[The Ghost Pulse]he victory in the Council Chamber had left a hollow vibration in my chest, a lingering frequency that wouldn't subside. We were back in our private sanctum, the doors sealed against the world, but the air felt thin, charged with a strange, shimmering static.Jinyan was sitting at the edge of the bed, his head bowed, the lines of his back reflecting an exhaustion that went deeper than bone. I approached him, intending to offer comfort, but the moment my fingers brushed the nape of his neck, the Spire dissolved.The marble floor beneath my feet turned into cold, sterilized linoleum. The warm, amber light of our bedroom was replaced by the flickering, blue-white fluorescence of the Adriatic’s Level 4.I wasn't seeing through my eyes. I was seeing through his.I felt the height of his body, the unfamiliar weight of his shoulders, and the sharp, stinging itch of a fresh tactical port in my neck.I—as Jinyan—was standing in the observation corridor. My hands were balled in
Last Updated : 2026-03-03 Read more