Behind him, the faceless crowd synchronized their movements, turning in unison. Their empty heads tilted, and from where mouths should have been, they sang:
But the kitten—whom he'd already named W (for "why," for "wrong," for "wish")—stared anyway. On the brick wall, neon paint shimmered: NONE OF THIS IS. FOLLOW THE CAT. Kairo froze. His reflection in a puddle rippled, then smiled before he did .
"Show me the Root," he said.
That was the dangerous part.
Suddenly, the sky cracked open. A giant eye—pupil a clock face—peered down from where the moon should be. W TAILS CAT DELUSIONWORLD 1
W's tails intertwined, forming a spiral that glowed faintly violet. "In this delusion? Everything talks. The real question, Kairo, is why you still have a face." The kitten's eyes opened—one gold, one black void. "Everyone else here forgot theirs hours ago."
it boomed, "you brought another one. You know the rules. Seven loops, then deletion." Behind him, the faceless crowd synchronized their movements,
Kairo ran.
He looked around. The other "people" in the alley had smooth, featureless heads—mannequin faces wearing stolen coats. They shuffled past, humming a lullaby about a cat with nine lives and a god with none. FOLLOW THE CAT
Kairo looked at his hands. Five fingers. Still five. For now.