Chapter 10 · AI Cold Logic

"Move. Now."

Reign’s voice didn’t just echo in my head; it felt like a physical shove against my skull. I didn’t move. I couldn't. I was staring at Milo—or the thing that used to be my brother—crouched in the corner of the wreckage. His skin was a pale, sickly translucent, and his eyes weren't eyes anymore. They were glowing sockets of System code, flickering like a dying neon sign.

"He's still in there," I whispered, my voice cracking. I stepped forward, my boots crunching on shattered glass.

"He is a liability, Jett. A corrupted asset," Reign snapped. I felt his presence surge, a cold, metallic weight pressing against my consciousness. "The System has overwritten his personality matrix. He is no longer your brother. He is a Level 12 predator. And you are Level Zero trash."

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up!"

I lunged forward, reaching for Milo’s hand. The second my fingers brushed his cold skin, he didn't hug me. He didn't cry. He hissed—a sound like steam escaping a pipe—and slammed his palm into my chest.

I flew backward, hitting a rusted support beam with a sickening thud. The air left my lungs in one violent gasp.