William didn't run this time.
That was the difference.
Not because he suddenly became brave—but because his body didn't react the same way anymore.
The street stretched out in front of him, quiet and empty, yet everything felt louder than before. His breathing. His heartbeat. Even the faint hum of the streetlights felt… noticeable.
Behind him, the Hunters slowed.
Not stopping.
Just… adjusting.
Watching.
"Why did they stop?" William asked, his voice lower now, less scattered.
His aunt didn't answer immediately.
"They're observing," she said finally.
"…That's worse."
"Yes."
William exhaled slowly.
For the first time since everything started, he wasn't panicking.
Not fully.
There was still fear—but something else had started mixing with it.
Focus.
His hand pulsed again.
Not violently.
Just… steady.
Like it was reminding him it was still there.
Still real.
"…They're waiting for me to mess up, right?" he said.
His aunt glanced at him.
"Yes."
"…Okay."
That answer didn't help.
But it also didn't surprise him.
He looked ahead, then back at them.
Three figures.
Still.
Patient.
Like time didn't matter to them.
Which was ironic.
"Stay close," his aunt said.
"I am close," he replied. "This is me being very close."
She almost said something—
Then stopped.
Her attention shifted.
William noticed it immediately.
"What?" he asked.
"They're not alone anymore."
His stomach dropped.
"…That's not good."
"No."
A soft movement echoed from behind a nearby building.
Then another.
Different directions.
Different angles.
William turned slowly.
"…Yeah, okay, I officially don't like this situation."
More figures.
Not rushing.
Just appearing.
Like they had always been there.
Watching.
Waiting.
"This is getting crowded," he muttered.
His aunt stepped forward slightly.
Positioning herself between him and them.
"They're testing you," she said.
"Testing what exactly?"
"Your reaction."
"…I feel like I'm failing already."
"You're still alive."
"…That's a low standard."
One of the Hunters moved.
Not toward his aunt.
Toward him.
Fast.
William didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He just moved.
And something shifted again.
That same feeling.
That strange, stretched moment.
The world didn't slow.
He just… slipped.
Slightly out of place.
The Hunter's hand passed through where he had been.
Barely missing him.
William stumbled back.
"…Okay," he breathed. "That's happening again."
"Don't think about it too much," his aunt said.
"That's the worst advice you've given me so far."
"Feel it."
"I don't even know what I'm feeling!"
Another attack.
Closer this time.
William moved again.
Not clean.
Not controlled.
But it worked.
Barely.
His heart was racing now.
But not from fear.
From realization.
"…I'm not faster," he said.
"No," she replied.
"Then what am I doing?"
"You're moving between moments."
He blinked.
"…That doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to."
That was starting to become a pattern.
Nothing made sense.
And yet—
It was happening.
The Hunters paused again.
Watching him.
Recalculating.
"…I think they don't like that," William said.
"They don't," she replied.
"Good. I don't like them either."
For a brief second—
It almost felt normal.
Like one of those weird moments where you joke in the middle of something serious because your brain doesn't know what else to do.
Then—
A voice.
"Enough."
It didn't come from the Hunters.
It came from behind them.
Calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
And immediately—
Everything changed.
The Hunters stepped back.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect.
Or obedience.
William frowned.
"…That's new."
A figure stepped forward.
Different from the others.
Not rushed.
Not hidden.
Just… present.
William felt it immediately.
This one was different.
"…Who's that?" he asked quietly.
His aunt didn't look away.
"…Trouble."
"…That doesn't help."
"No," she said. "It doesn't."
The figure stopped a few steps away.
Then spoke again.
"You're earlier than expected."
William blinked.
"…I'm sorry, what?"
No response to that.
Instead—
Those eyes shifted slightly.
Studying him.
Not like prey.
Not like a target.
More like… a problem.
"You shouldn't be awake yet," the figure continued.
William tilted his head slightly.
"…Yeah, that's been the theme of the night."
Silence.
Then—
Something strange happened.
The figure almost smiled.
Just slightly.
"…He jokes," the figure said.
His aunt's voice hardened.
"Don't talk to him."
William glanced at her.
"…You say that like I started this conversation."
The figure ignored that.
"You don't understand what you are," it said.
"Correct," William replied. "That makes two of us."
A pause.
Then—
"That won't last."
William's hand pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
The air tightened.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "I figured."
The figure took one step forward.
And William felt it.
Pressure.
Not physical.
Something else.
Something deeper.
Like the world itself was reacting.
"You'll come with us," the figure said.
William didn't answer immediately.
He looked at his aunt.
Then at the Hunters.
Then back at the figure.
"…I don't think I will."
The figure didn't react.
But the air did.
Tension.
Sharp.
Immediate.
"…Then we'll take you," it said.
William exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "That sounds more like it."
And this time—
When they moved—
It wasn't slow.