Ethan didn't sleep much after that.
He tried.
Closed his eyes. Slowed his breathing. Let the quiet settle.
It didn't last.
Every time he drifted, he felt it again. That faint pressure in the back of his mind. Not loud. Not invasive. Just… there. Like someone standing behind him without making a sound.
Watching.
He opened his eyes again.
The screen was still there.
[Viewers: 1]
No new messages.
Just the count.
He stared at it for a while, then turned his head toward the window. The sky outside had shifted darker, the city lights starting to come alive below.
Normal.
Everything outside that room felt normal.
Inside, not so much.
"…You're still here," he said quietly.
The text box flickered.
Yes.
Short. Immediate.
He exhaled through his nose, pushing himself up slightly against the pillows. His body protested, a dull ache settling into his ribs.
"Do you ever… leave?" he asked.
A pause.
Not long, but noticeable.
No.
Ethan looked back at the ceiling.
"…That's reassuring."
It wasn't.
Not even a little.
He shifted again, testing his leg this time. It held. Weak, but usable. The pain was there, but it wasn't sharp enough to stop him.
He could move.
That mattered.
His eyes drifted back to the screen.
"…If you're watching me," he said, slower now, thinking through each word, "then you can see everything I do. Right?"
Another short delay.
Almost everything.
"Almost?"
No answer.
Ethan let that sit.
Not everything, then.
Limits.
That was good.
Probably.
"…Then you saw the dungeon rating," he continued. "That thing wasn't low-tier."
No.
He let out a quiet breath.
"Figures."
A low-tier dungeon didn't produce something like that. Not something that moved like it understood him.
Not something that waited.
Ethan rubbed his temple lightly, trying to piece it together.
Mistake? Mislabel?
Or something else?
You shouldn't go back to that one.
His hand stilled.
"…I wasn't planning to."
Good.
The word sat there longer than the others.
Ethan noticed that.
Not just the message itself.
The timing.
The way it came right after he said it.
Like it was… relieved.
He frowned slightly.
"…There are other dungeons," he said. "Safer ones."
No response.
"…You'll still help?"
A flicker.
Then—
If you listen.
Ethan's expression tightened just a little.
That was new.
Not a demand.
Not exactly.
But it wasn't nothing either.
"…And if I don't?"
The screen stayed still.
For a second, he thought it might ignore the question.
Then—
You almost died last time.
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
Yeah.
That was answer enough.
By morning, he was already out of bed.
Not supposed to be.
Didn't care.
The hospital hallway was quieter than he expected. A few people passed by, but no one stopped him. Either they didn't recognize him, or they didn't think it was worth the trouble.
Fine with him.
Ethan adjusted his jacket slightly as he stepped outside, the cool air hitting him harder than he expected.
It felt… real.
More real than the room.
He stood there for a second, letting himself settle.
Then—
"Ethan?"
He turned.
A guy about his age jogged over, slowing as he got closer. Short hair, slightly out of breath, wearing a streamer badge clipped to his collar.
Familiar.
Took Ethan a second.
"…Noah?"
"Yeah," Noah said, stopping in front of him. "Damn, you look like hell."
"Feel worse."
Noah let out a small laugh, but it didn't last long. His expression shifted, more serious now.
"I heard about the dungeon," he said. "They're saying it got flagged after you came out. Something about unstable readings."
Ethan's gaze sharpened slightly.
"After?"
"Yeah. They shut it down this morning. Full investigation and all that."
Ethan didn't respond right away.
That was fast.
Too fast.
Dungeons didn't get flagged that quickly unless something went really wrong.
Or—
His eyes flicked slightly, just for a second.
The screen was still there.
Silent.
Watching.
"…You got lucky," Noah added.
Ethan gave a small nod.
"Yeah. Guess so."
Noah studied him for a moment, like he wanted to ask something else. Then he shifted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So… you going back in?"
Ethan hesitated.
Not long.
Just enough.
"Yeah," he said. "Different one."
Noah's brows lifted slightly. "Already?"
"Can't sit around."
"That's not—" Noah stopped himself, exhaling. "At least don't go alone this time."
Ethan almost said no.
It was automatic.
But—
Don't.
The message appeared so suddenly it made his chest tighten.
Ethan's words caught in his throat.
Noah noticed.
"…What?"
Ethan shook his head lightly. "Nothing."
Noah frowned. "You sure?"
"Yeah."
A pause.
Then Noah sighed. "Look, I'm heading to a mid-tier gate later. Group run. Nothing crazy. You could—"
No.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"…I'll think about it," he said instead.
It wasn't a yes.
But it wasn't a no either.
Noah didn't seem convinced, but he nodded anyway. "Alright. Just… don't do anything stupid."
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
"No promises."
Noah snorted softly, then turned, heading off toward the street.
Ethan watched him go.
The moment he was out of sight, Ethan's gaze shifted.
The screen.
Still there.
Still quiet.
"…You don't like him?" Ethan asked.
No response.
"…You told me not to go."
A few seconds passed.
Then—
You don't need him.
Ethan frowned slightly.
"That's not what I asked."
The text flickered.
For a second, it looked like it might disappear.
Then—
He'll slow you down.
Ethan leaned back slightly, considering that.
Maybe.
Or maybe not.
He didn't know.
That was the problem.
"…You're sure?"
Yes.
No hesitation.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
There it was again.
That same certainty.
Like it wasn't guessing.
Like it already knew.
His gaze shifted toward the street ahead.
Dungeons.
Streams.
Viewers.
Everything he'd planned before—
It didn't feel the same now.
"…Alright," he said quietly.
Because right now—
He was still alive.
And that counted for something.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
The screen stayed with him.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
And as he walked, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that something had just quietly closed off behind him.
Not a door.
Something else.
Something he hadn't noticed until it was already gone.