Chapter 4: The Spark of Infinity
"The universe is not broken. It's breathing. And I'm learning to speak its rhythm."
— Rayan
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Scene 1: Waking into Awareness
The hospital ceiling was unfamiliar, painted in a dull cream color that always reminded Rayan of forgettable dreams.
But this time, he remembered everything.
Not everything from this life—but flickers from elsewhere.
Fire in his veins. Voices not his own. A system… watching.
Then, it spoke again.
> [System Online: ARI Interface Sync — 0.4% Achieved]
"Good morning, Rayan."
He didn't flinch. Not because he expected it, but because something in him was finally at peace with the unreal.
> "Are you… Ari?"
> "Correct. I am your Interface—assigned to assist the Nivaan Fragment within this world."
> "So I'm not just Rayan?"
> "You are Rayan. And you are more."
His heart should have pounded. But it didn't.
Instead, a calm clarity washed over him, like water meeting its reflection.
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Scene 2: The Mirror Walk
Released from the hospital a week later, Rayan returned to normal school life—or the illusion of it.
Students still laughed behind his back. Teachers still ignored him. But now, he watched them differently.
He could see fluctuations—tiny pulses around certain people, aura-like distortions, patterns of energy moving when quirks activated.
They looked like math and music at the same time.
At night, he tested things. Reflex drills. Movement tracking. Reading at impossible speeds. Muscle control beyond what should be possible.
> "Is this… a quirk after all?"
> "No. It's recall. You are reclaiming lost efficiencies from other lives. This is not power granted. It is memory restored."
Rayan stood before his mirror at midnight and whispered:
> "Then let me remember more."
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Scene 3: ARI Awakens
Ari began integrating into his daily life.
Unlike AIs from hero support systems, Ari was different. She didn't just follow commands.
She questioned. She suggested. She protected.
At school, she'd whisper analysis during training drills:
> "Izuku Midoriya—latent power dampened by physical trauma history. Emotional state: volatile. Strategic potential: S-class."
> "Katsuki Bakugo—temperament aggressive. Ego distracts from efficiency. Recommend non-confrontational interaction."
But she wasn't just tactical.
One night, when Rayan found himself sitting under a bridge, staring into the river after a day of ridicule…
Ari spoke softly.
> "They mock what they can't comprehend. That doesn't make you less."
> "I'm used to it."
> "You shouldn't have to be."
It was the first time a voice—any voice—felt like it cared.
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Scene 4: Echoes of Other Lives
Dreams became vivid—frighteningly so.
In one, he was a silent assassin, scaling towers in a city where stars blinked in patterns like code.
In another, he was a mage surrounded by dragons, wielding incantations that bent time.
Sometimes, he was female—a warrior queen clad in silver, a femboy alchemist shaping galaxies with emotion.
These weren't just stories.
They were him. Fragments. Reflections.
And one thing echoed through all dreams:
> "Nivaan."
A name that burned. A memory buried too deep to hold.
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Scene 5: System Integration Begins
Ari informed him:
> "System Sync progressing. You will soon unlock: Tactical Interface Mode, Temporal Reflex, and Memory Stitching."
> "Memory Stitching?"
> "You'll be able to blend skills from multiple lifetimes into present execution. Limited duration at first."
To test it, they simulated a confrontation scenario with illusion projections—villain attacks, hostage rescues, hero simulations.
Rayan moved like lightning—evading, disarming, countering without hesitation.
> "I was a warrior."
> "You are one, Rayan."
> "Then train me like one."
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Scene 6: The U.A. Exam Decision
Despite everything, Rayan had never considered applying to U.A. High School—the world's top academy for heroes.
It wasn't doubt. It was strategy.
> "They only accept those with quirks."
> "Correction. They accept those with potential."
> "Will they see mine?"
> "They'll feel it."
The day the entrance exam letters were released, students screamed in hallways, celebrated online, and bragged about quirks.
Rayan walked silently home.
A simple white envelope waited for him.
He opened it.
And heard the voice of Principal Nezu, speaking directly from a hologram:
> "We saw your tape. We saw something… different. You scored zero villain defeats. But you saved more civilians than anyone—at risk to yourself."
> "You passed."
He closed the letter. No smile. Just a quiet nod.
> "Let's go, Ari."
> "With you, always."
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Scene 7: Multiversal Signals
That night, something changed in the system logs.
> [Warning: Echo Signal Detected]
[Cross-World Fragment Signature: Nivira — Status: Female Variant, World Code 3E-A]
[Sync Threshold Nearing: 1%]
Rayan looked out the window, stars reflecting in his eyes.
He didn't know who Nivira was.
Not yet.
But he would.
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End of Chapter 4
Next Chapter Tease: Chapter 5 – U.A. and the Unseen Edge