Aria sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by old journals and fading photographs. Each page she turned felt like pulling at a thread that threatened to unravel her sanity.
Then she froze.
One diary had a page torn clean out — jagged edges like teeth, mocking her. The silence of what was missing screamed louder than the words that remained.
Her pulse quickened. What was hidden here? Why can't I remember?
The door creaked, and Lena leaned against the frame, arms crossed, worry etched into her face.
"Aria… you've been at this for hours," Lena said softly. "You're spiraling again. Maybe it's better to let the past stay buried."
But Aria shook her head, clutching the diary to her chest. "No. There's something here, Lena. Something I was never supposed to forget."
That night, exhaustion pulled her into restless sleep.
And there he was again — the man with red wings, standing in the endless dark. His presence radiated power, and a strange familiarity that made her heart ache.
She whispered his name, though she didn't know why.
This time, he turned.
Her stomach dropped.
The face staring back at her wasn't a stranger's.
It was Kael.