Ethan didn't move right away.
The bodies were still at his feet, the faint smell of something metallic settling into the air. The dungeon stayed quiet, but it wasn't the same kind of quiet as before. This one felt… unstable.
Like something had shifted and hadn't settled back yet.
He adjusted his grip on the blade, eyes scanning the space ahead.
Nothing.
For now.
"…You're slower," he said.
[Viewers: 1]
No response.
Ethan's jaw tightened slightly.
"…That wasn't like before."
A flicker.
Then—
You're still alive.
He exhaled through his nose.
"That's not the point."
Silence.
Ethan shifted his stance, stepping over one of the bodies as he moved forward again. His pace was slower now. More deliberate.
Not because he wanted it that way.
Because he had to.
"…Something interfered," he added.
Still nothing.
"…Or you couldn't keep up."
The words came out before he could stop them.
The screen flickered.
Harder this time.
For a split second, the blue edges distorted.
Then—
I'm here.
Ethan stilled.
"…Yeah."
That wasn't what he meant.
He walked a few more steps, the corridor stretching wider ahead. The shadows shifted slightly along the walls, but there was no movement behind them.
Not yet.
"…How many now?" he asked.
A pause.
Longer than it should've been.
Then—
More.
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
"Helpful."
No reply.
He slowed further.
His body stayed loose, but his focus tightened. Every step mattered more now. Every sound.
A faint scrape echoed somewhere ahead.
Then another.
Not in sync.
Different directions.
"…Spread out," he muttered.
The screen didn't answer.
Ethan moved closer to the wall, adjusting his angle slightly.
If they came from both sides—
He stopped.
Waited.
Listened.
There.
A shift to his right.
He turned—
Too early.
Nothing.
The sound came again.
Left this time.
Ethan's grip tightened.
"…You're not calling it out," he said quietly.
A flicker.
Wait.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…I am waiting."
The sound came again.
Closer.
Ethan stepped back.
Slow.
Careful.
Then—
Movement.
Two shapes broke from the shadows at once.
Faster than before.
Ethan reacted.
One step back. Blade up—
Right.
He shifted.
Barely avoided the first strike.
The second came from the side—
Too fast.
Ethan twisted, raising his arm—
The hit glanced off him instead of landing clean.
Pain flared.
Not deep.
But enough.
He pushed through it, striking back—
Missed.
The creature pulled away too quickly.
Ethan reset his stance.
Breathing heavier now.
"…Too slow," he muttered.
The message came immediately this time.
Focus.
His jaw tightened.
"I am focused."
He stepped forward again.
This time, he didn't wait for the message.
He moved first.
Closed the distance.
Forced the fight.
The first creature lunged—
Ethan cut low.
It staggered.
The second came in—
He shifted—
Late again.
The timing wasn't lining up.
Not like before.
Something kept slipping.
He adjusted mid-step, forcing his body to react faster than the messages.
Strike.
Pull back.
Another strike—
This time it landed clean.
The creature dropped.
One left.
It circled him slowly.
Watching.
Ethan steadied his breathing.
"…Now?" he asked.
No response.
He didn't wait.
He moved.
The creature reacted instantly, matching him step for step.
Better than the others.
Smarter.
Ethan pushed forward—
It countered.
Their movements overlapped, clashing in short bursts.
Ethan's footing shifted—
Uneven ground.
He corrected—
Too late.
The creature struck—
And stopped.
Same as before.
That slight break.
That unnatural pause.
Ethan didn't question it.
He drove the blade forward and ended it.
Silence returned.
Again.
Ethan stood there, chest rising and falling.
"…You're inconsistent," he said.
The words came out low.
Measured.
The screen flickered.
No.
He almost laughed.
"…That didn't feel consistent."
No answer.
Ethan wiped his hand against his jacket, clearing the faint smear of blood.
"…You were late."
A pause.
Then—
You moved first.
He stilled slightly.
"…Yeah."
He had.
"…So?"
You didn't wait.
Ethan's grip tightened.
"…I couldn't."
Silence.
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
"…That's the problem."
He looked ahead again.
The dungeon stretched deeper.
Darker.
More movement now.
Subtle.
But there.
"…If I keep waiting," he said slowly, "I fall behind."
No response.
"…If I don't," he added, "I get hit."
The screen stayed quiet.
Ethan nodded slightly.
"…Right."
He already knew that.
He just needed to hear it.
He moved forward again.
Slower now.
More careful.
Not just watching the dungeon.
Watching the timing.
Watching the gaps.
Every time the message came—
He noted it.
How long it took.
What happened before.
What changed after.
Small things.
But they added up.
Another creature appeared.
This one alone.
Ethan didn't wait.
He moved.
No message.
No delay.
He struck—
Clean.
Fast.
Done.
He stepped back.
Waited.
Nothing.
The screen stayed still.
"…You didn't say anything."
A flicker.
Then—
You didn't need me.
Ethan stared at the words.
"…Yeah."
He didn't.
That was true.
But—
"…You still knew."
No response.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
"…Right."
He reached another open space not long after.
Smaller than the last one.
Still enough room for something bigger.
He stopped near the edge.
Waited.
"…What is it?" he asked.
A pause.
Longer than before.
Then—
Stronger.
Same answer.
Different weight.
Ethan adjusted his grip on the blade.
"…How many?"
Silence.
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You don't know."
The screen flickered.
No reply.
He let out a quiet breath.
"…Yeah."
That was it.
That was the difference.
Before—
She always knew.
Now—
There were gaps.
Delays.
Misses.
He stepped forward anyway.
Because turning back didn't make sense.
Not anymore.
The air shifted.
Movement at the center.
Then—
Two shapes stepped forward.
At the same time.
Ethan stilled.
"…Two."
No response.
He adjusted his stance.
This time—
He didn't wait for her.
He moved on his own.
And somewhere behind the silence—
The screen stayed exactly where it was.
Watching.
Not guiding.
Not fully.
And as Ethan stepped into the fight—
The thought settled in, quiet and steady.
Whatever she was—
She wasn't the only thing here anymore.