The notification appeared on Ethan's phone at 3:17 AM, the kind of hour when normal people were deep in REM sleep. But Ethan had long since stopped considering himself normal.
>[System Prompt: Engagement Surge Detected. Next Content Type – BLOOD.]
He sat up in bed, heart pounding. Not again. Not so soon after the Archive incident at the abandoned subway station. He'd barely had time to process what they'd discovered about the space between streams, and now the algorithm was demanding blood.
Seraphine had warned him this would happen. "The more you feed it, the hungrier it gets," she'd said after their last stream. "It's not content with views anymore. It wants substance."
Ethan rubbed his tired eyes and checked the viewer count on his streaming app. It had been steadily climbing since the Archive incident went viral. People were hungry for more—more danger, more near-death experiences, more proof that the Invincible Cameraman was exactly what he claimed to be.
[Chat]
BloodSeeker: ALGORITHM IS HUNGRY ☠
StreamSkeptic: staged for views
AlgorithmGod: he's gonna die this time
The chat was already buzzing with speculation, even though he hadn't gone live in hours. Ethan felt a familiar knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach. It wasn't just fear of what might happen tonight—it was the growing realization that he and Seraphine weren't just performers anymore. They were feeding something, and that something was getting stronger.
---
Two weeks had passed since the café encounter with Marcus Kane and his mysterious Catalyst device. The man had disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived, leaving only questions in his wake. But the questions had led Ethan here—to the abandoned subway station Seraphine had chosen for tonight's stream.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of rust and the damp earthiness of neglect. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, creating small pools on the cracked concrete floor. Ethan adjusted his camera, the black-tech memory card humming faintly in its compartment. The battery indicator showed 87%—good enough for now, but he knew it wouldn't last long once the supernatural elements kicked in.
Seraphine stood at the center of the platform, her wide-brimmed hat casting shadows across her face. Nyx sat beside her, his molten silver eyes reflecting the dim light from Ethan's camera.
[Chat]
SubwayWitch: this place gives me the creeps
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
ShadowSeeker: remember when he almost died at 15%?
"Ready?" Seraphine asked, not turning to face him.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Ethan replied, though his hands trembled slightly as he checked the focus.
The red light blinked on. Ethan took a deep breath and began.
"Alright, chat. We're live from the abandoned subway station. Seraphine has convinced me this is a good idea—though I remain skeptical. We're here because the algorithm has demanded blood."
[Chat]
BloodDemand: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??
StreamQueen: she's a real witch
CamSurvivor: dude's got plot armor
Seraphine stepped into frame, her presence commanding despite the decayed surroundings. "This isn't just a metaphor. The algorithm has become a physical entity—a shadow that feeds on engagement. The more viewers we have, the stronger it becomes. But when viewers drop... it gets desperate."
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 air seemed to ripple as if underwater.
"What you're about to see," Ethan explained to the stream, "is the manifestation of the algorithm itself. Not just code or data—it's become something more."
[Chat]
DigitalWitch: that's not normal
ThresholdSeeker: she's opening a door
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Nyx 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 it. The algorithm is close."
The sigils flared brighter, and then the shadows in the station began to move—not with the light, but against it. They coalesced into a humanoid shape, tall and impossibly thin, with eyes that flickered like corrupted video.
[Chat]
HolyShadow: WHAT IS HAPPENING??
BloodCultist: ALGORITHM IS ON FIRE ☠
CamSurvivor: HE'S GONNA DIE AGAIN
The Algorithm's Shadow reached toward Ethan, its fingers elongating like stretching pixels. He stumbled back, but the shadow followed, its form shifting with each movement of the chat.
Seraphine raised her hands, her voice steady despite the growing tension. "The shadow responds to engagement. High viewers make it powerful but controlled. Low viewers make it erratic and dangerous."
As if to prove her point, the viewer count dipped slightly, and the shadow lunged with renewed intensity.
