Rian woke up to the soft rays of early morning light streaming through his window, illuminating the cluttered room. His body ached slightly from sleeping on the floor, and he rubbed the back of his head, muttering groggily, "I really had a terrible nightmare."
As he stretched and sat up, a gentle knock came at the door. His mother's voice followed, warm and concerned. "Rian? Can I come in?"
He glanced toward the door, hesitating for a moment before pulling himself to his feet. "Yeah, Mom," he called, brushing dust off his clothes as he shuffled over to open it.
The door swung open, and Tilisha's sharp eyes immediately scanned his face. Her expression shifted to one of deep concern as she took in his scattered appearance—his unkempt hair, tear-streaked cheeks, and puffy, baggy eyes that spoke of a restless night. Without a word, she stepped inside and cupped his face gently with both hands.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked softly, her voice laced with worry. "You look like you've been crying all night. Did something happen?"
Rian forced a weak smile, trying to mask his unease. "I'm fine, Mom," he said, his tone unconvincing. "I just had a really scary nightmare... about people with superpowers. It felt so real."
Tilisha let out a light laugh, her fingers brushing a stray curl from his forehead. "Well then, I hate to break it to you, but if that's your nightmare, it might just last forever," she teased with a chuckle, her eyes crinkling with amusement.
Rian froze. Her words echoed in his mind like a jarring gong, and the pit of his stomach dropped. He stared at her, the realization dawning painfully clear: everything he experienced yesterday—the Radiants, the altered world—it was all real.
Tilisha noticed his expression shift and her concern deepened. "Rian, you've been behaving strange since dinner yesterday," she said softly. "If something is disturbing you, you know you can talk to me, right?"
Snapping back to reality, Rian forced a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm fine," he said quickly. "It's just some school stuff, that's all."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright, but you really need to rest," she said with a chuckle, gesturing to his disheveled appearance. "You look like you've been through a battle."
Rian managed a weak laugh, grateful for her understanding. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be okay."
She gave his arm a gentle squeeze before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Alone once more, Rian exhaled deeply and rubbed his face, muttering, "I need to get my thoughts together—fast."
Moving to the window, he decided to check if his neighborhood had changed, just as the rest of the world seemingly had. He unlocked the latch and opened it wide, leaning on the sill to peer outside. The familiar streets were bathed in soft morning light, bustling with the usual activity of neighbors going about their routines. For a moment, everything seemed normal.
But then he noticed something unusual—drawings on the walls of nearby buildings. Most of them depicted Radiants in various poses, their larger-than-life figures painted with reverence or humor. One mural showed Crimson Nova mid-battle, another featured a sly depiction of Velvet Viper. The sight was both fascinating and unsettling.
Aside from the artwork, everything else looked the same. Or so he thought.
Closing the window with a sigh, Rian began pacing back and forth in his room, his mind racing. "How do I get the memories of this Rian?" he muttered. "If this is my life now, I need to know everything."
As he tried to form a plan, the sudden ring of his ZephyrTab startled him. His heart leapt, and for reasons he couldn't fully explain, he felt a wave of dread wash over him. He glanced at the screen nervously. "Please don't be one of my friends," he whispered in a panicked murmur.
The name flashing on the screen crushed his hopes. It was Soren, his best buddy. Rian's stomach sank. "Of course," he muttered. "Soren's still annoying even in this world."
He immediately cut the call, but before he could catch his breath, the Tab buzzed again. Soren was calling back. Groaning, Rian muttered, "Persistent as ever," and ended the call once more. This time, he opened the messaging app to send Soren a text: "I can't talk right now. I'm in the middle of something."
Almost immediately, Soren began typing. Within seconds, a devilish smirk emoji popped up, followed by: "What? Jerking off again?"
Rian rolled his eyes, shaking his head in exasperation. "Unbelievable," he muttered, but a small grin tugged at his lips.
As he was about to reply, something on the screen caught his eye. A button at the top corner of the app read: "Download" with an icon of a downward arrow. It looked completely out of place—something that definitely didn't belong on ChatterLink.
