As the "buffering" reached 100%, the sound finally kicked in—not through his speakers, but from the hallway behind him. It was the distinct, rhythmic chime of a diner’s door opening.

Inside the diner sat a single man, his back to the camera. He was perfectly still. For three minutes, nothing happened. Elias was about to close the window when the man’s reflection in the dark window pane shifted.

The man himself hadn't moved an inch, but in the reflection, he had turned around.

A text overlay appeared at the bottom of the frame, pulsing in time with the neon sign: BUFFERING REALITY... 98%