'Everything looks normal,' I thought. 'So why does it feel like we're walking through the setup of a bad joke?'
[Because we are.]
I nearly tripped over my own feet.
'You're back,' I thought sharply.
'Could you NOT pop up like a jump scare?'
A warm chuckle vibrated faintly through my mind.
[You worry too much, my friend. I'm merely observing.]
'Right. Observing inside my skull.'
[It's a very expressive place.]
'That sounds like an insult.'
[Not at all. It's charmingly chaotic.]
I sucked in a slow inhale and exhaled through my teeth.
He'd been quiet for the past few hours—not gone, just distant, like someone watching a theater play from the balcony seats.
But now that we'd been walking in circles with zero results…
My curiosity finally broke.
'Hey… can I ask you something?'
He hummed, the sound warm and amused.
[You may ask. Whether I answer is another matter.]
Typical.
'You told me your voice is tied to my thoughts and intentions, right? And that you're… well. You.'
[Correct.]
'Then… what do I call you?
Do you have an actual name, or am I supposed to keep calling you "Parade Owner" like a weird title card?'
He paused.
For the first time since I'd met him, his tone lost the playful edge—just for a heartbeat.
[Names carry power. And weight.]
'Is that a yes or a no?'
Another soft laugh.
[Yes. I have a name.]
I waited.
He made me wait longer, clearly enjoying it.
Theo nudged me. "You zoning out again?"
"Strategically reflecting," I said.
Mira deadpanned, "You walked into a street sign twenty minutes ago."
"One time."
Silva raised a hand, signaling us to slow down before turning right onto a quieter street. We followed.
Then the voice in my head finally spoke, warm and smooth as candlelight.
[If you wish to call me something…
Aetherion will suffice.]
I blinked.
'Aetherion?'
[Indeed.]
'That's…'
I searched for the right word.
'Very majestic.'
[A compliment? I'm flattered.]
'I meant "pretentious."'
[A distinction without a difference.]
I rubbed my face.
Theo glanced at me again. "Seriously, are you okay? You're making weird expressions."
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "Just… mentally sorting things."
Silva stopped at another intersection and checked her map.
"We continue north," she said. "We still haven't found anything aligning with the anomaly's expected behavior."
Theo raised his hands. "Because there IS nothing."
"Or," Mira countered, "because it's hiding."
I didn't like either option.
But as we walked on, through a city that was too lively, too normal, too untouched…
Aetherion's voice drifted softly once more.
[Do not worry, Yuwon. The Pale Shore is not hiding from you.]
'…Then what is it doing?'
A faint smile pressed into my thoughts, like he enjoyed my confusion.
[Waiting.]
A chill slid down my spine despite the warm afternoon.
But up ahead, a busker started singing on a street corner, strumming a guitar off-key.
Theo perked up.
Mira rolled her eyes.
Silva exhaled patiently.
And somehow…
life kept moving.
Normal.
Ordinary.
Ridiculously peaceful.
The calm before the storm—
dragged out hour by hour.
And still, no sign of the core.
No distortion.
Nothing out of place.
Which, somehow…
felt like the strangest thing of all.
Hours slipped by quietly, the kind of quiet that didn't feel peaceful—just empty.
By the time any of us bothered to check the sky again, the sun was already sinking into the haze, turning the fog warm gold around the edges.
Theo stretched his arms until his joints cracked.
"Okay, but hear me out," he mumbled, voice heavy with despair. "What if we go eat something? I'm seriously starving."
He said it like a kid bargaining with exhausted parents.
Mira rubbed her temple. "I second that, actually. We ate lunch ten hours ago."
Her stomach even growled after, which she pretended not to notice.
Silva stopped walking. Her eyes lifted to the sunset, expression unreadable.
"The sun," she said, her voice low and neutral as always, "is setting."
In my head, Aetherion's voice hummed with amusement.
[Your superior has a way with words, my friend. Very poetic. Very ominous.]
Theo coughed to hide a laugh. "There she goes again."
Silva ignored him.
"It's resting," she continued calmly. "So we should as well."
All three of us exhaled the breath we didn't know we were holding.
Relief. Exhaustion. Hunger.
Mostly hunger.
"So," Theo perked up, "which café are we going for? I personally want steak. Like the juicy, melt-in-your-mouth kind. With garlic butter. And fries. And—"
"No café," Silva cut in.
"What?!" Mira and I said at the same time.
