W Tails Cat Delusionworld 1 -

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 .

W settled on his shoulder, both tails now pointing straight ahead like twin compass needles. "Simple. I'm the debugger of this broken dreamscape. You're the user who fell through a crack in reality. Help me find the —the original lie this world was built on—and I'll send you home." A pause. "Fail, and you become one of them ." The kitten nodded toward the faceless crowd now filling the stairwell behind them. W TAILS CAT DELUSIONWORLD 1

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. But the kitten—whom he'd already named W (for

"Don't look at the signs," Kairo muttered to the kitten. "Don't read the graffiti." Kairo froze

Kairo ran.

But this Kairo? He remembered.

"Show me the Root," he said.