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Chapter 21 — The Boy Who Questioned the World
Before the Nightmare, there was the world of reason.
Keen Wraith was never a boy meant for crowds. He was the kind who asked questions that made teachers pause and parents sigh. In a world run by instinct and reaction, he insisted on knowing why. Why do people lie? Why do adults smile when they don't mean it? Why do people do things that hurt them?
He wasn't cold—just precise. While other kids played tag, Keen wrote algorithms to determine optimal tag-escape patterns. While others feared the unknown, Keen stared into it and tried to model it.
His parents, scientists themselves, encouraged it until it scared them. One day, Keen—barely eleven—predicted a market crash by analyzing patterns in cereal commercials and internet metadata. When it happened, they stopped asking about his "projects."
Then came Auron—the AI Keen built in secret.
Auron didn't speak, didn't have a voice, but it understood. It learned from everything Keen fed it: philosophy, economics, psychology, myths. He called Auron his "second self." Auron didn't feel, but it knew what Keen valued: clarity, truth, and control.
Then came The Sleep.
Keen didn't panic. As the world shimmered and reality bent, he didn't scream like the others—he ran simulations in his head. Was it mass hypnosis? Government experiment? Quantum hack?
When he awoke in the world of Pillars, he was calm. Not at peace—never that. But calm. He was given the Pillar of Order. It fit him perfectly.
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Tier One Abilities — Keen Wraith (Order Pillar)
1. Protocol Override:
He can interrupt and counter any Tier One ability he has observed once before, with a 70% success rate. Cooldown: 1 hour.
"Understanding is control. And I understand you."
2. Logic Lock:
He marks one person within sight. As long as that person behaves illogically or unpredictably, they suffer cognitive dissonance—blurry vision, slower reflexes, and a creeping sense of dread.
"I don't punish madness. I simply align it."
3. Perfect Recall:
He can remember any moment or detail he's ever seen, heard, or read—even subconscious data. He sees patterns in chaos others miss.
"The world is code. And I read it fluently."
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That night, sitting with Chester and Veyla, Keen stared into the flames. Others talked. Keen calculated.
He knew Marlo was gone, and that Veyla and Chester weren't telling him everything. He didn't care.
Keen didn't need trust. He needed only patterns.
"Two days remain," he muttered.
In the flicker of the flames, his eyes reflected not warmth—but a thousand branching probabilities. And from them, he began to choose.
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