Tomi's dream felt so vivid, so real as if he was awake and trapped within it.
A soft, glowing blue light appeared before him, morphing into a holographic figure—a small girl with a bubble-like personality, her smile wide and playful. Her voice was sweet, almost too sweet for the nightmare he was living.
"Master!" she called out, her holographic form flickering as she beamed at him.
Suddenly, Tomi jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat.
Fear surged through him as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. His breaths came in short, ragged gasps, each one amplifying the beeping sound that filled the room.
Panic stirred within him, clawing at his mind as he struggled to piece together reality from the fragments of his dream.
The morning sun pierced through the window, casting a golden glow over his surroundings, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside him.
His mind drifted back to the rescue mission—the mission he barely remembered. He had blacked out, overwhelmed by the searing pain in his head, and now, the details of that day were lost in a haze.
Clenching his jaw, Tomi's fingers dug into the mattress as the weight of his situation hit him like a punch to the gut.
He was no longer himself. He had been turned into something unnatural—a freak, thanks to the Eclipse experiments that had twisted his body and mind.
His chest heaved with rage, his heart thundering like a drumbeat of vengeance.
"I'll make them pay for what they've done," he growled through gritted teeth, the words escaping like a promise carved into stone.
The fire of resentment burned hotter, growing wilder inside him. His pulse quickened as his brain throbbed painfully—he knew the signs.
Whenever this happened, it meant one of two things: either a new ability would emerge, or he'd lose consciousness again. His hands flew to his head, gripping it tightly as if he could keep the pain at bay.
"Damn them all," he hissed, voice trembling with fury.
The agony intensified, and just as he thought he might black out, a familiar voice chimed in.
"Welcome back, master."
The same bubbly voice from his dream echoed in his ears.
He blinked in confusion, his vision swirling as a blue holographic screen materialized before him from his wrist watch.
"I'm Eliyah, but you can call me Liya," the voice continued, her words scrolling across the glowing interface before him.
Tomi stared at the screen, heart racing, his mind whirling in a mixture of disbelief and anger.
The girl from his dream—she wasn't a dream after all. She was real. Or, at least, part of him now.
Tomi's eyes widened in shock, his heart pounding as he struggled to understand what he was hearing.
The voice wasn't coming from inside his head—it was right next to him.
Slowly, he turned his head, and there she was—a miniaturized version of the girl from his dream.
She hovered in the air, a translucent figure glowing in soft blue light, her holographic form flickering slightly with each movement. Her smile was as bright and cheerful as ever, completely at odds with the storm of emotions raging inside him.
His breath caught in his throat. "This... this can't be real," he muttered under his breath, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Anyways, that aside, I'm your companion from here on," the tiny holographic girl chirped, her voice clear and sweet, cutting through the tension like a knife through silk.
Tomi could only stare, frozen in place as the reality of the situation began to sink in.
This wasn't just some figment of his imagination. She was real—somehow.
"And now, to start, with daily tasks" Liyah continued, her cheerful tone completely unfazed by Tomi's stunned expression.
She raised her tiny hands excitedly, her holographic body glowing brighter as a flurry of icons and symbols danced around her in the air.
The light from the display reflected off Tomi's wide eyes, and his mind raced to catch up with the bizarre reality unfolding in front of him.
"Task?" Tomi finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper, still trying to wrap his head around the absurdity of it all.
His pulse quickened, and a creeping sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
What had they done to him?
"Tell me who are you!" Tomi's voice dripped with rage, a sinister edge creeping in as he glared at the tiny hologram.
His instincts told him she was connected to the horrifying experiments Eclipse had inflicted on him.
"Master, didn't you hear me? I said I'm your companion. Or do you have ear problems too?"
Liyah's voice was infuriatingly bright, her bubbly tone in stark contrast to the seething fury building inside him.
"Well, that's an easy fix! Right after we handle your current physical... condition."
