I headed downstairs, mentally begging the Parade Owner to stay silent and behave.
He didn't answer, which wasn't reassuring—just… ominously polite.
The living room was brighter than the hallway, warm afternoon light slipping through lace curtains. Mira sat stiffly on a worn-out sofa, flipping through her notes. Theo was sprawled on the armchair like it personally offended him, chewing on a pen cap. Silva stood by the window, arms crossed, scanning the fog outside as if it might blink back.
She didn't turn around when I entered.
"Good. You're here."
Her voice was its usual calm steel. "Let's go over the plan before we scout the city."
Scout.
Right.
Because something invisible and horrifying could be out there and our job was to politely go say hello.
The thought alone made my stomach do an unpleasant somersault.
Mira closed her notebook. "The fog's thickening faster than usual for this town."
Theo shrugged. "Maybe the weather hates us."
"Not weather," Silva said. "Presence."
Her eyes never left the window.
'Fantastic.'
'Amazing.'
'Really love that we're already giving the fog sentience.'
I sat down across from them, pretending my hands weren't slightly trembling.
"Before anything else," Silva began, "no one goes anywhere alone. Not even to the corner store. Not even to the bathroom."
Theo raised a hand. "What if—"
"No," Mira cut in flatly.
"But what if it's an emergency—"
"No," Silva repeated.
I hummed thoughtfully. "So if Theo has explosive diarrhea he's just going to suffer in companionship?"
Theo glared at me. "You're hilarious."
Mira didn't look up from her notes. "You could use the moral support."
"Unbelievable," he muttered.
'Okay,'
I thought, watching them.
'This is good. We're still joking. No mental breakdowns. Yet. Progress.'
Silva finally turned toward us.
"Our first task is to map the city center manually. Drones break the moment they enter the red zone, so we have to rely on our eyes."
"We stay efficient. We stay close. If you see anything that seems off, even slightly, you say something."
I nodded slowly.
Then paused.
"Define 'off.' Because technically, this entire place is off."
"Then be annoyingly vocal," she replied.
"That, I can do."
Silva took a slow breath. "We leave in ten."
She dismissed us with a gesture, and the room loosened—just slightly. Enough for everyone to stand, stretch, breathe.
I headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, hoping cold hydration would kill the anxiety trying to set up camp in my lungs.
That was when I felt it.
A faint pressure.
Like someone lightly pressing a palm to the back of my neck.
Not harmful. Not threatening.
Just… aware.
[The city is restless.]
His voice slid quietly through my thoughts, gentle as a whisper.
I didn't jump this time.
That's how you know I was already stressed—paranormal telepathy had officially moved from "horrifying" to "annoyingly normal."
'Restless how?' I thought back, unsure if this worked or if I just looked like an idiot staring at a fridge.
A soft rumble of amusement answered.
[You're close. Close enough to stir it. Be careful where you look… and where you let your thoughts wander.]
'Why?'
[Because i have a feeling this Anomaly will mess with your mind.]
The bottle in my hand suddenly felt heavier.
I swallowed.
Hard.
'Great. No, it's amazing news really. Love that for myself.'
'Is there a chance that the fog is the anomaly?'
[Good idea, my friend, but the fog seems to be completely natural from what I can tell.]
'What? It's not even part of—'
"Yuwon?"
Theo leaned into the doorway. "You good? Silva's calling for us."
"Yeah," I said, forcing a casual shrug. "Just… mentally preparing."
He snorted. "Good luck with that."
As he walked off, I exhaled slowly and shut the fridge.
Great.
Perfect.
Loved that cryptic warnings were now part of my daily routine.
I headed back to the living room where my team waited, Mira double-checking her tie, Theo adjusting his jacket, Silva checking her expandable steel baton thats attached to her belt.
The front door loomed open.
Fog drifted lazily inside, curling over the threshold like a living thing.
Silva stepped forward.
"We move as one."
My pulse quickened.
And together—
we stepped out into the City.
The fog swallowed the door behind us.
Silva and Mira took the lead while I and Theo walked behind.
I stuck close behind Theo as we stepped off the porch, mostly because the alternative was stepping into the fog first, and I wasn't emotionally prepared for that level of heroism.
The air outside was cooler, denser—wet in that way that clung to your clothes without actually raining. The fog wasn't quite thick enough to hide the houses across the street, but it blurred the edges of everything, smudging the world like someone dragged a thumb across the horizon.
Silva walked ahead with confident, unhurried steps. Mira matched her pace, every few seconds, she squinted at the surroundings as if trying to catalogue the exact degree of eeriness.
