The Safe Zone lights dimmed automatically at nightfall.
Not all at once. Each beam flickered, then faded as if it were taking its last breath. The parking structure's upper level, once filled with confused survivors, had gone quiet. Most people were curled in corners or bundled up on scraps of seat cushions, too exhausted to talk and too scared to sleep deeply.
Aron sat on the floor near the central terminal, his back against the cold concrete wall, watching the overhead lights sputter one by one.
Dan was already asleep nearby, one arm over his eyes. Sarah rested not far from them, a pipe beside her, jacket pulled tight.
Aron hadn't closed his eyes once.
The scavenger shift earlier had gone too smoothly. No attacks, no malfunctions. But his instincts didn't trust calm, not in a system like this.
*--------------------------------------------------------*
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Rest Protocol Engaged]
Ambient Light Reduction: 60%
Threat Level: Neutral
Monitoring…
*--------------------------------------------------------*
He leaned forward and opened his status screen.
*--------------------------------------------------------*
[STATUS]
Name: Aron
Level: 2
EXP: 90/500
HP: 100/100
STR: 4
DEX: 3
AGI: 5
DEF: 2
PER: 7
Points Available: 0
[INVENTORY]
– Basic Sword
– Cloth Shirt
– Broken Phone
– Broken Gear Cog (Tier ???)
– Rust-Covered Tag (Unknown Function)
*------------------------------------------------------*
That's when the pulse came.
A vibration in the air—not movement, but silence compressing.
*------------------------------------------------------*
[EVENT TRIGGERED: STATIC SURGE]
Origin: System Node 11-R
Status: Corrupted Transmission Incoming
Duration: 00:15:00
Threat Level: LOW
Reward Potential: VARIABLE
*----------------------------------------------------*
Aron sat up straighter.
No one else around him stirred. Not even the system sent out a global alert.
This was just for him.
A distant panel on the northern pillar buzzed to life. He could see it from his spot: black screen, red glyphs glowing like fireflies in a jar. Static rippled out from the terminal, warping the nearby walls like melted plastic.
The message began.
At first, it was just fragments of white noise and jumbled syllables—then, pieces of words broke through, each warped and stretched.
"—collapse the sky—"
"—observation node… diverged—"
"—Mirror Watcher… watching back—"
"—ARON—variable detected—containment delayed—"
He couldn't breathe.
This wasn't like the mission prompts or system menus. It felt deeper—older.
His ears rang. For a moment, he thought the concrete beneath him was peeling like bark.
But then—
*--------------------------------------------------------------*
[HIDDEN OBJECTIVE CLEARED: Witness the Surge Without Interference]
+50 EXP
+Item Acquired: Glitched Datacore (Cannot be equipped)
[EXP: 140/500]
*-----------------------------------------------------------------*
His fingers trembled. The message cut out. The static faded.
And with it, the lights on the panel died.
The world returned to silence.
He remained frozen, watching the now-dark screen. Had anyone else seen it? Had someone else moved?
"Hey," a voice said gently behind him.
Aron turned quickly—too quickly.
Sarah stood just a few steps away, her pipe lowered.
"I saw you move," she said quietly. "What was that?"
He hesitated. His instinct was to lie.
But this wasn't someone like Greg. Sarah didn't have that sharp edge of suspicion. Only tired curiosity.
Aron exhaled and said, "It was… a system message. I think."
"A normal one?" He shook his head. "No. It was about something watching."
She stared at him for a long time. Then finally nodded once. "Next time it happens… tell me first. Don't keep it to yourself."
She turned before he could reply and walked back to her spot against the wall.
Aron stared after her, unsure if her words made him feel better or worse.
Because now, someone else knew. Far above, on a higher level no one had reached yet, something shifted.
The camera lens in the upper corner of the parking structure turned once. Not with mechanical precision, but slowly… as if it were aware.
*------------------------------------------------------*
[CONSTELLATION: "The Mirror Watcher" is observing you.]
[New Tag Assigned: Variable_07]
[Log Entry Archived.]
*-----------------------------------------------------*
Aron didn't go back to sleep. He sat there until the morning system chime rang out.
And even then, he didn't feel like he had survived the night.