Ethan didn't go home right away.
He kept walking.
No destination, no plan. Just letting the city stretch out in front of him while his thoughts tried to catch up. Streetlights flickered on one by one as the sky dimmed further, casting long shadows across the pavement.
People passed him.
Couples. Small groups. Someone arguing on the phone.
Normal things.
It all felt a little distant.
"…You're quiet," he said under his breath.
[Viewers: 1]
No response.
That wasn't new.
But it felt different this time.
He kept walking.
"…You said you're always watching."
Still nothing.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"…So what, you just don't answer when you feel like it?"
The words came out sharper than he meant.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
I'm here.
Short.
Flat.
Like it hadn't changed at all.
Ethan's shoulders eased slightly, though he didn't mean for them to.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "I figured."
He turned down a quieter street, the noise of the main road fading behind him. Fewer people here. Dimmer lights. Less movement.
Better.
His pace slowed.
"…I'm going back in tomorrow," he said.
The message came quicker this time.
Okay.
That was it.
No warning. No adjustment.
Ethan frowned slightly.
"…That's all?"
A pause.
Then—
I'll be there.
He didn't like how that sounded.
Not the words.
The certainty behind them.
"…You're always there," he said.
No reply.
Ethan rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension building there.
"…Right."
He stopped walking when he reached a narrow alley between two buildings.
Didn't know why.
Just… did.
The space was quiet. Dim. A single light above flickered every few seconds, casting uneven shadows across the walls.
Ethan stepped inside.
The noise from the street dropped off almost completely.
For a moment, it felt like the world had narrowed down to just this.
Just him.
And—
"…You."
The word echoed faintly.
No answer.
Ethan stood still, eyes unfocused for a second.
"…You said you can't see everything."
The screen flickered slightly.
Almost everything.
"Yeah."
He nodded once, more to himself.
"…So what can't you see?"
Silence.
Ethan waited.
Nothing.
He let out a quiet breath.
"…That's what I thought."
He shifted his weight, leaning back against the wall.
"If I do something right now… something small," he said slowly, "would you know?"
The question hung there.
No answer.
Ethan's gaze drifted downward.
Then, without saying anything else, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He didn't unlock it.
Didn't open anything.
He just… held it.
Waited.
The screen in his vision didn't react.
Didn't change.
Didn't comment.
Ethan's grip tightened slightly.
"…You didn't say anything."
A pause.
Then—
About what?
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"…Nothing."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
That was something.
Not a lot.
But something.
Limits.
Or gaps.
Either way—
It mattered.
He pushed off the wall and stepped back toward the street.
The moment he crossed out of the alley, the noise came back. Cars. Voices. Movement.
The world opened up again.
But—
That feeling followed.
Subtle.
Close.
Ethan didn't look at the screen this time.
"…You didn't answer earlier," he said instead.
You didn't ask clearly.
He almost laughed at that.
"…Right."
A small pause.
Then—
What were you trying to do?
Ethan didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
"…Nothing important."
Another pause.
Longer.
Then—
Okay.
The word stayed.
Simple.
Calm.
Too calm.
Ethan kept walking.
But something about that exchange stuck with him.
Not what was said.
What wasn't.
He reached his apartment building a few minutes later.
Old place. Nothing special. The lights in the hallway flickered the same way they always did, like they were one bad day away from going out completely.
He stepped inside, the door closing behind him with a dull sound.
Quiet again.
Not the same quiet as before.
This one felt… heavier.
Ethan moved up the stairs, slower now.
Each step echoing just a little more than it should.
By the time he reached his door, his thoughts had settled into something clearer.
Not answers.
Just—
Direction.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was dark.
Still.
Exactly how he left it.
He flipped the light on.
Nothing changed.
Same small space. Same worn furniture. Same silence.
Ethan set his keys down and leaned back against the door, exhaling slowly.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
[Viewers: 1]
The screen hovered.
Unmoving.
Watching.
"…You said you can't see everything."
No response.
"…But you knew when I was in the dungeon."
Still nothing.
"…You knew when I woke up."
A flicker.
Yes.
Ethan nodded slightly.
"…So what decides that?"
The question sat there.
Longer than usual.
Then—
You.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"…That doesn't make sense."
It will.
He let out a quiet breath.
"…Yeah. I'm sure."
No follow-up.
No explanation.
Just the same wall.
Ethan pushed off the door and moved further into the room, dropping onto the edge of his bed.
His body felt heavier again.
Tired.
But his mind wasn't slowing down.
Not anymore.
"…You didn't answer me earlier," he said again.
A beat.
Then—
You were testing me.
Ethan stilled slightly.
"…And?"
A pause.
Then—
You don't need to.
Something about that—
Didn't sit right.
"…Maybe I do."
No response.
Ethan stared at the screen for a long second.
Then looked away.
"…Tomorrow," he said quietly. "We'll see."
The words felt heavier than they should've.
Like they carried something he hadn't fully figured out yet.
The screen didn't react.
Didn't argue.
Didn't agree.
It just stayed there.
Watching.
And as Ethan sat in the quiet of his room, one thought kept circling back.
He'd found a gap.
Small.
Unclear.
But real.
And for the first time since this started—
He wasn't sure if he was the only one who noticed it.