The crowd hadn't moved in nearly a full minute.
Senta was being quietly carried off the field by two of the Creatures—each avoiding eye contact with Thalen's still-snoring form as if afraid it might trigger another explosion of surrealist violence.
Eventually, Thalen was dragged away too. Gently. Like handling a live grenade full of glitter and geese.
Up in the stands, Sereth leaned back in his seat and exhaled. "I… don't know how to process what I just saw."
"I don't blame you." Masaru replied.
Torvak scratched his chin. "I'm gonna need ten drinks and a philosophy degree just to forget it."
Aeon, who's eyes had strangely widened, looked up toward the farthest edge of the arena—a ledge so high and distant it was barely visible.
"…We're being watched," he murmured.
Masaru turned. "By who?"
But Aeon didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on that high balcony. Nothing visible. No movement. Just the subtle weight of presence, like a thought waiting to be spoken.
Whatever it was—it hadn't been there a moment ago.
And it wasn't Thalen.
But it was similar.
Back down in the seats, Sereth stood up and stretched. "Let's go. I don't think my soul can take much more."
The others followed, filing out slowly with the rest of the crowd, still shell-shocked. None of them noticed the flickering shimmer in the highest shadow above the arena—where the cameras never panned, and the Creatures never went.
A sliver in the world.
Just watching.
Just waiting.
...
Masaru and Aeon had left together to go to Steeping Leaves, because it seemed like that was the only place where they could stop and breathe. The familiar sound of the door creaking and elderly woman greeting them was comforting, and they both sat down at their usual table.
Masaru then noticed something extremely unsettling.
Aeon was shaking and sweating uncontrollably.
It was clear he had been keeping his composure well, but something had clearly rattled him, and to Masaru, seeing the most spacey, gentle, and meditative kid he's ever seen tremble with fear made his stomach churn.
"Aeon, Whats the matter?"
Aeon stared at Masaru with his wide orange eyes, and replied,
"Did you feel it too? The thing watching us."
"You mentioned that earlier, but I couldn't sense anything."
Aeon clenched his hands, and his knuckles began to turn white.
"Well... Uh... Then.... Surely..." he stuttered, trying as hard as he could to calm himself down.
Masaru spoke, "Aeon. You aren't yourself. What the hell is going on?"
Aeon closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled, and the re-opened his eyes, seeming more composed.
"Hooooo.... Okay. I feel that this presence watching us was outside of what we abide by. Similarly to Thalen. But, at the same time, a little different."
"How so?" Masaru raised an eyebrow.
"Thalen will not hurt someone for the sake of hurting someone. He is not evil, just strange. This presence however..."
Aeon stopped, then his hands flew up to the side of his head and he fell out of his chair, before quickly vanishing.
Masaru lept up out of his chair and ran out of the building.
"AEON!"
Masaru wondered why he was so worrried about some kid he had met so recently, but something about him seemed important. And if this presence was enough to scare him, then he couldn't imagine how things might end up.
...
Aeon had found himself in his little garden that he had been maintaining, and he was happy that the weeds were starting to bloom. The same public park where he and Torvak had had their disscussion, but this time he was all alone.
"I hope Masaru wasn't bothered by my leave..."
He grabbed a nearby rusty bucket that was filled with water and sprinkled some onto the plants, feeling a little bit better, but his fear quickly returned upon remember what he saw.
Right before he vanished from the shop, it was like a message had been forced into his mind.
"Welcome Back"
"Welcome Back"
"Welcome Back"
"Welcome Back"
"Welcome Back"
The message echoed in his head so loudly, and yet, with absolute silence.
He walked with heavy steps over to a bench and sat himself down, still clutching his head. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the absolute. As he normally would if he was stressed.
Aeon Kairos has a very unusual power. Every member of his family has abilities related to time, but Aeon's is special. To him, all events unfold along a single line—he can survey this timeline, not as clear foresight, but as a rough sense of what's coming next.
Aeon can shuffle moments on this timeline.
For example, if someone was about to punch him, he could take the moment the punch would land, push it forward, and move accordingly. By the time the punch "catches up" to that moment, Aeon would be completely unharmed.
Aeon closed his eyes and focused on the absolute—the steady line of moments he usually surveyed so calmly. But tonight, that line felt jagged, unsettled.
The echoes of the message still ringing in his mind: "Welcome Back."
He didn't know who—or what—had sent it, but one thing was clear: whatever was watching him wasn't just another opponent.
It was something far older.
Far stranger.
And much more sinister than he could imagine.
He fell asleep and began to remember things.