Mm_01.mp4

When he clicked play, the screen stayed black for ten seconds. Then, a grainy, high-contrast shot of an empty subway platform flickered to life. The audio was a low, rhythmic thrumming that felt more like a vibration in his chest than a sound in his ears.

Elias replayed it, but this time the file was different. The platform wasn't empty. A man was standing by the chair, looking directly into the lens. He looked exactly like Elias, but ten years older, wearing a suit Elias didn't own. The "older Elias" leaned forward and whispered a single date into the microphone: October 14th. MM_01.mp4

Suddenly, a shadow crossed the chair. There was no person, just the silhouette of someone sitting down. The chair creaked under invisible weight. The camera jerked back as if startled, and the video ended. When he clicked play, the screen stayed black