He checked the "ReadMe" file that came with the zip. It contained only one line: The code is written in the things you’ve deleted.

As he reached for his keyboard to type it in, he realized his fingers weren't touching plastic keys anymore. They were touching glass. He wasn't sitting at the desk. He was inside the window, watching a new version of himself—one who had just downloaded a file—reach for the mouse.

The screen didn't flicker; it deepened. The colors of his desktop—the messy folders, the half-finished reels—began to bleed and swirl like oil on water. When the software finally launched, it wasn't a recording interface. It was a live feed of his own room, but from an angle where no camera existed.

Elias knew the risks. His mentor had always warned him that "if the software is free, you’re the product," but his trial version had expired mid-project, and the client was breathing down his neck. He clicked "Download."