The vendor shop was a small, dimly lit space tucked between a rundown café and a convenience store that smelled of stale chips and old coffee.

Mateo stepped inside, the bell above the door ringing faintly as he entered. The scent of burning incense mixed with the metallic tang of old gadgets, creating an odd, comforting atmosphere. The walls were lined with shelves filled with forgotten gadgets, mysterious tools, and obscure parts, their origins often unknown.

The shop's owner, a grizzled man with silver streaks in his unkempt beard, was hunched behind the counter, his hands working meticulously on something small—likely another broken device that had been left behind. His name was Mikhail, and though his face looked as if it had weathered a storm or two, his eyes still carried a spark of curiosity that kept him in business.

Mateo approached the counter, his boots clicking on the floor.

He asked, his voice light but carrying the weight of unspoken frustration.

"Got anything new for me?"

He was in a familiar mood, the kind where no one else understood his need to keep creating, to keep testing his inventions—even though most of them failed.

"Something that might actually work this time?"

The old man glanced up, his brown eyes sharp under his weathered face, a small grin pulling at the corners of his lips. "Something special, kid. You ready?"

Mateo nodded, curiosity building. Mikhail's "special" finds were always worth looking at, even if they occasionally ended up being junk.

Mikhail reached under the counter and pulled out a small box, his movements deliberate. He set it on the counter with a quiet thud and slid it toward Mateo.

He said.

"Here you go."

The box was unremarkable—wooden and chipped around the edges—but it felt heavier than it should be.

Mateo raised an eyebrow as he lifted the lid. Inside, resting on a velvet lining, was a small metal sphere. Its surface was smooth, almost unnaturally so, and it seemed to shimmer with a subtle light. Mateo's fingers hovered over it, instinctively drawn to it, but something about it unsettled him.

Mateo asked.

"What's this?"

Mikhail stood back, watching him closely.

"This, my boy, is the beginning of something much bigger than you can imagine."

His eyes glinted in a way that was almost too knowing, too calculating.

"It's called the Reality Tuner."

Mateo looked up sharply, his hand still hovering over the object. The name hit him like a punch to the gut—he'd heard whispers about this, vague rumors in the underground tech community. But he'd never seen one in person.

"You've heard of it, haven't you?" Mikhail continued, his voice taking on a more serious edge.

"I've been working on prototypes for years—failed ones, mind you—but this one? This one is special."

Mateo leaned forward, his skepticism battling with a growing sense of intrigue.

"Reality Tuner?" he repeated slowly.

"What does it do?"

Mikhail's face took on a shadowed expression, as though he was weighing whether to reveal the full truth. After a moment of silence, he sighed and leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"It messes with perception. I'm talking about bending reality—manipulating how you experience the world around you."

Mateo blinked, momentarily thrown off by the simplicity of the statement.

"Bend reality?"

He scoffed, his brow furrowing.

"How exactly does a little metal ball do that?"

Mikhail chuckled, a deep, almost unsettling sound.

"It's all in the electromagnetic fields, Mateo. This thing taps into your brain's neuro-electric signals. It syncs with your sensory processing centers and creates an alternate version of reality. Not like VR. Not like any of those gimmicks. It reprograms your senses—makes you feel things that aren't there. Things that are just... fabricated."

Mateo frowned, leaning back.

"So, you're telling me this thing makes people see things that aren't real?"

He gestured toward the sphere in his hand, unsure whether to be intrigued or horrified.

"Exactly," Mikhail said, his tone far more serious now.

"But that's just the surface. The problem is, it doesn't stop there. It doesn't just trick you—it completely alters your experience. It creates a new reality, one you perceive as the real world. And once you start using it, the line between what's real and what's not can get... blurry. Eventually, you won't know the difference."

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Mateo shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it.

"Ohh, okay, okay. So you're saying it just... messes with your head? Like a hallucination generator?"

"More than that," Mikhail replied with a knowing grin.

"It's like your brain gets a new operating system. And when you push it too far—when you dive deep into the new reality—it'll start to break down. People lose track of what's real. They can get stuck in it. They go mad."

Mateo's stomach churned at the thought, but he couldn't pull his gaze away from the device. He could already feel it—the allure. A device that could change everything, that could push human limits beyond anything he'd imagined. But was it worth the cost?

Before he could process it all, he interrupted Mikhail's long-winded explanation.

"Okay, okay. So, can you just tell me like I'm five? Because all this science talk isn't helping."

Mikhail paused, then grinned wryly.

"Alright, fine. Let me break it down. This thing sends out electromagnetic pulses into your brain. It doesn't just observe the signals your brain sends; it rewires them. It creates a new 'reality' for you—like when you dream, except it happens while you're awake."

Mateo's eyes widened as it started to make sense.

"So it's not just seeing things—it's about living in a different reality, experiencing it like it's real?"

"Bingo," Mikhail replied, his tone lighter now.

"But remember, young man, don't mess with it too much. If you do, your brain might not know how to handle it. People have ended up in hospitals from this kind of thing. You don't want to be the one to test the limits."

