The rain over Neo-Tokyo wasn't water. It was data. A cascading, shimmering silverfall of encrypted code that washed down the sides of the kilometer-high spires. For most, it was just the weather. For TS Longmint, it was a canvas.

Longmint touched her cheek. “You’ll see me every time you choose the color no one told you to wear. Every time you have a dream that scares you. I’ll be there, in the flow.”

The System logged a minor anomaly. It was ignored.

When the dawn of the new day-cycle arrived, the rain of data stopped. Aiko opened her eyes on the real-world balcony. She was still wearing the gray tunic. Her hair was still black. But her eyes… her eyes held the pink grass and the orange sky.

That’s where Longmint came in.

“Identity isn’t a rock,” Longmint said, breathing heavily with the effort. “It’s a river. The System wants you to be a rock. Still. Dead. I’m here to remind you that you’re allowed to flow.”