Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 150: Control

Layla’s lips parted slightly, then pressed together as she processed Karl’s words. Jane, always the more empathetic of the two, looked troubled.

"Are you saying Julia... awakened?" Jane asked carefully.

Karl exhaled. "I don’t know."

"But it’s possible," Layla cut in, her voice sharper, more suspicious. "That kind of influence—it’s not normal. Even for her."

Jane frowned. "Maybe it’s not a power. Maybe Emmet just—"

"Just what?" Karl asked. "Just decided, in the middle of a bloodbath, that he should listen to her?" He shook his head. "No. It wasn’t just him. The others too. They flinched when she spoke. They ran when she told them to. They acted like... like she had them on a leash."

Silence settled between them, heavy and uncertain.

"That’s an awakening," Layla muttered.

Jane hugged her arms, staring at the floor. "I’ve never heard of one like that before."

Karl ran a hand through his hair. "Neither have I."

Layla looked to Karl, her gaze sharp and unyielding. "Then we need to find out exactly what Julia is."

Karl didn’t disagree.

---

That night, the exhaustion of the day weighed heavy on him. By the time Karl lay down, Jane was curled up beside him, her warmth seeping into his side, while Layla stretched out on his other. It wasn’t unusual for them to share a bed when things got tense—it was comforting, in a world that offered little of it.

Sleep came easily.

For a while.

Then—

[DING.]

Karl’s eyes snapped open.

The familiar sound—one he hadn’t heard in so long—sent a jolt through him.

The system.

For a moment, he just lay there, breathing slowly, feeling the steady warmth of Jane and Layla beside him. The system had been silent for so long he had almost forgotten it was there.

But it was.

And now, for some reason, it was back.

Carefully, he shifted out of bed, slipping away from the two women without waking them. He padded toward the small couch in the corner of the room and sat down, rubbing his face.

The system interface materialized in his vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT: UNIDENTIFIED WAVE PATTERN DETECTED.]

[WARNING: EXTERNAL INFLUENCE ATTEMPTING TO ACCESS HOST’S COGNITIVE FUNCTION.]

[INITIATING COUNTERMEASURE PROTOCOL.]

Karl’s heart pounded.

An external influence?

Before he could react, a sensation like static crackled through his skull. It wasn’t painful, but it was there—a low, humming presence, something subtle yet insistent, like a whisper just outside the edge of his thoughts.

Something—or someone—was trying to influence him.

His grip tightened on the armrest.

"What the hell..." he muttered under his breath.

His system hadn’t spoken in so long that he had almost convinced himself he didn’t need it. But now? Now it was warning him about something he never even noticed.

And that was the terrifying part.

Because if the system hadn’t intervened...

Would he have even realized it was happening?

Karl exhaled, his fingers tightening against the armrest as the system’s messages continued flashing before him.

[SYSTEM ALERT: COUNTERMEASURE PROTOCOL SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED.]

[EXTERNAL INFLUENCE BLOCKED.]

[HOST STABILIZED.]

His mind felt clearer, sharper, as if a layer of static that had been lingering beneath his consciousness had finally been erased. He already knew what this meant.

Someone—or something—had been trying to worm their way into his mind.

And it had failed.

But the real issue wasn’t just him.

The system wasn’t done.

[SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION: EXTEND COUNTERMEASURE PROTOCOL TO NEARBY INDIVIDUALS.]

[HOST POSSESSES: UNCOMMON MONARCH AUTHORITY.]

[INITIATING MENTAL DOMAIN STABILIZATION.]

Karl’s expression remained cold. He wasn’t confused—this wasn’t the first time the system had spoken about his Authority.

Being an Uncommon Monarch wasn’t just a title. It was influence.

Influence over the mind. Over perception. Over control.

And right now, the system was telling him that Jane and Layla needed that influence.

Karl glanced toward them, still lying in bed, their breathing steady but shallow. Their faces were relaxed, too relaxed—like they were in a trance.

That wasn’t normal.

Which meant they were already being affected.

Karl’s jaw clenched.

He didn’t hesitate.

"Do it," he commanded.

The system responded instantly.

[UNCOMMON MONARCH AUTHORITY CONFIRMED.]

[ESTABLISHING MINOR DOMAIN...]

[EXTENDING COGNITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO DESIGNATED INDIVIDUALS...]

A shift.

A pulse in the air, like the atmosphere had thickened. A presence—not seen, but felt. It was subtle, yet absolute, an invisible weight pressing outward from Karl’s very existence.

A notification appeared.

[DOMAIN ESTABLISHED.]

