the sky whispered. "Begin."
"Last chance," W added, tail-spiral glowing brighter. "Do you trust a two-tailed cat in a world that wants to eat your memories?"
Kairo ran.
But this Kairo? He remembered.
That was the dangerous part.
"I'm dreaming," Kairo whispered.
Behind him, the faceless crowd synchronized their movements, turning in unison. Their empty heads tilted, and from where mouths should have been, they sang: W TAILS CAT DELUSIONWORLD 1
And the floor beneath them became glass, and below the glass, a thousand other Kairos ran from a thousand other cats, in a thousand other delusions that had already forgotten they were lies.