My Scumbag System Chapter 671: The Scars on Reality

I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

The patterns of energy were fainter here. Less concentrated than in the underground facility. But I could still see them if I focused. Thin lines of trans-dimensional radiation bleeding through the walls from the ambient Gate activity that saturated the entire city.

Twenty-five years of dimensional wounds bleeding exotic particles into our atmosphere.

No wonder so many people manifested Aspects.

We were all marinating in cosmic radiation.

"Nel."

The familiar presence stirred in my consciousness.

"The Audience is pleased with your performance," Nel purred. "Apollo has upgraded your entertainment rating by an additional fifteen percent following the integration sequence. Several minor deities have expressed interest in sponsoring future story arcs."

"Sponsoring?"

"Product placement, essentially. They would provide boons in exchange for prominent narrative positioning during key dramatic moments."

"I’m being offered endorsement deals by gods."

"Your brand value has increased substantially. The ’refused cosmic transformation while cherry-picking power’ angle is apparently very marketable to certain demographics."

I laughed despite myself.

"What’s my survival probability looking like now?"

"Substantially improved. Current projections place your likelihood of surviving the next six months at sixty-seven percent, up from forty-two percent before the integration."

"Still a one in three chance of dying."

"The entity remains an unpredictable variable. As does Seraphina Vance. As does the mysterious third party who sent you the message about Helena Vasquez."

Right.

That anonymous text with information no one should have possessed.

Someone was feeding me intelligence. Someone with access to classified VHC data and knowledge of my private conversations. Someone who wanted me to find Helena Vasquez at exactly the right moment.

The question was why.

"Any new quests?"

"Nothing formal. However, Apollo has indicated that your next major narrative beat involves ’establishing dominance at the Academy’ and ’demonstrating the results of your transformation to both allies and enemies.’"

"So basically show up and flex."

"In essence, yes. The Audience appreciates power fantasy sequences when properly earned. Your integration provides sufficient justification for a significant display."

I could work with that.

My phone buzzed.

A text from Reyna.

"Heard you went off grid for a few days. Everything okay? Call me when you’re back. We need to talk."

Short. Direct. Classic Reyna.

Another text from Skylar.

"Interesting energy signatures detected near Mount Katara. Your doing? Details when convenient."

Of course Skylar had noticed. The woman had surveillance networks that would make the VHC jealous.

A third text from Emi.

"Satori! Are you okay? Natalia said you were doing special training but she seemed really worried. I made you cookies. They’re shaped like cats. Please eat them before they go stale. Love you!"

Followed by approximately seventeen cat emojis and three heart emojis.

God, she was adorable.

A fourth text from an unknown number.

My blood ran cold.

"Congratulations on surviving the integration. You exceeded expectations. We should meet. Tomorrow. Midnight. The old pier at the harbor district. Come alone."

No signature.

No explanation.

Just an invitation that felt more like a command.

The same unknown number that had told me about Helena Vasquez.

Maki appeared at my shoulder, reading the text over my arm.

"Someone wants to play."

"Someone wants something. The question is what."

"Maki thinks Master should go. This person knows too much to ignore."

She wasn’t wrong.

Whoever was sending these messages had access to information that should have been impossible to obtain. They knew about the integration. Knew I’d survived. Knew where to find me.

Ignoring them wasn’t an option.

But walking into an obvious trap seemed equally stupid.

"I need backup."

"Maki will accompany Master."

"You’ll stay in my shadow. If things go wrong, you’re my extraction plan."

"Maki prefers the term ’murder insurance.’"

"That works too."

I typed a quick response.

"I’ll be there."

The reply came instantly.

"Excellent. Come prepared for an interesting conversation. And Satori? Leave the girlfriend at home. This meeting is between us."

Whoever this was knew about Natalia.

Knew about the integration.

Knew too much.

I should have been scared. Should have felt the familiar spike of fear that accompanied stepping into unknown territory against unknown enemies.

Instead, I felt something closer to anticipation.

The integration had changed more than my perception.

It had changed my relationship with danger.

I wasn’t the same person who’d stumbled through the first Gate run with nothing but a bat and borrowed gear. Wasn’t the same kid who’d manipulated his way into Natalia’s bed through careful psychological warfare.

I was something new now.

Something the entity hadn’t predicted.

Something even I didn’t fully understand yet.

Tomorrow I’d find out if that was enough.

I set an alarm for eleven PM and closed my eyes.

Sleep came faster than expected.

No dreams this time.

Just darkness.

And somewhere in that darkness, a presence watching.

Waiting.

The next day passed in a blur of domesticity.

Breakfast with my mother and Luka. Natalia emerging from her room looking significantly more human after twelve hours of sleep. A shower that felt impossibly good after two days of cosmic consciousness restructuring.

Normal activities that felt surreal.

I spent the afternoon testing my new perception in controlled conditions. Sitting in my room with my eyes closed, mapping the energy flows throughout the house. Identifying the different signatures of each family member’s Aspect.

Luka’s kinetic absorption manifested as a dense knot of potential energy concentrated in his core. Ready to absorb impact at a moment’s notice.

Natalia’s telekinesis appeared as threads extending from her nervous system into the space around her. Invisible fingers constantly reaching for things to manipulate.

My mother had no Aspect signature.

Just the faint residue of something that had been there once and was forcibly removed.

A scar on reality where her potential connection to trans-dimensional energy had been severed.

Interesting.

The entity had said she rejected the integration. But according to these energy patterns, the rejection hadn’t been passive. She’d actively cut herself off from something. Deliberately severed a connection that should have transformed her.

My mother was stronger than even the entity realized.

Natalia found me in my room around sunset.

"You’re going out tonight."

It wasn’t a question.

"How did you know?"

"Our bond. You’re planning something dangerous. I can feel it."