Mateo stared at the Reality Tuner in his palm. His mind raced. It sounded like the kind of thing his father would have made—something ambitious, dangerous, and maybe... revolutionary.

He shook his head.

"And why are you giving this to me?"

Mikhail shrugged, his expression unreadable.

"Let's just say it's your turn to play with fire."

Mateo set the Reality Tuner back down in the box, still unsure whether to be excited or terrified. But one thing was certain—he wouldn't be able to forget about it. Not now.

"I know the feeling. Just... don't let it break you. You might get what you want, but you'll lose something in the process."

A shiver ran down Mateo's spine, but he forced himself to smile.

"I'll keep that in mind, old man."

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Mateo glanced at the screen—Kale's name.

Mateo said, stepping away from the counter.

"Hold that thought."

Mikhail muttered, his words low but clear.

"Make sure you don't lose yourself."

Mateo paused at the door, but didn't look back. Instead, he answered the call.

"Hey, Kale."

"You're not going to believe this," Kale's voice crackled through the phone.

"I had the weirdest dream last night. It was so real. I saw your dorm, and everything seemed... off."

Mateo furrowed his brow, his fingers tightening around the phone.

"Off? Like what?"

"There was this... shadow. I think it was you, but it wasn't. The room was dim, and there was this lamp flickering. I swear it wasn't just a dream," she continued, her voice filled with unease.

"It felt like—like I was there. In your dorm, right next to you."

Mateo chuckled lightly, but the unsettling tone in her voice didn't escape him.

"You're crazy, Kale. It's just a dream. You know how overactive your imagination gets."

"Maybe," Kale said, but her voice was still laced with uncertainty.

"But there were details I shouldn't know. The way the light was hitting your desk. The fact that you had a... well, never mind. You'll think I'm crazy."

Mateo shifted uncomfortably.

"It's just a dream. Nothing to worry about."

But something about her words, the eeriness in her voice, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"I'll catch up with you later. Don't stress about it, alright?"

"Yeah. Talk to you later," Kale replied, but there was a pause.

"Mateo... be careful. It's not just a dream."

The line clicked off, leaving him standing in the vendor shop, his mind racing.

Mateo muttered to himself, but he wasn't so sure.

"Just a dream."

He pocketed his phone, trying to shake off the discomfort as he returned to Mikhail's counter.

Mikhail asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You alright there, kid?"

Mateo waved it off, his eyes lingering on a shelf of outdated tech.

"Yeah. Just... some strange stuff with friends, you know?"

Mateo's mind was still reeling from Mikhail's explanation of the Reality Tuner.

The concept of bending reality, of shifting perception, was unsettling in a way he couldn't quite put into words. He glanced back at the small metal sphere, still resting on the counter. The allure was undeniable, but so was the warning.

Could it really work? Could something so small change everything?

His thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of the door opening behind him. He turned, almost grateful for the distraction.

Lila stepped inside, a sudden burst of energy, carrying a small tin wrapped in wax paper.

Her presence always seemed to carry a subtle energy, her eyes sparkling with a quiet intensity. She waved at Mateo as she approached, her hands full of a small tin wrapped in wax paper.

"I brought cookies," she said, her voice sweet and tinged with a playful tone.

"Thought I'd drop by and see if you're still alive in here."

Mateo blinked, a little caught off guard by her sudden appearance.

Lila had been coming by the dorm more frequently, and though he wasn't blind to her obvious affection for him, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge it. It wasn't that he didn't find her interesting; it was just that he was too focused on everything else.

"I'm alive, I guess," Mateo said with a half-smile, his tone a little awkward.

"Just been busy with—" he gestured at the half-finished projects on the counter "—this."

Lila laughed, setting the tin down on the counter and leaning in a little too close for comfort.

"You really need to stop living off cup noodles, Mateo. It's not good for you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Mateo rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've got it handled."

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, as if searching for something more than just conversation. She had a way of looking at him that made Mateo feel like he was under a microscope, dissected, analyzed. But instead of calling attention to it, he focused on the cookies, picking one up and biting into it to break the tension.

"Anyway," she said, stepping back slightly.

"You heard the rumors about the campus, right?"

Mateo raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious now.

"Rumors?"

"Yeah," Lila continued, her voice dropping slightly, as though she didn't want to be overheard.

"About it being haunted. People say weird things have been happening lately—things that can't be explained. Lights flickering in classrooms, shadows in the corners of the halls. Weird stuff."

Mateo chuckled, trying to shake off the tension.

"That's just college gossip. You know how it is. People need something to talk about."

But as Lila laughed, he couldn't shake the unease that had settled in his chest. Was it just the stress of everything, or was there something more to it?

A sudden flicker of light overhead caught his attention.

He turned toward it, noticing the overhead lamp had begun to blink erratically, casting strange shadows across the room. For a split second, Mateo could have sworn he saw something—a figure, standing motionless in the corner of the room.

But when he blinked again, the figure was gone.

"Must be the wiring," he muttered, brushing it off.

"Old dorms and their faulty electrical work."

Lila smiled, but Mateo couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him.