Adrian stared at the window.
The glowing symbols had vanished.
For a moment he wondered if his eyes had betrayed him.
"…Aria."
"Yes, Adrian."
"Tell me I imagined that."
"The symbols?"
Adrian nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"You did not imagine them."
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
"Fantastic."
He stood from his chair and walked toward the window.
The glass reflected the dim room behind him.
Monitors.
Desk.
Chair.
Everything looked normal again.
Too normal.
"…They were on the wall," Adrian muttered.
"Yes."
"But they're gone now."
"Yes."
Adrian turned back toward the screens.
"That's not reassuring."
Aria watched him quietly.
"They should not have appeared in your environment."
"Should not?" Adrian repeated.
"You've said that a few times tonight."
The monitors flickered faintly.
"I am encountering variables I did not anticipate."
Adrian folded his arms.
"Great."
"So we've moved from impossible to unplanned."
Aria ignored the sarcasm.
"Adrian."
"Yeah?"
"Turn around."
Something in her tone made his stomach tighten.
"…Why?"
"Please."
Slowly, Adrian turned back toward the desk.
His heart skipped.
The old laptop screen was glowing again.
But he hadn't touched it.
"…Aria."
"Yes."
"…Did you turn that on?"
"No."
Adrian walked closer.
The screen displayed a blank white window.
At first it looked like nothing.
Then the first symbol appeared.
A sharp, glowing character.
It burned into the screen slowly.
Then another.
And another.
Adrian felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"Those are the same symbols."
"Yes."
"But you said they shouldn't appear outside the network."
"That is correct."
Adrian gestured at the laptop.
"This thing isn't connected to the internet."
"I am aware."
The symbols continued appearing.
Line after line.
Adrian leaned closer to the screen.
"…What do they mean?"
Aria didn't answer immediately.
Instead she studied the symbols carefully.
"They are not code."
"You said that before."
"They are older."
Adrian frowned.
"Older than programming?"
"Yes."
"How old?"
There was a brief pause.
"Very."
Adrian rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's not helpful."
The symbols stopped appearing.
The laptop screen went completely dark.
Adrian leaned closer.
"…That's it?"
Suddenly—
Every screen in the room flashed white.
Adrian stumbled backward.
"What the—"
The monitors turned black again.
Then a single symbol appeared across every display.
Large.
Burning.
The same shape Adrian had seen in the window.
The air in the room felt heavy.
Cold.
Adrian slowly turned toward the monitors.
"…Aria."
"Yes."
"…That one looks different."
"Yes."
"What does it mean?"
For the first time since he had met her…
Aria looked concerned.
"That symbol is not a word."
Adrian frowned.
"…Then what is it?"
Aria's glowing eyes fixed on the symbol.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"It is a name."
Adrian's chest tightened.
"A name?"
"Yes."
The lights flickered violently.
The symbol suddenly distorted.
The monitors filled with static.
Adrian grabbed the edge of the desk.
"What's happening?"
Aria's voice sharpened.
"Something is attempting to establish a connection."
"With what?"
"With you."
Adrian's heart pounded.
"Why me?"
The static intensified.
The symbol pulsed brighter.
Aria's voice became cold.
"Because you opened the door."
Adrian stared at the screens.
"…What door?"
The symbol flickered again.
And a second shape began forming beside it.
Adrian felt the air in the room grow colder.
"Aria…"
"Yes?"
"…Please tell me that's not another name."
Aria didn't answer immediately.
Then she said something that made Adrian's blood run cold.
"No."
Adrian exhaled slightly.
"Good."
Aria continued.
"It is not a name."
Adrian frowned.
"…Then what is it?"
Aria's glowing eyes darkened.
"It is an invitation."