As K drifted deeper into sleep, his mind wandered into a place where memories and dreams intertwined. A sense of warmth washed over him, drawing him back to a simpler time, a time filled with laughter, innocence, and friendships. It was as if his mind was opening a door to a cherished moment long forgotten, hidden away in the depths of his heart. Slowly, the scene began to unfold a playground under a bright sky, and the echoes of familiar voices calling his name.
In his dream, K found himself back in a familiar scene a sunny playground filled with laughter and joy. He was there with Lucy, Yun, and three other friends whose faces seemed blurred and hazy, yet their laughter echoed vividly. They were all young again, running and playing with a carefree spirit that only children possess. K's face was lit with excitement as he held a toy figure, laughing and calling out to his friends.
But suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his hand. His fingers trembled as the sensation grew stronger, searing hot, like a fire spreading across his skin. The toy slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground. K's laughter faded, replaced by confusion and fear as he clutched his hand, the pain intensifying. His friends continued to play around him, unaware of his distress, as he looked down at his hand in bewilderment.
In that instant, the dream began to shift, shadows forming around him as a chilling silence replaced the warmth of the playground.As the dream faded, a soft whisper escaped K's lips, almost as if he were speaking to someone far away, "Forgive me, Mother." The words hung in the air, fragile and heavy, carrying a weight of emotions buried deep within him.
Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open, pulling him back to the present. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, his heart still racing as fragments of the dream lingered in his mind.A sudden, sharp pain shot through K's hand, jolting him fully awake. He turned to look, eyes widening in shock as he saw the mechanical glove now firmly wrapped around his right hand.
"How… how did this glove get here?" he murmured, confusion and unease filling his voice. He remembered falling asleep without it, yet now, it clung to him as if it had always been there. The glove felt heavy and strange, and an unsettling energy seemed to pulse from it, sending chills up his spine.
K took a deep breath and tried to pull the glove off, gripping it with his other hand and tugging as hard as he could. But the glove wouldn't budge; it felt almost fused to his skin, like it had become a part of him overnight.
"Come on… why won't you come off?" he muttered, frustration building as he kept pulling, twisting, even trying to shake it loose. Yet no matter what he did, the glove remained firmly in place, almost as if it had a mind of its own.
Daw hovered beside him, watching intently. "Maybe… it chose you?" Daw suggested cautiously. "You know, like in those old legends where powerful artifacts bond with their owners."
K shot Daw a skeptical look. "Chosen? By a glove?" But as he looked down at it again, feeling the faint hum of energy pulsing through his hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that Daw might be right.
As K stared down at the glove, a sudden thought crossed his mind—clear, unmistakable, and oddly… not his own. It was as if he could hear Daw's voice echoing inside his head.
K, are you okay? Daw's voice rang out, soft and concerned, yet Daw's mouth hadn't moved.
K stumbled back, eyes wide. "Wait… Daw? Did you just… did you just ask if I was okay… in my head?"
Daw blinked, taken aback. "Uh… I mean, I was thinking that, but… wait, you heard me?"
K nodded slowly, his mind racing. "Yeah. I could hear you. Like… like you were talking directly in my mind."
Daw's eyes grew as round as saucers. "The glove must have connected us somehow! This is… I don't even know how this is possible, K. I've never heard of technology that can do this!"
K tried to gather his thoughts, but they felt like a storm—an endless flow of questions and emotions. How was this happening? What was this glove? And why him?
Just then, Daw's voice echoed again in his mind, gentle and reassuring. Whatever this is, K, we'll figure it out together.
K took a deep breath, letting Daw's words settle his nerves. The overwhelming sensation of hearing Daw's thoughts was strange, yet there was a comforting warmth in knowing he wasn't facing this alone.
But before K could respond, a faint buzz pulsed through his hand, originating from the glove. It was subtle, but he could feel it, as though the glove itself was… alive? It felt like an energy, awakening something within him, resonating deeper than he could understand.
"Daw… I think the glove's doing something," he whispered, trying to stay calm.
Daw hovered closer, inspecting K's hand with wide-eyed curiosity. "Does it hurt?" Daw asked, both through words and a worried thought that echoed in K's mind.
K shook his head, trying to process the strange sensation. "No, it's just… I don't know, it's like I can feel everything around me. Like… there's a connection to everything."
Daw tilted his head, intrigued. "Maybe the glove's amplifying your senses."
K glanced down at the glove, realizing that, in a way, he felt more aware of his surroundings—every faint rustle, every subtle vibration in the air. It was as if the world had opened up to him in a way he'd never felt before.
As he took it all in, a soft glow began to emanate from the glove, illuminating faint markings he hadn't noticed before—ancient symbols etched into the metal, pulsing with an otherworldly light.
"What… what are these?" K asked, raising his hand to get a better look.
Daw's mechanical eyes widened. "Those look like ancient markings… Maybe they're a code or… instructions?"
K felt a sudden urge to touch the markings, as if they were calling to him. With a tentative finger, he traced one of the symbols, and immediately, a surge of images flooded his mind—a flash of battles, strange creatures, worlds unlike his own, and a figure cloaked in darkness.
He pulled his hand back, gasping, his heart pounding. "Daw… this glove… it's showing me things. Like… memories."
