The voice returned the next night.
Haru didn't look at the mirror this time.
He already knew where the voice would come from.
"You're awake again," the voice said calmly.
Haru whispered, barely moving his lips,
"Who are you?"
There was a pause.
Not silence… but thought.
"I am what stayed when everyone else left," the voice answered.
"I am what spoke when you were forced to stay quiet."
Haru's chest tightened.
"You're… inside my head?" he asked.
The voice chuckled softly.
"No. I exist because of it."
The mirror darkened, and a shadow appeared behind Haru's reflection.
Tall. Still. Watching.
"My name is Joceka."
The name settled deep inside Haru's chest,
as if it had been waiting for him all along.
"What do you want from me?" Haru asked.
Joceka's answer was simple.
"Nothing."
Haru frowned.
"I'm here to help you survive."
That night, Haru slept without nightmares for the first time in years.