Unknown Rider

The sun had dipped past the horizon when Gabriel wheeled Phantom back home, parking it near the front steps like he always did. The old bike looked the same on the outside — same scratches, same uneven handlebars — but something about it now pulsed with quiet energy. As Gabriel laid a hand on the seat, he felt a faint vibration, like the ticking of a heart buried deep in steel.

He blinked and pulled his hand back. "It's… warm?"

Mr. Reyes had said little after they finished. Just a quiet warning: "She's linked to you now. Whatever happens, don't let anyone see her react."

Gabriel didn't know what that meant — not fully — but Phantom felt alive. That much was clear.

Later that evening, curiosity won over caution.

Gabriel climbed onto Phantom and pedaled toward the edge of the village. The streets were quiet. As he rode, something shifted. The pedals moved more easily. The bike picked up speed… too much speed.

Wind screamed in his ears. The road ahead stretched like rubber, bending around him. Lights blurred. Sounds twisted.

He squeezed the brakes — hard — and Phantom obeyed, skidding to a perfect stop that threw a cloud of dust into the air. Gabriel's heart pounded.

"What the heck was that…?" he whispered, breathless.

Somewhere across the city, a boy stood beneath a flickering streetlamp. His name was Denmark — calm, sharp-eyed, dressed in black with earbuds in his ears. He pulled a thin black card from his jacket pocket.

The gears logo glowed faintly.

USER 5: ACTIVE.

Denmark scoffed. "Another one?" he muttered. "Tsk. Took him long enough."

His card bore the same two interlocking gears — but with the number 4 in its center.

He slid it back into his pocket and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

Back home, Gabriel parked Phantom beside his house again. The night air was still, except for the soft ticking sound that now came from Phantom's chain — rhythmic, mechanical, deliberate.

As Gabriel turned to head inside, Phantom's rear wheel slowly rotated on its own. A soft glow flickered near the gears.

A voice, low and distorted, escaped from somewhere within:

"Synchronization… pending."

Gabriel froze.

the silence—only broken by the rhythmic tick of Phantom's gear—or perhaps, something deeper… like a signal connecting to something far beyond his reach.