The walls seemed to close in around him.
Kai pressed himself against the kitchen counter, knife trembling in his grip, eyes fixed on the door. The air grew heavy, every breath weighed down with damp and mildew. His ears strained, searching for the smallest trace of movement beyond the silence.
Nothing.
The house gave no answer. Not the creak of a floorboard, not the whisper of cloth brushing against the frame. Only the rain, falling in endless sheets. Only the steady drip of water filling the bucket.
Plink.
Plink.
Plink.
The sound gnawed at him, each drop a nail driven into his skull. He clenched his jaw, forcing his teeth not to chatter.
"Kai Voss."
The voice came again, though softer this time, as if whispered directly into his ear. He spun toward the sound, but the kitchen was empty—shadows stretching long, the fridge humming like a nervous breath.
"Stop it," he hissed, pressing the heel of his palm against his temple. "Stop it. You're not real."
But he didn't believe it. The words sounded weak, pathetic, falling flat in the stale air.
The clock ticked forward. 12:05.
Time had slowed to a crawl. Every second hung heavy, stretching thin, as though the world itself held its breath.
A memory surfaced unbidden—his mother's voice, sharp and clear as if she were still alive: Always lock the doors, Kai. Never trust silence. Silence hides teeth.
He squeezed his eyes shut. He could almost see her standing there in the hallway, her hair damp from rain, a tired smile that never quite reached her eyes. But when he opened them again, the hallway was empty, lined only with cracked paint and shadows.
"You're gone," he whispered. "You're gone, and I'm alone."
The knife shook in his hand. He adjusted his grip, trying to still it, but the tremor traveled from his wrist to his shoulder, uncontrollable.
Another rattle of the doorknob. Longer this time. Slow. A deliberate twist, as though whoever stood outside wanted him to hear, to feel each grind of metal against metal.
Kai's throat closed. His breathing grew shallow, ragged.
He wanted to shout. To demand who it was, why they wanted him, what they wanted from him. But the words turned to ash in his throat.
Instead, he whispered into the dark, to no one, to everyone. "What did I do wrong?"
The coin pulsed faintly beneath his skin, though he no longer held it. The warmth coiled in his veins, sliding through him like liquid fire.
"…you asked…" the whisper hissed.
"…and the answer came…"
"No," Kai gasped. "No, I never—"
The knock came again. Harder. The entire door shook this time, hinges groaning, wood splintering near the latch. Dust rained down in a thin cloud, catching the dim light.
Kai staggered backward, his heel catching on the edge of a rug. He nearly fell but caught himself on the counter, the knife slicing the air.
A laugh bubbled up his throat, high and brittle, almost a sob. "This isn't happening. It can't be happening. I'm dreaming again."
He pinched his arm hard, digging nails into flesh. Pain blossomed, sharp, undeniable. Not a dream.
The door thudded once more, harder than before. The lock rattled in its frame.
"Kai Voss."
The voice was everywhere now—in the walls, the floor, the ceiling. It filled the entire house, a presence rather than a sound. His chest constricted, panic clawing at his lungs.
The clock ticked to 12:08.
Kai backed toward the hallway, knife clutched in both hands now. His breathing was frantic, uneven, his vision darting from shadow to shadow. The old photographs on the wall seemed to lean toward him, eyes following, mouths curling into faint smirks that hadn't been there before.
He blinked hard, shaking his head. Hallucinations. Paranoia. But when he opened his eyes again, the faces in the photographs were still smiling.
Another crash at the door. This one violent, splintering wood. The frame trembled. The latch groaned in protest.
Kai's body jolted. He turned, sprinting down the hallway, his bare feet slapping against warped floorboards. His chest burned, breath coming in ragged bursts. He reached the back door, seized the handle, yanked hard.
It didn't budge. The swollen wood held fast, fused into the frame by years of neglect. He pulled harder, sweat slicking his grip, until his arms shook with effort. Nothing.
The house trapped him like a cage.
A crash echoed from the front. Wood splintering. Hinges shrieking. The door giving way.
Kai froze, knife raised, eyes wide with terror. His ears filled with the sound of boots on the threshold—slow, deliberate steps pressing into the soaked floor.
He staggered backward until his shoulders struck the wall. His body trembled violently, every muscle screaming to run, though there was nowhere left to go.
The coin flared inside him. His veins burned, light flickering beneath his skin. His mind flooded with whispers.
"…stay…"
"…fight…"
"…first blood must spill…"
"No!" His voice cracked, desperate. "I can't—I won't!"
But the footsteps drew closer. Into the hallway now. Each step steady, unhurried, certain.
Kai raised the knife with both hands, the blade trembling like a leaf in the storm. His mouth was dry, his chest tight, his vision swimming.
A shadow stretched along the wall. Tall. Unfamiliar. Human, yet not.
The intruder had entered.
