The wind hadn’t let up in a few days.

  Kaiden tugged his hoodie tighter around his shoulders as he stepped out of the library, the door hissing shut behind him. Dry leaves scraped across the sidewalk like whispers he couldn’t quite make out. Up above, the clouds churned in slow spirals, the sun a reluctant smear behind their weight.

  Nothing felt right.

  Each day since the hospital had been a little more off. He’d tried to keep his head down, help with chores, run errands for his mom, sit beside Mina while the machines clicked and beeped their too-steady rhythm.

  At the library, he stuck to his routine. Log into the library terminals. Homework. Then, scrolled forums. Search old articles. Look through threads Emir had flagged.

  He didn’t trust many people these days, but Emir was one of the few who didn’t ask stupid questions. They’d met twice more since that first day, each time in the far back corner near the dusty university archives. Emir would plop down with a hot drink; one for himself, and the other for Kaiden, to keep him going.

  Kaiden cracked a smile for the first time. Just a twitch.

  Emir slid into the seat with a Styrofoam cup and a laptop covered in neon stickers. He didn’t look up.

  “More reports out of Oregon. Sunflowers that won’t face the sun. They’re calling it ‘phototropic dissonance.’ Sounds like a band name.”

  Kaiden didn’t respond at first. He tapped through a message board titled EcoSync. One post was highlighted:

  “Strange blooms under heat lamps in indoor gardens. Plants grow in spirals. Not like vines. Like searching. Reaching. I’ve never seen anything reach like that.”—@Techno_Hermit

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Kaiden,” Emir said, softer now. “You okay?”

  Kaiden blinked. His hand hovered over the mouse.

  He turned slowly. “You have RTS, right?”

  Emir raised an eyebrow. “Of course I do. Never got too far, to be honest. Why?”

  Kaiden hesitated, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “I left my gear at school. My dad’s not gonna let me touch tech for a while.”

  Emir leaned back, folding his arms. “Let me guess. You need to log in. Urgently.”

  Kaiden nodded once.

  “You don’t have to explain. I got you.” Emir stood and slung his bag over his shoulder. “C’mon. Place is ten minutes away. Headset’s clean, high-res. I promise.”

  Kaiden blinked. “You’re serious?”

  “Look, man, you’ve got that look like someone who’s carrying way too much on their shoulders. I don’t need the story. Just lemme help.”

  Kaiden almost said thank you. It caught in his throat.

  Emir’s apartment was above a bike shop. It smelled faintly of incense and cold pizza, with wires trailing across the floor like roots. His roommate was nowhere to be seen, and Kaiden didn’t ask.

  The headset sat on a charging dock. Emir gestured to it like presenting a crown.

  “You sure?” Kaiden asked, already half out of his hoodie.

  Emir replied, “Just hydrate when you log out. No offense, but you look like you could use a whole-ass river.”

  Kaiden pulled the headset over his face. The familiar calibration screen flickered. His breath caught.

  “Thanks man… and, um, make sure nothing weird happens out here.”

  Kaiden didn’t stay long to see what Emir would even reply before loading up the games interface.

  Initializing log-in credentials...

  Welcome back, Nyte.

  He opened his eyes into a dim, mycelial chamber deep beneath the forest. Cool green light pulsed from the walls, and faint specks of luminescent dust drifted like spores caught in stasis.

  System messages scrolled across his interface: [Ironstride has invited you to the party.]