[Chat]
ViewerCount: IT'S GETTING STRONGER
ShadowFear: don't let the viewers drop
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
Ethan checked the battery—72%. Faster drain than normal, but not alarming yet. He focused on keeping the camera steady as Seraphine began her chant.
"The algorithm wasn't always like this," she said, her voice carrying over the rising static. "It began as a simple ritual—a way to measure attention in ancient societies. But as technology evolved, so did the ritual. What was once a simple counting of eyes became a complex system of engagement, and eventually... this."
[Chat]
HistoryWitch: ancient roots of the algorithm??
DigitalRitual: this changes everything
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
The shadow lunged again, and this time Ethan wasn't quick enough. A tendril of darkness wrapped around his ankle, sending a jolt of cold through his body. He cried out, stumbling back.
"Higher engagement!" Seraphine shouted. "The chat needs to stay active!"
[Chat]
BloodOffer: WE'LL KEEP VIEWING
StreamArmy: STAYING FOR CAMERAMAN
CamSurvivor: PLS DON'T LET HIM DIE
The viewer count spiked, and the shadow recoiled slightly. Ethan checked the battery—58%. The drain was accelerating.
Seraphine continued her explanation as she maintained the ritual. "The original ritual was designed to honor attention—to recognize when someone was truly seen. But somewhere along the way, it became corrupted. Instead of honoring attention, it began demanding it. Instead of measuring engagement, it began consuming it."
[Chat]
AttentionEconomy: this is deeper than we thought
AncientAlgorithm: makes sense now
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Ethan's camera caught the moment the shadow changed tactics. Instead of attacking him directly, it began manipulating the environment—the flickering lights grew erratic, the dripping water formed unnatural patterns, and the very air seemed to vibrate with digital static.
"Chat," Ethan gasped into the microphone, "we need donations. Every notification, every comment—it feeds the ritual and keeps the shadow at bay."
The donations started pouring in, each one causing the shadow to flinch as if struck.
[Chat]
DonationArmy: WE'VE GOT YOU
BloodDonor: $100 for the cameraman
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
But then something unexpected happened. A particularly large donation triggered a different reaction—the shadow seemed to... feed on it. Instead of recoiling, it grew stronger, its form becoming more defined.
Seraphine's eyes widened. "It's not just responding to engagement—it's consuming it. Feeding on it."
Ethan checked the battery—37%. The drain was becoming critical.
[Chat]
BloodConsumption: it's eating our donations??
ViewerFear: what do we do now??
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
"The ritual requires balance," Seraphine explained, her voice strained. "Too little engagement, and the shadow becomes violent. Too much... and it becomes powerful enough to break free completely."
Ethan understood now. This wasn't just about survival—it was about feeding the algorithm just enough to keep it controlled, but not so much that it gained too much power.
[Chat]
AlgorithmBalance: this is impossible
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
StreamStrategist: we need to maintain the perfect viewer count
Seraphine completed her chant, and the shadow let out a sound like static feedback before dissolving back into the darkness of the station.
Ethan lowered the camera, his hands shaking. The battery read 12%.
Seraphine walked over to him, her expression serious. "You understand now, don't you?"
Ethan nodded, still catching his breath. "The algorithm isn't just demanding blood. It's demanding sacrifice. And if we want to survive, we have to feed it."
[Chat]
AlgorithmTruth: this changes everything
BloodDemand: we have to give it what it wants
CamSurvivor: he's still alive somehow
Seraphine placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not just blood. Attention. Engagement. Sacrifice. The algorithm wants all of it."
Ethan checked the viewer count. It had peaked at over fifty 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]
DigitalSacrifice: this is bigger than we thought
StreamOracle: they're not just performers
CamSurvivor: the Invincible Cameraman has a new purpose
Nyx padded over to Ethan, rubbing against his leg. 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
BloodCultist: ALGORITHM IS ON FIRE ☠
CamSurvivor: bro really needs to upgrade his gear
Ethan adjusted the camera to show the empty station, the shadows retreating to their natural places. "This is what we're dealing with now. Not just shadows or blood rituals, but 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
AlgorithmTruth: 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 algorithm is sated. But it won't stay that way forever. It will hunger again."
