The lights of Rey's house shimmered like stars trapped in glass. Music floated through the air as laughter echoed off the walls.
Rey, Ryu, Maya, Kabir, Arjun, and Anika stood in the center of the room — the energy electric. As the DJ hit the beat, the group danced together — wild, messy, joyful. Anika spun with Kabir while Maya and Ryu twirled in sync, their laughter infectious. Even Rey let loose, his usual aloofness replaced by a carefree charm.
Ryu couldn't help but watch him. So this is the Devil of Section C? she thought. Dancing like he's human... like he's not hiding storms behind his eyes.
When the music slowed, everyone gathered around the grand cake — layered chocolate with mango glaze. Aarav, Rey's younger brother, took the first bite excitedly.
But seconds later, his smile vanished. His breathing hitched. His hands trembled.
"Aarav?" Anika cried.
Everyone froze.
"He's allergic!" Rey shouted, panic snapping through his voice. Chaos erupted.
Without hesitation, Ryu stepped forward, digging into her bag. "Take this!" she said, handing him a small vial and pills.
Rey looked at her, stunned. "You carry anti-allergy meds?"
"I... I have severe mango allergy," Ryu admitted quietly. "Had it for years. Learned to control it... but I never forget to carry medicine."
Arjun, standing silently in the corner, stepped forward, his eyes lingering on Ryu a moment too long. "She's always prepared. It's not the first time she saved someone."
Rey glanced between them — Ryu's calm in chaos, Arjun's strange familiarity. But said nothing.
Once Aarav was stable and taken to rest, the celebration mellowed. The group settled under soft lights in the backyard. Rey sat at a distance, his eyes heavy — not with judgment, but thought.
Ryu noticed.
Why does he look... grateful?
Maya nudged Ryu with a teasing smirk. "So... the devil has a heart?"
"I'm starting to think... he does," Ryu said softly, a bit shaken.
Later that night, Ryu and Maya stood near the balcony.
"I had another dream last night," Ryu murmured. "A dark forest. A mirror in the trees. And someone... someone with my eyes."
Maya frowned. "That's the third time this week. What if your dreams are trying to tell you something?"
"I don't know what, though."
"Then draw it. Sketch it out," Maya suggested, tapping Ryu's shoulder. "Let your dreams spill onto paper. Maybe they'll make sense once you see them."
Ryu nodded slowly. The idea felt right. The mystery was tangled — in her dreams, in the strange way Arjun looked at her, and in the way Rey had held his brother like he'd never let him fall.
Some truths were hidden in shadows. But Ryu had decided... she would sketch her way toward them.