The voice returned the next night.
Haru didn't look at the mirror this time.
He already knew where the voice would come from.
Somewhere close.
Too close.
"You're awake again," the voice said calmly.
The tone wasn't threatening.
It sounded… patient.
Haru sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers tightening around the blanket.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
There was a pause.
Not silence.
Thought.
"I am what stayed when everyone else left," the voice answered quietly.
"I am what spoke when you were forced to stay silent."
Haru's chest tightened.
Those words felt heavier than they should have.
"You're… inside my head?" Haru asked carefully.
A soft chuckle echoed through the room.
"No," the voice replied.
"I exist because of it."
Haru slowly turned toward the mirror.
The glass darkened slightly, as if something behind it had stepped closer.
Then a shadow appeared behind Haru's reflection.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
Not exactly identical.
Something about its posture felt older… calmer.
"My name is Joceka."
The name landed deep inside Haru's chest.
Strangely familiar.
Like remembering something that had always been there.
"What do you want from me?" Haru asked.
Joceka answered without hesitation.
"Nothing."
That made Haru frown.
"Then why are you here?"
The shadow behind the mirror shifted slightly.
"I'm here to help you survive."
Those words didn't feel like a promise.
They felt like a fact.
The room slowly returned to normal.
The mirror reflected only Haru again.
But something had changed.
Haru lay down in his bed.
For the first time in years…
Sleep came without fear.
And without nightmares.
But somewhere in the quiet darkness of his mind—
Joceka was still watching.