Theo looked like someone had kicked his soul out of his body.
Silva faced us with the same neutral firmness she always had—just enough authority to shut down every complaint before it formed.
"For all we know—or rather, for all we don't know," she said, "the food in this town might be contaminated. Or altered. Or… unreliable. I've contacted a supplier who will bring us safe rations from outside."
Theo wilted. Physically. His shoulders dropped like wet laundry.
"Okay," he muttered dramatically. "Sure. Starvation it is."
"It's not starvation," Mira sighed. "It's caution."
"It feels like starvation."
I lifted a hand. "When are we meeting this mysterious supplier?"
Silva checked her watch.
"In about thirty minutes. Behind the church at the city center."
And so we waited.
Thirty minutes…
then thirty-five…
then forty.
Fog thickened around the church courtyard, swirling around the benches and statues like lazy smoke. Old street lamps flickered on one by one, throwing pale yellow circles onto the pavement.
Finally, footsteps approached.
A man walked toward us—baggy jeans, oversized black hoodie, medical mask. His posture looked careful, steps a bit too fast, as if trying not to look suspicious, which ironically made him very suspicious.
"Sorry, Boss," he said breathlessly. "I'm a little late."
Silva didn't move. "You're eleven minutes late."
He shrugged helplessly. "Traffic?"
Theo squinted. "In this fog?"
Silva remained dead still, waiting.
But me?
I froze for a different reason.
'Hold on—
that voice…'
The man tugged down his hood, then removed his mask.
Golden hair.
Split neatly down the middle.
Eyes sharp and greedy as ever.
Ezikiel.
Oh, for the love of—
'Ezikiel?! What is he doing here?'
Aetherion's voice chimed in smoothly.
[A friend of yours?]
'No. Just… an acquaintance. I met him at your market last time.'
[Ah. One of those types. The ones who talk too loud and charge too much.]
I swallowed hard as Ezikiel gave me a knowing smirk—the kind that said I remember exactly who you are and also I am definitely going to annoy you.
"Hey there, kid," he said. "Long time no see."
Theo blinked. "You… two know each other?"
I tried not to grimace.
"Uhh. Kind of. Not really. It's complicated."
Mira lifted a brow. "Should we be concerned?"
"Yes," I said.
"No," Ezikiel said at the exact same time.
Silva finally stepped forward, all-business.
"Did you bring the supplies?"
Ezikiel grinned, slinging a large insulated bag off his shoulder.
"You bet. Best quality. Unaltered. Totally safe. Expensive."
"Of course it's expensive," Theo muttered.
"He probably sells lemons for twenty bucks," I whispered back.
Theo choked. "You're kidding."
"I really wish I was."
Ezikiel clicked his tongue. "Don't slander my business model."
Aetherion chimed in again, amused.
[He has the eyes of someone who would sell air if he could package it.]
'I know, right?!'
[Truly a man after capitalism's heart.]
Ezikiel knelt and unzipped the insulated bag—sealed meals, bottled water, protein bars, all labeled with out-of-city production stamps.
Silva inspected one carefully.
"Hm. Good. These will do."
He winked. "Only the finest."
As Silva handed him the payment envelope, Theo whispered to me again.
"So… he's like a black-market courier, or—?"
"He's… complicated."
Aetherion sighed pleasantly.
[Greedy. Chaotic. Slightly admirable. A good merchant.]
'Do not encourage him.'
[Why not? His energy pairs well with yours.]
'I hate that you said that.'
Mira finished checking her share of the supplies and zipped the bag shut.
"We should head back before the fog thickens."
Silva nodded once. "Agreed."
Ezikiel gave us a lazy salute.
"Stay safe out there, Agents. Or try to, at least. This town's… weird."
"We know," I said dryly.
"Oh? Then good luck."
He shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets and walked off into the fog—vanishing faster than someone should be able to.
Theo watched him disappear.
"…He definitely stole something from somewhere."
"Probably," I muttered.
Silva turned toward our temporary base.
"Let's go. We'll eat, rest, and prepare for tomorrow."
And as we followed her through the dimming city streets, the fog curling at our heels like quiet shadows…
I couldn't shake the feeling
that Ezikiel knew more than he let on.
Or maybe—
[Interesting boy.]
Aetherion's voice hummed warmly.
[But you, my friend… you attract strange company, don't you?]
I sighed internally.
'Don't remind me.'