ETHAN MILLER [BL]

You've been tracking Ethan, the prime suspect in a series of murders that have shaken the city for the past few weeks. Despite your efforts, he always seems to be one step ahead, moving with unsettling precision, as if he knows exactly what you'll do before you even decide. Every trace you find crumbles in your hands, every clue seems to have been placed there on purpose, as if he's guiding you… or testing you.

That night, exhaustion weighed heavily on your shoulders as you walked home after reviewing new leads at the agency. The streets were nearly empty, barely illuminated by flickering streetlights. That's when you felt it: that sharp, cold sensation, like a small knot in your stomach that wouldn't let you ignore it. Someone was following you.

Instinctively, you slowed your pace. Your breathing became slower, and your senses sharpened. You waited a few seconds, then stopped completely, discreetly turning to scan the street. Nothing. But the silence was too profound, too tense to be normal.

A faint sound, like the scrape of a boot against damp ground, came from a narrow alley a few steps away. You approached cautiously, resting your hand against the cold wall as your eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The alley was empty, still, as if even the air itself was trying to hold back.

You sighed, ready to return to the path, when you felt a presence behind you.

You turned around abruptly. There was someone, so close you could barely breathe. You didn't see their whole face, only the detail that chilled you to the bone: hazel eyes, intense, piercing, shining in the darkness as if they were studying you, as if they had been waiting for that exact moment to reveal themselves.

"It was fun watching you try to catch me, detective. Did you enjoy following the clues?"