They didn't stop walking.
The narrow street faded behind them.
Noise returned.
Vehicles.
Voices.
Movement.
Everything felt normal again.
Too normal.
The sound of traffic grew louder.
Everyone was honking.
Sharp.
Constant.
Kai glanced back once.
The street looked the same.
Nothing off.
Nothing wrong.
"…Feels like it disappeared," he said.
"It didn't," Dev replied.
A pause.
Kai slowed slightly.
"…Wait."
Dev stopped.
Across the road—
near a bus stop.
Something felt—
familiar.
An old woman stood there.
She stepped closer.
"Hey… what time is it?"
Dev didn't answer.
Not immediately.
She repeated it.
Same tone.
Same words.
"The time?"
Dev looked at her.
"…Three."
She turned away.
Without reacting.
As if the answer didn't matter.
Dev watched her for a moment longer.
She didn't slow down.
Didn't look back.
Like the question had already been answered—
before she asked it.
Kai looked at Dev—
then laughed.
"What?"
Kai stepped closer.
"Your watch."
Dev glanced down.
"It's not working."
The seconds hadn't moved.
Dev tapped the watch once.
Nothing changed.
The second hand stayed still—
like it wasn't part of time anymore.
Kai exhaled lightly.
"…That's not just a glitch."
Dev didn't respond.
"Come on," he said after a moment.
"We'll check later."
Kai nodded.
"…Why not?"
They moved away from the crowd.
The noise stayed behind.
A café door opened.
Warm air replaced the outside.
Low voices.
Cups.
A machine humming in the background.
Nothing stood out.
Nothing felt wrong.
And that—
was the only thing that did.
Someone laughed in the corner.
It didn't reach them.
The sound stayed distant—
like it belonged somewhere else.
Dev stepped to the counter.
"Two coffees."
He didn't stay there long.
Kai sat down.
Phone still in his hand.
The screen hadn't gone dark.
Dev returned.
Placed the cups on the table.
"Show me."
Kai turned the phone toward him.
The image stayed still—
but not right.
Dev's eyes narrowed slightly.
Kai didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
They both saw it.
The wall—
wasn't the same.
Something in it—
shifted.
Faint.
But there.
They both reached for their cups.
Then—paused.
Someone in the café—
felt familiar.
Dev's gaze shifted.
But only for a second.
Then it was gone.
They didn't mention it.
They finished their coffee.
Quietly.
Dev stood first.
Paid at the counter.
Kai followed.
They stepped out of the café—
but the feeling didn't leave.
The noise returned.
But it didn't feel the same.
Dev slowed slightly.
Not because he saw it—
but because something ahead
felt the same.
Kai stopped.
"…Wait."
Dev looked up.
Across the road—
a digital display flickered.
Not broken.
Not random.
Just—
off.
For a second—
the numbers shifted.
Then—
letters.
Brief.
Almost missed.
A.R.C–02
Then it was gone.
The display returned to normal.
Traffic continued.
No one noticed.
Kai looked at Dev.
"…You saw that?"
Dev didn't answer immediately.
His gaze stayed on the screen.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"This isn't just a pattern."
Another.
"It's organized."