The door slammed open with a force that echoed through the castle’s halls. Ryuu stood in the doorway, his breath sharp, eyes narrowing as they landed on Jayce’s crumpled form sprawled on the floor. The faintest flicker of glitching energy still clung to Jayce’s body—fragments of light stuttering like a broken signal.“Jayce!” Ryuu was at his side in seconds, dropping to his knees, his usual calm shattered by the urgency in his voice. He shook him hard, feeling the limp weight of his brother’s body. Jayce’s face was pale, his skin cold with a faint sheen of sweat, his golden eyes half-open but unfocused, flickering like a dying screen. Tsukina rushed in right after, skidding to a halt at the sight. “What happened to him?” she whispered, her voice tight with panic.

“Power malfunction,” Ryuu muttered, checking Jayce’s pulse. It was there—weak, irregular. He cursed under his breath. “Damn it, he’s unstable.”

Without wasting another second, Ryuu hoisted Jayce into his arms. The glitching pulsed faintly through Jayce’s body, sending a jolt through Ryuu’s chest, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it. “We need to stabilize him. Now.”

Tsukina nodded, her worry giving way to action as she followed Ryuu through the castle. They moved quickly, winding through narrow halls until they reached a dimly lit room—one Ryuu had prepared long ago for situations just like this.

The room was stark, with a single medical cot and shelves stocked with old tech, stabilizers, and vials filled with glowing liquids. Ryuu laid Jayce down carefully, grabbing a small device from the nearest shelf. It was a pulse regulator—something designed to counteract glitch surges.

Tsukina hovered nearby, wringing her hands. “Is this going to work?”

Ryuu didn’t answer. His jaw clenched as he attached the device to Jayce’s chest. The regulator pulsed with soft, rhythmic beeps as it synced with Jayce’s unstable energy. For a tense moment, nothing happened.

Then Jayce’s body jolted.

His back arched slightly, a gasp ripping from his throat as the device fought against the chaotic glitch within him. His hands twitched, eyes snapping open—but they weren’t fully his. Gold irises flickered between bright and dim, his expression blank, lips trembling with words that didn’t form.

“Stay with me, Jayce,” Ryuu muttered under his breath, adjusting the regulator’s settings. “Don’t you dare crash on me now.”

Tsukina gripped Jayce’s hand tightly, her voice soft but firm. “Come on, glitch-boy. Don’t tap out on us yet. You still owe me for saving your life that one time.”

A weak, glitchy cough escaped Jayce’s lips—half a laugh, half a spasm. Ryuu’s eyes flickered with a brief spark of relief.

“That’s it,” Ryuu whispered. “Come back.”

The regulator beeped sharply, its rhythm stabilizing. Jayce’s breathing evened out, though his face was still tense with strain. Slowly, the glitching receded, the faint flickers of light dissolving into nothing.

Jayce blinked a few times, his gaze finally focusing. His voice was hoarse, ragged, but laced with his usual sarcasm. “...You two look like hell.”

Ryuu snorted, the tension in his shoulders finally easing. “You’re one to talk.”

Tsukina rolled her eyes, wiping at her face. “Yeah, well, we were busy trying to keep your dumb ass alive.”

Jayce’s lips twitched into a weak smirk. “Appreciate it… I guess.” He winced as he tried to sit up, only for Ryuu to push him back down.

“Don’t move. Your system’s fried,” Ryuu snapped, though his tone was softer than usual.

Jayce sighed, staring at the ceiling. “Felt like my brain was… static. Like I was there, but not. Everything glitched.”