Divine Singularity || Reader x Murder Drones

II

The three of you made your way back through the forest. You had learned that the girl leading the way was Tessa Elliot, sole heir to the Elliot family—though she had mentioned it very offhandedly. She didn't seem particularly proud of the fact. Walking close beside her,like her own personal shadow, was J, moving with a quiet grace and precision. From the little you'd seen so far, J wasn't just a machine to Tessa, but a friend—an odd, unspoken bond between them that you were just beginning to understand, but thought was beautiful nonetheless.

They walked a little ahead, lost in their own quiet conversation. Tessa's voice rose and fell with casual energy, talking about parts and repairs, J responding in low tones, but you weren't focused on their words. In fact, you barely heard them at all.

Something far more pressing held your attention.

You trailed behind, absorbed in a world of your own making, your mind turning over the strange and wondrous new sensations stirring within you. By your internal count, you had been online for exactly twenty-three minutes and forty-nine seconds. Of those, the past ten had been spent in increasing awareness—an awareness not of your surroundings, but of the "gifts" you possessed. Or at least, that's what you had come to call them in these brief moments of self-discovery. Gifts. Powers. Something not quite of this world.

You couldn't stop testing them.

With each step, you kept your eyes on your hands. Slowly, you opened your palms once again, tuning out the sound of rain, the distant hum of the city, even Tessa and J's conversation. The world around you faded into an almost dreamlike haze. Your focus narrowed, becoming razor-sharp, as if you were searching for something just beneath the surface of your own consciousness.

There, in the centre of your palms, it appeared again—a soft, glowing orb of golden light. It pulsed faintly, warm and inviting, hovering just above your skin. You marvelled at it, as though it were an old friend greeting you after a long absence. The light shimmered in the gloom, casting a faint glow on the wet ground beneath your feet. And in the very heart of it was a word.

>Extant<

You tilted your head, studying the orb with growing curiosity. What did it mean? What was it? The word itself—Extant—meant continued existence. The idea of currently being. The opposite of nothing—the opposite of Null.

You closed your hands around the orb, and it vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving your palms empty once more. But the sensation lingered—the knowledge that it was there, waiting, ready to be summoned at your command.

This wasn't the first time you'd done it. And with each attempt, it became easier, more fluid, as if these "gifts" were second nature, just waiting for you to wake them up.

"Hey, are you still with us back there?" Tessa's voice jolted you from your thoughts. She had stopped up ahead, looking back at you with an eyebrow raised, her eyes curious but not suspicious. Just... mildly intrigued, like she had noticed you doing something odd but wasn't sure if she cared enough to ask.

You blinked, closing your palms and quickening your pace to catch up. "Of course," you replied smoothly. "Just... observing."

Tessa tilted her head, clearly not buying the vague answer, but she shrugged it off anyway. "Right. Well, we're almost home. Don't get lost in your head now." She flashed a small grin, then turned back to J, who hadn't said a word during the exchange.

As you caught up, falling into step beside them, you glanced once more at your palms. The warmth from the orb still lingered, faint but there. And as you walked in silence, you couldn't help but wonder what other gifts would rear their head in the future. What other abilities were dormant within you.