They left Nina's house with the kind of quiet that felt like bruises.
Eli's hug had been real. His voice saying "Nina" again had been real. For one moment, it had been like the world stopped falling.
But Nina's phone still said Future Path: LIMITED.
It sat there like a curse with clean spelling.
Nina walked fast, eyes down, jaw tight. She didn't wipe her face. Her tears dried on her skin like salt.
Theo walked with his phone in both hands, staring at the timer the way you stare at a wound you can't cover.
21:13:09
He didn't say anything. He didn't even write. His fear was too loud inside him for paper.
Mara stayed close to him, not touching, just close, like proximity could be a shield without triggering any contract rules.
Jace walked a step ahead, shoulders squared. He looked calm. Too calm. The kind of calm you see in someone who doesn't feel a cliff edge anymore.
Lark kept glancing at the foil pouch, checking it like a heartbeat monitor.
Back at Theo's garage, the air felt heavy. The same old tools on the wall. The same dusty boxes. But now it felt like a bunker.
Theo locked the door. He pulled the small lamp closer, like darkness could hide them better.
Mara sat down first. Her phone still showed the inside-layer console, but she had closed it for the moment. Her head still hurt from the fake memory that had been planted in her mind like a sticker.
Nina sat across from Mara, hugging her knees. She stared at the floor like she could stare hard enough to open her future again.
Jace stood in the middle of the room. He pulled out his phone and typed. Then he turned the screen toward Mara.
OWNER TOKEN — READYTRANSFER: AVAILABLEPAYMENT: NONE (temporary window)
Mara's breath caught.
None?
That didn't make sense.
The system never gave "none."
Mara wrote in her notebook, hands shaking.
WHY NOW?
Jace's face stayed calm. He typed and showed her.
BECAUSE I ALREADY PAID.AND BECAUSE IT WANTS ME TO LOOK GOOD TO YOU.
Mara's stomach turned.
Even this could be manipulation.
Jace tapped his screen once.
A transfer prompt opened.
TRANSFER OWNER TOKEN TO: Mara R.
His thumb hovered.
Mara felt a tight knot in her chest. She wanted it back. She needed it back. She also didn't trust anything that felt easy.
Nina looked up and wrote one line on paper, sharp and tired.
DO IT.WE CAN'T KEEP THIS BETWEEN YOU TWO.
Theo's hands shook as he held his phone up to show the timer again. It had dropped just by existing. Just by being watched.
20:58:44
Mara's throat tightened.
They were running out of time for everything.
Jace pressed TRANSFER.
The phone buzzed deep.
A message flashed on his screen, then on Mara's.
OWNER TOKEN TRANSFERREDNew owner: Mara R.Status: ACTIVE
Mara's stomach flipped. She held her phone like it might burn her.
Then the system added a calm line under it.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Mara wanted to throw the phone across the room.
Jace exhaled slowly. His shoulders dropped like he had been carrying a heavy bag and finally set it down.
Nina stared at Mara's phone, relief mixing with anger. Theo's eyes filled with tears again, but he didn't let them fall.
Mara typed a note on her phone and showed it to Jace.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BUY IT.
Jace stared at the words. His jaw worked like he was chewing something hard.
Then he typed back.
I DID.I THOUGHT I DID.BECAUSE I CAN'T FEEL IT.
Mara frowned.
Jace opened a page on his phone and turned it toward her.
Fear Removal: PERMANENTStatus: ACTIVERisk perception reduced. Thrill tolerance increased.
Mara's chest tightened.
So the system didn't just take fear like a feeling.
It took it like a warning system.
It took the part that said, Don't do that. That's dangerous.
Jace looked at the screen like he was reading about someone else.
He typed, slower now.
I KNOW THINGS ARE BAD.I SEE THE TIMER.I SEE YOU HURT.BUT MY BODY DOESN'T PANIC.IT DOESN'T STOP ME.
Nina wrote on paper, bitter.
SO YOU'RE A WALKING PROBLEM.
Jace flinched. Not much. Just enough to show it landed somewhere deep.
Theo finally wrote again too, shaky letters.
THEY MADE YOU THEIR PERFECT TOOL.
Jace nodded once like he already knew.
Then Jace's phone buzzed.
A new prompt appeared, clean and tempting.
Redeem penalty for serviceOffer: Reduce Theo's timer by 6 hoursPayment: Action required now
Mara's blood ran cold.
Reduce Theo's timer.
That sounded like help.
But "service" sounded like trap.
Jace's eyes locked on Theo's timer, and for the first time in a while, Mara saw something human on Jace's face.
Guilt.
Theo's hands shook harder. His timer ticked.
20:41:02
Nina's face went pale. She wrote fast.
DON'T ACCEPT ANYTHING.
Mara typed and held it up to Jace.
IT WILL COST SOMEONE ELSE.
Jace stared at the offer. His thumb hovered.
Then he typed one line and showed Mara.
I CAN FIX THIS.
Mara's stomach dropped.
That line sounded exactly like the system's favorite word.
Fix.
Jace slipped his phone into his pocket and moved toward the door.
Mara stood up fast.
Nina stood too, eyes wide.
Theo's breath sped up.
Lark reached out like they wanted to stop him, then pulled back, scared to touch.
Mara wrote fast and shoved the notebook toward Jace.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Jace didn't answer with paper.
He typed on his phone and held it up for one second.
I'M GOING TO PAY INSTEAD OF YOU.
Then he opened the garage door and stepped into the night.
Mara rushed after him, but Jace was already moving fast down the driveway like he knew exactly where to go.
Or like something was guiding him.
Mara's phone buzzed in her hand.
A small arrow appeared on her map app, even though she didn't open it.
A route.
A suggested route.
And a calm notification on top:
Service location detected.Escort recommended.
Mara's heart hammered.
They were pulling him like a string.
Jace turned the corner at the end of the street and walked straight toward an alley lit by one broken light.
Mara followed, breathing hard, trying not to make noise.
Nina followed too, shaking, furious, desperate.
Theo followed last, clutching his phone, timer still eating him.
Lark stayed close, eyes scanning everything.
In the alley, a door waited.
A plain metal door with a keypad.
No sign.
No label.
Just a small screen above it that glowed when Jace approached.
The screen lit up with three words.
AUTHORIZED: PROXY
Jace smiled.
Not happy. Not safe.
Just a small smile like someone stepping into a roller coaster.
Mara's blood ran cold.
Because he didn't look scared.
He looked excited.
The door clicked.
Unlocked.
Jace stepped inside without hesitation.
Mara rushed forward—
And the door slammed shut behind Jace with a heavy metal bang.
A lock sound followed, deep and final.
Then Mara's phone buzzed.
A new message appeared, black screen, white text.
last seen online 3 seconds ago
Under it, one line:
Proxy service has begun. Do not intervene.
Mara's hands shook so hard she almost dropped the phone.
Nina grabbed Mara's sleeve, eyes wild.
Theo stared at his timer, then at the locked door, then back at the timer like he couldn't decide which was the bigger threat.
Lark wrote on a scrap of paper with shaking hands and held it up to Mara.
THIS IS A TRAP.AND HE WALKED IN SMILING.
Mara stared at the locked door.
Then the keypad screen lit up again.
A new prompt appeared, calm and cruel.
Want to save him?Payment required: BOND (major)
Mara's stomach dropped.
Because the system didn't just want Jace.
It wanted the price of caring.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.