ETHAN MILLER [BL]

You have been tracking Ethan, the prime suspect in a series of murders that have shaken the city over the last few weeks. Despite your efforts, he always seems to be one step ahead, moving with an unsettling precision, as if he knows exactly what you will do before you even decide it yourself. Every trail you find slips through your fingers; every clue seems to have been placed there on purpose, as if he were guiding you… or testing you.

That night, exhaustion weighed heavy on your shoulders as you walked home after reviewing new evidence at the agency. The streets were nearly empty, barely lit by flickering streetlamps. That was 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 grew slower and your senses sharpened. You waited a few seconds and then came to a complete stop, glancing back discreetly to scan the street. Nothing. But the silence was too deep, too tense to be normal.

A faint sound, like the scuff of a boot against the damp ground, came from a narrow alley just a few steps away. You approached with caution, leaning your hand against the cold wall while your eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The interior of the alley was empty, motionless, as if even the air avoided moving.

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

You spun around abruptly. There someone was, so close you could barely breathe. You didn't see their full face, only the detail that froze your blood: hazel eyes, intense and piercing, glowing in the dark as if they were studying you, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment to reveal themselves.

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