I rose into the air.
The string of the balloon tightened gently between my fingers.
—Hunterdon County…
My voice faded into the night.
—Surprise me.
With a slight push of magic,
the balloon changed direction, carrying me across the dark sky.
The city lights were left behind.
The roads became scarce.
And then…
Darkness.
Forests.
Deep.
Silent.
---
As I moved forward, my thoughts didn't stop.
—The true supernatural entities are awakening…
I closed my eyes for a moment.
—What am I actually supposed to do?
I could hunt them.
Consume them.
Turn them into power.
But…
—Then what?
Silence.
The wind hit my face.
—These three counties… are safe.
A faint smile appeared.
—For now.
I opened my eyes.
—This isn't something small.
This was bigger.
Much bigger.
—Other countries…?
The idea settled in my mind.
—Yeah…
—That will be mine someday too.
I exhaled slowly.
—But not now.
---
I took out a mirror from my storage space.
Held it in front of my face.
The clown mask stared back at me.
Perfect.
Artificial.
Unchanging.
But my eyes…
Deep black.
With a red glow.
—…
—How cliché.
A low chuckle escaped me.
—Red eyes… typical.
I shook my head slightly.
—Too repetitive.
My pupils slowly changed.
The red disappeared.
One turned green.
The other… yellow.
I tilted my head.
Observing myself.
—…
A smile.
—Much better.
I put the mirror away.
—Not perfect…
—But not boring.
---
Minutes later…
Hunterdon County.
I had arrived.
And the first thing I noticed…
Was the silence.
A real silence.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
I looked down.
Dense forests.
Wilder than I remembered.
—…
—This doesn't look like what I saw before.
But of course…
—That was 2026.
—This is 2006.
Different world.
---
I descended slowly.
My feet touched the ground covered in dry leaves.
CRUNCH.
The sound broke the silence.
—Let's search…
I jumped.
Then again.
Moving through the trees with ease.
Until—
A small town appeared in the distance.
Dim lights.
Empty streets.
—Hm.
I approached.
Observed.
Waited.
—…
Nothing.
No presence.
No anomaly.
No entity.
—Looks like I wasted my time.
I turned around.
—Well…
—I tried.
---
Meanwhile…
Inside a parked car in a secluded place.
The vehicle moved slightly.
Heavy breathing could be heard.
After a few minutes…
Everything went quiet.
The window rolled down.
Cold night air entered.
The woman took a deep breath.
Her face flushed.
Still catching her breath.
—We should go to a hotel… —she said, still breathless.
The man looked at her.
Smiled.
—Relax… we still have time.
He calmly adjusted his clothes.
Lit a cigarette.
Smoke filled the inside of the car.
The woman smiled.
Trusting.
Unaware.
But the man's gaze…
Changed.
Slowly.
His smile twisted.
Something… wasn't right.
—…
For him…
This was routine.
Deceive them.
Use them.
And then…
Something worse.
Much worse.
—Tonight… —he thought—
—…will be another one.
He moved his hand.
Touched the woman with false gentleness.
She reacted.
Without suspicion.
—Let's go to the hotel —he said finally.
—Yeah… —she replied.
—Won't your parents worry?
—No… a friend will cover for me.
The man smiled wider.
Deeper.
Darker.
—Perfect.
He turned the key.
The car started.
—Nothing better… —he thought—
—…than ruining friendships.
---
From above…
I watched.
In silence.
Invisible.
My eyes glowed faintly.
Green.
Yellow.
—…
—So there you are.
I tilted my head slightly.
—You're not an entity…
Pause.
—But you're creating something.
My smile returned.
Slow.
Dangerous.
—Interesting.
The car drove off into the dark road.
I gently released the balloon string.
—Then…
I disappeared.
—Let's see… what you really are.