The room remained silent for a few seconds.
Aarav leaned back slightly, watching the man across from him.
"…So," he said, "what exactly is a 'variable'?"
The man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he pressed a small device on the table.
The wall behind him lit up.
A screen appeared.
Clean.
Precise.
Unlike Aarav's.
"…We've been studying the System since it appeared," the man said.
Aarav glanced at the display.
"…And?"
"…It's not random."
"…I figured."
The screen shifted.
Graphs.
Data.
Movement patterns.
"…Every event follows a structure," the man continued.
"Selection. Distribution. Growth."
Aarav's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Like a program."
"…Exactly."
A brief pause.
Then—
"…But programs don't evolve on their own."
Aarav leaned forward slightly.
"…So this one does?"
The man didn't deny it.
"…Yes."
Silence.
That one word carried weight.
"…Interesting," Aarav murmured.
The screen changed again.
This time—
Footage.
Clips of different fights.
Different locations.
Different people.
"…We've recorded multiple anomaly events," the man said.
"Each one… abnormal."
Aarav watched carefully.
"…And?"
"…Every single one is connected to an irregular."
The screen froze.
Showing one frame.
A blurred figure.
Fighting.
Moving differently.
Aarav's eyes sharpened.
"…Not just me."
"…No."
The man turned to him.
"…You're not the only one."
That—
Changed things.
Slightly.
But importantly.
"…How many?" Aarav asked.
"…Few."
"…Alive?"
The man paused.
Then—
"…Some."
Aarav exhaled quietly.
"…So I'm not special."
"…You are," the man replied.
Aarav raised an eyebrow.
"…How?"
The screen shifted again.
Now—
It showed something else.
A distorted reading.
Glitching data.
Unstable patterns.
"…You're the only one whose anomaly interacts directly with the System," the man said.
"…Others disrupt it."
"…You… change it."
Silence.
Aarav stared at the screen.
"…Change it."
That word stayed.
"…Yeah," he said slowly.
"I've noticed."
The man leaned forward slightly.
"…You triggered a forced evolution."
Aarav frowned.
"…That doesn't sound good."
"…It isn't."
The air grew heavier.
"…The System reacted to you," the man continued.
"Not as a user."
"…Then what?"
"…As a threat."
Aarav smiled faintly.
"…That explains the messages."
"…Messages?"
Aarav didn't respond.
Instead—
He leaned back again.
"…So what do you want from me?"
The man didn't hesitate this time.
"…Cooperation."
Aarav chuckled quietly.
"…Of course."
"…We need to understand what you are."
"…And if I don't cooperate?"
Silence.
Then—
"…We adapt."
Aarav's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That sounds like a threat."
"…It's a possibility."
Another pause.
Then—
Aarav stood up.
"…You're not wrong," he said.
The man watched him.
"…About what?"
Aarav looked at the screen.
Then back at him.
"…This isn't just a system."
Silence.
"…And whatever it is…"
He paused.
"…It's watching all of us."
The room felt colder.
Heavier.
Different.
Because deep down—
They all knew it.
They just didn't say it out loud.
Until now.