[NEURAL STABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS: JANE, LAYLA — REINFORCED.]

[EXTERNAL INFLUENCE: BLOCKED.]

Then—

Jane inhaled sharply, like someone who had just surfaced from drowning.

Layla groaned, her fingers twitching as she stirred, her brows furrowing as if shaking off something wrong.

Karl watched as they slowly sat up, blinking as though waking from a deep haze.

Layla was the first to react.

She pressed a hand to her temple, her expression tense. "What the fuck was that?" she muttered.

Jane followed, rubbing her forehead with a shiver. "I feel like... I was dreaming. But not really."

Karl’s eyes were sharp. "You were dreaming. And something was making sure you stayed that way."

Layla’s head snapped toward him, her gaze instantly sharpening. "Explain."

Karl leaned forward, his voice even. "Something tried to influence me just now. It failed. Then the system warned me that it was happening to you, too." His fingers tapped against his knee. "I used my Authority to block it."

Layla’s breath hitched. "What was trying to do that?" Her hands clenched into fists. "And why didn’t I notice?"

Karl’s expression didn’t change. "Because whatever it was, it didn’t want you to."

Jane shivered. "Like... hypnosis?"

Karl’s gaze darkened. "Like control."

Silence.

Layla exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through her hair. "Fuck. That means someone—or something—was inside my head. And I didn’t even know."

Karl didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.

The weight of the revelation settled over all of them.

Something had tried to own their thoughts.

And it had almost succeeded.

Jane bit her lip. "But why us?" Her voice was quiet. "Why now?"

Karl exhaled. "That’s what we need to find out."

Layla’s expression was unreadable for a moment.

Then, slowly, a sharp smirk tugged at her lips.

"Well," she muttered, flexing her fingers. "If someone’s playing games with us..."

Her eyes flicked to Karl, sharp and knowing.

"...Then let’s make them regret it."

Jane’s fingers tightened against the sheets, her expression unusually tense. Then, in a quiet, almost hesitant voice, she muttered:

"Not them. Her."

Karl’s gaze snapped to her.

Layla frowned. "Her?" Then realization dawned. "Wait—are you saying—?"

Jane inhaled sharply, then exhaled. "Julia," she whispered. "It was Julia."

Silence.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then—

Karl clenched his jaw. "...Shit."

Layla sat up fully, her arms crossing over her chest. "No, hold on," she muttered, processing. "It makes sense." Her tone was sharp, but not dismissive. "That whole thing earlier—the way she stopped Emmet, the way everyone reacted to her. It wasn’t normal. We felt it, but we didn’t question it."

Karl exhaled. "Because we weren’t able to question it."

Layla’s eyes darkened. "Exactly. If she was already nudging at our thoughts—subtly, slowly—then by the time she really used it, we wouldn’t have even noticed."

Jane shivered. "Except you did notice. And that’s why she failed."

Karl leaned back against the couch, his mind working through everything.

Julia’s presence. The way Emmet had obeyed without hesitation. The way he had nearly overlooked it, despite knowing better.

His system’s warning wasn’t just random.

Julia had tried to influence him.

She had failed.

And when the system expanded its protection, it had broken whatever was affecting Jane and Layla too.

Karl exhaled. "...She wasn’t just manipulating Emmet."

Layla met his gaze, her expression grim. "She was manipulating all of us." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Jane hugged her arms. "But why?" She looked at Karl. "Why would she need to do that? She already has influence, she already has control over people. Why go this far?"

Karl shook his head. "I don’t know. But whatever she’s doing..." His fingers tapped against the armrest. "She didn’t want us noticing it."

Layla scoffed. "Too bad. Because now we do."

Karl’s gaze flickered toward the window.

Julia.

She had played this game in the dark.

But now?

Now he had the advantage.

Because she didn’t know that he had resisted. She didn’t know that he had seen what she was doing.

And Karl wasn’t planning to stay in the dark any longer.

"We do," he muttered, eyes sharp.

And it was time to act.

Karl let out a slow breath, his mind still racing, but there was nothing more to do tonight. He glanced at Jane and Layla—both of them still tense, their thoughts undoubtedly tangled in the same mess as his.

"Get some sleep," he muttered, standing up.

Layla scoffed. "Yeah, like that’s gonna be easy."

Jane didn’t argue, but the exhaustion in her expression was clear.

Still, they all settled back onto the bed. Karl lay between them once more, but now, there was an unspoken awareness between them. A silent understanding.

Julia had been in their heads.

But she wasn’t anymore.

And Karl wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Eventually, exhaustion won over paranoia, and sleep claimed them.