"I'm going to give up soon," I said quietly.
Blaker didn't answer immediately.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at nothing, with no reason to cry or laugh.
"I know what I'm looking for is there… I just haven't seen it befo—ahhh, I'm repeating myself""
Blaker sighed.
"You're chasing something you can't even describe," he said. "That doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
"You could spend your whole life looking for something you've never seen and still find it one day. That's how things work sometimes. It's what you were trying to tell me, right?"
"…Be quiet," I said.
Blaker paused, then shook his head.
"I'll get you something to eat. You've been here too long," he said.
He walked out.
"This is going nowhere…"
I muttered to myself.
I hadn't slept in two days.
My body gave in before my mind did.
I stumbled toward a chair and dropped into it, letting out a slow breath.
Just a moment.
That's all I needed.
Just a moment—
"Hello there… stranger."
My eyes snapped open.
Someone was standing in the doorway.
I hadn't heard the door open.
He wore the same uniform as everyone else.
But it didn't look the same.
Faded. Worn. Old.
Like it had been through years I hadn't seen.
His hair was long, the color of ash.
And over his eyes—
A blindfold.
If that wasn't strange enough… everything else was.
I had worked here for four years.
I knew almost everyone.
But I had never seen him.
Not once.
"C-can I help you?" I asked.
He tilted his head slightly.
"No," he said calmly. "I was just passing through. Thought I'd see if any of the juniors needed help."
Something about the way he spoke felt off.
Too calm. Too certain.
"I don't think you can help me," I said.
"Are you sure?"
He stepped further into the room.
"I've read some of your reports," he continued. "Or at least… I would say that, if there was anything to read."
I smirked slightly.
"You noticed, didn't you?" I said. "There's nothing there."
"Exactly."
I leaned back.
"Like I said… it's nothing you can help me with."
A pause.
Then—
"Why are you looking for nothing?"
I exhaled.
"Long story," I said. "All you need to know is… what I'm looking for doesn't exist."
Silence.
"Doesn't exist…" he repeated.
Then—
"…or is it abstract?"
My eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
He didn't answer directly.
"People don't search for nothing," he said calmly. "Not unless they've already lost something."
My chest tightened.
"Well," he continued, turning away, "whatever it is you're looking for… I hope you find it."
He paused at the door.
"Good day."
And just like that—
He left.
Hours passed.
By the time I got home, my body had moved on, but my mind hadn't.
"Abstract…" I muttered.
The word wouldn't leave.
"…maybe I've been looking in the wrong place."
I was lost in thought.
"…what if it isn't a place at all?"
The thought settled in slowly.
Not a location. Not something you could reach. Not something you could stand in.
My mind sharpened.
"…what if it's beyond any place?"
Something deeper.
Something that doesn't exist in space.
Something that doesn't need to exist…
To still be real.
I had come to many conclusions at once.
But they all led to one answer.
"…The Platonic realm."
And for the first time in years—
I felt something.
Hope.
It felt like trying to light a fire for years and failing… only to finally see a spark.
I wasted no time.
I got up, threw on my coat, and rushed to the lab as fast as I could.
If this was real…
Then I finally had a direction.
It took me hours, then days, then weeks...and finally—
I stared at the device in front of me.
It was my second step in.
The first real attempt.
I dropped to my knees, my hands pressing against the floor as I looked at it.
This… was it.
"Yo, stand up. You look like you're about to cry. What does that thing even do?" Blaker asked.
I let out a small breath.
"It reads reality," I said.
He blinked.
"Reads… reality?"
"Everything exists at a certain frequency," I continued. "If I can map it… I can find what doesn't belong."
He stared at me like I'd lost it.
"…And then?"
I looked down at the device.
"…Then I find a way to reach it."
I set the device down… and pressed the activation button.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.