A blinding light pierced Kaelen's pupils as his eyes were forced open. The sharp scent of medical alcohol filled the air. Somewhere in the distance, the faint clink of metal echoed. His body was restrained on a bed, wrists and ankles bound tightly.
"Where… am I?" he croaked.
The room was white. Too white. The walls, the floor, the ceiling—nothing but white. No windows, no clock, no shadows. Just a deafening silence that screamed louder than any noise.
When he screamed, no sound came out. It was as if the world swallowed him whole. No response. No one came. His mind spun in circles, trying to understand why he was there. He wasn't insane.
But that was how it started.
Time lost all meaning. Days turned to weeks—or maybe years. In that stabilization room, he was forced to face himself until the line between reality and delusion was nothing but a smear. Every emotion was stripped away, leaving only… emptiness.
***
A sudden collision yanked him out of his thoughts.
"OH MY GOD! Are you a human or a brick-hauling alien truck from Jupiter?!" a sharp, absurdly furious voice rang out.
Kaelen stumbled back a step, instinctively grabbing the wall for support. His head was spinning, breath uneven. But that voice—loud, intrusive, like an ambulance siren lost at a night market—snapped his awareness back into place.
Standing in front of him was a girl. Her wavy brown hair was tousled from rushing, but it only added to her dramatic aura. A knee-length dark green dress clung to her petite frame, a perfect contrast to her sharp, laser-beam eyes currently firing off pure rage.
"Seriously, did you hit someone or were you crash-testing a student version of Fast & Furious?! This is a dorm hallway, not a demolition derby!"
Kaelen couldn't speak. Cold sweat trickled down his temple. His heart raced. His eyes stared blankly, trying to stay calm even as his trauma surged underneath. But… he could feel it. Her presence wasn't normal. The faint scent from her skin cut through his subconscious like a blade.
He tried to open his mouth, and barely managed a word—so soft it was almost inaudible. "Sorry."
"Huh? Was that a mumble or a prayer? Speak up!" She leaned in, undeterred. "This isn't an ambient concert, you know. Use your voice!"
Kaelen looked down, avoiding her eyes. But his feelings only got worse. There was something about her—not just charm, not dominance. Something wilder. Older. His instincts flared, and he had no idea why.
"Oh my god… Don't tell me you're a secret agent undercover as a student but totally blew your cover with that zombie-who-got-jetlag walk. Are you okay? Or did you just sniff glue?"
Kaelen finally lifted his head. His gaze was deep. His pupils briefly narrowed—imperceptible to the human eye. Yet the girl leaned even closer, undaunted.
"Seriously. Do you even have a name? Or are you some supernatural entity who forgot his identity after crashing into an existential wall?"
"Kaelen," he replied curtly.
"Kaelen?! Wait, wait… like a can? A sardine can? Or Kaelen the campus ghost who forgot the way? Kaelen the Invisible?! No, no, you look more like Kaelen McColdface! Or Kaelen the Future-Crasher!"
Kaelen shut his eyes for a second. This girl wasn't just weird. She was… absurd. Yet her voice and presence were magnetic.
"Hey, Kaelen McColdface. I'm Aveline Mireya Quinn. Try to remember it because my name is awesome. And for the record, I don't have time to play crash-landing drama with you because—" she paused, raising a finger like a quiz show host, "—I'm looking for my boyfriend. Damian Vexley. Tall, kinda cute, and totally dumb because he hasn't messaged me even though I arrived first. Seen him? No? Useless. Bye!"
She turned and stormed off, her hair bouncing with every step.
Kaelen stood still, his eyes fixed on the girl's retreating figure as she vanished around the corner.
She… was different.
***
The Raventhorn Dormitory Garden that evening should've been peaceful. A gentle breeze swayed the trees, golden leaves drifted down, and a few students lounged on benches sipping coffee from paper cups.
But that peace was shattered by a scream that sounded like an ambulance siren blended with a telenovela meltdown.
"DAMIAAAAN!! WHAT IS THIS?! YOU THINK YOU'RE SPIDERMAN?! OR A BIKE-TAXI GUY GRABBING PASSENGERS?!"
Kaelen, who was on the second-floor balcony, shot up as if electrocuted. His chest pounded—not from the scream, but something deeper. Primal. Like a magnet pulling him toward the garden.
Without realizing it, he moved. Quick but unhurried. His face was the same—cold, calm, nearly blank—but something in his aura had shifted. The wind grew heavier around him.
Below, students were gathering like birds catching the scent of hot gossip. Phones were raised. Cameras rolled. And at the center—
Aveline Mireya Quinn.
In her now slightly wrinkled emerald dress, her hair wild in the wind, her expression a swirling mess of sadness, fury, and unintentional comedy. She was pointing at a guy in a half-buttoned shirt: Damian Vexley. He was holding the hand of another girl—Luna Hayes—who looked panicked and guilty.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, DAMIAN?! A SPILT MILK CUP IN THE CAFETERIA YOU CAN JUST SAY 'WHOOPS' TO?! YOU THINK I'M A SHARK WHO HAS NO FEELINGS?! HEY, I'M A BALLERINA IN A WORLD FULL OF CHEAP CHIP SELLERS, OKAY?!"
Damian looked nervous. "Aveline, wait, it's not what you—"
"Not what I think?! OH SURE! I thought you were the romantic type waiting outside the dorm with sunflowers singing Ed Sheeran songs! But nooo, you're hugging another girl in the garden like it's your high school reunion! Are you a man or a breeze?! One touch and you drift into someone's arms?!"
Luna tried to pull away. Damian was on the verge of tears.
The other students were caught between laughter and secondhand heartbreak.
"YOU WANNA BE BATMAN? FINE! I'LL BE YOUR JOKER! AND THIS—THIS IS MY ORIGIN STORY, DAMIAN VEXLEY!!"
And just then… Kaelen appeared.
He didn't walk fast, but he moved with purpose. People instinctively stepped aside, as if pushed back by the force of his presence. The air chilled. Some students widened their eyes. Others held their breath.
Kaelen said nothing. He just looked at Aveline—crying, furious, visibly hurt, yet still burning with fire.
"AND YOU! WHAT, YOU THINK YOU'RE A CHEESE-FILLED PANCAKE THAT EVERYONE WANTS A BITE OF?! YOU'RE NOT PRETTY—YOU JUST HAVE BIG EYES! IF THAT'S THE STANDARD, THEN GUPPY FISH ARE MY COMPETITION!!"
Luna backed up three steps.
Aveline sobbed, ranting on. Someone recording nearly dropped their phone from laughing too hard. Damian looked like he wanted to disappear.
Then…
Kaelen stepped into the circle. No warning. No words.
He pulled Aveline into a hug.
The small girl froze.
"W-what—"
"That's enough," Kaelen whispered. His voice barely audible, yet it sliced through the crowd.
Aveline stiffened. His scent—like rain-soaked forest—was warm and mysterious. His chest, solid as stone, felt… safe.
The crowd was mesmerized. Damian opened his mouth but said nothing. Luna looked half-fainted. A few phones fell from stunned hands.
Kaelen, the loner who supposedly hated being touched and never spoke to anyone, was hugging the most absurd girl on campus?
Even weirder…
Aveline didn't resist. She bit her lip, confused by the flutter in her chest. Their eyes met. Kaelen's gaze shimmered—tinged with gold, wild yet… profound.
"W-who… are you, really?" Aveline whispered, not even realizing she said it.
And for the first time…
Kaelen didn't know the answer either.