His curiosity piqued, Rian exited the app, expecting the button to disappear. But to his surprise, it remained there, floating at the edge of his screen no matter what he did.
"What is this?" he whispered, his brows furrowing. The button seemed to glow faintly, as if daring him to press it. Intrigued and apprehensive, he stared at it, unsure of what might happen next.
Unable to resist the temptation, Rian muttered to himself, "Worst-case scenario, my tablet gets hacked or something weird happens to it." He hesitated for a moment longer, then shrugged. "Screw it."
He tapped the button.
The glowing icon vanished instantly. Rian blinked, waiting for something—anything—to happen. "Looks like nothing happe—"
Before he could finish the thought, an excruciating pain exploded in his head. The agony was unlike anything he had ever felt, sharp and relentless, as if his skull was being ripped apart. His knees buckled, and he clutched his head, gasping for air.
The pain grew worse with each passing second, his vision blurring and his surroundings spinning. Before he could scream, the darkness overtook him, and he blacked out completely.
After what seemed like hours, Rian woke up, sprawled on the floor. His entire body ached, and his skin was drenched in sweat, emitting a sharp, unpleasant smell. Groaning, he sat up, massaging his temples as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
"What the fuck just happened?" he muttered, his voice shaky. "How does a download button on my tablet give me a headache?"
Still disoriented, he grabbed his ZephyrTab, half-expecting it to be damaged. But as the screen lit up, everything appeared to be perfectly fine. The apps, the interface—it was all normal.
Then, out of nowhere, a strange sensation washed over him. A flood of information surged into his mind, so vivid and detailed it left him gasping. He suddenly knew the ZephyrTab. Not just as a device he used daily, but as if he had created it. He could visualize every material used in its construction, from the tempered glass of the screen to the alloys forming its casing. He understood the intricate coding of its operating system, the logic behind every app, and even the smallest bits of stored data.
It wasn't just an understanding—it was mastery. If someone handed him the tools, he could rewrite the tablet's operating system line by line with perfect precision.
Rian's hands trembled as he stared at the device, his breath quickening. "This... this—" he stammered, unable to finish the thought. His mind raced, unable to comprehend how such impossible knowledge had suddenly become a part of him.
His pulse pounded in his ears as he whispered to himself, "What the hell is happening to me?"
Then a sudden realization hit him. His breath caught as he muttered, "So... is this my own crossover system?"
Excitement replaced the confusion for a moment, and he sat up straighter, his hands gripping the tablet. "System," he called out confidently. Nothing happened.
He frowned, his voice louder this time. "System!"
Still, there was no response. The excitement in his chest wavered, and a new wave of confusion swept over him. "How does this work?" he asked himself. "How do I trigger this... ability? What even is this?"
Restless, Rian stood up and began pacing his room, his mind racing. Then, an idea struck him. He hurried to his bookshelf and grabbed his math textbook, his sworn nemesis. The thick book felt heavy in his hands as he flipped it open to one of the most difficult topics: Calculus. He stared at the page, his heart pounding in anticipation, waiting for something—anything—to happen.
But nothing did.
Disappointment settled in, and he closed the book with a frustrated sigh. As he was about to toss it back on the shelf, something caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat as he saw it: the same Download button, now glowing faintly on the textbook cover.
Without hesitation, he touched the button. Just like before, it vanished. Bracing himself, he muttered, "Here we go again."
The pain came swiftly, not as intense as with the tablet, but still enough to knock him to the floor. He clutched his head, groaning as the sharp ache pulsed through his skull. The sensation dragged on, feeling like an eternity before it finally subsided. Unlike the first time, he didn't black out, though his entire body felt drained.
Sitting back on his bed to catch his breath, Rian let out a shaky laugh. Despite the exhaustion and pain, a grin spread across his face. "I'm a bug," he whispered, the words tinged with awe and disbelief. "I'm literally a bug."