A normal day?

That morning, Bar Pagos opened like usual. Soft music played, the aroma of coffee lingered in the air, and the clinking of glasses echoed gently. Vany walked in with a tired face, her eyes still red from lack of sleep.

And there stood Alice.

Fresh. Neat. A faint smile. As if she hadn’t turned into a zombie and tried to bite someone’s neck the night before.

Alice: “Morning, Van. You look like… someone who just got rolled up in a carpet.”

Vany (startled): “You… you’re okay?”

Alice: “Huh? Why wouldn’t I be? I just overslept. Had a weird dream, but nothing dramatic.”

Vany stared at Alice for a long moment. No wounds. No signs of a curse. Her clothes were spotless.

Vany (quietly): “You don’t remember anything?”

Alice: “Like what? I dreamed I was being chased by a giant cat, but I don’t think that’s what you mean.”

Vany slowly stepped back, then walked toward the bar. There, Maros was arranging bottles—just like always. Too normal.

Vany: “Maros.”

Maros (without turning around): “Morning, Vany. You look like someone who just realized the world’s a simulation.”

Vany: “You… you’re the Demon King, aren’t you?”

Maros (pausing for a moment, then chuckling softly): “Demon King? Me? I can’t even get elected as a neighborhood chief.”

Vany: “You saved me last night. You killed Alice’s gang. You took her to your mansion. You have a Shadow!”

Maros (looking at Vany with a faint smile): “Van, if I had that kind of power, do you really think I’d be wasting my time in a bar like this?”

Vany: “I saw everything!”

Maros: “If you saw everything, then why is there nothing to prove it? Alice is fine. The bar’s intact. Maybe you just… had a bad dream?”

Vany stared at Alice, her eyes filled with doubt.

Vany: “Alice… last night you changed. You attacked people. You—you weren’t yourself.”

Alice (frowning, then letting out a soft laugh): “Van, are you serious? That was just a bad dream. I had a weird one too, but nothing that crazy.”

Vany: “It wasn’t a dream. I saw everything. You were bleeding. You… you were possessed or something.”

Alice (looking at Vany with a confused expression): “Van, I woke up this morning in my own bed. No wounds, no blood. My clothes are clean. Are you sure you’re not just exhausted?”

Vany (shaking her head, voice trembling): “No. I was awake. I ran from you. Maros came. He—he saved me.”

Alice (soft smile, gentle tone): “If that really happened, why doesn’t anyone remember? Why is there no proof? Maybe it was just a nightmare, Van. Sometimes our brains play tricks when we’re stressed.”

Vany fell silent. Alice’s words made sense… too much sense. But her heart refused to accept it. She could still feel the cold of that night, the smell of blood, the whispers from the shadows.

Vany (thinking to herself): “If it was just a dream… why did it feel so real?”

She glanced toward Maros, still busy arranging bottles. That faint smile on his face seemed to know more than it let on.

Vany (quietly): “So… is everyone lying? Or am I the one who’s broken?”

Vany stepped closer to the bar, her eyes locked on Maros.

Vany: “You know something. You were there. You saved me.”

Maros (still arranging bottles, voice casual): “Van, are you sure you haven’t just… watched one too many thrillers before bed?”

Vany: “Don’t joke. I saw you. You had a living shadow. You killed them all.”

Maros (pausing, then looking at Vany with a faint smile): “A living shadow? Murder? Are you sure that’s not just… a metaphor from a nightmare?”

Vany: “Stop messing around, Maros. I know what I saw.”

Maros (leaning in slightly, voice soft but sharp): “Van, our minds… they’re tricky. Sometimes they make us believe things that never happened. Especially when we’re stressed, sleep-deprived, or… secretly hoping the world hides something extraordinary.”

Vany (silent, beginning to doubt): “But… it felt real. I remember the details. The sounds, the smell, the fear… all of it.”

Maros (leaning closer, gaze calm but piercing): “If it was real, then why doesn’t anyone remember? Why is Alice perfectly fine? Why isn’t the bar destroyed? Do you think the world heals overnight?”

Vany: “Maybe… maybe you cleaned it all up. You have that kind of power.”

Maros (chuckling softly): “Van, if I had that kind of power, do you really think I’d be wasting my time in a bar like this?”

Vany fell silent. Maros’s words made sense. Too much sense. But there was something in his eyes—something she couldn’t quite name. As if he was enjoying her confusion.

Vany (thinking to herself): “He’s lying. But why can’t I prove it?”

Bar Pagos closed early that night. One by one, the lights were turned off, and the last customer had already left. Vany pretended to leave first, but quietly hid in the alley nearby, waiting.

Soon after, Maros stepped out through the back door. His stride was calm, hands in his pockets, his face as unreadable as ever.

Vany followed from a distance, weaving through narrow, quiet streets. Maros walked with certainty, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

Eventually, he stopped at a small, dimly lit park. Only a flickering streetlamp cast light over the scene. Maros stood still. Then… the shadow beneath his feet began to move.

Vany (thinking): “That’s… his Shadow.”

The shadow stretched, forming a vague silhouette—like a faceless figure. A low, echoing voice emerged, not from Maros’s mouth, but from the shadow itself.

Shadow: “They’re starting to suspect. Especially the girl.”

Maros (calmly): “Vany? Yeah, she’s stubborn. But not dangerous. Not yet.”

Shadow: “The others? Alice, the customers?”

Maros: “They’re just pawns. Some can be used. Some… will be discarded.”

Shadow: “And Vany?”

Maros (pausing, then smiling faintly): “We’ll see. If she crosses the threshold, maybe she’s worth more than just a pawn.”

Vany held her breath. Her heart pounded. Maros’s words echoed in her mind.

Vany (thinking): “So… he really isn’t normal. And everyone in that bar… they’re just part of his game?”

The shadow slowly receded back into Maros’s feet. He turned slightly, as if sensing something.

Maros (softly): “If you’re going to spy, Van… at least remember to breathe.”

Vany flinched. She stepped back, startled. But Maros didn’t chase her. He simply stood beneath the streetlamp, that faint smile still on his face.