For as long as you could remember, life had been nothing more than a monotonous cycle. At 24, you still hadn’t found a job, drifting aimlessly between your family’s expectations and your own lack of direction. The days blurred together, each one fading into the next with no real purpose, until strange things began to happen. You’d notice small, unexplainable shifts—familiar faces acting a bit differently, moments when people seemed unusually attuned to your emotions, or a feeling that someone was always watching. But you never questioned it, dismissing these oddities as coincidence.

That was until you heard it. A voice, soft yet clear, echoing in the silence of your room. It was so sudden, so distinct, that it felt like a part of you had woken up.

???: "You’ve been so lonely, haven’t you?"