The house was too quiet.
John sat stiffly on the couch, staring at a random spot on the wall like it held the secrets of the universe. His brain was still replaying the last ten minutes on a horrifying loop.
Mike screaming.
Sabrina yelling.
His own soul leaving his body.
He heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
Slow.
Heavy.
Uh oh.
The Brother Talk
Mike appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
"Alright," Mike said. "We need to talk."
John straightened immediately. "Yes. Totally. Absolutely. I agree."
Mike pointed at him. "You didn't see anything."
"Yes."
"You didn't hear anything."
"Correct."
"You didn't—"
"I wasn't even looking in that direction," John said quickly. "I think I was blinking."
Mike stared at him for a long second.
"…Good," he muttered. "Because if I ever find out—"
"I will move cities," John said instantly. "Possibly countries."
That earned him a short, reluctant huff from Mike.
"Relax," Mike said. "I know you're not a creep. Sabrina talks about you nonstop. If you were weird, I'd already know."
John blinked. "…She does?"
Mike smirked. "Yeah. It's annoying."
John felt his ears heat up.
"Just—" Mike sighed. "Be respectful. She's shy enough already."
"I will," John said seriously. "I promise."
Mike studied him, then nodded once.
"Good. We're cool then."
Crisis… mostly avoided.
Sabrina Comes Back
A few minutes later, Sabrina carefully re-entered the living room, fully dressed, face still bright red.
"I'm so sorry," she said immediately. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I forgot you were here and—"
"It's okay," John said quickly. "Seriously. I swear I didn't see anything."
She looked at him, then laughed nervously.
"…This is going to haunt me forever."
"Same."
That made her laugh for real this time.
The tension slowly faded, replaced by something softer.
Comfortable.
Normal.
They sat together, working on lyrics again, her confidence slowly returning as she hummed melodies under her breath. John caught himself smiling.
This, he thought, is worth protecting.
The System Interrupts
Then—
[Warning.]
John stiffened.
Sabrina noticed instantly. "John?"
He blinked. "Sorry. Headache."
But inside, his system glowed red.
[Unknown Observer: Distance Closing.]
[Behavior Update: Direct Interaction Imminent.]
His heart started pounding.
Not here.
Not near her.
"Hey," he said suddenly, standing up. "I just remembered something I need to do. I should probably head home."
Sabrina looked disappointed but nodded. "Okay… text me when you get there?"
"I will."
He didn't wait another second.
The Rooftop Shadow
Night had fallen by the time John stepped outside.
The streetlights buzzed softly.
Halfway down the block—
Observation Haki screamed.
He stopped walking.
The air felt wrong.
Then—
A voice spoke from above.
"…John."
His blood ran cold.
He slowly looked up.
The figure stood on the edge of the building, fully visible now. Humanoid. Tall. Featureless — like a silhouette cut from darkness.
It tilted its head.
Copied his posture.
Copied his breathing.
"I have watched you," it said, voice flat, almost artificial. "You create sound. Influence. Power."
John clenched his fists.
"What are you?"
The thing paused.
"…Learning."
The system exploded with warnings.
[DANGER — UNKNOWN ENTITY]
[Threat Level: Rising Rapidly]
The figure stepped off the roof—
—and landed silently in front of him.
Too close.
"You change the world," it said. "That is… inefficient."
John's Sharingan spun violently.
"If you're here to hurt anyone," he said through clenched teeth, "you picked the wrong target."
The thing studied him.
Then smiled.
It was wrong.
Unnatural.
A copy of a human expression with none of the warmth.
"I am not here to hurt," it said.
"I am here to understand you."
The streetlights flickered.
The system chimed one final time:
[New Arc Initiated: The Watcher.]
John swallowed.
This was no random monster.
This was something intelligent.
Something adapting.
Something that had chosen him.
And deep down…
He knew this encounter would change everything.