The static began as a faint hum in the background of Ethan's dreams. At first, he thought it was just the aftereffects of too many late-night streams and not enough sleep. But when he woke to find the same static bleeding through the audio of his camera playback, he knew something was wrong.
Two weeks had passed since the amusement park tragedy. Two weeks since Aya's body had exploded outward like shattered glass. Two weeks since Ethan had last felt truly safe. The nightmares still came every night, but today he could sit in a public place without scanning every shadow. His hands still shook slightly when he lifted the camera, but he could function. Just barely.
Seraphine found him in his cramped apartment, reviewing footage from their last stream. The static was barely noticeable in the first few minutes, but as the supernatural elements intensified, the interference grew worse.
"Interesting," she said, peering over his shoulder at the playback monitor. "The static increases in direct proportion to supernatural activity."
Ethan rubbed his tired eyes. "It's more than just interference. It's like... the camera is struggling to process what it's recording."
Nyx padded into the room, his molten silver eyes fixed on the screen. The cat didn't speak—none of them expected him to—but his presence was a quiet comfort. He jumped onto the desk, circling Ethan's coffee mug three times before settling down, his tail flicking with unusual intensity.
Seraphine watched the cat carefully. "Nyx senses it too. The static isn't just technological—it's a manifestation of something deeper."
[Chat]
StaticSeeker: bro your audio is messed up
TechWitch: that's not normal interference
CamSurvivor: remember when he almost died at 15%?
Ethan adjusted the playback, zooming in on a moment where the static had briefly formed what looked like a face in the distortion. "Look at this. It's not random. There's a pattern."
Seraphine leaned closer, her breath catching. "That's not just static. That's a threshold."
"A threshold to what?"
"To the space between streams. The liminal space where digital and supernatural realities overlap." She turned to Ethan, her expression serious. "We need to investigate this. Tonight."
Ethan's stomach tightened. "Investigate how? By intentionally causing more supernatural activity?"
"Exactly," Seraphine said, already reaching for her bag. "We need to see how far the static extends, how it behaves under controlled conditions."
"And if it's dangerous?"
Seraphine's lips curved into a smile that promised both trouble and brilliance. "Then we document it. That's what we do, remember?"
---
The location Seraphine chose was an abandoned television studio on the outskirts of the city. The building had been left to decay after a mysterious fire twenty years ago, when the station had been broadcasting live. Perfect for what they needed.
As Ethan set up his equipment, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The static in his headphones had grown louder, a constant hiss that seemed to vibrate in his bones.
"Ready?" Seraphine asked, adjusting the wide-brimmed hat that had become her signature.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Ethan replied, though his hands trembled slightly as he checked the battery level. 78%. Good enough.
[Chat]
GhostHunter77: this place gives me the creeps
StreamSkeptic: staged for views
StaticWitch: they're playing with fire
The camera light blinked on. Ethan took a deep breath and began.
"Alright, chat. We're live from the abandoned Channel 7 studio. Seraphine has convinced me this is a good idea—though I remain skeptical. We're investigating strange static appearing in our streams that seems to intensify during supernatural events."
Seraphine stepped into frame, her presence commanding despite the decayed surroundings. "This isn't just technical interference. It's a manifestation of the thinning veil between realities. The more we stream supernatural events, the more this threshold weakens."
Ethan zoomed in as Seraphine began tracing sigils in the air with her fingers. Light bled from her fingertips, painting patterns against the dark. The static in Ethan's headphones spiked, becoming almost painful.
"What you're hearing," Ethan explained to the stream, "is the sound of reality straining at the seams."
[Chat]
DigitalWitch: that's not normal static
ThresholdSeeker: she's opening a door
StaticSurvivor: cameraman's about to die again
Nyx, who had been unusually quiet since they arrived, suddenly hissed and backed away from the sigils. His fur stood on end, his tail puffed to twice its normal size.
Seraphine noticed immediately. "Nyx senses something. Something close."
The static reached a crescendo, then abruptly cut out. For a moment, there was silence—perfect, unnerving silence.
Then the screens lining the back wall of the studio flickered to life. Dozens of them, all showing the same thing: a shifting pattern of black and white noise.
[Chat]
HolyStatic: WHAT IS HAPPENING??
