The sky was watching.
Not like before.
Not like a presence.
Not like a creature.
This was something else.
Something… aware.
Danny couldn't breathe properly.
Not from pressure.
Not from fear.
From understanding.
"…It said subject…" he whispered.
"…That means…"
A pause.
"…It's observing me."
Abby didn't deny it.
Her eyes were locked on the sky, her expression tighter than ever before.
"Not just observing."
A pause.
"Recording."
That word—
Hit different.
Danny's chest tightened.
"…Recording… what exactly?"
No answer.
Because deep down—
They all knew.
Everything.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…This is bad."
Danny shot him a look.
"…You've been saying that a lot."
Ren shook his head slightly.
"No. Before was bad."
A pause.
"This is worse."
The line across the sky pulsed once.
Clean.
Perfect.
Like a boundary.
Then—
The voice returned.
"—Deviation—Detected—"
Danny froze.
"…Deviation…?"
Abby's eyes widened slightly.
"…That's because of you."
"…Me again?" Danny snapped.
"Yes, you again."
The air shifted.
But not violently.
Precisely.
The space around Danny tightened.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to isolate.
Ren took a step forward.
"…It's locking onto you."
Danny clenched his fists.
"…I'm getting real tired of everything locking onto me."
The sky pulsed again.
"—Analyzing—"
A faint glow spread from the line—
Not light.
Not energy.
Something else.
Danny felt it touch him.
Not physically.
But directly—
On his existence.
"…What is this feeling…" he muttered.
Abby's voice dropped.
"…It's reading you."
"…Reading what?!"
"Everything."
That answer—
Was not okay.
Danny took a step back.
"…Then stop it!"
His distortion surged instantly.
Stronger than ever before.
He reached upward—
Trying to push it away—
Trying to break the connection—
For a moment—
It worked.
The glow flickered.
The line trembled slightly.
Ren's eyes widened.
"…He's interfering with it?"
Abby's expression sharpened.
"Don't stop!"
Danny clenched his teeth.
"…I won't—!"
He pushed harder.
The distortion around him expanded—
Reaching toward the sky—
For the first time—
The system reacted.
The voice shifted.
"—Error—"
Everything froze.
Not like before.
Not under someone's control.
This was different.
This was a glitch.
Danny's eyes widened.
"…I did that…?"
The line across the sky flickered again—
Less stable now.
Less perfect.
Ren let out a low whistle.
"…Okay… that's insane."
Abby didn't react.
Because she was watching something else.
"…It's adapting," she said quietly.
Danny froze.
"…What?"
The voice returned—
But different.
Colder.
Sharper.
"—Countermeasure—Initiated—"
Danny's heart dropped.
"…That's not good…"
The line in the sky—
Split.
Not breaking.
Dividing.
From that line—
Something began to descend.
Not falling.
Lowering.
Controlled.
Danny's breathing slowed.
"…What now…"
Abby's voice came out tense.
"…That's not a creature."
Ren's tone followed.
"…That's not human either."
A pause.
"…Then what is it?" Danny asked.
Neither of them answered immediately.
Because the answer Was something they hadn't faced before.
The object descended further.
Humanoid in shape.
But not alive.
Its body was made of something smooth.
Perfect.
Unflawed.
No emotion.
No expression.
Just… function.
It landed silently.
No impact.
No sound.
Then—
It looked at Danny.
Its eyes—
Glowed faintly.
And it spoke.
"—Correction Unit—Activated—"
Danny's blood ran cold.
"…Correction…?"
The unit tilted its head slightly.
"—Target—Identified—"
A pause.
"—Danny Yui—"
Everything—
Stopped.
Because this time—
It didn't call him "Key."
It called him by name.
Abby stepped forward instantly.
"Get back."
Her aura flared violently.
More intense than ever before.
Ren stepped beside her.
Not relaxed anymore.
Serious.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"This one's not for fun."
Danny didn't move.
Couldn't.
Because for the first time—
He understood something clearly.
This thing—
Wasn't here to test him.
Wasn't here to observe him.
Wasn't even here to challenge him.
It was here—
To erase him.
The unit raised its hand.
The air warped instantly.
Not like distortion.
Not like power.
Like deletion.
Danny's instincts screamed.
"—Correction—Commencing—"
And in that moment—
Everything changed again.
Because now—
Danny wasn't part of the system.
He was a problem—
And the system—
Had decided to fix it.
To Be Continued.