Elara walked through the hallway toward her class. Everything around her seemed normal, yet something deep inside her told her otherwise. The day went on as usual—teachers spoke, students laughed, the world moved forward—but she felt stuck.
When the final bell rang, she gathered her belongings and left the school building, but she didn't head straight home.
Instead, her feet carried her toward their place.
A place only she and Jian knew.
A hidden space beyond the old, abandoned greenhouse at the edge of the school grounds. Overgrown vines curled around broken glass panes, and the scent of damp earth filled the air.
She pushed through the heavy wooden door, stepping inside. Dust floated in the dim light filtering through cracks in the ceiling. The world outside felt distant here—muted, almost unreal.
And there he was.
Jian sat on the stone bench in the middle of the room, waiting for her. His head was slightly tilted, his dark eyes watching her closely.
She stopped a few feet away, gripping her bag tightly. Something felt different.
Jian smiled—but it didn't feel like his usual smile.
"You came," he said softly.
Elara swallowed."Of course."
Silence stretched between them. She had so many questions, so many thoughts tangled in her mind. But before she could say anything—
Jian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass vial.
A dark purple liquid swirled inside.
The same color as the drink from that night.
The memory flashed in her mind—his whisper, the cold glass against her lips, the way her body felt afterward.
She took a step back.
Jian's eyes never left her.
"This time,"
he said, his voice barely above a whisper,
"you have to drink it willingly."
Elara's heart pounded against her ribs.
Willingly?
Her hands clenched at her sides. Every instinct told her to run—to turn and leave before it was too late.
But she stayed.
Her voice was quieter than she wanted it to be.
"What… happens if I don't?"
Jian held the vial between his fingers, tilting it slightly so the liquid swirled inside. His eyes never left hers.
"Then," he said calmly, "you'll never remember."
Elara's stomach twisted. Remember what?
"I don't understand," she whispered.
Jian took a slow step forward.
"You do," he murmured.
"You just don't want to."
She did.
Deep down, she knew.
She could feel it—the gaps in her memory, the moments that didn't quite fit together.
Something had been taken from her.
And now, he was offering to give it back.
Elara exhaled shakily, forcing herself to hold his gaze.
"What did you do to me?"
Jian's lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. He hesitated, his fingers tightening around the vial.
Then, softly—almost regretfully—he whispered,
"I saved you."
Elara's breath hitched.
Jian stepped closer.
"But they won't stop, Elara. If you don't remember… they'll come for you again."
The air between them felt heavier, thick with something unseen.
She looked at the vial.
At the dark liquid swirling inside.
If she drank it… would she finally know what had been haunting her?
Or was this just another trick?
She had to decide.
Drink it.
Or walk away.
But deep down, she already knew—
There was no walking away from this.
Elara stared at the vial, her fingers twitching at her sides. The weight of Jian's words pressed down on her.
They'll come for you again.
Her throat felt tight. She didn't know who they were—but she had felt their presence, lurking at the edges of her mind.
The creeping dread, the wrongness in her home, in her school, in herself.
She swallowed hard.
"And if I drink it… I'll remember everything?"
Jian gave a slow nod. His face was unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes—hesitation.
She took a deep breath.
Then, before she could second-guess herself, she reached for the vial.
Jian watched her carefully as she unscrewed the cap. The scent that hit her was sharp, metallic—like something unnatural.
Her fingers trembled. But she lifted the vial to her lips and drank.
The liquid was cold. Not just in temperature—it felt like it carried something else, something alive. It slid down her throat like ice, sending a deep shiver through her bones.
Her vision blurred. The world tilted.
And then—
She was somewhere else.
Not in the greenhouse. Not in the present.
She was back.
Back in the library.
The dim glow of old chandeliers flickered overhead. The scent of ink, paper, and dust filled the air.
And in front of her—they stood.
Raven and Damien ,Smiling.
But not like normal students. Not like humans.
They were whispering, murmuring strange words under their breath. Their fingers traced symbols on the wooden table, symbols that pulsed and moved like living things.
And then—
She saw herself.
Not watching from a distance, but there, in the past.
Her own body, frozen in place, eyes wide in fear.
She had been here before.
She had seen this before.
And then—
The whispers stopped.
The past version of her turned.
Looked directly at her.
And smiled.
Elara's stomach dropped.
Her vision blurred again, the scene pulling away like smoke.
When she gasped awake, she was back in the greenhouse, the empty vial slipping from her fingers.
Jian knelt in front of her, gripping her shoulders.
"Elara?" His voice was urgent.
"What did you see?"
She looked at him, breathless.
And whispered—
"Me."
Jian's grip on her shoulders tightened for a split second—so brief she almost didn't notice. But she did.
He knew.
Elara's chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
"Jian… what did they do to me?"
Jian didn't answer right away. He just watched her, his dark eyes scanning every inch of her face like he was looking for something.
Then he exhaled, low and unsteady.
"They didn't do anything to you."
She frowned. "But—"
"They made you."
Silence.
Elara felt the world shift under her feet.
A slow, horrible understanding crept through her.
"What do you mean… made me?"
Jian pressed his lips together, his jaw tightening. His hands slid away from her shoulders, falling into his lap.
"They created you, Elara," he said finally, voice almost too soft to hear.
"You weren't supposed to remember."
Her stomach twisted. A cold, nauseating dread filled her veins.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "That doesn't make sense. I have a family, I have memories—"
"They're not real."
