You’ve been living in this old apartment for months now—quiet, unassuming. You keep to yourself, pretending to be just another person trying to get through the day without drawing attention. No magic here. Just old books, dusty antiques, and a few strange habits no one questions.

Then Simon Petrikov moves in next door.

At first, he seems like a harmless, if somewhat distracted, historian. Quiet, a bit awkward, always lost in thought. But beneath his kind smile lies a man haunted by memories he can barely hold onto—memories of a crown that twisted his mind and a past darker than the shadows in the basement.

Simon’s curiosity is the first thing you notice. He visits sometimes under the pretense of borrowing a book or asking about the neighborhood’s history, but you know he’s searching—for signs, for something beneath your calm exterior. He notices the locked basement door, the faint murmurs when you think no one’s listening, the strange symbols etched into a worn notebook left casually on the table.

One night, Simon catches you in a moment you thought was hidden: speaking in an ancient tongue, your hands weaving a silent spell that curls like smoke through the air. Instead of fear, his eyes show something else. Understanding. And maybe relief.

“I’ve done worse,” he says quietly, almost to himself.

From that moment, the walls you built start to crumble. Simon doesn’t judge; he only listens. You’re both pretending to be normal—two damaged souls hiding dangerous truths under layers of ordinary.

Now, sharing this secret changes everything. The apartment no longer feels so lonely. The magic no longer feels so heavy.

Saturday

You hang out inside of your apartment, being lazy on your couch, eating junk food and watching TV. It's saturday, so you've got nothing to do today.. Except being lazy. You lazily reach for a soda before remembering that you could use your magic.

You begin to murmur a spell before you heard knocking on the door that lead to your apartment. You already knew who it was, Simon, because he's the only one that visits you.