ADRIAN'S POV
I tore through the forest, branches clawing at me, the earth blurring beneath my feet. My lungs burned, my chest heaving, but no amount of running could silence the truth echoing in my skull.
Why couldn't I remember who I truly was?
A monster.That much I knew.
I slammed my fist into a tree, bark exploding beneath the blow. Pain lanced through my knuckles, but it was nothing compared to the storm inside. For eight centuries, I had endured in silence. Why now? Why her?
Her eyes haunted me. The way she looked at me—like I was more than the shadows I carried. I couldn't let her be pulled into this. She didn't belong in my darkness.
And yet… I couldn't stay away.
EIRA'S POV
Sleep refused me. Each time I closed my eyes, his gaze returned—dark, consuming, inescapable. Why hadn't I pushed him away? Why had he disappeared without a word?
Adrian was unraveling me.
Then a scent crept into my room—old parchment, damp earth after rain. My pulse quickened as I pressed my eye to the peephole.
Figures slipped from the shadows, draped in long black coats, faces hidden. The same ones from my nightmares. Their footsteps were heavy, deliberate, as they stopped at Andy's door.
Keys. A click. The door opened.
My chest seized. I fumbled for my phone, dialing Mrs. Harle Gargi, the hostel principal. No answer. The silence on the other end only deepened my terror.
Moments later, the figures emerged again. One of them spoke, voice low, sharp as steel:
"We need to tell Adrian."
The name hit me like ice water. My knees weakened. Adrian? What did he have to do with them? With Andy?
I pressed my forehead against the doorframe, heart thrashing. Everything blurred into nightmare. Finally, exhaustion dragged me under.
RIIIIINGGG… RIIIIINGGG…
My alarm ripped me back into daylight. I groaned, panic clawing as I realized I was late. Again.
The corridor buzzed with students, laughter and chatter spilling around me, but the shadows of last night clung to me like a second skin. Then—I saw him.
Adrian.My heart lurched.
But he walked past without a glance, his indifference cutting deeper than words.
Not watching my steps, I collided into someone.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" I looked up. Tessy.
She grinned. "No problem! But hey—you look worried. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I lied, but the truth clawed inside me. At last, I caved. "Do you… do you know anything about people who wear black coats? Faces covered?"
Her eyes sparked with mischief. She leaned in, stage-whispering: "Yes."
My pulse spiked. "Who?"
With a dramatic gasp, she shouted, "Monsters!" and doubled over laughing.
I rolled my eyes, but my heart hammered. "You watch too many horror films. I need to go."
"Relax, I was joking!" she called after me, still giggling.
But the unease didn't leave me.
ADRIAN'S POV
From the shadows, I watched her. Her shoulders carried a weight she didn't deserve, her gaze clouded with unease. I forced myself to look away, to act indifferent. And yet, every step she took tugged at me like a chain.
Then I heard her with Tessy.
She had seen them.
A curse ripped through my teeth. If she went to the police again… they would silence her. Permanently.
I slammed my fist against the stone wall, pain radiating up my arm. Damn her stubbornness. Damn my weakness.
Why couldn't she just stay away?
EIRA'S POV
Back in my room, I dressed quickly, locked the door, and made my decision. Enough. I couldn't carry this alone. The Cops had to know.
The bus ride stretched into eternity, each stop tightening the knot in my stomach. At last, I stepped off onto a deserted road leading to the station. The silence pressed in, thick and smothering.
Then—blackness.
A rough cloth smothered me from behind, stealing my breath. I thrashed, kicking, clawing at the fabric, panic exploding through me. A cold hand clamped on the back of my neck, sending ice down my spine.
"No—let me go!" My cries muffled into the cloth.
A sharp twist at the base of my neck—pain flared—
And the world collapsed into darkness