The rain had finally stopped. The last droplets slid down the windshield, tracing jagged paths before vanishing into the night. Darkness had claimed Astrael, thick and silent, the city streets were empty and glistening from the storm. Zhypher's hands moved over the steering with practiced ease, fingers curling and releasing as if the car obeyed every unspoken thought.
Ring. Ring.
Rowan's name flashed across the dashboard, a faint blue glow cutting through the darkness. Zhypher exhaled slowly, then pressed the green button.
"Zhypher, where are you?" Rowan's voice was hurried, sharp, almost panicked.
"I'm not running away, Rowan. Just on my way home. Remember the meeting with Dravien. Just Calm down." Zhypher let out a humorless laugh.
There was a pause on the other end. Then, tension in Rowan's voice, low and urgent: "Zhypher… your father knows. About the land. He knows you stopped the contract."
Zhypher slammed the brakes. The tires screamed against the wet asphalt, leaving dark streaks in their wake. "What? That's impossible! We did everything in secret… nobody could have found out!"
"It's Kael," Rowan said, voice tight. "The one you trusted. He showed your father the bank statement… the proof that you stopped the contract."
The words struck him harder than any knife. Silence followed, thick and suffocating. His chest tightened, lungs burning with betrayal and anger.
"Zhy… you there?" Rowan's voice broke through the haze. Zhypher made a low sound to signal he is listening.
"How… how could he do this? I thought he was my friend," Zhypher whispered, voice trembling. "He knew how much that land meant… how much she—" His throat caught. The name hung unspoken, heavy in the air.
"Zhypher," Rowan said firmly, "crying won't solve this. People will betray you, yes. But right now… you need to get home. Your father is searching for you. Go. Fast. I'll try my best to calm him."
Zhypher rolled down the window, letting the cool night air wash over him. Then it hit him—a scent carried on the wind. Wild lavender.
Fiora.
He stepped out. His legs trembled but he forced himself forward, each step driven by instinct and desperation. The scent led him to an abandoned church, silent and overgrown. Vines crawled along the cracked stone walls, the broken windows swaying gently in the night breeze. Despite the ruin, the place felt calm, almost sacred, as if it had been waiting for him.
And there she was. Crimson hair tangled and streaked with mud, but unmistakable. Zhypher's heart clenched. The one he had lost during the Alpha-Omega war under the Blood Moon… she is alive.
He stepped closer, brushing the hair from her face. His chest ached, tears threatening to spill. "Fiora… oh, goddess… it's you." He shook her gently, desperate to wake her.
Her eyes flickered open, soft, confused, uncertain. Relief washed over him, but it vanished the moment she recoiled.
"Who… who are you? What are you doing?"
His chest tightened. "It's me, Zhypher… don't you remember? The dreams we shared… the life we built…"
"I… I don't know you," she said, trembling. "Please… leave me alone." She tried to stand, to pull away from him.
Zhypher grabbed her wrist to stop her.
Her eyes flared with anger and fear. She shoved him hard. His head struck the cold stone wall nearby, sending a wave of dizziness through him. Vision blurred, the world tilting as pain flared. But all he could see… was her face.
He forced himself to steady his breathing, whispering her name like a prayer. "Fiora… you are mine. I won't leave you. I can't. Whatever it takes, I'll make you remember… I promise."
A shiver ran through her. Something stirred in her violet eyes—recognition, buried deep beneath layers of fear. She tried to pull away, but her body betrayed her instincts, leaning slightly toward him, drawn by something she could not name.
Zhypher's heart ached with hope and fear, joy and desperation all at once. The church walls seemed to hold their breath, the shadows curling closer as if watching the reunion of two souls bound by fate.
"Fiora…"
But before his words could reach her, panic surged in her eyes. With a sudden, desperate movement, she sprinted toward the broken gate of the church, her crimson hair flying behind her like fire in the night.
Zhypher lunged forward, but dizziness and the throbbing pain in his head slowed him. He reached out, his fingers brushing against the edge of her coat, but she was already gone—swallowed by the darkness outside.
He fell to his knees, chest heaving, heart shattering. All he could see in the fading moonlight… was the empty path she had vanished into.