Preparing a gift

The sky was growing dark over Pagos.

Vany tidied up the last table, letting out a long sigh. The day had felt endless—not because of the work, but because of the thoughts swirling in her head. She glanced over at Alice, who was stacking glasses on the rack.

Vany (softly): “Lis... can I stay over at your place tonight?”

Alice paused for a moment, then looked at Vany with gentle eyes.

Alice: “What’s wrong? You look really worn out.”

Vany: “I just... want some company. I don’t want to be alone.”

Alice gave a small smile and nodded.

Alice: “Sure. Just don’t snore, okay?”

Vany chuckled quietly, relieved. But before they could leave the bar, Maros’s voice rang out from behind.

Maros (cheerfully): “Hey, before you guys head out... how about we play hide-and-seek again?”

Vany froze. Alice turned, confused.

Maros (looking at Vany): “All three of us. You, me, and Alice. It'll be more fun that way.”

Vany took half a step back. Her face went pale.

Vany (hurriedly): “Sorry, Maros... I can’t. I... don’t want to.”

Maros fell silent. His smile slowly faded, and he stared at Vany a little longer than usual.

Maros (quietly): “Oh... alright. Maybe next time.”

Without another word, he grabbed his bag and walked out of Pagos. His steps were calm, but something about them felt... hollow.

Vany and Alice exchanged glances, then left together.

That night, Vany stayed at Alice’s house. They ate instant noodles, watched crystal broadcasts, and talked softly until late. But deep inside, the shadow of Maros hadn’t truly left her.

Maros hadn’t gone home.

He crouched in the corner of the bar, replacing a cracked wooden plank beneath the drink rack. His hands were dirty, but his movements remained precise. He worked in silence, accompanied only by the ticking of the dimensional clock and the faint hum of the ether cooler.

Then, a voice emerged from behind him.

Shadow (echoing, respectful): “Master Maros... you haven’t returned.”

Maros didn’t turn around. He simply paused, then sat cross-legged on the floor.

Maros: “I’m not finished.”

Shadow: “I bring news, Master. A new path has opened. The Tower of Knowledge is offering a position—Dimensional Explorer. You could learn more about this world... and the others beyond.”

Maros: “And if I stay here?”

Shadow: “Then you will remain the keeper of Pagos. But the doors will begin to close. This world... will start to forget you.”

Silence. Only the ether wind whispered beyond the window.

Maros: “Vany refused to play hide-and-seek today.”

Shadow: “I know, Master. It wasn’t about the game. It was about boundaries.”

Shadow’s voice began to fade, as if retreating from physical space.

Shadow: “The choice need not be made now. But time here... does not move in a straight line.”

Stillness returned to the room.

After Shadow vanished, Maros stood up slowly. He wiped his hands with an ether cloth, then stepped out of Pagos. The streets were empty, veiled in a thin mist that drifted between semi-organic buildings.

He walked in silence, passing through corridors that subtly shifted shape as he moved. His home was located at the edge of the stable zone—a region less affected by dimensional distortion, yet still... not entirely real.

Upon arrival, Maros unlocked the door with a crystal identifier. The house responded with a soft glow, adjusting its temperature to match his pulse.

He sat on a low-gravity chair, gazing at the ceiling where stars from his original world were projected. The world he had left behind. The world that, perhaps, no longer remembered him.

Maros (thinking): “This world... it’s too quiet. So why am I still here?”

On the table before him lay a relic from the past—a simple analog wristwatch, the only object that refused to sync with local time.

He thought about Shadow’s offer. The Tower of Knowledge. Dimensional exploration. Countless worlds waiting to be understood.

But also Pagos. Vany. Alice. And a game that never truly ended.

Maros lay down inside the sleep capsule. Its walls emitted calming waves, and faint sounds from a neutral dimension began to echo softly.

Just before his eyes closed, he whispered:

Maros: “If this world is a dream... I want to know who’s asleep.”

Then he slept. And for now, the world let him rest.

The clock struck 2:00 a.m.

Maros awoke to a voice echoing gently through his room. He opened his eyes slowly. The ceiling panels glowed faintly, signaling that something unusual was happening.

Shadow (calm, respectful): “Master Maros... forgive me for waking you. But there is something I must tell you.”

Maros sat up, rubbing his face, then looked toward his servant’s silhouette standing quietly in the corner.

Maros: “What is it?”

Shadow: “It’s not a threat, Master. It’s... an opportunity. I believe it’s time you gave something to them. To Miss Alice and Miss Vany.”

Maros: “A gift?”

Shadow: “Something that would bring them joy. But also... something that could protect them. This world is not always stable, and they’ve wandered too close to its edges.”

Maros rose and walked to his desk, unlocking a drawer sealed with a light incantation. Inside, two small crystals pulsed gently—one a soft blue, the other a deep violet.

Shadow: “Magic, Master. Tuned to their soul resonance. Not too powerful, but enough to endure... or to play.”

Maros stared at the crystals for a long moment, then gave a faint smile.

Maros: “If they know it’s from me... they might get suspicious.”

Shadow: “I can deliver it anonymously, if you wish.”

Maros: “Make it look like a gift from the world itself. Not from anyone.”

Shadow: “As you command, Master.”

Maros stepped toward the window, gazing out at a landscape that shimmered with dimensional inconsistencies—trees that flickered like signals, and a sky that reflected patterns from somewhere else.

He held the crystal in his hand, watching its light pulse in rhythm with something he couldn’t name.

And that night, without another word, he waited for the world to turn its next page.