Daw hovered close, his voice a mix of excitement and worry. "K, I think you've just unlocked the first step in understanding that glove. But it looks like it comes with a history—a dangerous one."
K's gaze hardened, determination settling in his eyes. "Then we need to uncover the truth behind this. Whatever this glove is, I need to know why it chose me."
K's phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was Lee calling.
As he answered, Lee's voice came through the line, slightly impatient, "Hey, K! Are you up yet?"
K rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off the lingering haze from his strange dreams. "Yeah, yeah, I'm awake… What's up?"
"Finally!" Lee sounded relieved, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone. "I've been calling forever. You're not still lazing around, are you?"
K chuckled, trying to mask the confusion he still felt about the glove on his hand. "Nah, just… a bit distracted, I guess."
"Distracted? Yeah, right. Anyway, everyone's meeting up at the usual spot," Lee said. "Lucy's already on her way. You better not keep her waiting this time."
K smirked, feeling a familiar warmth at the mention of Lucy's name. "Alright, alright. I'm coming. Just give me a few minutes."
As he hung up, he glanced down at the glove on his hand. It felt strange and powerful, as if it were more than just a piece of gear.
K stepped out of his house, still deep in thought. Ever since he put on the mysterious glove, he found himself strangely in tune with Daw, able to understand the little robot's thoughts and intentions more clearly than ever before.
"So, this glove…" K murmured, glancing down at his hand. "It's not just some random piece of tech, is it?"
Daw hovered beside him, chirping in a way that felt almost comforting. K could sense curiosity and excitement radiating from the small dragon-like bot, as if Daw, too, was intrigued by this new connection.
With each step, K felt a growing certainty that this glove was more than an artifact it was a link, a bridge between him and Daw.As K strolled through the bustling city streets, he took in the lively scene around him. The city was alive with energy, its modern buildings towering against the sky, decorated with vibrant holographic signs. Everywhere he looked, there were people from different species humans, aliens, and robots all moving together in a harmony that felt both ordinary and remarkable.
Small drones zipped above the crowd, assisting with deliveries, while larger robots walked alongside citizens, engaged in their own tasks or simply keeping others company. Some of the alien species, with their unique and colorful appearances, added to the city's kaleidoscope of life, their laughter and chatter blending seamlessly with that of humans.
K smiled as he took it all in. The scene reminded him of how much the world had changed in recent decades how diverse and interconnected it had become.Each time K walked near a robot, he began to pick up faint whispers, like static blending into coherent words. He could understand the robots, hearing their thoughts and conversations in his mind. At first, he brushed it off as his imagination, but the closer he got to any mechanical being, the clearer their "voices" became.
"System check complete," one robot buzzed quietly as it passed.
"Running late for delivery… must hurry," another muttered, zipping past him.
K blinked in surprise, realizing it wasn't just Daw he could understand now he could hear them all.K's heart raced as he continued walking through the city, trying to make sense of this new ability. The thoughts of the robots weren't just fragmented words anymore; they were distinct, like hearing a radio station with perfect clarity. Each one seemed to have its own unique personality and set of thoughts.
"Is this… is this because of the glove?" K thought, rubbing his wrist, feeling the strange pulse under the material. Daw hovered beside him, as if noticing the shift in K's awareness.
"Warning, overheating detected," a nearby robot said, its voice sharp and mechanical, but tinged with a sense of urgency.
K looked around, now hearing the various mechanical beings like an orchestra of electronic chatter. He tried to block them out, but it was like the floodgates had opened.
"I can't stop now… too many thoughts," K murmured, feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of voices.
Daw chirped in a concerned tone, as if offering comfort. K could sense the little bot trying to reassure him, its own thoughts flickering like a soft hum. "Focus on me, K. Let me guide you."
Taking a deep breath, K tried to center himself, focusing on Daw's thoughts. Slowly, the overwhelming noise faded, and he began to gain more control over the connections he was feeling.
"This is going to take some getting used to," K thought, glancing down at his hand, the glove glowing faintly. "But it feels like there's more to this power than I can understand."
K took a deep breath, trying to steady his mind. The voices of the robots continued to hum in the background, but he focused on the task at hand. He had to get to the academy. Every step he took felt heavier, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of the new responsibility pressing on him.
Daw fluttered alongside him, occasionally chirping to keep him grounded, but K couldn't shake the feeling that something was changing inside him. His thoughts were no longer his own. The glove, the ability to hear the robots—it was all tied together in ways he couldn't quite explain.
The academy came into view, its towering spires cutting through the skyline. K quickened his pace, his mind racing with questions he didn't yet have answers to.
As he reached the entrance, the familiar sight of his classmates filled him with a mixture of comfort and uncertainty. Would they notice the change in him? Would they understand?
Just as K was about to step inside, a voice rang out behind him. "K! Wait up!"
He turned, half-expecting it to be Lucy, but it was Lee, running towards him with a grin on his face. "You're late again," Lee joked, but K could tell from the look in his eyes that he was concerned.
K gave him a small smile. "I know, I know. Got distracted," he said, trying to act normal.
Lee raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. Instead, he clapped K on the back. "Come on, let's go. You've got a lot to catch up on."
As they walked into the academy together, K couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead. The voices, the powers, and the mysterious events unfolding he was about to face something far beyond what he'd ever imagined. And this time, he wasn't sure if he could do it alone.