Theo's heart pounded violently as fragments of something—memories?—flashed through his mind.
Too vivid. Too real.
Shadows flickered along the walls of the ancient library, and that voice—the same deep, smooth voice that had called his name—echoed inside him.
He staggered back, his breath uneven.
"No… no, this can't be real," Theo whispered, panic rising in his chest.
"I don't want to die…"
He turned abruptly, trying to run down the narrow aisle—
But he didn't even get two steps.
Abyzou was already there.
Standing right in front of him.
Theo froze.
His back hit the cold wall, trapping him completely. Abyzou loomed over him—tall, otherworldly—his figure flickering in the dim crimson glow spilling from the open book.
"Don't be afraid, Theo," Abyzou said softly.
Almost… gently.
But Theo's heart only raced faster.
"What are you?" Theo demanded, his voice shaking.
"A ghost? A demon?"
Abyzou tilted his head slightly, a faint smile touching his lips.
"I am neither dead nor alive in the way you understand," he replied calmly.
"I am the King of Shadows… the ruler of what your world would call hell."
His gaze deepened.
"And I have been waiting for you… for a very long time."
Theo swallowed hard, pressing himself against the wall as if he could disappear into it.
"H-How do you know my name?" he stammered.
"Please… don't kill me…"
For a moment—
Abyzou's expression softened.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
Theo flinched instinctively as cold fingertips brushed against his cheek.
The touch was gentle.
But it sent a sharp, electric chill through his entire body.
"I don't understand…" Theo whispered, his voice breaking.
"This can't be real… this has to be a nightmare…"
But Abyzou didn't disappear.
He stepped closer.
"I am not a ghost, Theo," he murmured.
"I am as real as the breath in your lungs… the fire in your veins."
His voice lowered, almost intimate.
"The book has brought us back together."
Theo's pulse thundered in his ears.
"Together…?" he echoed weakly.
"I'm just a normal person… you've got the wrong person…"
Abyzou's eyes softened even more.
Like he already knew the truth Theo was denying.
He reached out again, his fingers brushing Theo's cheek—this time slower… lingering.
"You don't have to be afraid of me," he said quietly.
"You only have to remember."
Theo's breath hitched.
Abyzou leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper—
"You have always been the one."
The words sank deep.
"In every life… in every story…"
A pause.
"It has always been you."
Theo flinched, his mind spiraling.
The library seemed to pulse around them—the book crackling with light, shadows whispering like they were alive.
Reality felt unstable.
Fragile.
Like it could shatter at any moment.
And in that moment—
Theo understood something terrifying.
He couldn't run.
He couldn't escape.
Not from this.
Not from him.
Because whatever this was…
It had already begun.
---
To be continued…