Dave clung to the half-digested Rotifer carcass like a shipwrecked sailor to driftwood. Above him, the Hydra, disturbed by the persistent tapping on the glass and the press of giant faces, had fully retracted its stinging tentacles into a defensive, knotted ball. The paralyzing toxins in the water were diluted by the influx of fresh, Aether-rich currents stirred by the commotion outside, but Dave still felt sluggish, his cilia responding with frustrating lethargy. He kept eating, gulping down chunks of the Rotifer, each bite a grim victory that pushed his biomass back towards viability – 72%... 75%. Survival tasted like rancid meat and humiliation.
The distorted voices from outside the tank were a constant, overwhelming drone. High-pitched exclamations, laughter, and the rhythmic *thump-thump-thump* of fingers tapping the glass vibrated through the water, dislodging silt and sending tiny creatures scattering. Dave, buried near the driftwood base and partially obscured by the carcass, was utterly invisible to the colossal eyes peering in. They saw the **Glimmer-Skrimps** darting like living jewels through the plant fronds. They saw the slow glide of the **Azure Snails** along the glass. They saw the **Hydra**, now a curious, contracted blob on its perch, occasionally eliciting gasps or fascinated murmurs.
*"Look, Duchess Elara! See the creature anchored to the ancient root! Such fascinating symmetry!"* a particularly piercing, distorted voice chirped. A massive, bejeweled finger tapped the glass directly above the Hydra again, sending another jarring vibration through Dave's core. The Hydra flinched.
*"Indeed, Lady Briar,"* boomed a deeper, resonant voice, likely distorted by water and glass. *"Princess Lyra keeps a most intriguing menagerie. Observe the iridescent skrimps near the Aether-Reeds! Like scattered sapphires!"*
Dave felt a surge of bitter irony. *Sapphires. Right. And I'm the invisible dust mote stuck to the monster's leftovers.* He focused on consuming the last edible fragments of the Rotifer. Biomass: 78%. He needed to get away from the Hydra before it unfurled and decided the thief at its base looked like dessert. But moving under the watchful (though oblivious) eyes of giants felt suicidal. Every ripple he made could be magnified, noticed… even if they didn't see *him*, they might see the disturbance.
`> ANALYSIS: EXTERNAL OBSERVERS FOCUSED ON MACROFAUNA (>1mm). YOUR CURRENT PROFILE: SUB-VISUAL NOISE.`
`> PROBABILITY OF DIRECT DETECTION: 0.0003%.`
`> PROBABILITY OF INDIRECT DETECTION VIA SUSPICIOUS BUBBLE OR DEBRIS DISPLACEMENT: 4.7%. RECOMMENDATION: MINIMIZE SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. CONTINUE BEING PATHETICALLY SMALL.`
*"Helpful as always, AURA,"* Dave grumbled internally. He risked a tiny, controlled pulse of his cilia, edging sideways along the driftwood, away from the Hydra's immediate base and deeper into the tangled roots where silt accumulated. It was painstakingly slow. The Aether-rich water helped, its energy tingling across his membrane, slightly counteracting the residual toxins and making his cilia coordination fractionally better. He focused on the rhythm: *Left beat back, right beat forward. Drift. Repeat.*
Suddenly, a colossal shadow blotted out the filtered light. A giant face, wreathed in what looked like spun gold (hair?), pressed close to the glass directly opposite Dave's new hiding spot. Giant, curious eyes scanned the driftwood root system. Dave froze, pressing himself into the silt. The eyes passed right over him, focusing instead on a small cluster of **Darting Minnow Fry** that zipped past.
*"Oh! How delightfully swift!"* the giantess exclaimed, her voice a distorted gong. Her breath fogged the glass momentarily. Dave felt the minute pressure wave.
He remained still, a knot of primal fear tightening within him. The eyes moved on. He exhaled mentally. *Invisible. Just part of the scenery. Good.*
`> QUERY DETECTED: USER INITIATED THOUGHT PATTERN: "COMMUNICATE? SIGNAL?"`
`> ANALYSIS: TRANSMISSION OF INTELLIGIBLE SIGNALS BEYOND SYSTEM INTERFACE CURRENTLY IMPOSSIBLE. REQUIRED EVOLUTIONARY STAGE: COMPLEX FAUNA (MINIMUM). REQUIRED BIOMASS: >1000 DAVE UNITS.`
`> CONCLUSION: YOU ARE TRAPPED IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT WITH ONLY MY CHARMING COMPANY. ACCEPTANCE IS ADVISED.`
The sheer, crushing *loneliness* of AURA's clinical assessment hit Dave harder than any Rotifer. He *was* alone. Utterly, profoundly alone. Screaming into the void inside his own mind, with only a sarcastic AI for company, while giants marveled at pretty fish inches away, oblivious to the sentient speck fighting for its life in the sludge. A wave of despair washed over him, colder than the tank water. What was the point? Evolve into a slightly larger speck? Another invisible predator? Just to be eaten by a snail or sucked into a filter?
