The morning of the third day didn't bring light, only a heavy, golden haze that felt like syrup. Jessica sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers trembling as she tried to button her shirt. She stopped halfway, her hand suspended in the air.
Two seconds. Three seconds.
She blinked, shaking her head. A small compulsion—a "glitch"—had just stolen three seconds of her life.
"Jessica?" Marin was at the door, her armor already strapped tight. She saw the vacant look in Jessica’s eyes and stepped forward, gripping her shoulder. "You stayed awake all night, didn't you?"
"I had to... count the pulses," Jessica whispered. Her silver hair was a mess, and her blue eyes were bloodshot. "The Townheart Device... it’s not just magic, Marin. It’s a rhythmic command. It’s trying to overwrite my 'I' with its 'We'."
The Departure
Marin’s face hardened. She knew Jessica’s "Overpowered" status was their greatest weapon, but here, it was a ticking time bomb. If Jessica lost her mind, she wouldn't just be a puppet; she would be a puppet with the power of a nuclear reactor.
"I’m leaving now," Marin said. "I’ve secured the fastest horse in the stables. I’ll ride until I find Elsa. Her research on ancient mind-control artifacts is the only thing that can break this."
Jessica looked up, and for a split second, her eyes did something terrifying—they drifted upward, showing only the whites, before snapping back to focus.
"Go," Jessica rasped. "Before I forget why I’m telling you to leave."
The Solitary Struggle
With Marin gone, the tavern felt like a tomb. Jessica spent the day in the marketplace, trying to use her genius to "map" the signal. But the more she studied the townsfolk, the more she felt herself slipping into their rhythm.
She saw a woman humming. Jessica found herself humming the same three notes.
She saw a man twitch his left hand. Jessica’s left hand twitched in perfect synchronization.
By the time dusk fell, the "Subtle Pull" had become a physical weight. Jessica retreated to her room, stripping down to her sleepwear to try and cool her feverish skin. She sat on the bed, her sketchbook open, but instead of notes, she was drawing circles. Over and over. Perfect, mechanical circles.
The Midnight Activation
At exactly 12:00 AM, the hum stopped.
The silence was louder than the noise. In the center of the square, the Town Ruler turned a brass dial on a device that looked like a heart made of clockwork. It emitted a single, low-frequency thud.
In the tavern, Jessica’s body arched. Her sketchbook slid from her lap.
Her head tilted back slowly. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp, and her blue eyes began to roll. The irises vanished upward into her eyelids, leaving only the chilling, empty white of her eyes visible.
"Connection established," the Ruler whispered from across the town.
Jessica stood up. Her movements were no longer her own; they were liquid, efficient, and terrifyingly fast. She didn't look for the door; she walked toward it because the "System" commanded her to.
Her "Overpowered" mana began to leak out of her skin in wisps of violet smoke. She was a ghost in her own body, a third-year genius trapped behind a wall of white eyes, while her hands reached for the latch to join the mechanical parade outside.
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