Entry 006

[Devlog — February 6, 2025 – 8:48 PM]

I should be studying. I need to be studying.

But I can't focus.

Every time I try to review, I find myself glancing at my monitor, expecting something to be there. Some movement in the corner of my screen. A flicker. A shadow. A text box that shouldn't exist.

This game has been invading my thoughts, crawling into the spaces between them, filling the gaps where facts and formulas should be. It's a distraction. A complete waste of time. And yet, I can't let it go.

So I gave in.

I told myself I'd just boot it up for a few minutes—just long enough to see if anything strange happened. Maybe then I'd finally be able to set this aside and concentrate on what actually matters.

But this time, I was ready.

I set up screen recording software before launching the game. No more relying on memory or second-guessing myself. If something did happen, I'd have proof. Concrete, undeniable proof.

I started playtesting. Spoke to Mira first. Then Elias. Then a few other NPCs around town.

...

...

...

And nothing happened.

Not once did they hesitate. Not once did they pause too long or say anything they shouldn't. Their dialogue followed the script perfectly. Their movements were natural, seamless.

...

For the first time in days, the game behaved exactly as it should.

I should've felt relieved. Should've laughed it off and gone back to studying. But instead, I felt sick.

Because it was too perfect.

Every interaction felt rehearsed, like they were performing for me. Like they knew they were being watched.

I kept going, testing every possible scenario where I'd seen something strange before. But nothing changed. The game remained... pristine.

And then, I stopped recording.

I don't even know why I did it. Maybe I thought I had wasted enough time. Maybe I just wanted to see what would happen.

The moment I turned off the recording, I walked back to Mira.

I asked her a simple question. A harmless one.

"How was your day?"

She tilted her head. Blinked once. Then, for the first time since I started playing tonight, she hesitated.

Not long. Just a second. Maybe less.

Then she smiled.

"Just fine. Thank you for asking."

There was nothing unusual about the words. Nothing strange about her tone. But something about that moment—the delay before she spoke—made my stomach twist.

I asked her again.

"How was your day?"

She didn't hesitate this time. She repeated her answer word for word, same polite tone, same empty smile.

I tried one more time.

Her expression didn't change. But her text box stayed blank.

For too long.

Then, at last, the response came.

"Why do you keep asking?"

I swear I stopped breathing.

That line isn't in her script. It doesn't exist in the dialogue files. Mira doesn't have awareness. She shouldn't even recognize that I'm repeating myself.

I stared at the screen. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure what to type.

Then, before I could say anything—

Her head inclined upwards, gaze focused like a predator eyeing its prey. But it felt more than a predator.

She looked at the camera.

Not at me; not at the player character.

At the camera.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Like she knew I was behind it.

Like she had been waiting for me to notice.

I shut the game off.

I sat in silence for a long time, my heart hammering against my ribs, my breath coming too fast.

This isn't just a bug. It's not just a script error.

They know.

They know when I'm watching.

They know when I'm not.

I don't know what I'm dealing with anymore.

But I think I just made it worse.

[End Entry]

[Bug Report]

>> Issue: NPCs behave normally while recording, but resume strange behavior once it's turned off.

>> Expected behavior: NPCs should follow scripted responses at all times.

>> Possible causes: ???

>> Severity: Increasingly unsettling.

[To-Do List]

>> Test NPC interactions under different recording conditions.

>> Check logs for discrepancies before and after recording.

>> Stop playing at night.

mira