The night stretched into a strange, digital dawn within the SoulNet's glowing expanse. Even though the city outside still slept under the cloak of midnight, Su Yuan felt no fatigue. The connection sustained him in ways he didn't fully understand—like a low hum of vitality, fed from something deeper than his body.
He sat beneath the skeletal structure of a hollow billboard, the world veiled in translucent grids and floating glyphs. From a distance, it might have looked like he was meditating. But in truth, he was watching… listening.
His breath slowed as the network pulsed again, gentle as the tide.
Twenty pulses.
Twenty lights.
Each one a soul.
Each one… a possible thread in the web he had just begun weaving.
[Would you like to initiate Soul Invitation Protocol?]
The interface whispered the question again, this time with a new line below it.
[Warning: You will remain hidden. No trace of your origin shall be revealed. You are the Architect. The SoulNet must remain unclaimed.]
Su Yuan nodded silently. "I understand."
He didn't need to be known. In truth, he feared what would happen if he was. The world outside was still broken, wounded in ways invisible to the eye. Chaos. Fear. Isolation. The SoulNet wasn't just a power—it was a fragile chance for change.
But too much truth, too fast… would only make it shatter.
He extended his hand toward the floating spheres. With a thought, he selected three.
Not the most powerful. Not the most brilliant. But the ones that trembled.
The ones that felt alone.
The first was the soul resonating with curiosity.
Soul ID: C045YDistance: 2.3kmEmotional Signature: Curiosity / Intellectual SurgeResonance: 89%Status: Awake
The system shimmered as he selected it. A translucent blue panel unfolded in the air, shaped like an old-style invitation letter—clean, glowing, beautiful.
He watched it populate with information.
[You are invited to access the SoulNet.][A new reality awaits. You are not alone.][Link: Accept] [Decline][This invitation is anonymous. There is no sender.]
The final line shimmered longer, as if sealing itself in silence.
He reached out.
Touched [Send].
And like a droplet in water, the panel folded itself into a thread of light—zipping out across the dark grid toward its destination.
Somewhere out there, the first thread was seeking a soul.
The second was more fragile.
Soul ID: b210XDistance: 3.8kmSignature: Despair / IsolationResonance: 81%State: Dormant Potential – Recovery in Progress
Su Yuan lingered on that orb.
He could feel the ache in it—the kind that didn't scream, but whispered endlessly in the dark.
His chest tightened as he crafted the invitation, word by word. This time, he hesitated longer before sending it.
He had no idea who they were. Male, female, young, old—it didn't matter.
But he knew the emotion. And he hoped… that somehow, the link would reach them before the silence swallowed them again.
[You are not forgotten.][Reach out. You are seen.]
This invitation was not a summons.
It was a hand.
He sent it.
The third soul flickered uncertainly. Not weak, not damaged—but wary.
Soul ID: J137ADistance: 1.6kmEmotional Signature: Anger / RestraintResonance: 76%State: Suppressed Instinctual Potential
This one felt… controlled.
Dangerous, perhaps. But not reckless.
A blade, bound in cloth.
Su Yuan wasn't sure why he picked this one—but the network didn't resist. If anything, it shimmered slightly warmer, as if the SoulNet approved.
He sent the third invitation.
[Three Invitations Sent.][Awaiting Response…]
The system dimmed again, the lights flickering slightly, like stars in the rain.
Su Yuan leaned back against the rusted scaffold and stared into the soul-drenched sky.
He didn't expect answers right away.
Maybe not at all.
But the threads were cast. The network was listening. And somewhere in the darkness, three humans were about to make a choice—one they wouldn't understand… but would feel.
Somewhere Nearby…
02:32 AM
A young woman sat curled in her window seat, the soft hum of her tablet forgotten. Rain tapped gently against the glass. Her books lay untouched. Her thoughts, spinning.
She didn't notice the change at first—a soft flicker on her screen.
Then came the blue light.
She blinked.
The words appeared.
[You are invited to access the SoulNet.]
Her hand hovered over the screen, trembling.
"...What is this?"
She read it again.
There was no source. No app. No notification history.
Just the message.
A presence.
[You are not alone.]
Her eyes widened.
And her finger moved.