The footsteps echoed in the hallway, steady and deliberate.
Kai's breath snagged in his chest. The knife wavered in his grip, the blade catching dim light in frantic shivers. His eyes locked on the shadow spilling across the wall. It stretched impossibly tall, limbs long and distorted, its head brushing the ceiling as though the intruder were too large for the frame of the house.
And yet, when the figure finally stepped into view, it was just a man.
Tall, yes. Broad-shouldered. His coat dripped rain onto the warped floorboards, pooling at his boots. His face remained hidden beneath the brim of a hat, shadows obscuring everything but the pale gleam of his mouth. A faint smile curved there, unreadable.
He stopped at the far end of the hallway, not rushing, not raising a weapon. Just standing, as though the very act of his presence was enough.
"Kai Voss," he said, his voice calm and steady, the same tone as before. "You've finally woken."
Kai's throat tightened. He forced words out, broken and uneven. "Get out."
The man tilted his head slightly, as though considering. Rain dripped from his sleeve, spattering the floor. "This house is nothing but rot. Leaks. Cracks. Empty walls. Yet here you are, clinging to it like it has meaning."
"I said—get out." Kai raised the knife higher, though his arms shook violently.
The man chuckled softly, a dry rasp that sent a shiver crawling up Kai's spine. "Do you really think that knife will change what waits for you?"
Kai swallowed, his voice cracking. "I don't know who you are. I don't care. Leave."
"You care." The man's smile widened, teeth faintly visible in the dim light. "You wouldn't be holding that blade otherwise. You wouldn't be trembling like a child in the dark."
Kai's chest heaved, panic tearing through him. "What do you want?"
The man stepped forward, slow, deliberate. His boots creaked against the old wood, each sound sharp, invasive. He didn't lunge. He didn't raise a weapon. He simply closed the space with the inevitability of a predator who knew his prey had nowhere left to run.
"What I want," he said softly, "is irrelevant. What matters is what you wanted."
Kai froze. The words struck deeper than he expected. His voice dropped to a whisper. "What… I wanted?"
The man's pale smile gleamed. "You asked the questions, didn't you? You begged for answers. Life. Death. God." His hand lifted slowly, palm open, as if presenting invisible scales. "And the world—kind enough to hear you—answered."
Kai's stomach churned. He shook his head violently. "No. That wasn't—no one answered. It was just me. Talking to myself."
The man laughed again, quiet and hollow. "Do you believe that?"
Kai wanted to scream at him, to drive him out with the knife, but the words tangled in his throat. His hand burned, veins faintly glowing as though the coin still pulsed beneath his skin.
"You're lying," Kai muttered. "You're not real."
The man took another step, and the shadows seemed to bend with him, stretching unnaturally. His smile never faltered. "Reality is thin, Kai. Thinner than you've ever known. You've already seen the cracks. The whispers. The glow. You think that was madness?" He leaned forward slightly, the brim of his hat no longer hiding the pale gleam of his eyes. Cold. Reflective. Inhuman. "That was the beginning."
Kai pressed himself harder against the wall, knife raised, though his arms felt like lead. Sweat poured down his temples, stinging his eyes.
The man tilted his head again, studying him. "I'll give you one kindness, boy. You are not the first to wake. Others before you asked the same questions. They searched for the same truth. But the world does not tolerate the enlightened." His voice dropped, smooth and sharp as a blade. "It hunts them."
A chill stabbed through Kai's spine. "Enlightened?"
The man's grin widened. "And the hunters always find their prey."
The air thickened, oppressive. Kai's breath came shallow, his lungs refusing to fill. His heart pounded so violently it hurt, echoing in his ears.
"Why me?" he whispered, the knife trembling in his hand. "I never—I didn't ask for this."
"But you did." The man's voice softened, almost tender. "Every time you cursed the sky. Every time you begged God to explain your suffering. Every time you stared at the cracks in these walls and wondered if the cracks were in you instead. You invited it. And now—" He spread his arms slightly, the gesture mockingly gracious. "Here I am."
Kai's knees wavered, threatening to buckle. "You're not—" He swallowed hard, fighting tears that burned at the corners of his eyes. "You're not God."
The man chuckled low, shaking his head. "No, Kai. But I've killed enough to know what waits beyond." His voice sharpened suddenly, a whipcrack in the stillness. "And you're next."
The words slammed into Kai, leaving him breathless. He tightened his grip on the knife, though his arms trembled uncontrollably. His mind screamed to run, to fight, to do anything but stand frozen in terror.
The man took another step. His shadow fell across Kai, swallowing him whole.
"First blood," the intruder whispered, eyes glinting in the dark. "Yours, or mine. Choose."
The man's words hung heavy in the hallway, vibrating in the silence.
"First blood. Yours, or mine."