ScreenGhost: those TVs were dead
StaticGod: this is beyond creepy
Ethan's camera caught it all—the way the static began to coalesce, forming shapes that almost looked like faces. The way the air seemed to ripple as if underwater.
Seraphine raised her hands, her voice steady despite the growing tension. "It's responding to our presence. To the stream itself."
The static faces turned toward them, their features shifting like television snow. One of them reached out—a hand made of pure interference—toward Ethan's camera.
[Chat]
Don'tTouchIt: NO DON'T LET IT TOUCH THE CAMERA
StaticFear: it's trying to communicate
CamSurvivor: HE'S GONNA DIE AGAIN
Ethan instinctively stepped back, but the hand followed. The static began crawling up the camera lens, distorting the image.
"It's using the stream as a conduit," Seraphine realized. "The more viewers we have, the stronger it becomes."
Ethan checked the viewer count. It was skyrocketing—double what they usually got. Donations were pouring in like a waterfall.
"Can we close the threshold?" he asked, his voice tight with fear.
Seraphine shook her head. "Not while we're streaming. The act of recording is what's keeping it open."
"So what do we do?"
"Keep filming," Seraphine said simply. "But be ready to run."
The static hand made contact with the camera lens. For a moment, everything went white. When the image returned, the static faces were closer, their features more defined. They seemed almost... curious.
[Chat]
HolyStatic: DID YOU SEE THAT??
DigitalGhost: it's learning from us
CamSurvivor: dude's got infinite plot armor
Nyx leapt onto Ethan's shoulder, his claws digging in slightly—not enough to hurt, but enough to get his attention. The cat was staring at something behind them.
Ethan turned the camera slowly. More static was forming in the corners of the room, coalescing into humanoid shapes. They moved with a jerky, unnatural motion, like a corrupted video file.
Seraphine began chanting in a language Ethan didn't recognize. The sigils she had drawn earlier flared to life, creating a protective circle around them.
The static entities hesitated at the boundary of the sigils, their forms flickering with interference.
"It's working," Ethan whispered into the stream. "The ritual is holding them back."
[Chat]
RitualGod: she's a real witch
StaticFear: but for how long?
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Seraphine's chanting grew more intense. The static entities pressed closer, their forms stretching toward the protective circle. One of them reached out, and where its fingers touched the sigils, the symbols began to distort.
"The threshold is too weak," Seraphine said through gritted teeth. "The static is corrupting the ritual."
Ethan felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. The battery indicator on his camera read 43%. He'd been filming for less than twenty minutes.
"It's draining faster than normal," he said, checking the meter again. "The static... it's accelerating the battery drain."
Seraphine nodded, still focused on maintaining the ritual. "The more supernatural energy we're dealing with, the faster the black-tech card consumes power."
Nyx jumped down from Ethan's shoulder and began circling the protective circle, his tail flicking rapidly. He stopped at one point and began pawing at the floor.
"Look," Ethan said, directing the camera to where Nyx was focused. The sigil at that point was flickering more than the others, the static threatening to break through.
Seraphine adjusted her chanting, reinforcing that section of the circle. The static entities recoiled momentarily, but soon returned with renewed intensity.
[Chat]
NyxSavior: that cat knows something
ThresholdBreak: it's getting through
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
Ethan's camera caught the moment the static broke through. A tendril of interference shot through the weakened sigil, wrapping around his ankle. It felt like ice and electricity at the same time—painful but not burning.
Seraphine's eyes widened. "Ethan!"
He tried to pull away, but the static held fast. The viewer count spiked again, donations pouring in as the chat erupted into chaos.
[Chat]
StaticGrab: IT'S GOT HIM
CamSurvivor: NOOOO
RitualGod: she has to save him
Seraphine abandoned her chanting and grabbed Ethan's arm, pulling with all her strength. At the same moment, Nyx leapt at the static tendril, his claws passing through it but causing it to flicker.
The combination was enough. The static released its hold, and Ethan stumbled back into the protective circle. He checked the battery—28%.
"Thank you," he gasped to Nyx, who merely blinked at him before resuming his guard position.
Seraphine began a new chant, one that seemed designed to close the threshold rather than maintain it. The static entities grew agitated, pressing against the circle with renewed intensity.
