The café still hummed with the soft aftertaste of roasted beans and the faint chatter of customers who paid Ethan and Seraphine no mind. The corner table they had claimed was littered with cables, an improvised tripod, and Ethan's beloved camera—its lens glinting in the muted morning light.
Ethan adjusted the focus with a practiced hand. His voice was calm but edged with irritation.
"Alright, chat. Quick update before Seraphine drags me into another circus act. We're going live—again. Short stream this time, though. Battery saver mode engaged."
[Chat]
LowBattMon: lol bro's living on 13%
HopeStreamGremlin: get a power bank, grandpa
DonorKing: I'll sponsor you if you drop the camera once
Ethan ignored most of it, except for the recurring joke about batteries. He had already decided—if this career was going to keep eating power, he'd have to upgrade soon. But his wallet wasn't crying yet. He could afford a backup or two.
Seraphine leaned in, resting her chin on her hands.
"You worry too much. Just... trust me this once, Ethan. Keep the live feed running."
"Easy for you to say," he muttered. "You don't get roasted in chat if the screen goes black."
Nyx sat perched on the table, sleek and unbothered, tail swishing lazily. The cat watched Ethan with unblinking awareness—every subtle twitch and glimmer of his fur seemed to signal something beyond comprehension, a guide between the visible and the hidden. He hissed faintly at Ethan's lens, not in speech but recognition of the unnatural observer.
---
Thirty minutes later, just when Ethan thought the stream might collapse from anticipation, the café's entrance bell jingled.
A young man in a bright yellow jacket strode in, helmet still on, holding a neat brown package under one arm. The logo on his ride outside was unmistakable: Wasp A—a local Vespa-style scooter brand, their emblem a sharp wasp silhouette, almost superhero-like.
The delivery boy raised his voice, echoing across the café.
"Delivery for the Invincible Cameraman!"
Heads turned. Customers chuckled. Ethan buried his face in his hands.
"Please no..." he muttered.
[Chat]
PowerBanked: LET'S GOOOOO
NyxCult: all hail the cat and the cameraman
StreamerJunkie: bro went from 5% → 200%
Before Ethan could even form a reply, the boy gave a mock salute, turned on his heel, and walked right back out, leaving the bell jingling in his wake.
Seraphine was openly laughing now, clutching her sides. "Invincible Cameraman. Oh, Ethan, you've made a name."
"Yeah. One I didn't choose," he grumbled, unboxing the package.
Inside lay the salvation of any streamer on the edge: a sturdy portable charger and a sleek backup battery. No fancy international name—just practical, affordable tech.
Ethan swapped out the drained battery with steady hands. The moment the new one clicked into place, the camera's LED glowed bright again.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ethan announced dryly, "the live is saved. Courtesy of your generous panic donations and the speed of local delivery heroes."
---
Two weeks after the amusement park, Ethan finally felt stable enough to sit in a public place without scanning every shadow. His hands still shook slightly when he lifted the camera, and the nightmares came every night, but today he could at least focus on the mundane problem of battery life. Seraphine had insisted he take time to recover, though "recovery" felt like too strong a word for what he was experiencing.
[Chat]
TraumaTherapist: bro needs therapy not chargers
CoffeeQueen: that café looks cozy af
SilentWatcher: Nyx knows more than he lets on
Nyx padded over to Ethan's feet, his molten silver eyes reflecting the café lights. He didn't speak—none of them expected him to—but his presence was a quiet comfort. Ethan had learned to read the cat's subtle communications: the flick of his tail, the angle of his ears, the way he positioned himself between Ethan and potential threats.
"The more 'impossible' footage he captured—the shadows, the blood that wasn't blood—the faster the battery drained," Ethan explained to the stream. "It was as if the camera had to work harder to record reality bending. The card never filled, but the energy cost of capturing the supernatural was real."
Seraphine nodded, her expression serious. "You've seen it happen. After the amusement park footage, your battery died in half the time. Now you're rationing every percentage point like it's your last meal."
[Chat]
TechWitch: that black tech card is eating your battery
ShadowSeeker: remember when he almost died at 15%?
CameramanStan: bro really needs to upgrade his gear
---
The café door jingled again, and this time a man entered who didn't belong. He looked... ordinary. Too ordinary. His suit was neatly pressed, his shoes polished, his hair slicked back like a man carved out of business catalogs. Yet the moment he stepped in, the air shifted.
He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Ethan's camera.
"Ah," he said, his voice smooth and practiced, like a salesman testing the temperature of a room. "The famous Invincible Cameraman. I've heard quite a bit about you."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You have?"
"Indeed." The man extended a hand, though Ethan hesitated before shaking it. "Name's Marcus Kane. Consultant for various... projects."
[Chat]
CorporateSpy: red flag everywhere
MysteryMan: this dude gives me the creeps
SeraphineFan: she's not even pretending to like him
Seraphine arched a brow but remained silent.
Marcus leaned forward slightly, his smile widening. "I believe we share common interests. Specifically, the kind of interests that thrive in the shadows."
Ethan glanced at Seraphine, who gave the smallest of nods.
"Okay," Ethan said cautiously. "What kind of projects?"
Marcus's smile didn't waver. "Let's just say... projects that require a cameraman who doesn't die easily."
Ethan's stomach tightened. "Are you talking about...?"
"Work with me," Marcus interrupted, "and I'll show you a world where your luck isn't just a curse—it's currency."
[Chat]
MoneyTalks: is this a job offer??
ShadowBroker: this feels sketchy as hell
SurvivorBias: he's gonna take the deal
Seraphine's expression darkened slightly. "Currency for what?"
Marcus leaned back, his smile turning predatory. "For power. For influence. For survival in a world where the algorithm demands blood, and shadows crave flesh."
Ethan felt the weight of Seraphine's stare. She didn't speak, but her silence carried more meaning than words.
Marcus continued, undeterred. "You've already proven yourself, Ethan. You're the invisible hand that turns chaos into content. Imagine what you could do if you had the tools to amplify that chaos. Imagine what you could become."
Ethan swallowed. His camera was steady, but his hands trembled slightly.
"Tools like what?"
Marcus smirked. "Tools like this."