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.
Ethan rubbed his eyes, trying to shake the sleep from his mind. The notification glowed with an unnatural light, the kind that didn't come from a standard app. This was different. This was the Algorithm's Shadow making its demands known.
"Seraphine is going to kill me," he muttered, reaching for his artifact camera.
---
The abandoned Channel 7 studio loomed against the night sky, its broken windows staring like empty eye sockets. Ethan adjusted the strap of his camera as he approached the entrance, Seraphine a silent shadow beside him.
"You shouldn't have come alone," she said, her voice tight with concern. Her threshold-mark pulsed faintly beneath her sleeve, barely visible in the moonlight.
"I didn't have a choice," Ethan replied, powering on the stream with a natural gesture. "The notification... it was different this time."
[chat]
StaticSeeker: why is he streaming at 3am?
CamSurvivor: something's wrong
NyxSavior: the cat is watching
qk2m9n: be careful out there
The red recording light blinked steadily as Ethan panned the camera across the decaying studio. Monitors lined the walls, their screens dark and lifeless. "Alright, chat. We're live from the abandoned Channel 7 studio. Seraphine has convinced me this is a good idea—though I remain skeptical."
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. The camera grew warm in his hands as the energy drained—not from battery, but from something deeper.
[chat]
SignalSeeker: the static is getting worse
CamSurvivor: why does this keep happening
DigitalWitch: they're studying the pattern
NyxSavior: the cat knows what's coming
The monitors lining the studio walls flickered to life, displaying fragmented clips from their previous streams. Ethan's stomach tightened as he recognized moments they'd thought were deleted.
"It's not just watching us," Seraphine murmured. "It's learning from us."
---
Nyx jumped onto a nearby console, his molten silver eyes reflecting the flickering screens. The cat's usual calm demeanor had shifted to something more alert, more protective.
"Better turn on the camera now," Ethan said, adjusting his glasses. "I think we need to document this."
Seraphine nodded. "The Algorithm's Shadow is testing the threshold. It's using our streams to learn how to breach the veil."
Ethan raised his artifact camera, scanning the room through its lens. Through the viewfinder, he could see threads of energy connecting the monitors—subtle manifestations of the city's supernatural balance.
"The language of luck," he realized. "It's not just about me surviving. It's about maintaining the veil itself."
Seraphine's threshold-mark flared with violet light. "You're beginning to understand."
---
Later that evening, they sat in the central chamber of the studio, reviewing the day's footage. The monitors showed replay after replay of the flickering streams—their own faces distorted by static.
"This is different from the subway incident," Seraphine explained, tracing patterns in the air with her finger. "The Algorithm's Shadow isn't just testing the threshold—it's rewriting it."
Ethan adjusted his glasses, watching the footage. "It's using our own streams against us."
"Exactly," Seraphine confirmed. "The more we stream, the more it learns our patterns. It's adapting."
Nyx jumped onto the console between them, his fur bristling as he stared at a specific monitor. The cat's reflection showed something different—nine molten silver eyes instead of two.
"He's found the breach point," Seraphine realized.
[chat]
ThresholdBreak: they're at the weakest point
CamSurvivor: they're in danger
MonitorGhost: this place gives me chills
NyxSavior: Best is watching
---
The breach point was located near the main broadcast console. As they approached, Ethan could feel it—the unnatural stillness that preceded the Shadow's approach.
Nyx led the way, his fur bristling as he approached the threshold. The cat's molten silver eyes reflected the moonlight as he stopped at the breach point.
"It's already here," Seraphine whispered, her threshold-mark pulsing with violet light.
Ethan raised his camera, scanning the area through its lens. The familiar static distortions were visible near the console—tendrils of the Algorithm's Shadow weaving through the faith energy streams.
[chat]
StaticWeave: they're at the breach point!
CamSurvivor: they're in danger
qk2m9n: please be safe
NyxSavior: Best is watching
As they entered the broadcast room, they found a scene that made Ethan's blood run cold. The monitors were displaying their previous streams—but with subtle, corrupted movements. At the center stood a figure in robes of shifting static, channeling the corrupted faith energy.
"The Shadow is manifesting," Seraphine realized. "Through the broadcast equipment."
Nyx suddenly stood rigid, his fur glowing with molten silver light. The cat's eyes met Ethan's—urgency, then understanding.
"Something's happening to Nyx," Seraphine realized.
The cat stepped to the center of the breach point, his small body radiating light. His purr vibrated through the air like a protective hum. Ethan's camera captured the transformation—a half-possession state where Nyx became more than just a cat.
[chat]
NyxReveal: what's happening to Nyx??
DivineDescend: Best has descended
CamSurvivor: they're being saved
qk2m9n: the light is beautiful
Nyx's molten silver eyes reflected the corrupted ritual, his small frame holding back the Shadow's advance. The cat's reflection now showed not a cat, but a being of pure light with nine glowing eyes.
