The alley was quiet again.
Too quiet.
The creature's body lay motionless on the ground, its twisted form slowly fading into dark particles, as if it had never truly belonged to this world.
Aarav stood still, watching it disappear.
"…So they don't even leave anything behind."
No drops.
No items.
No proof.
Just gone.
The glitching screen flickered faintly in front of him, unstable but present.
Then—
It disappeared.
Not slowly.
Not fading.
Just… gone.
Aarav frowned slightly.
"…You always leave at the wrong time."
Silence answered him.
The air felt normal again.
No pressure.
No strange presence.
No distortion.
And yet—
Something felt off.
Aarav stepped out of the alley, returning to the main road.
The city was active again.
But not normal.
Never normal.
People moved faster.
Spoke in lower voices.
Every now and then, someone would glance at the sky—
As if expecting it to break again.
"…Guess everyone's still scared," Aarav murmured.
Can't blame them.
He walked forward casually, blending into the crowd.
No one stopped him.
No one questioned him.
Just another face in the city.
Just the way he preferred it.
But not everyone had forgotten.
From a distance—
Someone was watching.
A figure stood on the rooftop of a nearby building, overlooking the street below.
Their gaze followed Aarav's movements carefully.
Silently.
"…Confirmed," a voice said.
Calm.
Cold.
Not emotional.
"He matches the description."
A second figure stepped forward, glancing down.
"…No system signature detected?"
"None."
A brief pause.
"…Then how did he eliminate two targets?"
Silence.
Then—
"…That's what we're going to find out."
Below—
Aarav stopped walking.
Just for a second.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Not turning.
Not reacting.
But noticing.
"…There it is again," he thought.
That feeling.
Faint.
Almost invisible.
But present.
Like something was observing him from afar.
"…Not the same as before."
This wasn't the system.
This wasn't the glitch.
This was…
Human.
Aarav continued walking.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…Good," he thought.
Because if someone was watching—
That meant something had changed.
And if something had changed—
That meant he was no longer invisible.
"…About time."
On the rooftop—
The figure narrowed their eyes.
"…He sensed it."
"…Interesting."
A faint pause followed.
Then—
"Keep watching him."
"Don't approach yet."
"We need more information."
Below—
Aarav turned a corner and disappeared into the crowd.
But his expression had changed slightly.
Not fear.
Not concern.
But awareness.
"…So it begins," he murmured.
Because now—
It wasn't just about monsters.
It wasn't just about survival.
Something else had entered the game.
And whatever it was—
It was already looking for him.