/~Contrario~/
The night air around Irish Valley always had this strange stillness to it like even the shadows knew better than to move too fast.
I found the night guard standing stiff near the southern outpost beacon, his posture sharp but his eyes clearly craving sleep. Rookie. I couldn't blame him.
"You should go get some sleep buddy," I said, nodding.
He blinked twice like I'd pulled him from a dream. "Sir? I thought my shift ran till...."
"I've got it from here now man," I cut him off. "You better get some time off before I change my mind."
He didn't ask questions. He was a smart one.
The second his boots disappeared past the checkpoint, I tapped my neural port.
"Stray. Come on buddy."
"Booting up. Syncing with the local night cycle... Active."
A soft hum and pulse of red light flared beside me as Stray shimmered into visibility. The digitized canine stood by my side, fully synced and ever-aware.
