That night, Velithra couldn't stop replaying every word Kai had said.
His voice lingered in her head — low, careful, weighted with something that felt like truth and danger woven together. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as the moonlight bled through her curtains. Her room was quiet except for the faint hum of the city outside, the soft rhythm of her own heartbeat.
She turned onto her side, pulling the blanket closer.But no matter how tightly she wrapped herself, she couldn't feel warm.
Every time she blinked, she saw Kai's face — the way he'd looked when he told her you. The way his eyes had darkened, like he was remembering something painful. Something familiar.
And when sleep finally found her, it wasn't peaceful.
It started with the sound of rain again.Soft, distant, then closer — until she could almost feel the drops hitting her skin.
She looked down and saw herself standing barefoot in the middle of the street, the world dim and colorless. And there, across from her, stood Kai.
He looked just as he had that day at school — black hair damp from the rain, eyes fixed on her with that same unreadable sorrow.
"Velithra," he said. His voice was clear, even though the storm raged around them.
She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come out.
Kai stepped closer. The world seemed to bend with him — the rain parting, the air trembling. "Do you hear it?" he asked.
She shook her head.
He tilted his head slightly. "Listen."
At first, there was nothing. Then, a faint hum — deep and haunting, like the sound of wind trapped inside glass. It grew louder, vibrating in her chest until she could hardly breathe.
Her heart raced. "What is that?" she managed to whisper.
Kai's expression softened — but there was fear in it too. "It's the same thing that's calling me," he said. "And now… it's calling you too."
The ground beneath her feet cracked like thin ice. The rain stopped. The light drained away.
"Kai!" she shouted, reaching for him — but he was fading."Don't follow the voice," he said, his tone desperate now. "Whatever it is — don't—"
And then she woke up.
Her heart was pounding. Her sheets were damp with sweat. The clock read 3:17 a.m.
She sat up slowly, running a hand through her hair.It had just been a dream. It had to be.
But as she caught her breath, she realized something — her window was open.And on the floor beneath it, small, perfect drops of rain.