Tomi's anger surged, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles whitened.
He could barely contain the venom coursing through him, resentment festering deeper with every word she spoke.
His jaw tightened as he shot her a cold, sinister glare. But Liyah seemed oblivious, her high-pitched voice continuing, driving Tomi closer to the edge.
Just as he was ready to lash out, something flashed in the corner of his vision.
A holographic screen projecting from his watch, activated by Liyah's command.
"300 push-ups: incomplete (0/300)," Liyah's voice chirped as she pointed to the glowing display.
"200-second V-ups: incomplete (0/200 sec)."
"250 In Caden half-jacks: incomplete (0/250)."
"9-mile run: incomplete (0/9 mi)."
"200 air squats: incomplete (0/200)."
"100 pull-ups: incomplete (0/100)."
Then came the kicker.
⚠️Warning: Failure to complete the daily task will result in punishment.
Liyah floated around him, her digital presence mocking him with her incessant reminders. Tomi's blood boiled.
"Are you done?" he spat, his tone cold and dismissive, cutting through the air like a blade.
Without waiting for a response, he sneered, "Now vanish!" His sinister gaze bore into her, his patience worn thin.
He turned sharply, intent on walking away from this sick joke. Every step fueled his hatred for what the Eclipse organization had done to him, how they had taken his normal life and twisted him into something unrecognizable—a freak.
But before he could take another step, a sudden jolt shot through his body, followed by a violent, agonizing thump in his brain. Tomi cried out, his hands flying to his head as an intense wave of pain wracked him.
His vision blurred, and his body convulsed, every nerve screaming as the sensation coursed from his skull down to his very core. He staggered, screaming in raw agony, overwhelmed by the torment tearing through him.
"What did you do to me, you freak?" Tomi screamed, staggering back, his body still trembling from the aftershock of the pain.
His eyes darted to Liyah, who floated calmly nearby, her legs crossed, an innocent smile plastered on her face as if nothing had happened.
"Me? Master?" Liyah tilted her head slightly, her voice dripping with mock surprise.
She acted as though she had no idea what was going on, her cheerful demeanor a sharp contrast to Tomi's fury.
"I didn't do anything," she added, her tone nonchalant, as if the agony Tomi had just experienced was completely unrelated to her.
She drifted closer to him, her glowing, holographic figure radiating an unsettling calm.
"After all, I did warn you, master," she said with a playful lilt, her tiny index finger pointing at his forehead as if reminding him of some forgotten lesson.
"Get away from me!" Tomi yelled, his voice raw with anger and fear as he instinctively backed away, dreading another wave of pain.
"Calm down, master..." Liyah sighed, watching him with an almost bored expression. His weak state seemed to amuse her.
"You see, those tasks are meant to enhance your physical strength," she explained, her voice patient but condescending as if she were talking to a child.
"You need a stronger body to fully unlock and wield the S-1 chip's potential...which is me," she added with a smirk, floating closer again. Her proximity made Tomi's skin crawl, but his legs felt too heavy to move further away.
"And besides," Liyah's tone shifted, growing more mocking as she reached out, her mini hand resting lightly on his cheek, "you wouldn't want to die just because you're too weak to handle 5% of my power, right?"
Tomi flinched at her touch, the taunt stoking the fire of his already boiling rage.
"Surviving so far is impressive," she continued, her voice dripping with fake praise,
"but looking at your current strength..." Liyah paused, glancing him up and down as if he were some pitiful creature. "You're weaker than an agile toddler."
Her words cut deep. Tomi's anger flared as he clenched his fists, his mind replaying the words he hated most—weak. Useless.
Even Ace had said it—he was slowing the team down. The thought of being the weakest link burned in his chest like a searing wound.
"You…" Tomi growled, the humiliation and fury swirling into a storm inside him, his heart pounding with resentment.
He hated what the Eclipse organization had turned him into. But more than anything, he hated feeling powerless