Larius didn't sleep well.
Not because of nightmares.
Because of interruptions.
It wasn't obvious at first.
He would drift off normally. Body heavy. Thoughts slowing. The quiet of the apartment settling around him like it had the night before.
Then—
Something would pull him up.
Not fully awake.
Just enough.
A half-second of awareness.
A shift.
A feeling that something had… happened.
Or was about to.
Then nothing.
He opened his eyes once in the middle of the night and stared at the ceiling.
The crack was still there.
That helped.
"…this is getting annoying," he muttered.
His voice sounded thicker than usual.
Sleep-hollow.
He turned to his side.
Closed his eyes again.
Forced himself to stay still.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
Morning didn't feel better.
He woke up already tired.
That was new.
He sat on the edge of the bed for a while, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
The apartment felt the same.
That was good.
His mind didn't.
There was a faint pressure behind his thoughts.
Not pain.
Not even discomfort.
Just… presence.
Like something was running quietly in the background.
"…no," he said softly. "We're not doing that today."
He stood up.
Went through the motions.
Bathroom.
Water.
Mirror.
His reflection looked normal.
Maybe a little more tired.
Nothing dramatic.
"That's fine," he said.
He didn't sound convinced.
He made coffee.
Didn't turn the radio on.
The silence felt safer.
He drank standing up this time.
Didn't sit.
Didn't linger.
The thought came anyway.
Go outside.
He froze.
Cup halfway to his mouth.
"…why?"
No answer.
He lowered the cup slowly.
Set it down.
"I don't need to go anywhere."
True.
He had food.
Water.
Internet.
Safe.
And yet—
The apartment felt smaller again.
He exhaled.
Long.
Annoyed.
"Fine," he muttered. "Short walk."
Just air.
Nothing else.
No thinking.
He grabbed his keys.
Didn't look at the keychain this time.
The hallway was the same.
The stairs were the same.
The door—
He paused with his hand on it.
There it was again.
A flicker.
Not visual.
Not exactly.
Just—
timing
He frowned.
Opened the door.
The street looked normal.
That was becoming suspicious.
He stepped out.
Let the light hit his eyes.
Adjusted.
Walked.
No destination.
Same as yesterday.
But this time—
He paid attention differently.
Not on purpose.
It just… happened.
A car passed.
He knew—
Not consciously—
But he knew it would slow before the corner.
It did.
He stopped walking.
Turned slightly.
Watched it complete the turn.
"…okay," he said under his breath.
Coincidence.
Obviously.
He kept moving.
A man ahead shifted his weight.
Adjusted his bag.
Looked left—
Larius stepped slightly to the side.
Before the man moved.
They passed each other without contact.
Larius slowed.
Turned his head slightly.
Watched the man continue.
"…no," he said quietly.
That wasn't coincidence.
Or—
It could be.
It had to be.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Kept walking.
His heartbeat had picked up.
Not fast.
Just noticeable.
"Don't do that," he muttered.
He didn't specify what "that" was.
It didn't help.
The street opened up into a slightly busier area.
More people.
More movement.
More noise.
His head felt… clearer.
Sharper.
That was new.
Not better.
Just—
Focused.
He noticed things.
Too many things.
A couple arguing near a storefront.
Their voices weren't loud, but their body language was.
Tension.
Sharp movements.
Interruptions.
Larius slowed.
Not enough to be obvious.
Just enough.
The man's shoulders tightened.
The woman leaned back slightly.
He's going to raise his voice.
The thought arrived.
Clean.
Instant.
The man did.
Larius stopped walking completely.
"…what?"
His chest tightened.
The woman crossed her arms.
Looked away.
She's done.
She turned.
Started walking.
The man reached out—
Larius flinched.
The man stopped short.
Didn't grab her.
She kept walking.
Silence.
Larius stared.
That—
No.
No.
He turned away.
Started walking faster.
"Stop," he muttered. "Just stop."
His head didn't hurt.
That was the problem.
It felt—
right
That word made his stomach twist.
"I don't like this," he said under his breath.
A bicycle sped past him.
Too close.
He stepped aside before it reached him.
Didn't think.
Just moved.
The rider didn't even slow.
"…okay."
That one was normal.
Reflex.
Probably.
He kept walking.
His breathing had changed.
He noticed that.
Shorter.
He forced it slower.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Grounding.
Focus.
Five things he could see.
Four he could touch.
Three he could hear.
It worked.
A little.
The edge dulled.
But the clarity didn't leave.
That stayed.
He reached a crosswalk.
Stopped.
The light was red.
Cars moved steadily.
He watched them.
One car—
That one won't stop in time.
The thought hit.
Hard.
He blinked.
The car approached.
Too fast.
The light shifted.
Pedestrian signal blinked.