Theo kept his hands in his pockets, pretending not to be nervous. I could tell he was though—he only shoved his hands in his pockets when he wanted to look relaxed but his brain was screaming.
We didn't speak for the first dozen meters. Our footsteps were muffled by the fog-soaked air, turning everything quieter than it should've been.
Too quiet.
[Don't get jumpy.]
The Owner's voice flickered through my thoughts, warm and amused.
[You're vibrating like a frightened rabbit. It's adorable, but distracting.]
'I'm not vibrating,' I lied immediately, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk.
If he'd had a physical body, I was pretty sure he'd be covering his face in exasperated delight.
[If it helps your nerves,] he said, the words brushing against my mind like sparks rolling over velvet,
[I can confirm again that the fog itself is not the anomaly. It's simply… attracted.]
'That does not help,' I thought sharply.
'Why would it be attracted?'
A hum.
Almost thoughtful.
[Because the anomaly shifts when observed. And it likes attention.]
Perfect. A shy extrovert. Amazing.
Up ahead, Silva lifted a hand, signaling us to slow.
We approached a narrow intersection—empty. A few streetlights flickered weakly overhead, their light swallowed short of the ground. Mira scanned the area, then pointed to the left.
"Main square is two blocks this way. If the distortion readings hold, we should start picking up a pattern soon."
"Love that for us," Theo muttered.
Silva glanced back at us. "Stay in formation. Don't wander. Don't investigate anything alone."
Theo raised a hand. "Define 'wander.'"
"Moving more than two steps from us," she said.
"And 'investigate'?"
"Anything involving curiosity."
"Well, guess I'll just turn myself off then."
"Please do," Mira said dryly.
I couldn't help the small exhale that escaped me—half laugh, half relief. Humor kept us human, even when everything around us tried very hard to make us feel otherwise.
As we began walking again, something shifted at the edge of my perception.
Not sight.
Not sound.
A feeling—like a faint tremor beneath the surface of reality.
'Owner?'
I tried to keep my thoughts casual, but they came out tight.
[Yes, I feel it too,] he murmured.
[Do not react outwardly. The Anomaly might be watching.]
'Fantastic. Wonderful. Absolutely what I needed.'
I kept my face carefully blank as Mira drifted a bit closer to Silva. Theo was looking around with narrowed eyes now, suspicion sharpening his posture. For once, his paranoia wasn't annoying—it was comforting.
We passed an overturned bicycle on the sidewalk, its wheels slowly spinning despite the still air.
Theo slowed. "Did someone—"
"Keep walking," Silva said without looking at it.
He shut up immediately.
We continued on, our footsteps syncing into an unspoken rhythm. My heart was pounding, but the steady pace kept me tethered.
The fog thickened a little as we turned onto the next street. Buildings loomed like silhouettes drawn in soft charcoal. A traffic light blinked uselessly at an empty intersection, swapping colors for no one.
Mira broke the silence. "We should mark this spot. It could be a visual baseline to track shifts later."
Theo pulled a marker from his pocket. "On it."
He stepped toward a street sign—and immediately Silva's hand snapped out, gripping the back of his jacket like he was an unruly dog.
"Two steps," she reminded.
Theo looked down at how far he'd gone. "...Right."
As she let go, he shuffled back like a scolded child.
I tried to hide my smile.
Then—
Something tugged at the back of my mind.
A pressure.
A weight.
A presence brushing too close.
Not the Owner—something colder.
I inhaled sharply.
Silva instantly turned, catching the movement.
"Yuwon?"
"I—" My throat tightened. "Something's… weird."
Mira's head snapped toward me. "Weird how?"
I hesitated, glancing subtly at them, unsure if speaking the truth aloud would invite more trouble.
The Owner's voice cut smoothly across my panic.
[Just say you felt a shift. That much is safe.]
"I felt a shift," I said. It wasn't a lie. Just… a curated truth.
Silva studied me for a beat. Her eyes sharpened, but she nodded.
"We're getting close to the center," she said to the others. "Stay alert."
Theo raised a brow at me as we continued walking. "A shift? Like… headache shift, or 'we're-about-to-die' shift?"
"A normal shift," I said quickly. "Just—just a shift."
[Terrible lie,] the Owner chuckled.
[But endearing.]
I clenched my jaw.
The next street opened up before us—a wide avenue with a view toward the city square, its distant shape blurred by fog.
Silva lifted a hand.
"Alright," she said quietly.
"We're approaching the threshold."
My pulse thudded.
The city square waited, hidden but very much alive.