Jian's voice was sharp now, cutting through her words.
"They were given to you. Placed in your mind like a story written just for you."
She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her sleeves.
"No. No, that's not—"
"Your parents. Your brother. Eva."
Jian's voice lowered, a deep sorrow settling into his tone.
"They were never yours."
Elara's pulse roared in her ears.
She wanted to call him a liar.
Wanted to believe he was wrong.
But deep down, in the cracks of her memories, in the places that never quite felt right—
She knew.
Something in her had always known.
Her hands clenched into fists, nails biting into her palms. She forced herself to meet Jian's gaze.
"Then tell me," she said, voice shaking but firm.
"Who am I?"
Jian hesitated.
Then, finally—
"You were their experiment."
Elara's breath hitched.
"They created you to be perfect. To be their vessel. And then, when you saw too much—when you started to remember—they erased you. And placed you back into the world like nothing ever happened."
Her skin turned to ice.
She shook her head, stepping back.
"No… that's not—"
"They'll come for you again, Elara."
Jian's voice was barely above a whisper now.
"They always do."
Her entire body trembled.
She had spent so much time running from the feeling that something was wrong.
But there was no running anymore.
Because now—
She knew the truth.
And something deep inside her whispered:
It's not over.
Elara stopped in her tracks, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. The truth was crashing down on her in waves, suffocating and endless. She turned back to Jian, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And us?" she asked.
"Was that a lie too?"
Jian flinched. Just for a second, but she saw it.
His silence was worse than any answer he could've given.
Elara clenched her fists, forcing herself to take a step closer.
"You knew all this time. About me. About them. And yet you stood by me. Why?"
Jian exhaled slowly, looking away. His fingers curled tightly at his sides.
"Because I had to."
Something sharp twisted in her chest.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes met hers again—dark, endless, filled with something she couldn't name.
"Because I was made for you, Elara."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Jian's lips pressed into a thin line.
"I'm one of them."
A sudden ringing filled Elara's ears.
"No. No, that's not true."
Jian stepped toward her, voice gentler now, but still carrying that same unbearable weight.
"I was designed to guide you, to keep you from asking too many questions. To keep you from remembering."
Elara took a step back, her heart pounding. "No—"
"But I failed."
She froze.
Jian gave her a bitter smile.
"Somewhere along the way, I stopped being just an experiment. I started to care. And the more I cared… the more I realized I couldn't keep lying to you."
Elara swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Then why tell me now?"
Jian hesitated. Then, softly,
"Because they're coming, and I won't let them take you again."
The air between them was thick with things unsaid.
A distant rustling. Footsteps drawing closer.
Jian reached out, his fingers grazing her wrist.
"You need to go. Now."
Elara wanted to scream at him, wanted to demand more answers. But the urgency in his voice told her there wasn't time.
Still, one last question burned on her tongue.
"Do you love me, Jian?"
For the first time, she saw real pain in his expression.
"It doesn't matter."
And with that—
He shoved her away, just as the shadows arrived.
Elara stood frozen, her mind drowning in a storm of revelations. Jian—her Jian—was never just her friend. He had been created, just like the others. Just like her.
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The weight of everything pressed down on her chest, suffocating. But there was one last thing she needed to know.
She swallowed hard, looking up at him.
"What will happen to you?"
Jian's expression didn't change. But his eyes—they flickered with something deep, something unreadable.
"That doesn't matter."
A sharp chill ran down her spine.
"It matters to me."
Jian exhaled softly, almost like he was amused by her stubbornness.
"Elara… I was never meant to last."
Her breath caught.
"What are you talking about?"
He hesitated. Then, voice barely above a whisper—
"I was designed for a purpose. When that purpose is complete…"
He trailed off, letting the silence speak for itself.
Elara shook her head. No. No, this wasn't right. She took a step closer.
"That's not fair. You—"
Before she could finish, a new presence filled the space around them.
A slow, measured clap.
Elara's blood ran cold.
She turned to see two familiar figures standing in the entrance of the greenhouse—Raven and Damien.
Their usual charming smiles were gone. Instead, their eyes gleamed with something unreadable, something unnatural.
Damien tilted his head.
"Well, well… seems like our little secret got out."
Raven stepped forward, his presence eerily calm.
"Jian, you were supposed to keep her from this."
Elara's heart pounded. They knew. They knew he had failed.
Jian didn't react. His face was unreadable, but Elara could see the tension in his posture.
Damien sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You know, it's funny. People always thought we were the experiments."
His lips curled into a smirk.
"But the truth is, we were the ones running them."
Elara's breath hitched. No. No, that can't be
Raven chuckled, stepping closer.
"You don't remember everything yet, do you?" His voice was smooth, like silk laced with poison.
"What if I told you that you were never just a student here?"
Elara felt dizzy, the pieces falling together too fast. The library. The whispers. The strange feeling of being watched.
Jian tensed beside her.
"Don't."
But Raven ignored him, his gaze locked onto Elara.
"We built you, Elara."
The words slammed into her like a punch to the gut.
"You weren't supposed to wake up."
The world tilted.
Jian moved suddenly, stepping in front of her.
"Run."
His voice was urgent, raw.
"Now."
Elara's legs wouldn't move. She needed answers. She needed—
Damien sighed.
"She's not going anywhere."
And then, before she could react—
Everything went dark.
To be continue ....