Someone stepped forward beside him.
Larius grabbed their arm.
Hard.
"Wait."
The word came out sharper than he intended.
The person startled.
Looked at him—
The car ran the light.
Fast.
Too fast.
It passed right in front of them.
Wind and sound rushing by.
Silence after.
The person stared at him.
"…thanks," they said slowly.
Larius let go immediately.
"…yeah," he muttered.
His hand felt strange.
He stepped back.
His heart was beating faster now.
Not panic.
Something else.
Recognition.
He looked at the road.
Then at his hand.
"I didn't think that," he said quietly.
The words felt important.
"I didn't think that."
So why—
His head pulsed.
Not pain.
Pressure.
He stepped back again.
Turned.
Walked away.
Faster this time.
The street blurred slightly at the edges.
He didn't stop.
Didn't look back.
Didn't want to.
His breathing got uneven.
"Okay," he muttered. "Okay, okay—"
Grounding.
Now.
Five things.
Four.
Three.
It took longer this time.
But it worked.
Eventually.
He slowed.
Stopped near a wall.
Leaned against it.
Closed his eyes.
"…that wasn't normal."
Understatement.
His hands were steady.
That was good.
His thoughts weren't.
"That wasn't guessing," he said.
It wasn't luck.
It wasn't—
He exhaled.
Hard.
"…so what is it?"
No answer.
Of course.
He opened his eyes.
The world looked the same.
That made it worse.
He pushed off the wall.
Started walking again.
Slower now.
Careful.
Like the ground might shift again.
Nothing else happened.
That almost felt disappointing.
He didn't like that.
He made his way back to the apartment.
The stairs felt longer this time.
Inside, the air was still.
Quiet.
Safe.
He locked the door.
Stood there for a second.
Then laughed.
Once.
"…I stepped outside for air."
That wasn't what that was.
He moved to the table.
Sat down.
The laptop was still there.
Waiting.
He opened it.
The screen lit up.
Normal.
He stared at it.
Then typed.
Slowly.
"Today I knew something before it happened."
He stopped.
Read it.
His chest tightened.
He kept going.
"Not guessed. Not assumed. Knew."
He pressed Enter.
His fingers hovered.
Then:
"I don't know how."
Another pause.
"I don't know if I want to."
That one sat heavy.
He leaned back.
Stared at the ceiling.
The crack hadn't changed.
Good.
Something had to stay the same.
He closed his eyes.
The moment replayed.
The car.
The timing.
The certainty.
His hand moving before his thoughts caught up.
"I didn't think that," he whispered again.
The words felt like a boundary.
Like something he needed to hold onto.
Because if he didn't—
Then what?
He didn't finish that thought.
Didn't want to.
The silence stretched.
Then—
Another flicker.
Short.
Sharp.
A movement.
Not here.
Not now.
Just—
pattern
He opened his eyes immediately.
"…no."
His voice was quieter this time.
More certain.
"I'm not letting this run."
He exhaled slowly.
Sat up.
Looked at the laptop again.
The search bar was still open.
Waiting.
He stared at it.
Longer this time.
No immediate pain.
No pressure.
Just—
anticipation.
"…fine," he said.
His fingers moved.
L.
A.
He paused.
Nothing happened.
That was new.
"…interesting."
He continued.
P.
D.
Enter.
The page loaded.
Official site.
Information.
Recruitment.
Training.
Requirements.
His head didn't spike.
Didn't punish him.
It just…
watched.
He stared at the screen.
"…that's worse," he said quietly.
Because now—
There was nothing stopping him.
And that meant—
The choice was his.
He leaned back slowly.
Eyes still on the screen.
"Information," he said.
Same rule.
Same boundary.
He clicked nothing.
Just looked.
Then closed the laptop.
Decisively.
Not today.
He stood up.
Walked to the window.
The street outside moved like it always had.
People.
Cars.
Noise.
Normal.
He watched them.
Longer than he needed to.
Then spoke.
"…I'm not ready."
That was true.
"…but I'm not blind either."
That was new.
He exhaled slowly.
The pressure in his head had settled.
Not gone.
But… aligned.
Just a little.
And somewhere beneath all of it—
Something had shifted.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough that he couldn't pretend anymore.
This wasn't just confusion.
This wasn't just memory.
This was—
He stopped himself.
Not ready for that word yet.
He turned away from the window.
Back into the apartment.
The crack.
The mug.
The desk.
All still there.
Good.
He sat down again.
Opened the document.
Added one more line.
"I think something is trying to happen before I understand it."
He stared at it.
Didn't delete it.
Saved.
Closed the laptop.
The apartment went quiet again.
But this time—
It didn't feel empty.
It felt like a pause.
And he wasn't sure what came next.