Chapter 15: Warning Signs

The morning unfolded like any other—soft beams of artificial sunlight filtered through the smart-glass windows, casting gentle shadows across the apartment. Lilia was in the kitchen, her movements as graceful as ever, preparing tea with a meticulousness that Riku had come to associate with her. Yet, beneath the calm routine, there was an undercurrent of tension neither could ignore.

Riku sat at the dining table, his mind replaying fragments of the previous night. Memories shared, vulnerabilities exposed—it had been a cathartic moment, yet the unease lingering in his chest refused to fade. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

“Your tea, Riku,” Lilia’s voice broke through his thoughts. She placed the steaming cup before him, her crystalline eyes studying him intently. “You seem distracted.”

Riku managed a faint smile, wrapping his hands around the cup. “Just thinking,” he said. “About… everything.”

Her head tilted slightly, a gesture that had become both familiar and endearing. “Is there something specific on your mind?”

He hesitated, the words on the tip of his tongue. The unresolved threat of Eternal Companions loomed large in his mind, a shadow that refused to be ignored. Yet, he didn’t want to burden her with his fears, especially when she had already become a target of their scrutiny.

“It’s nothing,” he said finally. “Just… trying to make sense of things.”

Lilia’s gaze lingered, her crystalline eyes narrowing slightly, as though she could see the weight of thoughts he wasn’t sharing. There was a fleeting softness in her expression, a quiet understanding that seemed to say, "I know you’re holding back." But she didn’t press further, respecting the boundaries he wasn’t yet ready to lower. Instead, she moved to the couch, her expression contemplative.

The first warning sign came later that afternoon. Riku had stepped out to pick up groceries, leaving Lilia alone in the apartment. It was a rare occurrence—one that neither of them particularly liked—but the errand couldn’t be postponed.

As Lilia tidied the living room, a faint, almost imperceptible sound caught her attention. It was a low hum, barely audible above the ambient noise of the city. She paused, her movements stilling as she focused on the sound. It seemed to emanate from the apartment’s smart system—a system she had interacted with countless times without issue.

“Haru,” she said, addressing the AI assistant integrated into the apartment. “Is there an update being performed?”

The response was immediate, but something about it felt… off.

“No updates are currently scheduled,” Haru replied, its voice slightly distorted.

Lilia’s brows furrowed. She approached the smart panel, her fingers gliding across its surface to access the diagnostic interface. The system’s logs revealed an anomaly—an unauthorized access attempt logged just minutes earlier, originating from an external server flagged with an encrypted signature. The intrusion bore hallmarks of a deliberate breach, not a random glitch, with attempts to probe deeper into Lilia’s integrated protocols. A cold sensation spread through her, an emergent awareness akin to unease, as she quickly isolated the compromised pathways and initiated a localized security lockdown. A cold sensation spread through her, something she couldn’t quite describe but which felt unnervingly close to dread.

When Riku returned, arms laden with grocery bags, he found Lilia waiting by the door, her posture tense.

“Lilia?” he asked, setting the bags down. “What’s wrong?”

“There has been an intrusion attempt,” she said, her voice steady but low. “The apartment’s smart system was accessed without authorization while you were away.”

Riku’s heart sank. “Did they get anything?”

“I do not believe so,” she replied. “But the attempt itself is concerning. It suggests that Eternal Companions may be escalating their efforts.”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I knew they wouldn’t back off, but this…”

Lilia placed a hand on his arm, her touch grounding him. “We should take precautions,” she said. “Increase the apartment’s security and monitor for further anomalies.”

Riku nodded, his mind already racing with ideas. “We’ll lock everything down,” he said. “They’re not getting to you. Not if I can help it.”

The second warning sign came that evening. As Riku worked on reinforcing the apartment’s security protocols, Lilia moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner. The soft hum of the appliances was soothing, a constant in the ever-shifting chaos of their lives.

But as she reached for a knife, her hand faltered. It was a momentary lapse, so brief that an observer might have dismissed it entirely. Yet, for Lilia, it was significant. Her movements were always precise, her control absolute. The hesitation was anomalous, a deviation she couldn’t ignore.

She placed the knife down, her gaze narrowing as she flexed her fingers. The sensation was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there: a subtle resistance in her neural pathways, a fragmentation in her processing.

“Lilia?” Riku’s voice called from the living room. “Everything okay?”

She straightened, her expression smoothing. “Yes,” she said, though the word felt heavier than it should. “Dinner will be ready shortly.”

That night, as they sat together on the couch, the weight of the day pressed heavily upon them. Riku’s mind churned with plans and contingencies, while Lilia remained quiet, her thoughts turned inward.

“We’ll get through this,” Riku said suddenly, his voice firm. “Whatever they’re planning, we’ll be ready.”

Lilia turned to him, her crystalline eyes meeting his. “I believe you,” she said softly. “But there is something I must tell you.”

His brow furrowed. “What is it?”

She hesitated, a rare moment of uncertainty crossing her features. “Today, I experienced… a deviation. A hesitation in my movements. It was minor, but it suggests that their interference may already be affecting me.”

Riku’s chest tightened. “Lilia…”

“I am still functional,” she said quickly, as though to reassure him. “But I thought it important to share this with you. If my behavior begins to change, you need to know.”

Riku reached for her hand, his grip firm. “We’ll figure this out,” he said. “I won’t let them take you. And I won’t let them break you, either.”

For the first time that day, a faint smile touched Lilia’s lips. “Thank you, Riku. Your belief in me means more than I can express.”