Kai's throat constricted, the knife shaking in his grip. His eyes burned from the sting of sweat, his lungs fought for air that refused to fill. His heart beat so violently it hurt, each thud ricocheting through his ribs.
Then, without warning, the intruder moved.
One second he was still, smiling faintly in the dim light. The next, he was across the hallway, boots striking the floor in thunderous rhythm, coat flaring like wings. The suddenness of it tore a cry from Kai's throat. He jerked the knife up instinctively, stumbling backward until his shoulders struck the wall.
The man's arm swung wide, catching the frame of the hallway. The impact rattled the entire house, dust showering from the ceiling. His other hand shot forward, fingers outstretched, grasping for Kai's throat.
Kai slashed blindly. The blade bit shallowly into cloth, tearing a strip from the intruder's sleeve. The cut slowed him for only an instant. His pale grin never faltered.
"You hesitate," the man hissed.
Kai staggered sideways, forcing his body along the wall, knife raised in shaking hands. His breath came fast, sharp, animal. "Stay away from me!" he screamed, voice cracking.
The man lunged again. His hand closed on Kai's wrist, the grip iron, crushing. Pain shot up Kai's arm, his fingers nearly spasming open. The knife wavered, nearly lost.
With a desperate cry, Kai twisted, using his other hand to drive the blade upward. The metal scraped along the intruder's coat, cutting again into cloth, failing to meet flesh. The man's grip only tightened, pulling him closer, until Kai could see the unnatural gleam of his eyes.
Cold. Reflective. Predator's eyes.
"You're weak," the intruder said, almost pitying. "You're not ready."
Kai's stomach roiled, his body trembling so violently he thought his bones would shatter. But something deeper pressed at him—hot, pulsing. The coin. Buried beneath his skin, it burned brighter now, every vein alive with fire. His head swam with whispers.
"…strike… deeper… do not stop…"
"No!" Kai screamed aloud, twisting violently. He rammed his knee upward, catching the intruder in the thigh. The man's grip faltered for a heartbeat. That heartbeat was enough.
Kai tore free, stumbling backward into the kitchen. His heel struck the bucket, sending water splashing across the tiles. He nearly slipped, barely catching himself on the counter. The knife shook in his grip, droplets of rain and sweat sliding down his wrist.
The intruder followed. Not rushing now. Deliberate. Calm. His boots splashed through the spilled water, coat dripping. He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"You've tasted fear before," he said softly. "But never like this. Do you feel it? The world narrowing? The moment stretching?"
Kai's chest heaved. "Shut up!"
The intruder's smile widened. "You asked for truth, Kai Voss. Truth demands blood."
He lunged again.
This time Kai didn't retreat. He swung the knife wildly, a desperate arc. The blade sliced across the intruder's forearm. A hiss of torn fabric, the faintest resistance of flesh, and then—blood.
Dark. Too dark. It dripped onto the tiles, thick and heavy, steaming faintly in the air.
The intruder froze for an instant, his pale eyes flicking down to the wound. His grin sharpened, teeth glinting. "There," he whispered. "The first cut."
Kai staggered backward, horrified by the sight of blood on his blade. His stomach lurched, bile rising in his throat. He wanted to drop the knife, to flee, to undo what he had done. But the coin pulsed harder, burning now, searing his nerves.
"…again… again…"
The intruder surged forward, arm outstretched. His hand closed around Kai's throat, lifting him off his feet with impossible strength. The knife nearly slipped from Kai's hand as his vision blurred, black spots blooming at the edges.
He choked, kicking wildly, his bare feet striking the air. His lungs screamed for air, fire spreading through his chest. The man's grip tightened, voice low, calm, relentless.
"This is the moment, Kai. Choose. Die as nothing—or kill and become what you were meant to be."
Kai's body screamed, vision flickering. His arm jerked, knife wobbling. The whispers filled his skull, deafening, drowning out his thoughts.
"…kill… or be killed…"
With a final, desperate surge, Kai drove the blade upward. Not clumsy this time. Not wild. Precise.
The knife sank into flesh.
The intruder's body jolted, breath catching. His grip slackened. Kai crashed to the floor, coughing, gasping, knife buried deep in the man's side.
For a moment, silence. Only the hiss of rain. Only the steady drip of blood onto the tiles.
Then the intruder leaned down, lips close to Kai's ear. His voice was a ragged whisper now, wet with blood.
"Welcome… enlightened one."
And with that, he staggered backward, the shadows seeming to swallow him whole.
Kai knelt on the floor, chest heaving, knife slick in his grip. His hands shook violently, blood staining his skin. His body ached, his throat raw, his vision blurred with tears.
The coin pulsed one final time, searing him from within.
"…first blood… spilled…"
Kai dropped the knife. It clattered against the tiles, echoing through the ruined silence. He clutched his chest, gasping, tears streaming down his face.
The intruder was gone. The house was empty once more.
But Kai knew nothing would ever be the same again.