Chapter 9: Dreams of Another Life

The Pet Project

The sound of his worn chair creaking beneath him filled the small apartment as Gaona settled in front of his desk. The dim glow of his tablet lit up the room, casting long shadows over the cluttered piles of recyclables and trash bags that lined the corners. Tonight, he wasn’t scouring the Blacknet for conspiracy threads or rogue Archon stories. Tonight, he was escaping into his world—the world of his visual novel project.

It was his one indulgence, a dream he clung to when reality became too heavy. Gaona had been working on the story for years, piecing together characters, scenarios, and branching plotlines that reflected both his love for old-school storytelling and his desire for something greater.

The art, though, was a problem. He had no formal artistic skill, so he relied on placeholder images pulled from obscure forums and AI-generated visuals he pieced together from free online programs. As the system generated faces for his characters, Gaona’s brow furrowed.

One of the characters—a confident, almost teasing young woman—reminded him of Aria. The piercing green eyes and slight smirk were eerily familiar. Another placeholder image, for a softer, more nurturing character, bore an uncanny resemblance to Alina. He tried tweaking the settings, but the resemblance wouldn’t go away.

“What’s with this thing?” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “Out of all the combinations it could generate…”

He pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the dialogue options and branching story paths. The plot of his visual novel revolved around a protagonist navigating relationships in a school setting—a life Gaona had never experienced but often imagined.

Drifting into a Dream

Hours passed as he lost himself in the world he was creating. Dialogue boxes appeared on the screen, characters came to life with their lines and actions, and Gaona found a strange sense of peace in crafting something that was entirely his own.

But exhaustion began to take hold. His eyelids grew heavy, his head nodding forward as sleep crept in.

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

The last thing he saw before his consciousness slipped away was the face of his protagonist staring back at him from the screen, standing at the entrance to a high school he’d never seen before.

The High School Routine

When Gaona opened his eyes, he wasn’t in his apartment anymore.

He sat at a desk in a brightly lit classroom, the sound of faint chatter and the scratch of pencils on paper filling the air. The walls were lined with posters encouraging students to "Reach for the Stars" and "Embrace Knowledge."

He blinked, disoriented. The world felt real—too real for a dream. He looked down at himself, noticing he was wearing a school uniform he didn’t recognize.

“What the…” he muttered under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

The teacher at the front of the room droned on about equations Gaona didn’t understand. He had never attended high school formally. After the disaster of the Seven Dragons, most of society had been focused on survival and rebuilding. Education had been a luxury he hadn’t been able to afford.

The routine of the classroom was strangely familiar, though, as if it had been pulled from the visual novel he had been working on. The students around him whispered to one another, sharing notes and laughing quietly. Gaona, as usual, sat alone.

He wondered if this was how his life would always be—on the outside, watching others form connections he could never seem to grasp.

A Girl Named Aria

The quiet monotony of the classroom was broken when someone bumped into his desk, jarring him from his thoughts.

“Oops! Sorry about that!”

Gaona looked up to see a young girl standing before him, her uniform immaculate, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. It was Aria, or at least a younger version of her. Her long, flowing hair framed a face full of confidence and playfulness.

“You’re the quiet type, huh?” she said, tilting her head as if studying him. “You should smile more. It suits you.”

Gaona stared at her, unsure of what to say. The other students in the classroom were now

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

glancing their way, some of them whispering to each other and stealing glances at Aria.

Despite the attention, Aria seemed entirely focused on him, leaning against his desk with an easy grace. “You’re kind of interesting,” she said, her tone teasing. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Before Gaona could respond, the bell rang, and Aria turned on her heel, waving casually as she walked away.

The Library Partner

The next thing Gaona knew, he was sitting at a desk in the school library. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting warm patterns on the floor. He glanced around, unsure of how he had gotten there, when a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hi, you must be Gaona.”

He turned to see a younger version of Alina sitting across from him, her smile warm and genuine. She set her bag down on the table and opened a notebook.

“I’m your partner for the new project,” she said, her voice filled with a quiet enthusiasm. “I hope we can work well together.”

Gaona’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her. The familiarity of her face and voice sent a wave of nostalgia crashing over him. He nodded slowly, unable to find the right words.

Alina’s smile widened. “Great. Let’s get started.”

Ren’s Warning

Later that day, as Gaona was leaving the school grounds, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned to see Ren, younger but just as imposing, glaring down at him.

“Stay away from Alina,” Ren said, his voice low and threatening. “She’s mine.”

Gaona opened his mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. Ren’s grip tightened for a moment before he let go, his expression dark.

“Just remember what I said,” Ren muttered before walking away.

Gaona stood frozen, the weight of Ren’s words sinking in.

The Mysterious Girl

As Gaona walked home, his thoughts weighed down by the day’s events, he saw someone

Portillo / Eternal Code /

Portillo / Eternal Code /

standing in his path. It was a young woman, her silhouette illuminated by the fading sunlight. She was beautiful, with long hair that flowed like silk and a presence that seemed almost otherworldly.

But no matter how hard he tried, Gaona couldn’t make out her face. It was blurred, as if hidden behind a veil of light.

“Gaona,” she said softly, her voice echoing in his mind. “You’re not alone.”

Before he could respond, the scene dissolved around him, and he woke with a start, the sound of his tablet’s alarm pulling him back to reality.

The Broadcast

Gaona sat up, his heart still racing. The dream lingered in his mind, vivid and surreal. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his tablet, the bright screen illuminating the dark room.

A live broadcast was playing, the Ministry’s logo glowing brightly on the screen. The lottery results were scheduled to be announced later that day.

Gaona stared at the screen, the weight of the ticket in his pocket suddenly feeling heavier than ever.

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