The rain always came before something bad happened. It wasn't a superstition anymore, it was a pattern.
Leira had told herself a hundred times not to believe in omens. Yet tonight, she couldn't shake the feeling that the sky was watching her. The clouds hung so low it felt like they could reach down and touch her, heavy and dark, pressing the whole city beneath them.
She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and walked faster. Water splashed against her boots, the puddles rippling in the pale light from the streetlamps. Every sound felt louder than it should, the slap of her shoes, the soft hiss of rain against metal, the distant hum of the ocean.
It was past eleven. She was supposed to be home by ten, but Leira needed the air. She needed to move, to think, to breathe something that didn't feel like someone else's voice in her head.
The streets of Nareen were nearly empty. The little coastal town always went quiet after dark, but tonight the silence felt heavier, like it was holding its breath. The air smelled of salt and old metal, a scent that seemed to cling to her skin. Nareen had always smelled like that, like rain and rust and secrets.
She was halfway across the bridge when she felt it again. That strange pull inside her chest. It wasn't pain exactly, but it made her stop walking. It felt like something, or someone was calling her name, not out loud, but somewhere deep within her ribs.
Leira turned slowly, her heart thudding. The bridge stretched behind her, empty. The only movement came from the rain sliding off the railings, dripping into the dark water below.
Then she heard it.
A heartbeat.
Not hers.
It came from somewhere close, steady and slow, like a drum beating beneath the rain.
Leira's throat went dry. "Who's there?" Her voice didn't sound like her own.
Silence. Then the heartbeat faded, or maybe it was only in her head. She swallowed hard and kept walking, telling herself she was tired, that her mind was playing tricks. She always overthought things.
But she hadn't taken more than a few steps when a voice spoke from behind her.
"You shouldn't be out here. Not tonight."
Leira spun around.
A boy stood at the edge of the bridge, half-hidden beneath the shadows. He looked a little older than her, maybe twenty, maybe younger. Rain soaked his dark hair, plastering it to his forehead, and when the lightning flashed, his eyes caught the light in a way that didn't quite look natural.
"Who are you?" she asked, taking a step back.
He tilted his head, studying her. "No one you know. But you will."
Leira frowned. "Okay, that's… not creepy at all." She turned to leave, pretending she wasn't shaking.
"Don't," he said softly. "There's blood in the rain tonight."
She stopped, half laughing. "What? What are you saying?"
But when she looked down, a drop of rain slid off her hair and landed on her wrist. It wasn't clear. It was red.
Her stomach twisted. "What the—"
She blinked, and it was gone. Just water again. Plain, harmless rain.
Her heart pounded so loud it drowned out everything else. "What is going on? What's happening to me?"
The boy stepped closer, his voice low. "There's no time. The only thing that matters right in this moment is keeping you alive."
Before she could move, the streetlight above them flickered, then shattered with a sharp crack. Something moved through the darkness, fast, too fast to be human.
Leira screamed. The boy grabbed her arm and pulled her against him. The air around them rippled, and for a heartbeat, everything went silent.
No rain. No sound. No world.
She felt his heartbeat against her ear, steady and real. And then, as suddenly as it stopped, the noise came crashing back. The rain returned, but it was different; warmer, heavier.
They weren't on the bridge anymore.
Leira stumbled, almost falling. They stood in a narrow alley, the air thick with smoke and heat. Steam rose from the wet pavement, and something about the place felt wrong. The town outside the alley didn't sound the same.
Leira backed away from him, her voice trembling. "What did you do? Where are we?"
He didn't answer right away. His eyes had dimmed, the strange light faded from them until they almost looked normal again. Almost.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
He took a breath, his jaw tightening. "Who I am doesn't matter right now."
"Oh yes it does…"
"What matters is who you are" he said quietly. "Because you're not supposed to exist."
Leira stared at him, confused. "What are you talking about? Are you crazy?"
He took a deep breath and then exhaled, his face looked like he was fighting back the urge to tell her everything. Like he wanted to spill this big secret.
The air shifted again, colder this time. A faint metallic scent drifted through the alley, the same smell from before. Rain and iron.
Something moved at the far end of the street, just a blur in the shadows.
The boy's eyes darkened again. Like he won the internal struggle and had come to the conclusion that he cannot tell her. "We need to go."
Leira didn't move. Her whole body felt frozen. "Go where? I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't even know who you are!"
He stepped closer, his expression calm but tense. "You don't need to. Not yet."
Lightning flashed somewhere beyond the rooftops, and for a second, she saw the glow in his eyes one again, as bright as before.
She blinked, and the light was gone again.
He reached out a hand. "Leira, please."
"How do you know my name?" she asked.
He hesitated, rain dripping from his hair. "Because I've been trying to find you for a very long time."
She took a step back. "You're insane."
"Maybe," he said softly. "But that doesn't make me wrong."
Something sharp whistled past them, slicing through the air. A spark burst from the wall behind her, and the boy moved instantly, pushing her down before she could see what it was.
The air burned. The sound of the rain vanished again, replaced by that same steady heartbeat.
He turned his head slightly, whispering something she couldn't make out. And then, before she could ask, the world blurred again.
When the light faded, they were standing in another place, somewhere darker, colder, quieter. The sound of waves echoed in the distance, and the smell of iron filled her lungs.
Leira pressed her hand to her chest, gasping for breath. "You need to tell me what's happening right now."
The boy looked at her with something like regret. "You really don't remember, do you?"
"Remember what?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he turned away, glancing toward the sea beyond the alley's edge.
"Then this will be harder than I thought," he murmured.
Leira took a shaky step closer. "What will be harder?"
He met her eyes again, and for a heartbeat, she thought she saw something ancient there, something that didn't belong in this reality. Maybe a dream.
"Keeping you alive," he said softly. "And keeping the world from remembering you."