The morning bell echoed down the narrow street, ringing with the bright, careless sound of youth.
Selene lingered on her doorstep, her schoolbag heavy in her hands. The air was crisp, the kind of autumn chill that made breath curl in front of her lips. It should have felt ordinary. Comforting.
But it didn't.
Every color looked sharper than memory, every sound louder. Her heart thudded with the surreal weight of knowing this wasn't a dream—she had truly returned. And with that return came her resolve:
This time, I will find love. Real love. And I will not waste it.
"Selene!"
The voice was so familiar it nearly broke her.
She turned, and there he was—Adrian.
He ran toward her, tall and lean, a mess of sandy-brown hair falling into his eyes. The boy she remembered, the boy who had always walked beside her, stood alive before her as though time had never stolen him away.
Her throat tightened. She had buried him once in her first life, laid flowers on his grave with trembling hands. Yet here he was, smiling at her with that same reckless grin.
"You're spacing out again," Adrian teased, stopping just short of bumping into her. "Come on, we'll be late. Unless you've decided to abandon me for once?"
Selene forced a laugh, though her chest ached. "I'd never."
She fell into step beside him, the sound of his easy laughter filling the air between them. Every little detail—the way he kicked a stray pebble down the path, the way his bag slipped off his shoulder—felt achingly familiar.
It was so natural. So safe.
Yet deep inside, a whisper curled, cold and amused:
"Is this the love you longed for, Selene? So simple, so small?"
Her fingers tightened on her bag's strap. Veythar's voice still haunted her, even here, even now.
"Hey," Adrian said suddenly, glancing at her. "You look… different today."
Selene stiffened. "Different?"
"Yeah. I don't know." His grin softened into something gentler, eyes lingering on her. "Like you're here but not. Like you've got a secret."
Her breath caught. If only he knew.
She smiled anyway, a careful curve of lips. "Maybe I do."
Adrian laughed, bumping her shoulder with his. "Then I'll just have to figure it out, won't I?"
For the first time since waking, Selene felt warmth spread through her chest. Yes, this was what she wanted. This was why she had begged the demon to turn back time.
But even as the school gates loomed ahead, she couldn't shake the weight of those unseen chains coiled around her soul.
She had her second chance.
She had Adrian.
But somewhere in the shadows, the Demon Lord still watched.
Waiting for the moment she would stumble back into his arms.