Haruto and Sera sat in a small room above an old shop.
Below, the city moved like clockwork—people walking in rhythm, machines letting out soft steam, gears turning without rest.
The ticking in Haruto's chest hadn't stopped. It was like a second heartbeat now.
Sera poured hot water into two small cups. "You need to hide that badge," she said.
Haruto looked at it again.
Kazen Ishida. Candidate.
It had burned into the metal like it belonged there.
"I didn't choose this," he said.
"Doesn't matter," she replied. "The machines chose you. That badge means you're marked for something bigger than either of us."
He looked out the dusty window. "Then what now?"
She took a sip and said, "We wait. Just for a bit. See what happens."
But they didn't have time to wait.
A soft sound came from outside. Like a slow knock—but on metal, not wood.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Sera froze. "Don't move," she whispered.
Haruto didn't understand. "What is it?"
She got up slowly and peeked through the edge of the curtain.
Then she stepped back, face pale.
"It's him."
"Who?"
She looked at Haruto. Her voice dropped low.
"The man with the silver eye."
Before he could ask more, the door opened.
But no one had touched it.
The man stepped inside.
He wore a long coat, dark like rusted iron. His hat covered half his face, but Haruto could still see one thing clearly—his left eye.
It wasn't human.
It was a round silver machine that blinked and spun softly.
"Candidate," the man said.
Haruto stood.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am a Watchman."
His voice was calm. No anger. No fear.
"Your file is active again. The system wants to know if the Kazen file has been corrupted… or reborn."
"I'm not Kazen," Haruto said.
The man nodded once. "That is what we are here to test."
Sera moved between them. "Leave him alone. He hasn't done anything."
The man didn't even look at her.
"This isn't punishment," he said. "This is measurement."
He raised his hand.
The silver eye spun faster.
Haruto's chest began to burn.
The ticking grew louder. Stronger.
TICK. TICK. TICK.
And then—
CRACK.
A wave of sound burst out from Haruto's body.
The windows shook. The machines outside stuttered.
The Watchman stumbled back, coat flaring from the force.
Haruto gasped. His chest steamed. The badge had turned red-hot.
The man stood, brushing dust off his coat. He looked at Haruto again.
"…Interesting," he said. "You might not be him."
He turned around. "But something in you remembers how he ended."
Then he vanished.
No door.
No sound.
Just gone.
Sera dropped to the floor, breathing fast. "What… was that?"
Haruto sat down. He held his chest.
And whispered:
"…What am I becoming?"