Kael woke up on the floor.
His face was pressed against cold marble, his limbs spread at awkward angles, and something was throbbing behind his eyes with the intensity of a small but very determined drummer. The dormitory was dark—night had fallen, then passed, then given way to the pale gray light of early morning creeping through the window.
He groaned and pushed himself upright.
"Come on, System." His voice came out hoarse. "You got to stop doing that."
A pause. Then—
"But that's where the fun in being your System is."
Kael stared at the ceiling.
"I'm starting to miss System 001."
"System 001 didn't have a personality. You would have been bored within a week."
"I'm kinda bored now."
"No. You're in pain. Different thing."
Kael dragged himself to the bed and sat on the edge, head in his hands. The throbbing was fading—slowly, like a tide going out. Whatever had happened during that fusion process, his body had apparently survived it.
His eyes felt different.
