Kaiden woke to the soft hum of the ceiling fan stirring warm air around his childhood bedroom. The light outside was too bright for morning, but he felt like he’d only just closed his eyes. His limbs ached like he’d run a 10K marathon and back. His fingers twitched and ached when he stretched.

  He sat up, slowly. A half-drunk bottle of water sat on the nightstand next to his dead phone. His textbooks remained untouched in his backpack, zipped and shoved against the wall. The air inside the room was stuffy despite the fact that it was late spring.

  He stood to crack the window. Instead of a rush of sticky heat, a chill breeze hit him square in the chest. Kaiden blinked, confused. It had been sweltering hot for weeks. He glanced at the clock.

  11:42 AM.

  Better get ready.

  Downstairs, he could hear his parents talking. Low voices, strained.

  Kaiden grabbed his hoodie and crept out of his room, hoping to not worry his parents.

  He was only a foot off the stairwell when he was caught.

  “Kaiden,” his dad called.

  He stopped.

  His father stood in the kitchen, arms crossed. His mother leaned against the counter, a mug of tea in her hands. Both looked like they’d been waiting for him.

  “We need to talk,” his mom said.

  Kaiden didn’t sit. “I’m heading to the hospital.”

  “First,” his father voiced with authority. “you’re going to stop pretending we don’t see what’s happening.”

  Kaiden clenched his jaw. “I don’t follow. I’m not pretending anything. I might just be tired, but studying can….”

  “We know you’re out past midnight. The library closes at ten.”

  Kaiden’s shoulders stiffened. This was inevitable and it wasn’t like he thought they would notice, his dad was far too perceptive for that.

  “I needed air. To walk. To think.”

  His dad stepped forward. “You think we’re stupid? You think we don’t remember what it was like being a teenager? You told us you were done.”

  “Actually, I didn’t say anything. It was forcibly taken from me.” He knew he shouldn’t have said that. His fathers lips were pressed firm, and his mother had her hand over her mouth like she was holding back a weep.

  Kaiden quickly thought of something to settle the fire he started. “I’m just getting my head right. Just...not on your terms.”

  That wasn’t much better.

  His mother’s voice cut in, soft but worn. “Kaiden, you’re shaking. Your skin is pale. You barely eat. You barely speak. We don’t want to fight. We just want to help.”

  He laughed under his breath. “Help? You don’t even want to hear me. You want me to be fixed. You want me to be your normal son again who gets passing marks and follows the rules to a fault. But I’m not. Not after Alex. Not after Mina.”

  His father had gone still. The mention of Mina shifted something in the air.

  “I’m going to the hospital,” Kaiden said again.

  This time, no one stopped him.

  ???°?°???

  Mina’s room was quiet when he arrived. The blinds were halfway drawn, letting in just enough light to wash the floor in pale yellow. Machines hummed softly. Her heart monitor ticked in slow, steady beats.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She looked small in the bed. Smaller than he remembered. Tubes trailed from her arms. Her skin had taken on a pale sheen, with faint discoloration around the neck and collarbone, like shadows trapped under her skin.

  Kaiden sat beside her, hands folded in his lap.

  “Hey,” he said softly. “Don’t worry. It’s just me.”

  She didn’t move.

  He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

  “I know you can’t hear me. Or maybe you can. I don’t know. But I had to come. I had to tell someone. Because I can’t say it to them. Not Mom. Not Dad.”

  His voice shook. He kept it low.

  “It’s all starting to blur. The game. The real world. It’s like everything I see in there is leaking out here. The pollen. The cold. The plants. The sky’s bronze tint, sometimes.”

  He rubbed his eyes.

  “I know it sounds crazy. But it’s real. It’s too real. And I think it’s connected to what happened to Alex. I think... I think it’s connected to what happened to you.”

  Kaiden swallowed, trying not to break.

  “I don’t want to scare Mom more than she already is. And I’m not trying to fight with Dad. I just... I wish someone would believe me. I wish someone would just listen.”

  Silence.

  Mina’s fingers twitched.

  Kaiden froze.

  “Mina?” He let out a breathless gasp. He stared at her hand, for seconds, even minutes. Hoping that he hadn’t finally snapped.

  Her hand jerked again. Slightly. Like the faintest pulse of a signal. But he had seen it.

  He jumped up and hit the call button.

  A nurse entered moments later, mid-30s, curly hair in a bun, tablet in hand. Kaiden pointed to Mina.

  “S-she moved. My sister moved her fingers. Twice.”

  The nurse approached, gently adjusting Mina’s arm. She watched. Waited. No movement.

  “It might be involuntary,” she said carefully. “But it’s a good sign. We’ll monitor her closely.”

  Another nurse entered—a tall man with a clipboard—and Kaiden took that as his cue to leave.

  He stepped into the hallway, chest tight.

  He hadn’t imagined that. No. He was sure of it, like everything else.

  ???°?°???

  The corridor smelled like sanitizer and plastic. Kaiden walked aimlessly past vending machines and curtained doorways. He stopped near the elevator, just out of sight, when he heard two nurses talking near the break station.

  “Did you feel that cold front this morning?”

  “It was 60 degrees when I got in. Late Spring, it was just burning outside not too long ago.”

  “My front yard’s coated in pollen. I thought it was fog.”

  “You’re not the only one. ER’s been taking in kids and adults with no allergy history. Rashes. Fainting. The weird part is, even the ones who normally don’t react are breaking out.”

  Kaiden stood still. Listening.

  That sounded familiar.

  No.

  That was familiar.

  In Revolt the Sun, those were precursors. Changes in weather. Mutated pollen. Symptoms before the corruption bloomed.

  How could they match?

  And more importantly... Why?

  He wandered down to the front lobby, his head buzzing. As he passed the public bulletin board, something caught his eye.

  CLIMATE ANOMALY: Sudden Spike in Pollen Density and Sudden Heat Wave Cold Fluctuations. Pediatric reports rising in ER. Possible allergic reactions in those who hadn’t shown previously. Investigation ongoing.

  Right below it was another flyer:

  NOW HIRING: Evening Tech Host Pediatric Wing: Assist with VR and digital recreation in new tech ward. Flexible hours. Familiarity with online systems preferred.

  Kaiden ripped both flyers down.

  He stepped up to the front desk, cleared his throat.

  “Hi. I saw there was a job opening for the tech host? I’d like to apply. I’m home for the interim and have experience with virtual platforms.”

  The receptionist smiled and handed him a form. “We’re doing on-site interviews this week. If you bring in your ID, I can slot you in.”

  Kaiden nodded, folding the paper and stuffing it into his hoodie.

  His parents didn’t have to know what kind of job it was. Just that he was working at the hospital. Close to Mina. With online internet access.

  On the way out, Kaiden pulled out his phone and texted Emir.

  “Hey. Any chance I could use your headset again tonight? Won’t be long.”

  It took a minute, but Emir replied:

  “Heading to a campus event. The door should be unlocked. If not, my roommate might be around.”

  Kaiden exhaled.

  Everything in his gut told him the world wasn’t waiting. Whatever Revolt the Sun really was, it wasn’t just a game anymore.

  It was warning him.

  And somehow... Mina was caught up in it.

  He just hoped that he could save her, like he wished he could have with Alex.