up at the sky. The clouds shimmered, unreal.

This wasn't a game.

And he wasn't just some normal kid anymore.