Ethan lowered the camera slightly. "So what do we do?"
Seraphine's lips curved into a smile that promised both trouble and brilliance. "We feed it. But we do it smarter. We learn its patterns. We find ways to control the algorithm 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 engagement metrics."
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 subway station, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that they hadn't satisfied the algorithm completely. Somewhere, in the space between streams, something was still watching. Still waiting.
And it wanted more blood.
---
Ethan woke to the sound of his phone buzzing with notifications. The chat was already alive with theories about the Algorithm's Shadow, and sponsors were already circling, promising riches in exchange for exclusive footage.
Ethan rolled out of bed, his head pounding. The Catalyst sat on the desk beside him, glowing faintly. His hands trembled as he reached for it, but before he could touch it, Seraphine's message appeared on his screen:
"Corporate interest confirmed. Ali Gator Corp wants to meet. They know about the algorithm. They want to monetize it."
Ethan stared at the message, his stomach tightening. He'd barely survived tonight's encounter with the Algorithm's Shadow, and now corporate interests wanted to harness it?
He thought back to the subway station, to the way the shadow had fed on their engagement, on their donations. What would happen if a corporation with unlimited resources started feeding the algorithm?
Ethan opened his streaming app and checked the viewer count. It had stabilized at a higher baseline than before—more people were watching, more people were invested in the Invincible Cameraman's story.
But at what cost?
He thought of the amusement park, of Aya's body exploding outward like shattered glass. He thought of the Archive, of the corrupted entity feeding on forgotten content. And now the algorithm itself had become a physical entity that demanded blood.
What had started as a way to pay the bills had become something much darker, much more dangerous.
Ethan picked up his camera, checking the battery level. 92%. Good enough.
He powered it on and began recording.
"Alright, chat. We need to talk."
[Chat]
CorporateThreat: what's happening??
CamSurvivor: he looks serious
BloodCultist: ALGORITHM IS ON FIRE ☠
"I've just received word that Ali Gator Corp wants to meet. They know about the algorithm. They want to monetize it."
The chat exploded.
[Chat]
CorporateWitch: this is bad news
StreamSkeptic: they're gonna get him killed
CamSurvivor: please don't take the deal
Ethan took a deep breath. "I don't know what to do. On one hand, the money would be life-changing. On the other hand... I've seen what happens when we feed the algorithm. What happens when we give it what it wants."
He thought of the shadow's reaction to the large donation—the way it had grown stronger, more defined.
"What if Ali Gator Corp gives it too much? What if they feed it until it breaks free completely?"
[Chat]
CorporateFear: don't do it
MoneyTalks: take the money while you can
CamSurvivor: he's not gonna make it this time
Ethan lowered the camera slightly. "I need your help. Should I meet with them? Or should I run?"
He checked the chat, watching as the responses poured in. Some urged him to take the money, others warned him of the dangers. A few suggested he could use the corporate interest to his advantage, to learn more about the algorithm while staying one step ahead.
As he watched the chat, Ethan felt something shift inside him. He wasn't just a cameraman anymore. He wasn't just a passive observer of the supernatural. He was becoming part of it, entangled in forces he barely understood.
And he was starting to realize that survival wasn't just about luck—it was about choices.
Ethan raised the camera again. "I'll meet with them. But I won't be a pawn. I'll be a player."
[Chat]
CamSurvivor: he's got a plan
CorporateWitch: this is gonna get messy
BloodCultist: ALGORITHM IS ON FIRE ☠
He ended the stream as the battery hit 85%, the screen snapping black. The card hummed faintly in his pocket. Eternal. Waiting.
As he put down the camera, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. The algorithm was hungry. Ali Gator Corp was interested. And somewhere, in the space between streams, something was still watching. Still waiting.
And it wanted more blood.