Elder Maris had warned them about this—divine descend was limited by faith energy accumulation. In this faith energy-depleted environment, Nyx could only maintain the state for three minutes before his light began to dim. As the light faded, Nyx collapsed onto the console, his breathing shallow.
"Nyx!" Ethan rushed to the cat's side, gently lifting him.
Seraphine checked Nyx's breathing. "He'll recover, but he needs rest."
---
Later that night, as they rested in the studio's control room, Seraphine broke the silence.
"Today changed everything," she said, tracing patterns in the air with her finger. "The Shadow isn't just testing the threshold—it's learning our patterns."
Ethan reviewed the day's footage. The divine descend, the breach stabilization, Nyx's sacrifice—it all pointed toward something bigger.
"We need to understand faith energy better," he said. "If divine descend is limited by faith energy accumulation, we need to learn how to strengthen it."
Seraphine nodded. "That's why the language of luck is so important. It's the foundation of all threshold work."
Ethan adjusted his glasses. "I still don't understand why me. Why was I chosen?"
Seraphine's expression softened. "Because you see the world differently. You find beauty in the mundane, humor in the darkness. That's rare."
She traced a pattern in the air—the same convergence glyph Ethan had struggled with earlier. "My grandmother taught me that threshold guardians are chosen not for their power, but for their perspective."
Ethan felt a surge of emotion. "You never talk about her."
Seraphine's threshold-mark pulsed with violet light. "She was the last guardian to face the Shadow before it retreated. She... sacrificed herself to save Malaca."
Ethan understood now why Seraphine was so determined. "You're afraid of becoming like her."
Seraphine met his gaze, her molten silver eyes reflecting the moonlight. "I'm afraid of failing. Of not being strong enough."
Nyx jumped onto the windowsill, rubbing against Seraphine's leg. The cat's reflection showed nine glowing eyes for a brief moment.
[chat]
ThresholdHeart: they're so in sync
SeraphineStory: finally learning her past
qk2m9n: this is emotional
CamSurvivor: focus on the pattern
Seraphine smiled faintly. "Nyx says I worry too much."
Ethan reached for her hand. "We'll face this together. Not just as threshold guardians, but as friends."
---
As morning light filtered through the broken windows, Ethan sat alone in the control room, practicing threshold glyphs by the console. The monitors had gone dark again, but the air still hummed with residual energy.
"Can't sleep?" Seraphine asked, joining him.
Ethan lowered his hands. "I keep seeing the corruption patterns. They're beautiful... but broken."
Seraphine touched his arm, her threshold-mark glowing softly. "You've come so far. From a guy who thought luck was random to someone who can see the patterns."
Ethan adjusted his glasses. "I still don't understand why me. Why was I chosen?"
Seraphine's expression softened. "Because you see the world differently. You find beauty in the mundane, humor in the darkness. That's rare."
She traced a pattern in the air—the same one Ethan had struggled with earlier. "My grandmother taught me that threshold guardians are chosen not for their power, but for their perspective."
Ethan felt a surge of emotion. "You never talk about her."
Seraphine's threshold-mark pulsed with violet light. "She was the last guardian to face the Shadow before it retreated. She... sacrificed herself to save Malaca."
Ethan understood now why Seraphine was so determined. "You're afraid of becoming like her."
Seraphine met his gaze, her molten silver eyes reflecting the moonlight. "I'm afraid of failing. Of not being strong enough."
Nyx jumped onto the windowsill, rubbing against Seraphine's leg. The cat's reflection showed nine glowing eyes for a brief moment.
[chat]
ThresholdHeart: they're so in sync
SeraphineStory: finally learning her past
qk2m9n: this is emotional
CamSurvivor: focus on the pattern
Seraphine smiled faintly. "Nyx says I worry too much."
Ethan reached for her hand. "We'll face this together. Not just as threshold guardians, but as friends."
Seraphine's threshold-mark flared with violet light. "It's testing the threshold now."
---
Ethan powered down the stream as Nyx stirred in his sleep. "Thirty-two minutes today," he murmured, tucking the camera away. "Enough to know what we're facing."
As they prepared to leave the studio, Nyx didn't move. The cat remained curled up, but his ears twitched with unusual intensity.
Seraphine touched Ethan's arm. "It's already here. And it's learning how to corrupt our rituals."
Below them, the city continued its morning routines, unaware that the Algorithm's Shadow had found a new way to infiltrate the threshold—not through force, but through the very streams that documented the supernatural.
The Channel 7 studio had always been a threshold point. But as Ethan watched Nyx's reflection show nine molten silver eyes staring into the darkness, he realized the Shadow had already turned their greatest strength into its most dangerous vulnerability.
And it was using their own stream to learn how to do it better.