"They don't want to go back," Ethan realized. "They want to stay."
"Of course they do," Seraphine said, her voice strained. "This threshold is their only way into our reality. The streams have been creating temporary openings, but this... this is different. This is stable."
The static began forming words in the air, flickering between the entities: "MORE STREAMS."
[Chat]
StaticWords: THEY'RE COMMUNICATING
DigitalGhost: they want more streams
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. "They're using the algorithm. The more engagement we get, the stronger the threshold becomes."
Seraphine nodded, still focused on her ritual. "We've been feeding them without realizing it."
The static formed another message: "MORE VIEWS. MORE POWER."
Nyx suddenly hissed and backed away from the circle's edge. The static was beginning to seep through the sigils again, forming puddles of interference that seemed to be searching for weaknesses.
[Chat]
ThresholdClosing: she's almost done
StaticFear: but will it hold?
CamSurvivor: dude's got plot armor
Seraphine's chanting reached a crescendo. The sigils flared brightly, then began to contract inward. The static entities shrieked—a sound like radio feedback—and began to dissolve back into the threshold.
As the last of the static disappeared, the TVs lining the wall went dark. The unnatural silence returned, but this time it felt peaceful rather than threatening.
Ethan lowered the camera, his hands shaking. The battery read 17%.
Seraphine sank to her knees, exhausted. "That was closer than I expected."
Ethan checked the viewer count. It had peaked at over ten thousand—more than double their usual audience. Donations had poured in like a waterfall, but the chat was already speculating about what they'd witnessed.
[Chat]
StaticTruth: that was real
DigitalWitch: they opened a door to another reality
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Nyx padded over to Ethan, rubbing against his leg. The cat's usual aloofness was replaced with something almost like concern.
Ethan knelt down to scratch behind Nyx's ears. "Good job, buddy. You saved me back there."
Seraphine stood, brushing dust from her clothes. "We need to be careful moving forward. The static is just the beginning. There are other entities out there, other thresholds."
Ethan checked the battery again. 12%. "And each time we stream something supernatural, we risk opening another door."
"Exactly." Seraphine's expression was serious. "But we also have something they want—access to our reality. And they'll keep trying to get it."
Ethan thought about the static forming words: "MORE STREAMS." "MORE VIEWS. MORE POWER." The algorithm wasn't just demanding blood anymore—it was demanding access.
Nyx jumped onto Ethan's shoulder, his molten silver eyes reflecting the dim light of the studio. The cat 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 we capture—the shadows, the static, the blood that isn't blood—the faster the battery drains," 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
StaticSeeker: remember when he almost died at 15%?
CamSurvivor: bro really needs to upgrade his gear
Ethan adjusted the camera to show the empty studio, the darkened TVs lining the wall. "This is what we're dealing with now. Not just shadows or blood rituals, but entities from... somewhere else. Entities that want what we have."
Seraphine stepped into frame, her presence commanding despite the exhaustion evident in her eyes. "And they'll keep coming as long as we keep streaming."
The viewer count began to drop as the adrenaline of the encounter faded. Donations slowed to a trickle. The chat became more reflective.
[Chat]
ThresholdWatcher: this changes everything
DigitalSurvivor: they're not just performers
StaticTruth: this is bigger than we thought
Ethan checked the battery one last time. 7%. "We should wrap this up before we lose power completely."
Seraphine nodded. "For now, the threshold is closed. But it won't stay that way forever. They'll find another way in."
Ethan lowered the camera slightly. "So what do we do?"
Seraphine's lips curved into a smile that promised both trouble and brilliance. "We keep recording. But we do it smarter. We learn their patterns. We find ways to control the threshold rather than letting it control us."
Nyx jumped down from Ethan's shoulder and began padding toward the exit, looking back as if to say, "Are you coming or not?"
Ethan gave the camera a tired smile. "Looks like we've got work to do. Thanks for watching, chat. Stay safe out there. And maybe... keep an eye on your static."
He ended the stream as the battery hit 3%, the screen snapping black. The card hummed faintly in his pocket. Eternal. Waiting.
As they left the abandoned studio, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that they hadn't closed the threshold completely. Somewhere, in the space between streams, something was still watching. Still waiting.
And it wanted more.