Reality Fracture | Episode 1: Tam, Alive

Tamira awakens in a room filled with chalkboards covered in complex mathematical proofs. A weary, exhausted mage with blue eyes greets her, revealing that he brought her into existence. He explains that while she is not his daughter or a god's creation, she is a real person in progress built for a vital purpose.

The mage outlines the rules of her artificial existence: she must eat three meals a day, get at least seven hours of sleep, and cultivate her innate telepathic abilities. Though she is filled with deep questions about her nature, her creator assures her that her identity is hers to define as she learns under his guidance.

Tamira arrives back at Hexhaven after fulfilling her assignment to kidnap the oracle Jadzi from the original Strixhaven. She delivers her captive to Professor Opal, who ushers the oracle down to the cellar. Despite completing her duty, Tamira feels an uncomfortable emptiness rather than the satisfaction of a triumphant homecoming.

Hexhaven itself is a manufactured echo of the Multiverse, designed by Tamira's creator, known as the Theorist. The grand project runs like a pristine, automated machine stripped of suffering and unpredictable flaws. Yet, as Tamira walks the flawless autumn grounds, she cannot shake the persistent feeling of unfulfilled hunger.

As she navigates the quiet walkways of Hexhaven, Tamira is confronted by unprompted visions of the friends she left behind at Strixhaven. An illusion of her owlin companion, Abigale, silently signs accusations of betrayal, condemning Tamira as a lie. A second vision of Lluwen mocks her from a high window, telling her that she is incomplete.

Confused by her growing guilt, Tamira seeks answers from Professor Opal. Opal attempts to reassure her, explaining that duty and contracts to one's creator supersede other obligations. However, Opal's cold demeanour leaves Tamira feeling distrustful and unsettled about the oracle's fate.

Tamira ascends the winding stairs to consult the Theorist directly. Before she can enter his atrium sanctum, she hears the sounds of a violent physical struggle within. She bursts through the doors to find the Theorist bleeding and battling a masked thirteen-year-old boy armed with a blade.

Before Tamira can cast a counter-spell to aid him, the Theorist commands her to hold and forces the young intruder through a metal portal. Bandaging his wounds, Tamira reflects on how her maker has changed since his first death, leaving behind a colder, more clinical wizard dedicated purely to magical science and clear authority.