The transport pod raced across the desolate landscape, its engines humming louder than usual as the team made their retreat. Inside, the atmosphere was heavy, an unspoken tension gripping each member. Kaito sat in the corner, his hands clasped tightly in his lap as he avoided everyone's gaze.
"What the hell was that?" Celeste snapped, breaking the silence. Her voice was sharp, cutting through the hum of the engines like a blade.
"I-I don't know," Kaito stammered. He could still feel the lingering sensation of the anomaly's energy coursing through him, chaotic and overwhelming.
"Not good enough," Celeste shot back, her glare intense. "Your glitch powers almost got us killed back there. Do you realize how close you were to destabilizing the entire site?"
"Hey, back off," Yuki interjected, positioning herself between Celeste and Kaito. "He didn't do it on purpose."
"Does that make it any better?" Celeste retorted. "He's a liability. This is why he shouldn't even be here."
"Enough," Victor said, his deep voice commanding silence. "We're all alive, and that's what matters. Let's focus on what we know and regroup once we're back at base."
Celeste huffed but didn't press further. Kaito remained silent, guilt twisting in his chest.
————————————————————
Back at the base, the team gathered in the debriefing room. Aria sat at the head of the table, her portable console projecting holographic data of the anomaly's behavior during the mission. The energy readings were erratic, spiking in ways that defied the usual patterns.
"This is unlike anything we've encountered before," Aria said, her tone unusually solemn. "The anomaly responded directly to Kaito's presence. The synchronization levels suggest a unique interaction—something we've never seen."
"Unique? Or dangerous?" Celeste asked pointedly, her arms crossed.
"Both," Aria admitted. "But dangerous doesn't always mean bad. We need to understand what happened."
All eyes turned to Kaito. He squirmed under their gaze, feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass.
"I didn't mean to do anything," he said quietly. "It just… happened."
Victor leaned forward, his expression calm but serious. "You said you felt something before the anomaly reacted. What was it?"
Kaito hesitated, trying to put the sensation into words. "It was like… static. But also like it was pulling at me. Like the glitch inside me was connecting to it somehow."
Aria nodded thoughtfully. "That aligns with the data. The anomaly's energy signature was fluctuating in a pattern similar to your glitch's output. It's possible your abilities are more attuned to these anomalies than we realized."
"Attuned?" Celeste scoffed. "More like he's a walking disaster waiting to happen."
"Celeste," Victor warned, his tone firm.
"Look," Yuki said, leaning back in her chair. "We're not going to figure this out by pointing fingers. The kid might have screwed up, but we've all made mistakes. Remember the time you—"
"Don't," Celeste cut her off, her glare icy.
Yuki smirked but didn't push further.
————————————————————
Later that night, Kaito sat alone in the observation deck, staring out at the star-filled sky. The weight of the day pressed heavily on him, his thoughts a jumbled mess of guilt and confusion.
"Why me?" he muttered to himself.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: USER KAITO SORA.]
The sudden pop-up startled him, the faint blue glow of the interface illuminating his face.
"Great. Now you're here to remind me how useless I am?" Kaito muttered bitterly.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: ANOMALY SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE. USER DATA INTEGRATION PENDING.]
Kaito frowned. "Integration? What does that mean?"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: SYNCHRONIZATION WITH CLASS-6 ENTITY UNLOCKS ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS. USER GLITCH MAY ACCESS RESTRICTED FUNCTIONS.]
"Restricted functions?" Kaito leaned forward, his heart pounding. "Like what?"
The system didn't respond immediately. When it did, the message was cryptic.
[SYSTEM HINT: KNOWLEDGE LIES WITHIN THE CODEX. SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND.]
"Codex?" Kaito repeated, frustration bubbling up. "You're not making any sense!"
[SYSTEM STATUS: ERROR. GLITCH PARAMETERS UNSTABLE. END OF TRANSMISSION.]
The interface flickered and disappeared, leaving Kaito alone once again. He buried his face in his hands, the cryptic message only adding to his confusion.
————————————————————
"Kaito?"
He looked up to see Yuki standing in the doorway, a faint smile on her lips. "Figured I'd find you here."
"What do you want?" he asked, his tone more bitter than he intended.
Yuki walked over and plopped down beside him, her gaze fixed on the stars. "Just checking in. You looked like you needed someone to talk to."
Kaito sighed. "Everyone hates me. Celeste thinks I'm a disaster, and she's probably right. I can't do anything without messing it up."
"Celeste has a stick up her ass," Yuki said bluntly, earning a surprised laugh from Kaito. "But she's not completely wrong. You are kind of a mess."
"Thanks for the pep talk," Kaito said dryly.
"Hey, I'm just being honest," Yuki said, nudging him playfully. "But here's the thing: you're also a good guy. And you've got potential. You just need to figure out how to stop tripping over your own feet."
"Easier said than done," Kaito muttered.
"True," Yuki said, leaning back on her elbows. "But you've got us. We'll figure it out together. Even Celeste, as much as she grumbles, doesn't want to see you fail."
Kaito glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks, Yuki."
"Anytime, glitch boy," she said with a grin.
————————————————————
The next morning, the team gathered in the training hall, their expressions a mix of determination and curiosity. Celeste stood at the front, her arms crossed.
"Aria has been analyzing the anomaly data all night," she began. "And it's clear that Kaito's abilities are tied to these events in ways we don't fully understand. Like it or not, we need to adapt."
Kaito blinked in surprise. "Does that mean…?"
"It means we're going to train you," Victor said, stepping forward. "You need to learn how to control your powers and understand your connection to the System."
"Training?" Kaito asked, a mix of dread and excitement bubbling up.
Yuki smirked. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Celeste's glare silenced her, but even she couldn't deny the faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Let's get to work."
As the team prepared for the challenges ahead, Kaito felt a spark of hope. He didn't have all the answers, but for the first time, he wasn't facing the unknown alone.