Ashen sat perfectly still on the bed.
The soft hum of the infirmary's machines filled the silence, punctuated only by the faint thump of his heartbeat in his ears. He stared at the wall, trying to convince himself that what he'd just heard wasn't real — that it was just the lingering haze of a concussion or the aftereffects of near-drowning.
He'd probably inhaled too much oxygen mix in his suit, right? Or maybe Daphne had pumped him full of some stabilizing serum that was still messing with his head.
But then—
"Still don't believe I'm real, huh?" The voice was inside his skull again, rich and clear, carrying a smug undertone like it already knew the answer. "Okay, fine. Let's prove it. Let's see… Ashen Vale, son of Sarah Vale and Desmond Vale…"
Ashen sat frozen as the unknown voice went about rambling information that was supposed to be private.
"Born in New Europa, relocated to the H-Academy when you were fourteen. Parents missing, presumed dead. Your medical report says you—oh, this one's funny—still a virg—"
"OKAY! That's enough!" Ashen shouted out loud, springing to his feet. "I get it! You're real! just shut up"
The room fell silent for a second before the voice chuckled, low and teasing.
"No need to scream out like an idiot, champ. Just think it. Use your thoughts. We don't need anyone walking by thinking you're having a mental breakdown now, do we?"
Ashen rubbed his face with both hands, dragging a long, tired breath into his lungs.
'I'm officially losing it.'
'Okay,' he thought, hesitantly directing his words inward. 'What the hell are you and what do you want?'
'That's better,' the voice said, sounding way too pleased. 'Like I said, my name's Nexis — and well, I'm a Zephyr.'
'And what exactly is a Zephyr supposed to be?' Ashen shot back, keeping his tone level though his thoughts were anything but calm. 'And why are you in my head?'
'Wellllll,' Nexis drawled. 'For your first question… can't answer that. And for your second question… yeah, can't answer that either.'
Ashen blinked once, twice, then groaned quietly.
From the tone alone, it was clear the thing was enjoying this. Whatever this thing was, it was having fun.
'Great,' Ashen muttered inwardly. 'Then how about this — if you can't tell me anything, please get the hell out of my head.'
'Wellllll,' Nexis said again, and Ashen could practically hear the grin in his voice. 'Can't do that either. SOR-ry.'
"…"
Ashen sighed through his nose, pushed himself off the bed, and headed straight for the door.
The metallic floor clanged softly under his boots.
If anyone could help him, it'd be Mrs. Daphne. She'd handled dozens of students suffering from neural feedback overloads — she'd know what to do.
'Okay, calm down,' Nexis said, his tone still light but tinged with something else now — urgency, maybe. 'I'll talk, I'll talk! Sheesh, do all humans have zero sense of humor?'
Ashen ignored him and kept walking, there was no way he was going to continue talking to an unknown voice in his head.
His hand reached for the door console.
That's when the voice said something that made him freeze.
'I can help your planet.'
The words hit like a cold current running down his spine.
Ashen stopped, his hand hovering midair. 'What?'
Nexis's tone shifted, losing some of the sarcasm and gaining a strange kind of focus.
'The Games,' he continued. 'If I remember correctly, Earth's still the fresh baby on the block, right? It should be ten years since you joined the Dominion? Ten years of losing. Not a single podium finish, not a single victory. The others laugh at your species behind your back. Pathetic, really.'
Ashen's jaw clenched, but he didn't reply.
'But I can change that,' Nexis said, his voice now smooth, confident — dangerous. 'I can help you save lives. Make you stronger. Faster. Better. You could be the one to turn it around. A hero to your planet.'
He stayed silent for a long time before replying.
'Even if I were to believe that,' he finally thought, his tone calm but skeptical, 'how exactly are you going to do that? Talk your way to victory?'
Nexis let out a laugh — short, amused, and undeniably cocky.
'Ha! Look who can joke too! Maybe we'll get along after all. But on a serious note — are you sure you want me to show you?'
Ashen didn't answer, he didn't need to. The silence was answer enough.
'Okay,' Nexis said. 'You asked for it.'
Immediately after he finished speaking the air around Ashen shivered.
A faint vibration rippled through the infirmary, subtle at first, then growing stronger.
The lights flickered, the machines by the wall let out distorted hums.
Ashen's eyes widened. "Wait—what are you—"
Suddenly out of nowhere, gravity vanished.
His stomach lurched as his body lifted off the ground, floating helplessly in midair.
The bed, chair, even the datapads on the counter began to drift upward as if the whole room had been turned into a zero-gravity chamber.
"Turn it off! What the hell—"
'Relax,' Nexis said cheerfully. 'Just a little demo!'
"Turn. It. Off!"
'Sure thing!'
The instant the words left his head, gravity came crashing back.
Ashen plummeted.
He hit the floor hard, the impact sending pain shooting up his back. A stool clattered beside him. The bed frame groaned as it slammed back down, followed by a cascade of medkits and loose equipment raining from the counter.
The room was a disaster zone.
Ashen lay there for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling.
'Told you I'd show you,' Nexis said, his tone infuriatingly chipper. 'You're welcome.'
Ashen groaned. "…You're insane."
'Insane? No. Eccentric? Maybe. Brilliant? Definitely. Oh, and you're welcome for the low-level gravity manipulation. Not easy to pull off when you're piggybacking on a human neural system, by the way.'
Ashen didn't respond. He slowly sat up, rubbing his neck with a wince.
'So… still think I'm fake?'
Ashen sighed. "Unfortunately, no."
'Good,' Nexis said, sounding satisfied. 'Now that introductions are out of the way—'
"Introductions?" Ashen snapped under his breath, glaring at the air. "You just tried to kill me!"
'Oh, please. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even know it happened. You'd just blink and—poof! Gone. I was just proving a point.'
Ashen pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly through his teeth.
'Look,' Nexis said, tone dropping a fraction. 'I am willing to help you and not asking much in return. And weather you like it or not, you ae going to help me because i am not leaving this body until my task is fulfilled.'
Ashen opened his mouth to reply — then froze as the infirmary door hissed open.
Mrs. Daphne stepped inside, eyes wide as she took in the wrecked room.
The overturned bed, scattered medical supplies, and one very guilty-looking Ashen sitting amidst the chaos.
Her jaw dropped. "…What on earth happened here?"
Ashen blinked, trying to form an excuse, but Nexis beat him to it.
'Oh, this is gonna be fun.'