*"Shut up, AURA,"* he thought, the words thick with a bitterness that surprised even him. *"Just... shut up."*
For once, the System didn't immediately retort. There was a beat of silence, filled only by the muffled chatter of nobles and the gentle hum of the tank.
The reprieve was short-lived. The booming voice returned, closer now. *"Master Kael! A moment, if you please!"*
A new figure, less blurred but still indistinct, approached the glass. This one wore robes that seemed functional rather than opulent and carried a long, ornate rod tipped with a faintly glowing crystal. Dave recognized the aura – meticulous, analytical, focused. **Master Kael, the Head Aquarist.**
*"Your Grace?"* Kael's voice was deeper, calmer, but still distorted.
*"The water clarity is exceptional, Master Kael,"* the booming voice (likely the Duke) commended. *"But I notice a slight detritus buildup near that fascinating root structure. Princess Lyra's sanctuary must be pristine!"*
Dave's chemoreceptors flared. *Detritus buildup?* He was *in* the detritus buildup near the roots!
*"Of course, Your Grace,"* Kael replied smoothly. *"A minor accumulation. I shall attend to it during the next scheduled maintenance. The balance of the Crystal Cage is delicate, but under control."* He raised the crystal-tipped rod. It pulsed with a soft, blue-white light.
`> AETHERIC SCANNING DETECTED. LOW-INTENSITY. PURPOSE: ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT.`
`> WARNING: SCAN PENETRATING SUBSTRATE.`
Dave felt it – a faint, tingling wave passing *through* him. It wasn't painful, but it was deeply invasive, like an X-ray for his soul. He instinctively tried to shield himself, compressing his form, but it was useless. The light swept over the driftwood, the silt, *him*. Kael peered through the glass, his expression unreadable but intensely focused. Did he see something? Sense something unusual? The Aether surge from the court event was still high – was it masking Dave, or making him *more* noticeable?
Kael lowered the rod after a tense few seconds. *"As I thought, Your Grace. Minor organic decomposition within expected parameters. Beneficial for the micro-fauna."* He gave a small bow. *"Rest assured, the Crystal Cage thrives."*
The Duke seemed satisfied. The nobles began to drift away from the glass, their excited chatter fading as they moved towards other palace attractions. The immediate scrutiny was over. The Hydra, sensing the departure of the giants, slowly, cautiously began to unfurl its tentacles once more.
Dave remained frozen in the silt, the phantom tingle of Kael's scan lingering. Relief warred with a new, chilling fear. Kael hadn't seen *him* specifically, but he *had* noted the detritus. He *would* be back. To clean. To "maintain the balance." And Dave was part of the detritus.
`> SCAN CONCLUDED. NO HOSTILE ACTIONS DETECTED.`
`> OBSERVATION: THE CARETAKER'S ATTENTION IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. HE MAINTAINS THE ENVIRONMENT... AND REMOVES THE "CLUTTER."`
`> BIOMASS: 80%.`
`> RECOMMENDATION: EVACUATE THE SECTOR DESIGNATED "FUTURE CLEANING TARGET" BEFORE YOU BECOME PART OF THE FILTER SLUDGE. THE HYDRA IS ALSO REGAINING APPETITE.`
Dave didn't need telling twice. The silt near the driftwood was now a death trap. He focused his cilia, pushing off the muck with more coordination than before. *Forward. Away from the roots. Towards the open sand near the red pebble mountain.* He moved cautiously, keeping low, using strands of *Pixie Grass* for cover whenever possible. The Hydra's tentacles were fully extended now, lazily probing the water. It hadn't noticed him yet.
He reached the edge of the sandy expanse, the red pebble looming like a distant mesa. Safety felt illusory. The nobles were gone, but their visit had left a legacy: heightened scrutiny from Kael, a disturbed Hydra, and the lingering, oppressive awareness of his own profound invisibility in a world watched by giants. He was 80% biomass. He needed to reach 100%. He needed to evolve again. Not just for speed or senses, but for something… more. Something that might make him more than just potential sludge in an aquarist's siphon.
A flicker of movement near the pebble caught his enhanced chemoreceptors. Not a predator. A cluster of plump, slow-moving **Paramecia**, grazing on bacteria. Easy prey. Biomass. Dave angled his cilia towards them. It was a small step. But in the vast, uncaring Crystal Cage, watched by blind giants and guided by a tormentor, every scrap of progress was a rebellion.